Member postings for Andrew Tinsley

It isn't any contaminant that causes the sticky mess it is simply the rubbish E 95 petrol. Common problem if you leave the stuff in a mower overwinter. I had this problem twice before I twigged that you don't leave the the stuff in overwinter.Always empty the fuel tank and carb before storing.

E 95 has 5% ethanol. When it first came out I noticed that my fuel consumption dropped by almost 5%. One has to ask why it was introduced. I suppose the rational was that "we" were using a greener fuel, until you look at the mpg figures!

Andrew.

I did think of using outsize grub screws to make new jaw screws. That went down the pan when I took the offending screws out of the chuck. They were ACME threads, so not much chance of finding ACME grub screws.

Donkey, as a matter of interest, what were the threads on your Myford 4 jaw? Seems as though there were ACME and Old Mart added square threads and by the sound of it, yours appear to have some sort "normal" standard thread.

I have made the missing pieces for repairing the two damaged screws. Waiting for it to warm up a little, before I braze them in place.

Andrew.

Thanks Grindstone,

Some sense at last!

Andrew.

Thanks for that Old Mart. I will go ahead and SIF bronze a piece of silver steel in place and see what happens. Failing that I will make new, using silver steel and heat treat it. Glad that someone else doesn't use the chuck key to remove this type of independent 4 jaw. Lots of folk don't and finish up with this type of problem.

Andrew.

I have used analar grade acetone in my attempts to mix with ATF fluid. It is totally immiscible with the ATF fluids that I have tried. Takes about 2 seconds to separate out after shaking the container!

I gave up after trying 3 types of ATF fluid, but must admit that I have not tried a grade specific to Fords.

Andrew.

Dave,

Totally amazed at your surmise that the chuck is scrap. It should be a straightforward repair to the screw adjuster. Even if SIF bronzing fails, which I very much doubt, it is a relatively straightforward turning job to make new. Unlike Howard, I do have a rotary broach, so the square hole is no problem.

The aftermarket replacement screws were of the order of £40 each, so again well worth the cost to someone who can't do a repair

If you are throwing out anything valuable that you think can't be repaired, then throw it in my direction!

Andrew.

I am assuming that the damage was caused by trying to unscrew the chuck, with the chuck key, when the chuck was well and truly stuck. Although this is pure surmise. I always undo my chucks by using a bar in the chuck jaws. I have seen several broken screws over the years and always thought it was because someone used the chuck key trying to unscrew the chuck. when it was well and truly stuck on the mandrel. How else would this sort of damage occur?

Like most people I am amazed that the jaw screw would be made from cast iron, however it certainly looks like broken cast iron. How would one check?

At the end of the day I am only interested in a repair and that seems to be either silver soldering or SIF bronzing..Let us assume it is cast iron, which is the better method? If it is steel then it doesn't matter which repair method is used.

Andrew.

Edited By Andrew Tinsley on 30/03/2022 16:00:52

I don't believe in the ATF and acetone mix. I have tried several brands of ATF and find that the two are immiscible. They separate out in seconds when you try to mix them.

Anyone actually used this mix? if so can they tell me which ATF is miscible in acetone?

Andrew.

Thanks Bernard,

I could not remember the special precautions for cast iron. It seems a little odd that any carbon does not burn off at 700 degrees and needs brushing off. I must read up on the topic, it has been many years since I repaired a cast iron item and then I think I SIF bronzed it.

Andrew.

Hello Hopper,

No I am not certain that they are cast iron, hence the query. Looking at the broken edges it does have the very grainy and uneven look of cast iron. Seem an odd choice of materials for the screw if it is cast. There again if it were steel I doubt if one side of the square would have broken out completely.

Andrew.

Edited By Andrew Tinsley on 30/03/2022 12:39:45

I have a standard Pratt Burnerd "Myford" 6" 4 jaw chuck. It is in very good condition, with the exception of two of the jaw screws. These have one side of the square chuck key slot which have been broken out. Looks as if a previous owner has used the chuck key to remove the screwed on chuck, with the inevitable damage! Why he managed to break two of the jaw screws is best left unasked !

I am sure that one can buy replacement screws from people such as Rotagrip. However they are not cheap and they also have Hex slots rather than the original square slot, thus requiring two chuck keys or a set of 4 which cost about the same as the chuck!

It looks as though the jaw screws are cast iron. (can anyone confirm this?) easy enough to make a new "side" (the old broken bits didn't come with the chuck!). I am not sure about brazing/soldering them in position. I am not certain about silver soldering, due to the free carbon in the casting. I seem to remember that SIF bronzing is perhaps the best method?

Regards,

Andrew.,

Just to confirm that Rapid Tools have no stock and don't know when they will get any.

Andrew.

Several companies do a "penetrating oil" that goes by the name of DW-40.,notably Smith Allan and Westway Seems that these are genuine companies that blend some of their products. Just wondering if these are knock offs of WD 40 or are they any good as a penetrating oil? they are priced at £20 for 5 litres, which is a goodly bit cheaper than Plus Gas at £16 for 500 ml

I wonder if Nicholas has tried either of them?

Andrew.

I am running out of my stock of liquid Plus Gas. Searching seems to reveal that it is no longer available, only aerosols seem to exist! Anyone know if and where the liquid variety can be found?

I am not a fan of aerosols as it seems to be an uneconomic way of using the stuff!

Andrew.

After 60 years, I had a mega sort out and found 8 ball joint splitters of various types. Each one purchased when I couldn't find one, when needed,

Andrew.

Have rewired a similar Brookes motor and found the star point where Clive said. Nothing to stop you running the motor as is with 240 volt 3 phase but power will be reduced. I have done this on a suds pump motor where the star point was well and truly buried.

Andrew.

I did a similar repair using a matched pair of gears from a large, ancient , burnt out angle grinder. The gear ratio wasn't quite the same as the original, but who cares. It cost nothing.

Andrew.

This is not intended to be unkind, but it seems you know very little about lathework. Most of the kit you have listed is very useful stuff. I would suggest you defer selling anything, until you have learned to use the lathe and have some experience under your belt.

At that stage you will be able to value the items from your newly gained experience, as being useful / non useful. You can then dispose of the stuff that you know you are not going to use. You are lucky to have a fully kitted out lathe to begin with. My first Myford came with nothing but the essentials and it cost me a small fortune to equip it. If you sell the "so called surplus kit" now. You will probably regret it in the future.

Andrew.

You don't need rolls. I simply make a former and bend the sheet around it. You will need to keep annealing the sheet between bends as it will work harden. Fully annealed copper is surprisingly soft and bendable.

Andrew.

Dave,

I am always careful in what I ask for. If you think that oil is a cheap way of heating a house, then your googling has been none too careful. I have heated my house with oil for the last 45 years and I can assure you that there have been long periods where it was the most expensive form of heating.

The current price of heating oil is shooting up and is now 80% more that I paid for my last tank filling. That will probably be double by the end of the week at the current rate of increase. I fully expect to be paying £1.80 a litre when next I need to fill up my tank.

I am not expecting any government subsidy, I merely wish to be treated in the same way as gas and electricity buyers. The government should have more important things to spend its money on than supporting people who can afford to pay more. For instance those people who CANNOT afford the increase in heating bills Signing the petition might just make the government stop and think what they are doing. But electoral popularity is about the only thing that they care about.

Andrew.