Member postings for nigel dale

Thanks again chaps, will definitely sort the nut issue before doing anything more.

Thanks chaps the rubber/plastic tube it is then.

Good afternoon. Todays' question about the safety of an old boiler has prompted me to ask a similar related question. I have a boiler made for a County Carlow loco. which appears to be really nicely made, fully silver soldered except for the inner firebox which is unsoldered. The threaded stays are all nutted except for one up in the " belpair part" which is missing the nut and is extremely hard to get my large hand in to put a nut on. Like todays' other questioner my intention is to commission the boiler to use for running stationary engines. Two questions I suppose. How crucial is the missing nut if I was running the boiler at say 50psi ? Also I am assuming that comsol is my only option for caulking the stays. Any advice would be most welcome,

well chaps, many thanks for all your suggestions. The Femi appeals but the narrow throat in the vertical mode is something of a disadvantage. I might go down the plasma route for longer sheet cutting and maybe invest in the Femi when funds allow. We'll see. Thanks again.

Hi, can anyone recommend a small benchtop vertical bandsaw if such a beast exists ? There is the Cowells 375 jigsaw which is eye wateringly expensive for what it is, does any one have experience with this ? I am looking for something to cut sheet material reasonably accurately, should add that I am hampered with wrist and shoulder problems which make sawing very difficult. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

thanks very much , most helpful

does anyone know what the thread size/ type used in the small machine vice sold by myford for the vertical slide is ? I am hoping that it has remained the same over the years |

thanks Nigel

Thanks very much indeed for your various replies. Not massively encouraging but I shall hold onto your response Clive. I will have to experiment and see how thinks " evolve " . Sadly I do not have the luxury of a spacious workshop so one machine has to suffice. A prop of some sort may be a wise precaution which will effectively fix the table but moving the drill head will probably be an easier option anyway. Thanks again one and all.

Nigel

Hi All

I have a Fobco column drill ( floor standing model )with threaded nose cone that I propose to try doing some milling with. I have a very nice XY table which weighs in at around 40kg. Is that too much to sit on the drill table without doing any long term harm ? I imagine that the downward force when drilling exceeds this loading but would the column take this much load long term without any distortion ? Your comments would be appreciated.

thanks guys I am a little closer to estimating a budget !

Hi everyone,

Can anyone give me a rough idea please of the amount of silver solder that I am likely to need to construct a medium sized boiler for a 3.5 gauge loco. I imagine that this is a bit of a how long is a piece of string question but a rough idea would be helpful as it represents quite a big investment.

with thanks Nigel

Hi, a bit of a basic question but what is considered the optimum diameter gauge glass for 31/2" gauge and is it the same if there are twin gauges ?

Nigel

Hi Julian,

I'm not sure whether to be encouraged or not ! I shall do my dambdest as in my view it is such a nice looking loco that it is worth a stab. Thankfully I do have some plans for an improved boiler courtesy of one of the professional boiler outfits which is good. I haven't seen a Roedean model in the flesh but there are a couple of short clips on Youtube although they could have been Clarkson versions.

I have got some Virginia bits as well so perhaps I shall run this concurrently to hone my skills a bit.

Shame that the plans are a bit dated ( I have yet to see ) but nothing ventured.......!

Many thanks

All the best

Nigel

Thanks Jason I'll keep looking

Thanks all , looks like that is the best option, I hadn't had much joy with 2nd hand volumes, a lot of bulk as well.

Nigel

Hi, I am restarting model engineering after a long gap of some thirty years. My chosen route back is the completion of a half finished Roedean. I bought a copy of the "construction manual" offered by A J Reeves it contains only words and no music ! I cannot afford the near £80 that they want for a set of plans so my question is, were I to purchase a digital subscription to ME would I be able to download and and print the articles from their archive ? Any help would be much appreciated.

Nigel