Member postings for Rik Shaw

To save on space (of which I have little left) I tuck my WARCO CY-90 band saw between the end of a bench and one of the lathes. I shortened the 4 legs by 3” and fitted castors so it can be swung out when needed.

Martin - The cylinder piston type valve and shape of cylinder casting should narrow your search somewhat. I would guess that the alternative slide valves designs on a 3.5" gauge set of loco castings are more numerous. Good luck.

Rik

Edited By Rik Shaw on 10/01/2019 11:14:21

You can buy alum rock chrystal from lots of outlets. I have used it on my pits for years now after developing an allergy to deodrants. I expect someone will tell me its the wrong sort of alum though.

Rik

Martin - Thanks for your interest. I didn’t do the drilling on the CNC as I have not yet worked out how to include tool changes in a machining sequence. The hole positions were just spotted using the same engraving cutter after the numbers had been engraved. This was my first opportunity to do useful work with the machine and I was impatient to see a result.

Impatience rewarded its now back to the learning curve - more like a vertical climb - phew!

Rik

Hello David - No I did not drill the holes on the CNC. What I did do and what the movie did not show is that the hole positions were spotted with the engraver cutter after the numbers were engraved and were then drilled on my bench drill afterwards. Thanks for your interest.

Rik

Just finished making a numbered tool rack for my CNC mill from a “perspex like” material. This was my first attempt at CNC engraving. The “perspex” to my surprise was not flat enough to engrave so I found it necessary to fly cut it flat on the big mill before starting. To give an idea of size the tools are 6mm / .250” diameter.

Doing the numbering here:

**LINK**

Rik

Edited By JasonB on 06/01/2019 19:02:58

I am in the (slow) process of building a Double Tangye stationary steam engine using a set of second hand castings. They have been part machined – and not particularly well either!

A lot of the re-work involves opening out poorly positioned holes, re-drilling oversize and filling with loctited studs which can then be re-drilled in the correct position.

All was going well till this morning when I realised that one of my bearing standard castings had a busted 6BA tap stuck in the ‘ole.

Years ago I would have given it to my ‘oppo who would have spark eroded it out for me but these days I’m on my own – “so sort this one out mister” I thought!

First attempt to remove the tap was with a 3mm dia mounted point grinding wheel with nil result. Then I tried a similarly sized cheap diamond version, again, nil result. Both attempts were made using an old mini drill I had bought in a field on a Sunday morn earlier this summer. These days my old mitts are not steady enough to hold a dremel and I do not own a stand else I would have tried that method first. (I’ve put a stand on the shopping list).

I read on the forum recently that somebody (I cannot remember who, so apologies to that bod) had reminded me that carbide was quite capable of cutting HSS. It so happens that I had a part pack of ten cheap carbide engraving cutters earmarked for use for the odd engraving job on my small CNC mill.

Once again and with the drill still set at top speed of 8,500 rpm I bought the engraving cutter to bear on the broken tap and gave it some welly. It certainly made some progress before the tool bit shattered but “nil carborundum” as they say. I fitted a new cutter and had another go. The second cutter was starting to break up when it suddenly broke through and the busted tap was out. It was brutal, it was noisy but it got the dirty job done. I would not subject a nice new posh Proxxon to this sort of abuse but my three quid car boot special I consider fair game.

It just remains to open out the hole to 5mm and tap 6mm for yet another stud and my casting is saved.

I am confident that the high speed was the key to success – it must have been the closest I had been to producing plasma whilst “fettling”.

Rik

I have never found a need for headphones in the workshop. I have a Roberts DAB wireless which is permanently tuned to Classic FM but lately I have found the moronic advertising to be annoying and distracting so the "gadget" is for the most part these days switched of. I do hum a little though.

Rik

Bought a new Android smartphone. Downloaded and installed ME and MEW apps. Activated existing subscriptions on both apps whereupon I find I have to pay for all my digital editions.

Phone call to My Time media (a long one) where a chap attempted to help - unsuccessfully. "You'll have to use Google" he finally tells me.

I didn't use google, instead I used my email client and sent a request to [email protected] to cancel both subscriptions.

Drastic? Maybe, but this is not the first time I have had grief re: digital issues.

Lifes' to short for such faffing

Rik

Years ago a friend, who was senior lecturer in flight dynamics at Cranfield, once pointed me in this direction:

**LINK**

A theory no doubt that pgk pgk is familiar with.

Rik

P.S I tend not to fly these days!

Why not open up to the entire UK? The postage costs would be incidental compared to the realistic cost of the labour charge!

Rik

John, I can only comment on your post rather than answer your questions but I am similarly curious. I have a small cnc milling/router/engraver that takes .250" dia bits max and has a working area of x200 y175 and z90. After having had it for a couple of years I am still trying to get my head round around the complexity of actually producing on a regular basis. For me though, self teaching CAD/CAM post processors and gcode etc etc beats the hell out of navel contemplation and crossword puzzles.>>

Just to make things a little more interesting I have just purchased one of ALDI's Balco 3D printers, so another toy to get my head around once I assemble it later this morn.>>

Like you, I have wondered about producing patterns using such kit but in reality I am unlikely to need to do so with half a dozen just started/half finished models in the "to do" cupboard awaiting my precious time - I'm 72. Like Chris I would probably go the manually cobbled polystyrene route for the occasional "lost wax" pattern>>

I do occasionally complete a model or item of tooling which is nice but my great pleasure lies in the journey. The destination is secondary - but it is good to “arrive” now and again. >>

Rik>>

" Nobody, absolutely nobody, cuts hair any longer where I live!"

Surely a few cut it shorter don't they ?

Rik

I'm no expert but plugging each into a cheapo surge protector should do the job OK - yes????

Rik

"From personal experience CCTV provides bugger all deterrent."

Sorry to hear that Tony but straight from the mouth of a DI quite recently after a nearby break in the best deterrents in order are:

Visible alarm system

Visible CCTV

Large noisy dog

Rik

(I suspect Tony Martin would like to add to the above list!)

Mick

High def cameras with good quality imaging are these days both cheap and plentiful. To avoid complexity though I would recommend buying and installing a kit comprising camera/s and a recording device (NVR) - of which ebay for instance display multi choices.

I tried doing it using wifi cameras and free software on a PC but it did not suit me and I would not recommend it. My 1080 IP HD cams are branded PRIKIM and I use one of these for storage:

f:0">https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HiWatch-By-Hikvision-4-Channel-4MP-IP-Network-NVR-CCTV-Recorder-H-264-NVR-104-A/202242425532?hash=item2f169682bc:m:mkgVYltdqKFeR-67I5vh8Vg:rk:57f:0

It’s not a kit I know but I had the cameras already. Choose to connect your cams directly to the NVR by Ethernet cable rather than wirelessly if you want to keep things simple

Rik

Having a wand handy should mean you'll have no need for a scrap box and if you are THAT good you won't need to buy any equipment either . Were you disillusioned by The Magic Circle?

Rik

"both barrels of a shotgun shoved in from the bottom!"

Would that be the bottom of the chimney or the bottom of the chi................? I agree, it does sound messy.

Rik

Sean - These are what I use. The Moore £ Wright gauges in the brown envelope are what I use most. Given the choice though I would use a go - no go plug gauge every time for final sizing (if I had some!).

NOTE for mods. Trying to upload pics to my album now crashes Chrome every time in ver. 70.0.3538.102 and also 70.0.3538.110 both 64-bit. I had to resort to Edge to upload this one. Hope this helps.

Rik

Edited By Rik Shaw on 25/11/2018 11:04:13

Edited By Rik Shaw on 25/11/2018 11:05:38

My back was done (badly) in 1986 - 3 level spinal fusion laminectomy with bone grafts taken from my hip to lock everything up after the discs were removed.>>

Thirty two years on and the disk at the top of the wound has popped causing even more pain. I spent years trying to find a way of getting a good nights sleep until some friends invited me to go camping with them. I took with me a cheap blow up Argos mattress and had the most comfortable night I'd had since the op – oh so very comfortable!>>

I now permanently kip on an Argos special on top of our conventional mattress. Breathing at this elevated altitude is no problem, I wear a CPAP mask. >>

I try to avoid pharmaceutical drugs and rely instead on traditional Scottish Speyside distillations because I love tradition and natural remedies - even if they will eventually deliver me >>