Member postings for OuBallie

Beaurocrats ignoring our industrial history as usual!

Geoff - Only now fully recovered from Monday's 0200h on then off, episode

Converted mine to side hinged and insulated with 2" EPS, then 'added' a side door, and never looked back.

Took a week of figuring out and helped by neighbour on the day.

I was lucky as there is a Carport in front, so protected from the elements.

Details here but the Album I referred to has either gone AWOL or I forgot to add it.

I did the same on the Carport extension, converting the bare bones 'Up and Over' to hinged as well, but there was space for a standard door on the side.

Had to wait nearly a month for the right conditions of no rain and wind to get it bolted up, as it acted just like a flipping sail in the slightest breeze.

Geoff - I just happen to live in the windiest part of town.

MichaelG,

Thanks for comments.

I did try the well known 'etchings' routine on a girlfriend once, but it didn't get me as far as I was hoping

Neil,

Thanks as well.

Only ONE pot of gold?

My lips are sealed!

Geoff - It was an absolutely amazing sight and a once in a life-time experience.

I've seen many, but normally from a distance and only partial ones.

Happened to me yesterday evening when I looked out the window at a passing rain shower and saw something that had be sprinting outside.

I grabbed the nearest camera to had, not wanting to miss what I had seen through the window.

This is what made me stare in wonder when I looked up and to the East when I got outside.

I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing and could only gape in wonder.

Photo does not do nature justice, and I wasn't taking the chance of getting my SLR and finding the marvel had gone.

A few photos taken, this being the best using iPhone 5 in Pano (Panoramic) mode

Here it is:

Geoff - It made my year let alone day!

Edit: Flipping finger problems as So,etching should read 'Something'

Edited By OuBallie on 28/08/2015 14:45:30

Brian,

Welcome.

You will soon change your mind about footwear the first time a piece of hot swarf lands on one of them toes.

You may not be generating such swarf now, BUT you will very soon as you gain experience and start pushing your new toy to its limit.

Hot swarf make one shout the accepted Anglo-Saxon when it hits bare skin.

Geoff - Not to mention melting plastic footwear as well.

Edited By OuBallie on 26/08/2015 11:09:49

fizzy,

No ding bats from me!

GordonW,

Soaks up oil very efficiently as well, especially when stripping down car parts.

As for lying on some whilst working on a car, I much prefer to be comfortable and use GD's mattress she no longer needs

Amazon appear to have a set number of box sizes as I get stuff that has more filler than goods.

I've learned the hard lesson of NOT throwing stuff away, unless 'real' rubbish.

I've forgotten the number of times I needed something that ended up in the 'dust cart' a day or week previously.

Never as bad as the guy who obeyed his other half, when told to bin 'That useless old HDD' that contained a fortune in BitCoin. He woke up a few days later, but by then it was in landfill.

Geoff - i don't know what my reaction/s would have been

Welcome to the most satisfying hobby there is Bob.

Ditto what Neil said about VFD power.

As soon as I used my lathe for the first time after fitting one, I soon converted all my other machines to use VFDs and never looked back.

Russ B said it, I having spent at least that, if not more on tools and accessories.

Before you install any machines or tools, please insulate the shed.

Do let us know your whereabouts, as I'm sure some of those local to you would be only too willing to be of assistance.

Geoff - Hmm cheese or Mackerel on toast later, decisions decisions

Here's my solution and it works a treat:

One VFD to power both the drilling machine and shaper and another for the two milling machines, each in their own enclosure situated between respective machines.

Power from the VFDs is wired up to triple pole centre off selector switches housed in each enclosure, thus allowing me to easy select which machine to sent power to, BUT only after switching off at the wall socket, and most definately NEVER whilst a machine is running.

The VFDs are calibrated for the most powerful motor of the two.

Cannot, of course, run both machines at the same time, but wouldn't want to.

Once you've used machines with VFD power, you never look back!

Only the lathe has a dedicated VFD.

Geoff - Belt/pulley changing now history, just know knob twirling. Heaven

Things have been quiet due to the humidity of late, but much better now.

Yesterday thought it time to de-sag the MTT shelves.

Before: 

After:

Method of de-sagging:

Wood from neighbour's skip.

Today made a start making the last two drawers, as the empty spaces have been bugging me.

There as been a slight pong in the Workshop for a week now, but seeing a fly disappear under one of the bottom drawers rang alarm bells.

Pulled a couple of drawers out to have a look see and this was found:

Not a pleasant sight, notwithstanding the maggots.

Had put poison down some time ago just in case.

How the frig did it get into the Workshop (brick garage) I wonder?

Geoff - USAF and now RAF noise making me wonder if Norfolk is now a War Zone?

Edited By OuBallie on 19/08/2015 18:18:16

Ditto, plus a big THANK YOU to Martin for being such an ace!

Geoff - You know you inhabit a 'good' forum on occasions like this.

Was out in the back garden just after 2300h last night, lovely clear sky, but I wonder if we see even a 10th of 1% of the stars here in Europe.

It certainly appears so compared to the clear night skies I remember in Jhb, with horizon to horizon stars.

The Milky Way, however, was the most inspiring and amazing sight, it looking like a dust cloud all lit up.

Only saw one streak East to West, BUT a very bright spot moving fast across the sky in a SSE to NNW direction.

Called it a night around 2330h as nothing further was sighted.

Geoff - Cooler today, so last Unistrut up.

Brass?

A JLS member had a safety valve go into orbit when he tapped it to get the ball to seat, and it sheared at the bush.

He was at the Station ready to take passenger aboard and everyone jumped at the sound and sight of the boiler suddenly releasing its pressure.

Quite something to witness.

Geoff - Yes his valves where brass.

Edited By OuBallie on 10/08/2015 17:42:28

MTT has an addition in the form of a 30" Mighty Mini Bender.

Its first use will be in making a replacement for the bottom part of the Austin Seven's B-post that has rusted away, then well and truly bodged and the 'best' I've ever seen.

Geoff - Trying to cool down

Got those cotters on/in the stub axles on my Austin Seven and been told 'Easy to remove' except I'm having the Devil's own job in doing so.

Geoff - One of those cases of 'Softly softly catchee the monkey'

Edited By OuBallie on 08/08/2015 15:23:45

There I was thinking he was telling us about a new design of METALWORKING file.

Geoff - How disappointing

Received my first lot, then told Graham that there was no rush on the second.

Knowing he had personal issues, I've not bothered him since.

From personal experience, health problems DO derail best of intentions

Geoff - Health takes precedence over all else.

Talking about silver steel reminds me of the time my Dad raided my steel supply stock to make axles for the luggage trolley he was building, prior to Mom and he going on their European jolly.

Beautiful job he made as usual, much to my 'annoyance' as I was never that capable, but the moment he loaded the trolley, both axles snapped.

We look at each, then the penny dropped when I saw he had welded the axles on.

"What steel did you use?"

"Some of that nice shiny stuff in short lengths"

"Bad move, it's silver steel and hardened when you cooled it after welding, did you?"

Yep he did, and I burst out laughing, much to his annoyance.

Lesson learned, he never touched the stuff from then on.

Geoff - I was over the moon, as I for once, was able to teach him something.

Another project then, thanks.

With rust repairs done to Management's Ka, what do I do next I wonder.

Geoff - Must make a list of all the projects to chivvy me up.

If you weren't so %#^* far away I'd be there like a shot.

One of the downsides of living in the 'bulge', no motorways.

Geoff - Hmm, it's not that bad come to think of it

Anyone with old £50 notes?

Geoff - Will happily recycle them