Member postings for OuBallie

You are my best friend with that remark.

Mote serious though . . . .

How the heck do you insert smileys at the end of a sentence?

Every time I try, they end up top left of the post, so I have to CUT then Paste.

Geoff - Pick her indoors up late tonight, from the pub where her ex-boss is having a farewell do.

Clive,

I've had to endure that same 'Big Boss coming, get things cleaned up' nonsense.

Ours included painting the workshop floor to boot.

Is it just me that think that they, the Big Bosses' that is, obviously don't want to see how things actually work, so give a date of their inspection.

What a waste of time and resources. Reminds me of a report I heard of a school being told to spend money, it could least afford, on putting a garden in the grounds, all because HM was paying a visit.

MichaelG,

What a stunner!

Yours?

I'd be more than green if so, what with your traction engine.

I intend to replace all filament bulbs with LEDs on my Austin Ruby. The genny is right on the limit of supplying enough oomph to keep the battery charged when headlights are on.

'The Austin' was a very very proud company, and one of the few that made just about every part in-house, and from high quality material as well.

Geoff - One day the Ruby WILL be back on the road.

Drool drool drool!

What is that chrome disc for, RHS on the petrol/oil tank?

Makes my CB350 Twin look like very plain indeed.

MichaelP,

Talking about the Trident, a chap living opposite us in SA had one, and the sound it made reminded both brother and I of the BRM F1 car. (not the H16 of coarse, which has a sound all of its own)

My 350 twin had an odd sound as well.

Geoff - Trying to decide what to do today.

Got everything ready to fit the motor to the BH600G Feed Rod and did a final check before bolting everything onto the lathe.

Plans of mice and men!

Before this test, everything worked as expected, with speed control apart from a slight binding which I suspect is being caused by the connection between motor and Feed Rod. The system is based on that shown here **LINK**

The PWM, with potentiometer incorporated, is from the land of the Panda.

Now the motor runs at full speed, the speed pot having no effect whatsoever, and unplugging it has no effect either.

I have absolutely no knowledge of electronics and wouldn't know one end of a resister from another, so have no idea what to test or look for.

Replacement PWM no doubt.

Geoff - These things are sent to to us, and they sure as heck DO!

Edited By OuBallie on 07/10/2014 16:24:33

Blue mountain area Danny?

That Preying Mantis looks like it could do with a nosh up.

Brilliant colours those birds have.

Geoff - FeedRodMotor nearly done.

MichaelG,

I haven't invested in any LED lamps, yet, but that video is an eye opener to say the least.

Today finished the mechanical connection of the motor to the FeedRod.

Just need to power up the motor to check all is as it should be, then finish the electrical connections.

Then sort out how to take a video of me taking the Apron off once again, this time to replace the worm gear and Gear Shaft.

Geoff - Just demolished a rib eye, egg and veg. Lekker!

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 26/09/2014 17:43:25

Not engineering on any scale, but something we all have to do regularly.

EAT!

Yesterday after finishing in the Workshop I decided to treat myself to my favourite meal of fried eggs and bacon on toast.

The eggs are X-Large free range, from a local supplier.

Cracking the first egg into the frying pan a twin yolk appeared, only the second such for me, one unfortunately 'breaking'.

Looking at the other egg the thought 'That cannot be another double can it?' crossed my mind.

I cracked it in anticipation, and I couldn't believe what I was looking at as it slid into the frying pan, another twin yolk, and thought 'What are the odds?'.

Photos taken for posterity.

Geoff - They tasted wonderful

Edited By OuBallie on 22/09/2014 10:45:23

Yesterday made good progress with the FeedRodMotor mounting plate for the BH600G.

Ready to start threading the spacer rods, only to find the Tailstock locking lever just spinning merrily, with not a hint of 'lock'.

'Oh bother!' said I. Remove a shelf and 'junk' (her indoor's not my description) that was preventing the Tailstock from being removed, and the offending lump of CI was on the bench for inspection.

IF I had been bothered to spend a minute checking the Manual, I would have seen that the nut holding the Clamping Block had probably unwound, and it had.

Tailstock back in position and then hands squeezed in to turn the nut till the locking lever did as designed.

Brain in gear for once, and 'That nut is going to unwind again at some inopportune moment'.

Tailstock off again. An M12 Clambing Bolt, a stud, holds the Clamping Plate in position, with only a couple of threads showing past the nut so no hope of a lock nut, but I don't have a beast that size in any case.

Out came a punch and one of the bolt threads deformed such that I couldn't unscrew the nut by hand.

I could have used a suitable grade of Loctite, but the bolt and nut where oily and I just wasn't @rsed to take them apart to clean, being that I'd spent nearly all day in the Garage/Workshop, and this after recovering from that flipping head cold.

Back onto the Carriage went the Tailstock and it locked up as before so I could finish threading those rods.

Job done for the day.

Geoff - Ready for Workshop duty

Bazyle,

Yep, welding or oven glove definitely needed.

The ribbed ones, however, do a perfect rib-eye.

Geoff - Who learned the sore/ouch/howl way!

Bob,

I have a Marlow 3A and would appreciate details of how and where you fitted the scales please.

Geoff - Back into the Workshop today

Roy M,

Details please.

Geoff - Just about recovered from the %^*>~% head cold.

Thanks for the responses guys, much appreciated.

As usual, the mind boggles at the way English can be used to describe something in a multitude of different ways, and all meaning/describing the same thing.

I will give Ed's arrows a try first, and see how I get on with them.

Geoff - Head cold clearing, so End of World NOT Nigh

'End of World still Nigh' but need to keep myself occupied while waiting.

I have fitted two DPDT 3-position toggle switches to the FeedRodMotor remote station;

1) Left/Off/Right for the Saddle movement selection,

2) ?/Off/? for the Cross-slide ditto, but how to label it is the question.

Is there a standard for describing the movement?

The 'net has a selection as usual.

The same applies to the Y-axis on a milling machine as well.

This is something I've never bothered with beforehand, but pedant gene is being awkward and in a huff right now.

Geoff - How long does a %#*+ head cold last?

Richard,

Tyre tracks are there

The ground looks rock hard though, explaining lack of.

Geoff - Just surfaced from a kip in the armchair.

Ian,

Well thought out and executed.

Clive and Neil are correct, in that modifying an existing design is so much easier compared to figuring it out from scratch.

As an example, I've based my lathe power feed on a method of powering a mill table on 'mikesworkshop' website, by taking his design and adapting it for my use, thus saving me using grey matter and time I can least afford

Thanks Mike.

Geoff - GD gets a talking to when I see her next!

Signature says it all, so 'End of the World is Nigh!'

Yesterday made the remote station for the FeedRodMotor, and now waiting for a DPDT toggle switch to wire up. It will be mounted on the Apron where the SpindleLever used to be.

This morning started figuring out how to get the motor mounted onto the Rod End Cap, but grey matter was behaving like a recalcitrant three year old by taking ages to tell me to REMOVE the Cap, thus making it much easier to work on/with.

Steel plate cut to mount motor and its enclosure on, with a 38mm hole drilled in the enclosure allowing it to slide over the motor, but by then I'd had enough so retired inside to relax.

Geoff - Suffering from a cold courtesy of GD I think

Drilling machine:

Swopped the aluminum tray that I had originally bolted to the right hand side of the table, to the left hand side.

It was just to too inconvenient where it was as it obstructed easy operation of the table rack, and having the cutting fluid bottle on the 'wrong' side for LH application, was an even bigger PITA.

The space problem I thought I had proved to be fallacious, as I could swing said table well out of the way.

May still fit another tray on the right though, as it's proved very useful.

Geoff - Clogged sinuses = dry mouth = disturbed sleep = feeling like a zombie

Yes please Graham!

PM sent.

Geoff - FeedRod drive progressing nicely

John,

You are about to start a hobby that is going to keep you occupied for the rest of your life.

The first time I visited the now destroyed Johannedburg Live Steam Club track, in the early '70s, and caught my first wiff (smell) of the steam, oil and smoke mixture coming out the locomotive chimneys, that was it!

It was 'Hook line and sinker' from that day.

If you get the opportunity PLEASE do try and visit a club before you make that momentous decision on what loco to built, as it could save many a heartache later on.

The last thing you want is to find out too late that the loco is eiter too big or too complicated.

You, however, could very well be one of those 'naturals' who take to Model Engineering with ease, as I found when running my emporium, where a Professor of Law at Wits produced the most amazing stationary engines.

Much good advise has already been given, and no doubt mu h more ro follow.

If you want to experiment with loco efficiency, then consider buying the book 'The Red Devil' by Davis Wardale. It covers the tests and modifications done on a full size SAR locomotive to improve performance. Fascinating reading and something I thought of doing on a miniature, but life intervened.

Welcome to the most absorbing hobby there is.

Geoff - Fully recovered from that 0300h trip to collect 'her indoors' last week.

Any clutch that could be fitted.

Just showing my ignorance with regards to Myford

Geoff - I must keep it zipped before checking facts