Member postings for Danny M2Z

You could always try one of these

I do not log in often nowadays but I do follow the forum as a keen model engineer and machine user.

This thread and the way that it has deteriorated into sarcasm and superfluous comments is a prime example of why I do not log in very often!

Please Neil, moderators and new owners, get things back on track.

Logging out.

* Danny *

As SOD remarked, ordinary paper is a limitation.

Drafting paper is good for fine work and readily available, at a cost - Drafting Papers

My roll of 3M drafting Mylar was donated from a cartographer as it had reached it's 'use by date' and so shrinkage of less than 0.1% was not guaranteed beyond that point.

I reasoned that if I drew my plans on it then if the shrinkage' continued at the same rate then another 20 years of life might be obtained.

As for pens (none of which use erasable inks) then once again, they cost a bit but are a great investment for serious work Technical Drawing Pens

I use Rotring pens for my own work as the same cartographer recommended them and donated a few. Clean the tips in an ultrasonic cleaner or they can clog up.

I use this equipment to draw model aircraft plans and any mistakes may be erased/scratched out with the point of a sharp modelling knife but that section of the Mylar will no longer accept ink so it pays to get things correct the first time around.

* danny *

When firing an ATM (Anti Tank Missile) be aware of the BBDA {Back Blast Danger Area) which is usually about 30 degrees each side of the back of the launcher and can extend to 25m behind. Just warn your mates.

* danny *

For a mini-lathe it is not too difficult to wire a micro-switch into the chuck guard stop circuit as an over-run switch.

My latest laptop (Acer Nitro 5 with Intel I7, 32GB RAM and Nvidia Geoforce GTX graphics) was purchased for editing videos.(it is specced as a gaming machine)

What I find most annoying are the repeated messages that this laptop is suitable to run Windows 11.

Now apart from the fact that Windows 10 was supposed to be the last version (a bit like putin's promises) I am concerned that somehow windoze 11 might be forced onto my laptop, with all the attendant privacy issues as referred to by previous posts.

Also, the forced 'update' downloads, almost daily, affect my connection speed and my data limits.

Not impressed!

* Danny *

As learned by myself in the Army Cadets in the 1960's, what a great learning experience that was to travel to camps with mates and learn to sing naughty songs while sitting in a train or the back of a Bedford truck.

I was about 15 years old at the time but the song remains in my memory as a classic that never was played on the BBC.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra, The Chattanooga Choo Choo **LINK**

Warning, this could be considered a bit racist nowadays.

Edited By Danny M2Z on 24/02/2022 06:25:31

Excellent videos Hopper - thanks heaps.

The lack of safety glasses is a bit of a worry.

Such a talented young person should value and take care of his eyesight.

If I had a mailing address I would be tempted to send him a pair as a gesture of Aussie-Indonesian friendship, but then, would he actually wear them or would that cause him to loose 'face'?

Personally, I would prefer to loose 'face' rather than an eye.

* danny *

"I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call.
I am making some changes to my life. Please lave a message after the beep.
If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes."

I just discovered this info about the Voyager 2 mission.

Launched 44 years ago, and now about 11 billion miles away it is still chatting to astronomers in 2022.

Given the technology of of the late 1970's (compared to nowadays) it is a great legacy to the people whom had the passion, dedication and expertise to devise such an adventure into the unknown. Voyager 2

* danny *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 18/02/2022 05:54:56

Edited By Danny M2Z on 18/02/2022 05:56:41

Many years ago I had a part time job working for an r/c manufacturer.

When it came to mixing epoxy his mantra was weigh it, then mix it again, and again.

I probably spent five minutes mixing each batch (five minute epoxy was banned from the workshop)

Measure once, measure twice, realise that the thicker blob of part 'B' requires time to spread.

4 -5 seconds mixing is totally inadequate.

At the end of the day I worked out that the faster it sets the weaker the bond and the shorter the life.

* danny *

I have always wondered about the effect of solar activity on our climate, as one does not hear much about it nowadays.

The Maunder Minimum was real, and it was documented by the scientists of the time whom had acquired tools to observe the sun. Maunder Minimum Note that this was before the industrial revolution.

The 11 year solar cycle is readily observed by studying historical weather data. (I first noticed this when studying local weather cycles to plan which months were best for model glider competitions)

There is still a lot that we that we do not understand or can control, although I realise that limiting the release of certain gasses into the atmosphere is not a good thing either.

Apart from carbon dioxide, methane has a pretty bad reputation.

* danny *

Of more concern (to me) are 'fake products' that claim to be something that they are not.

A typical example is memory cards **LINK**.

Whether factory rejects or just outright fakes, the only way that I have found to combat this is to purchase from a reputable local supplier and enjoy the protection of consumer legislation (which is excellent in Australia btw)

Sometimes, it pays to buy once and get what you spent your hard earned pension on.

* danny *

That document brought back a few memories.

In 1984 myself and another Australian Army member were selected to join six RAAF technicians to undergo training as High Reliability Hand Soldering Instructors (HRHS) Instructors.

This course was of about three weeks duration and our instructor was NASA certified.

The Australian military has a lot of very expensive high-tech equipment and the maintenance and repair techniques are therefore to be undertaken to the highest possible standards.

My area was RADAR/microwave equipment and air defence systems, while many of the RAAF blokes worked with aviation electronics. (No room for errors)

Even the basic preparation of a component required the correct tools and techniques, from lead cleaning and bending tools (of the correct radius) to a small carbide tipped shear tool (never wire cutters - they can send a mechanical shock into delicate components).

Other equipment included a calibrated temperature controlled soldering station, a comprehensive selection of tips, visual inspection equipment, solder pots, liquid resin flux, PWB Printed Wiring Board) holders and many other essential tools.

Even the preparation and handling of solder was carefully controlled. For a start, it comes in many sizes and much of our work involved using reels of 0.020" and 0.050" solder (that incidentally had traceabilty documentation).

After selecting the appropriate grade of solder, the working length was then cleaned with a white cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol. The amount of black gunk that comes off is amazing. (Try it)

After completing a joint it is then carefully inspected before commencing another joint. The molten end of the solder is snipped-off to expose a fresh resin core before commencing another joint (as the composition of the molten 'blob' is unknown and one requires that the resin flow is immediate.

There is heaps more, anybody interested should study the document that Paul linked to.

At the end of the course we were offered a sample student PWB to assemble or we could submit our own project if of similar difficulty. I chose a 364K memory expansion board with multiple I/O ports for my Z80 computer.

It passed and is still working well 38 years later, no solder joints have failed.

* Danny *

I use this to protect my machine ways, Inox MX-3.

A friend who owns a very expensive ocean racing yacht advised me many years ago to try this, so after a machining session I give the ways a spritz from a spray can and so far, not a trace of rust in 15 years.

It's also handy for machining aluminium if one runs out of kero

Yep, lanolin is excellent for protecting bare steel.

G'day all.

I have used my minilathe successfully to manufacture a few pistons and cylinders for my model engines over the years.

Now just setting things up to restore an ancient ME.Snipe by boring and lapping the liner to round and them machining a new piston from cast iron and lapping it to size I began to wonder about the effect of the stray lapping compound on my lathe.

The bedways I always cover with cardboard, so I was wondering about what happens to any lapping paste that strays into the chuck?

Current lapping compound ranges from 1000 - 4000 grit, carborundum though to jewellers rouge. I am contemplating using diamond lapping compound to save time but it is a PITA to remove from the components and I am only contemplating using this substance as I have an ultrasonic cleaner.

A lathe chuck is a bit big for my ultrasonic cleaner.

Maybe I am overthinking this (always dangerous for me)

So, over to the experts.

* Danny *

Actually, you might want to consider what the English Ashes team use to coat their gloves with as nothing sticks to that.

I heard that Novac J is being considered as a batting coach for the English cricket team as it took almost two weeks to get him out.

For spreading epoxy, nothing beats an old credit card.

G'day Stevie.

I found that whatever one purchases a lathe or mill for, a decent set of tooling and accessories to suit can double or even triple the initial cost.

Learned from experience

* danny *