Member postings for Danny M2Z

Interestingly, the people who build really competitive indoor free-flight models (F1D) swear by carbon-steel blades for precisely cutting indoor grade balsa without crushing. I once imported a few dozen packets of 'Candidus' blades from the U.S. and had no trouble trading them at the (Oz) National Champs.

I was lucky enough to be given a brand new pre-WWII Swiss 'Allegro' razor blade sharpener. It's a very interesting tool that sharpens and hones a blade, flipping it over to do both sides. I can organise a photo if anybody is interested.

As a builder of indoor models myself, the difference between carbon-steel and stainless-steel razor blades is readily apparent when one attempts to snap a blade to a point.

My finest (sharpest) scalpels (used for eye surgery) are also made from carbon steel so maybe it all boils down to the refinement of the grain size. The surgeon who gave them to me is also now using ceramic blades and a laser for some jobs.

I suppose that it's 'horses for courses' but I reckon that carbon steel still has it's uses, even though quite specialised.

* Danny M *

A good friend is cacky handed. When I service his PC's I always notice that his computer mouse is upside down.

I offered to re-program the rodent, but he would not have a bar of it - he's comfortable with it as it is.

Biggest problem is finding a l/h rifle for the sinister people. They can shoot too (unless they are village idiots).

* Danny M *

I pay $10 in Wodonga. What really got my goat was the unsolicited advertising from the distributor.

New lathes still in storage (Newcastle NSW) awaiting transport deal. My friend offered me the use of her newish Cayenne turbo but no towbar - the cost of which is more than the transport quotes. I noticed that it also has a skinny spare, and for what she paid, that's a bit sad. The Lexus R380 that she traded was also a nice car. Cost $75,000 ten years ago, trade in now worth $15,000 even with only 125,000k on the clock.

It's sweet to drive.

* Danny M *

Once I saw a list of annual officer's reports that never made it to the CO's desk:

'This man is depriving a village somewhere, of an idiot"

Also; 'His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of curiosity"

And; "I would not use this officer for breeding purposes"

Finally; "As an engineer, this officer would be hopelessly lost with a Lego set"

Oompa - I once was 'volunteered' to do some trial shoots of a Barrett .50 Cal as the civvy engineers were not cleared/ game enough for the firing range but they were experimenting with muzzle brakes and stuff and needed a village idiot.

I slid back 2 foot on the groundsheet with every shot and they do make largish holes in surplus Land Rover Series IIa cylinder blocks at 800m. I'm now retired from that job, but a mate has just purchased a .338 Armalite which should take care of the rabbits (he's promised to let me have a try). Before he recently retired, this particular village idiot spent long holidays abroad in Afghanistan protecting all the village idiots back home.

My little rimfire gauge has now reached 112 orders if I decide to manufacture a few - must be a lot of village idiots around as 100 are required in the U.S of A. and the rest local.

* Danny M * (Village Idiot)

I purchased a similar pair from Aldi (Oz) for $25 ea.

I contemplated trying to modify one by replacing the bushed bearings with a decent set of small roller bearings as this could really improve the precision for some uses such as a toolpost grinder.

Has anybody actually tried this? Maybe a 3D printer could be useful if the material could handle the temperature of operation. My initial thoughs were to fabricate new housings from aluminium.

* Danny M *

Went to the rifle range to test some .22 ammo sorted for effective length with my newly designed gauge.

It measures to the driving band and even 'top-shelf' ammo shows up to + or - 0.06mm variation in length (odd few even larger variations). This might explain the odd 'flier' when everything seemed to be lined up nicely.

I am trying to eliminate the variables for my target shooting, that just leaves the biggest variable - Me!

The results were quite interesting and repeatable, so I might be into something here.

(Test rifle Anschutz 1411, 32x scope, pillar bedded, wind 0-1kph L-R)

Here's a few piccies.

The red targets are 2.5in diameter

* Danny M *

If you like a drop of rum, this mob make a nice drop. Genuine Aussie stuff, good enough to lubricate any tonsotorial slideway.

**LINK**

Do not attempt to operate machinery after sampling.

So today I attempted to educate a lovely bunch of oldies about the dangers of scammers (volunteer work).

Here in Oz we have a lovely govt website which is a handy reference to warn the elderly pensioners about the lowlife scum who try to take advantage of people.

**LINK**

Do you have anything like this in the UK?

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 19/03/2015 11:02:21

Ok fellow Aussies, what's the verdict. Is it worth subscribing?

Where I live (Vic/NSW border area) the local newsagent is very reliable (I do spend a bit there). Have actually heard him on the dog&bone berating the distributors when a favourite magazine failed to arrive in his allocated bundles.

I did take a peek at Neil's link for the 'special down-under offer' and although it looked tempting, I was saddened that the cookie from the distributor's website targetted me for customised offers for every other magazine in the universe that I am NOT interested in. That was quite off-putting.

I'm almost a pensioner, so not flush with funds. Indeed, if I need a few bob for a lathe, tools or tyres it means poking around in the bush for a few gold nuggets and all the hassles of cleaning and selling them. It's hot dusty work and the joe blakes love my little spot. Enough info! (I do have a "miners right" btw).

What's the bottom line - Worth subscribing or not?

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 19/03/2015 07:15:11

According to Tubal Cain's excellent book 'Hardening, Tempering & Heat Treatment' (MEW Practice Series #1, Appendix 2 ' Carbon Steel Cutting Tools' pp. 113), properly heat treated carbon steel has a finer grain structure than HSS and is harder than HSS below temperatures below 270°C.

Not very good for production work when things get hot, but eminently suited for a tap or die.

Indeed, I have noticed that my keenest knife blades are made from carbon steel, and I believe that many top quality chef''s knives are so manufactured.

The downside is of course the old enemies of heat and rust - not insurmountable problems though.

The reference above is very informative and also includes some very useful colour plates of tempering colours.

Well worth a read.

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 17/03/2015 12:00:38

Yesterday I trimmed and soldered 4 wires to a pair of 12v electric chainsaw sharpeners for a mate (the cord had worn through at the body junction).

He was about to toss them as did not have a clue about soldering so he turned to me in desperation as he was advised to just purchase new ones ($125 ea) - Heatshink tubing amazed him btw (I used some to cushion the wires where they pass through the body aperature) .

I was a bit sad that such a simple job came my way but delighted with the result. has the basic skill of soldering an electical wire been lost to the masses?

After that we discussed the merits of a new type of .22 rimfire gauge that I made to measure variations in practical length of a .22 cartridge. Very interesting results at the range today.

* Danny M *

I have used a diamond coated point (from a cheap set) mounted in my Dremel at max rpm to make small holes in springs for model D-T timers. One good source for small sharp cutters and grinding tools is your friendly local dentist; - very good quality and they throw them away.

* Danny M *

Follwed the progress of this - **LINK** it made it in safely and arrived at 7.47.

Used only 1/2 the small strip with wheel brakes only. Better than rotting away in the Arizona graveyard.

This particular 747-400 set a record when it flew direct from London-Sydney in 20 hours on it's delivery flight.

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 08/03/2015 13:33:38

Just gathering the parts to manufacture one like Stub Mandrel published in MEW 223 for my X2 mill.

Could this be adapted?

(Neil - people do make things from the mag)

* Danny M *

Today I watched a local news report on the universe. So it looks like Albert Einstein got it right after all;

**LINK**

Model engineering related? Well, every bit of metal in your workshop, and actually every atom in your body was once part of a star. So we were all stars once (in a far away galaxy). Fascinating stuff!

* Danny M *

A stylised logo for stamping castings produced here:?

* Danny M *

The school that I went to in London as a kid was Parmiter's Grammar School in Bethnal Green (London).

The school had fantastic science labs with Wimshurst machines, Kundts tubes, Roentgen tubes, precision chemical balances in glass cases, a planetarium, and an art teacher (G.R.Williams) who was in 'Who's Who'. The school even had a photography club with a well equipped darkroom for after hours use.

After 4th form one was allowed access for practical studies (not the chem lab, unfortunately) so many fascinating experiments were devised. I wound a Tesla coil one day and used it to demonstrate to parents on an open night how to make lightning come from my fingers - exciting stuff at 15, but more fun was running a battery through soapy water and lighting the bubbles with a wax-taper. One day my home-made radio picked up the BBC broadcasting a computer playing music "Daisy" - thus I was hooked.

Nowaday's elfin safety would crack down on such adventures, but I have kept an eye on the old school, they have re-located. I hope that they kept the old tools that made a kid so inquisitive.

* Danny M *

In a certain Australian military establishment in which I onced worked there resides an original 1935 model Czech vz. 27 from Brno, (designed by Vaclav Holek and ancestor of the .303 and 7.62mm BREN, ), an original English 9mm STEN and the Aussie equivalent, designed when the requirement was urgent and imports were difficult to ship.

The OWEN Gun.

Invented along the same lines - cheap, reliable and simple to produce from pressings. The prototype was was left in a bag at a pub in Kembla Grange, the inventor was an engineer with a lathe and mill at home and the one person who could do anything about it got his hands on it from the landlord. So it went into production at Lysaght. Used with great effectiveness in the jungles of Papau-NewGuinea.

The name came from the inventor, Mr. Owen.

* Danny M *

I just sent Neil a simple widget design to address the problem of inserting nuts into tight gaps as my mini-lathe is just as fiddly when swapping chucks (the faceplate is even a bigger PITA) ;-(

* Danny M *

The Titanic watch does not appear to be waterproof.

But apparently, neither was the original

* Danny M *

Would it be practical to turn a soft lap, (long enough to fit through both bearings) to the required diameter and use this to clean up the scratches in the bore?

* Danny M *