Member postings for Pero

My only experience is with the 3xx grades so I can't provide any direct comment. However you will find in some descriptions that 304 is graded as weakly magnetic and becomes more so as it is worked.

I have found this to be correct in practice and you can test it with a strong, e.g. neodymium, magnet. It is possible that it may not be observed with a weak magnet.

Pero

A note of caution with respect to the single skin brick wall. Many years ago I had a similar construction and found that water penetration, especially with driving rain, was extraordinary, i.e. water running down the inside of the walls. The type of clay brick used was an issue but the problem will occur to some extent with any single leaf masonry wall. Use of a clear sealant on the external surfaces helped to a great extent but was not perfect.

In your situation, in addition to sealing the external surface, I would suggest a waterproof membrane on the inside. This could be a brush on type or sheet foil followed by battens and an inner skin comprised of ply, particle board or similar - moisture proof for preference.

I have no issues with concrete floors re comfort ( where there is no sense there is no feeling ) but depending on construction ( i.e. use of a sub-floor damp proof membrane ) this can also be a source of water ingress. A coat of paving paint or use of an epoxy coating may be required.

A reflective membrane under the tiles and as much insulation as you can fit in would be highly recommended. Something lacking in my current workshop, which is double brick and has fully addressed the moisture problem associated with brick walls, which gets very hot in summer ( Australia ) and surprisingly cold in winter.

You will need to assess your own situation and local conditions in assessing which actions will give the greatest benefit.

Good luck

Pero

Going back to the beginning, which is a small copper boiler of under 3'', some of the older construction articles simply instructed the builder to slit and flatten out a piece of the boiler tube material to make the end plates - no calculations presented.

And for a small, low pressure multitube boiler none needed. Properly built, failures did not occur, the staying provide by the tubes being more than adequate.

The AUS code for small (copper) boilers provides a more technical approach for those who feel the need.

Pero

Both milled and non-milled types are available in stainless steel, frequently from the same manufacturer although not many suppliers seem to offer both types.

The use tends to depend on the preference of the purchaser. Non-milled are frequently specified where the heads will be on display, e.g. on the face plate of electronic equipment, and are often polished. Milled seem to be more often used in machinery - cars, motorbikes, outboard motors etc. Perhaps this is so you can get hold of them with a pair of multigrips when you don't have the correct size hex key available . Sorry Sir it wasn't me .

The problem with these things is that they all look superficially the same but actually range from quite polite to rather extreme. I also have a clone - rather heavier than yours and had a little to do with moving it into my workshop. Most of the work however was done by a professional machine mover. It arrived on a truck with a long crane arm which got it partly down the drive. The remainder, downhill, was done manually Caution don't stand in front of a machine on a downhill slope!

As noted above the head was inverted for shipping. This actually had a side benefit as it would not have fitted through the doorway at full height. It also had about 10 mm clearance either side through the doorway. When I say doorway it is actually an opening in the wall about 1200 mm wide. First lesson - make sure any doorways are high enough and wide enough to get the machine through. Remembering to allow for pallet trucks etc. In my case I was just lucky it fitted - it didn't look that big in the showroom!

Next issue, if you go for the inverted head watch the weight. Once the head gets part way around it puts a lot of weight on the gears and some support is recommended. Getting it back upright is more of a problem. In my case I used a prop and hydraulic jack to take most of the load off the gears. Otherwise it just wouldn't have moved but probably would have stripped the gears.

Lifting and shifting. Even if you remove the head, vertical mills still have a relatively small footprint and a high center of gravity. If you are lifting just enough to place something under the base, lift a little at a time and use block of variable thickness as required to avoid tilting it too much.

Best of luck with the shift, plan out each action and stay safe.

Cheers Pero

Hi Duncan

Sorry no ebay link. I have purchased a couple from Aliexpress in the past. They all seem to be the same, apart from the motors which have differing power ratings. I don't think this is a marketing ploy as some sellers offer a range of power outputs. There is also the issue of the necessary foot control modification which has been addressed in a couple of posts and elsewhere on the internet.

A possible alternative ( not seen any reviews on this one ) is a similar motor and controller but without the hardware and foot controller part, i.e. a more universally applicable setup. There were some comments made about this toward the end of a recent post on electric motors. This was primarily in respect of electrical safety and compliance with ( UK ) regulations ( not all of which I agreed with ) but nothing about how well the units function.

Hopefully someone will be along shortly to provide more specific advice.

Pero

Paul - Good point. I think most if not all of my motors are rated S1. However like most hobby machinists mine are more likely to be operating in intermittent mode ( S3 to S8 ). In some ways I can imagine this would be harder on a motor than continuous operation. However I note that if in doubt S1 is the default specification widely recommended.

Nealeb - Thanks for the comments. I'm not sure how much of an issue start/stop is in the home workshop. My ML7 and drill press do most of the frequent starting and stopping and have yet to have a problem. However they are stopping with no/minimal load which could make a difference..

Speed control of ( some ) single phase motors is possible but not much used on larger machine tools due to loss of torque. It is more often used on things like rotary tools. high speed grinders etc. If we continue with the 1HP theme I think it can probably be ruled out as a viable option

Your comment on cooling is pertinent. It would suggest that higher pole numbers would be preferable to achieve maximum cooling at low speeds - e.g. for a lathe with a typical max speed of 1000 rpm a six pole motor would be preferable to a 2 pole for slow speed operations such as threading.

It seems there are many considerations other than just HP rating that we should be considering when selecting a motor. More so than in the old days when motors were selected based on the availability of an old fridge to plunder.

Pero

By way of background, I recently purchased a brand new but old stock ( 2012 ) 1HP 3 phase motor to use with a VFD. Not installed as yet but everything looks good although it is a very heavy beast- finned cast iron shell, 19 mm shaft etc.

This led me to the question of how one would select the most appropriate motor for a given task. Assuming for the purposes of discussion we are sticking with the 1HP motor, available motors not only come in 3 phase, single phase and DC but in a whole range of physical sizes.

Which to choose and why seems to be the bit missing in all the references I have found. Obviously size and weight could be the limiting factor in some applications but where this is not an issue what is the guiding parameter?

E.g. is bigger best - smoother running, more reliable, longer life, or is it that experience with the performance of the newer lightweight motors has just not filtered through to general thinking.

I know I am of the old school which tends to think that bigger must be better but am I correct in this case?

Comments would be welcomed.

Hi David. Welcome back.

Silicon O rings have been used as drive belts for a variety of small machines and accessories and work quite well. They are probably variable ( by design ) in their hardness but the ones I have used have typically been a little harder than the soft nitrile ones but rather softer than the Viton type.

They have the advantage of good stretch and seem to get a good grip on the pulley, limiting slip. I would be quite happy to use one as the drive belt on a small lathe such as the adept. The other options to consider are a polyurethane belt ( diy cut and join version ) or a small toothed belt.

Good luck with the lathe, it looks from the photo to be in very good condition considering its age.

Pero

In a model mag ( I think it was probably ME ) many moons ago there was an article on modifying the typically wayward Myford oiler to behave in a more gentlemanly manner. If I remember rightly the main change was to the needle, and possibly the seat, to achieve proper controlled flow rather than the more familiar and annoying on or off that is the usual fare.

I occasionally think of it when mopping up the puddle of oil which forms underneath the head stock and wonder why I didn't get around to modifying my own. I'm sure I will get around to it one day.

Perhaps someone with access to the indexes can do a little search.

Pero

An interesting discussion. Going through my "collection" I lost count at about 50. The majority live in the kitchen. They are mostly pointy and very sharp. There are also steak knives and a carving set for the dining room.

Moving down to the workshop there are the usual snap blade and exacto knives for miscellaneous hobby work, along with a number of scalpels and micro knives (cross-over between work-work and small scale modelling ). Most of these have spare blades which probably number in the hundreds.

Then there are the paid work type knives - diving knives ( 2 types ) and compulsory for professional diving, at least where I was trained, and various bush knives for working on land. And, finally, there are a couple which are quite old and rather valuable which live out life rather quietly in an out of the way cupboard.

Despite this lethal armoury so far the only injury caused is to myself, and then only minor cuts.

While I seem to have gone a little overboard in my acquisitions I suspect that most readers will have a similar range scattered around their homes and workshops, all of which are capable of inflicting at the least severe injury if not fatalities.

As a former Australian Government Minister commented when the airlines changed to plastic cutlery to protect us from the terrorists - a poke in the eye with a plastic fork is just as disabling as many of the injuries that can be done with metal cutlery. Interestingly there was never a change to plastic in first class. Apparently we were not anticipating any first class terrorists!

As commented above, knife making is a skilled art and the knives produced as one-offs are unlikely to go on to violent use.

Pero

Hi Michael

When I purchased my present house some decades ago I found I had need for a small jack hammer to carry out a number of smallish jobs over an extended period.

Like you I found that purchase was more cost effective than hiring.

With this in mind I purchased a small Hitachi brand tool which proved very suitable. I could fairly comfortably handle the weight ( important safety aspect ) and although I did initially suffer with a bad back due to bending I was later able to find longer tools ( chisels ) which helped alleviate this problem.

I think it has paid its way and is still available whenever I have the need.

One other thought. When breaking up paving I often use a long pry bar to slightly lift the edge of the paving before hitting it with a 7 lb sledge hammer. I find this breaks the paving quite readily and is actually faster and less messy than using the jack hammer. Works fine on paths etc but could be less successful on a 100 mm floor slab. I mention a 7 lb sledge as I lack the strength to wield a 10 lb version.

Stronger ME's may find larger tools more effective but I have found mine will do anything I require around the house.

The EXCEL model, as shown in the post above, looks like it should do the job.

Pero

A very sad outcome and my sympathies to all family and friends of the deceased.

Back to the comments re the cost of the rescue attempt. The oceans of the world are divided into areas of national responsibility. Within those areas the responsible country ( usually that adjacent ) has responsibility for undertaking marine rescues. I believe this is covered under international maritime law or agreement. It answers why Australia on occasion mounts rescues deep into the Southern Ocean to rescue disabled yachtsmen. The costs are very high and occasionally involve the rescue of only one person. Rescues of ill or injured personnel from commercial vessels are also undertaken on a more frequent basis.

I am very confident that the same applies in the UK, based on the documentaries I have seen, and in other maritime nations around the world.

With respect to the difference between this attempted rescue and people smugglers and their clients, the smugglers do not advertise departure dates and destinations and frequently it is only when disaster strikes that the authorities are made aware of the situation, and not by the smugglers.

Quite different to the current situation.

The cause of the present disaster is something hopefully we will learn in due course and can benefit from for the future.

I understand that the submersible has made this trip ( safely  on a number of previous occasions so the design is not inherently unsafe but it may have exceeded its safe working life due to fatigue. We shall have to wait and see. Anything else is pure conjecture.

Pero

Ahh. So many comments, so many mis-statements. A bit more scientific rigour please gentlemen.

The best flexible cable I have found is that sold for caravan lead-in use. It is fitted with 15A plug and socket ( Australia ) and is a nice visible orange colour. It is often quite cheap at hardware stores ( not camping stores as they often charge a premium ) and in various lengths.

Other leads may also be suitable. It's a matter of seeing what is on offer and selecting the best.

For light duty I have also used ( recycled ) vacuum cleaner cable which is also very flexible in most cases.

As the plug and socket on extension leads are often 'welded on' some sacrifice may be inevitable, unless you use 15A plugs and sockets ( not sure if 10 and 15 are the same in the UK ).

I usually start at the socket end which if not needed is discarded. Fit the cut end to the tool and a new plug at the desired length. Repeat until you get to the other end. A 15 to 25 m cable will do a number of tools and is reasonably economical.

Pero

Whitworth and BA together - not unusual. My 1970's Series III Land Rover features almost every known thread, including BSF, BSW, BA, UNF/UNC and metric.

On the plus side I do now have a very well appointed mechanics workshop, including the range of hammers needed to hit anything which refuses to behave - not an uncommon occurrence.

Re Clive's comment on Whitworth, I acquired many years ago from a ( real ) auction, and never used in anger, a set of 1/16" BSW taps and dies. I also understand that 3/32" BSW were also made. They have not been seen in my workshop for many years but I remember they were made by a reputable Aus or UK manufacturer. It's a pity I have since gone metric and am unlikely to ever use them. Perhaps a museum item!

Pero

Paul - I tend to agree re hardware store prices. As result I buy rod/tube in full lengths and fastenings in 'box' lots.

It is cheaper per unit length or number but suspect that my inheritors will be left with a lot of unused stock. A bit of a trade off in terms of what you will use over time vs the material required for a particular job.

At least metal does not go off like glue. Buying larger quantities is cheaper per unit volume but works out more expensive when 90% of it goes hard, unused, in the container!

Pero

HowardT - It's not not just a UK thing. They are just as cantankerous here in Australia.

The other problem I can't understand is why the smaller and lighter the tool the more inflexible the cable supplied. I had assumed that his was in an effort to make it more difficult to manipulate the tool but it may also be part of the designed difficulty in getting it back into the box

Nick - I agree with you re blow molded cases. Not only do they take up far to much room but they have a habit of failing at the hinges ( and other places over time ). Attempted repairs are generally unacceptable bordering on impossible, There are some good cases - heavier duty and with real hinges - but these tend to take up even more space. Still they do keep the dust out which is a positive!

Pero

You may find that a piece of grit has become stuck between the two ceramic plates. If you work through it carefully you can dismantle the cartridge, give it a clean, reassemble and all is well. I think I found the method on an interweb video.

If the worst has happened and one of the ceramic plates has cracked, buy the cheapest tap you can find, swap over the ceramic plate and all should be well - the plates all seem to be the same.

If doing a DIY and replacing the whole tap be sure to check the operation of the replacement - 1/4 or 1/2 turn and clockwise or anti-clockwise operation. The are all different and I have a number of unwanted spares to prove it!

Best of luck

Pero

Good thinking Kiwi!

Probably did not give it due consideration as my bench mounted machines are filled to capacity below with no room left for the knees and no floor room for the chair or even a stool.

Seated work is particularly suited when working with small machines when the required operator movement is also small. Not so good for bigger or taller machines.

As in all cases it is about choosing the best outcome for the operator.

Cheers

Pero