Member postings for Neil Wyatt

The small sparklets bulbs are too small - they barely fill the CO2 tank once. I use the larger airgun ones for my are rifle, but they are the wrong size for my engine filler adaptor.

The big bottles are much better, if I could get them.

>edit< It seems Argos do exchange cylinders.

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 17/02/2014 21:18:34

Radon - in some parts of the UK houses over granite have to have extractor fans in their cellars to prevent build up of radon.

Neil

I would say a slitting saw running fast enough to spray swarf is running far too fast.

Neil

I was going to suggest that John wrote it up... not that it would need to be much more than the posting above.

Neil

This reminds me, at the opposite end of the scale I have two refillable CO2 canisters as normally sold for Soda Stream (for a Gasparin CO2 motor). I haven't seen these for exchange in the supermarkets for years. Has anyone eny suggestions?

Neil

I was asked about who should use the free ads.

I would say the issue regarding free classifieds has to be left to the judgement of the person placing the advert. we have to rely on their honesty about the service being 'non-commercial'.

My interpretation would be that a private, non-commercial service would be doing someone a favour in return for a payment to cover costs, rather than as a source of income, comparable to privately selling second hand items i.e.not taxable self-employed work.

If it's part of how you earn your living, then take please out a paid ad. - at least it's tax deductable!

John M. the problem with your suggestion is how we police it. I don't know if someone's shed is 8x16 feet or 8x16 metres.

Mark C. you seem to be caught between two stools. If you still have the goodwill, I'd suggest a post that offers fellow model engineers advice based on your professional experience.

Neil

Well, I'm glad you lot have talked some sense into Allan!

Neil

I didn't delete the post in question, but those who are unhappy should read my post.

This was not an offer to someone looking for help, it was offering a general service and soliciting for customers.

The rules are clear, and the only way to be fair is to apply them to everyone in the same way.. There has to be a line somewhere, and allowing exceptions would just make it harder to define and police fairly.

I did see the post before it was taken down (I can't do this myself yet!) and my impression was that it was inappropriate but well meaning, That is why I pointed out to the poster that, if it is not a commercial operation, the classified are the proper way to promote this service. It's not banned, it's just in the wrong place.

I would be keen to hear from Mark C. to get his opinion, as it was his post. He asked if he had fallen foul of any guidance and had searched for it, but could not find the guidance - for the record the 'terms and conditions link' appears directly above the 'add posting' button.

Neil

The bofors clue is what we needed!

This is from **LINK** the manual for a 40mm Antiaircraft gun that declares it's mechanism to be essentially that of the bofors.

It's an interrupted screw, but only a single thread, not a welin breech.

Neil

Hi Mark,

As you will see we have a fair amount of advertising on this website, all of which is paid for.

Obviously they would have a genuine cause for grievance if their paid for advert appears next to a mesasage advertising the same service who has not paid for the right to do so.

The terms and conditions are quite clear that users will not:

• Upload, post or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, or any other form of solicitation.

So, I'm afraid you broke the rules and the post was fairly removed.

I realise your posting was intended as an offer of a service to help out fellow model engineers. If it is just that and not part of a proper business, you may be eligible to post a free classified ad on the website.

"Classified adverts are for the use of private individuals. For trade sales please contact Ben Rayment [email protected] or telephone 01689 899280. "

I hope that helps explain how it works.

Neil

> BTW, I thought about posting a scan of the painting but it is copyright the Imperial War Museum and I don't want their tanks on my lawn!

You didn't read the small print: "This item is available to share and reuse under the terms of the IWM Non Commercial Licence"

Good painting, but I don't believe that is a screw cutting operation, at least for a breech with multiple thread diameters. For a start the swarf is far too long, second they used devices to automatically retract the tool for cutting the interrupted threads and I can't see where this would be, and finally they lathe is running too fast.. I think she cutting the thread for a simpler breech like the one HERE.

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 14/02/2014 18:00:14

Hi Carl,

The problem is that there are only so many generic operations. If an author can play an old tune on a new fiddle, it's more interesting to most people, even if they don't own that particular instrument. A good article may well appear to be specific to one lathe, for example, but the tips and advice about gear cutting can have wider application. Equally, reading about how other people have solved problems (or not) can spur readers on to solving their own problems (as in at least one example above).

You say you don't want to write articles, many people don't for divers reasons, and I respect that. But I still face the same challenge faced by every previous editor - where do I get a lot of new contributors willing to generate these short articles?

If anyone reading this IS interested in writing contributions for MEW, long or short, and new voices are always welcome, please email me: [email protected]

Existing contributors should be reassured that David is in the process of passing unpublished work to me. My hope is that we can continue to hear from many familiar writers, while continuing welcome a range of new writers with new interests.

Neil

I have an old ME with an article on casting from lost wax patterns and using other things, such as beetle and leaves, as the patterns for jewellery. The principle being to get the mould really hot and keep it that way. The technique also involved using a wet asbestos pad to create steam to force the metal, melted in the mouth of the mould) (usually silver in this case) into the detail.Another method I have read about is whirling the mould around one's head on a string. Both methods sound decidedly risky to me.

Neil

Hi Keith,

It sounds like you are trying to 'tram' the mill. Pictures of how you are measuring things and what you are doing to adjust them will help.

use the links at the top of the page to create an album to put the pictures in. Then let us know what you've done.

Neil

Interesting sentiment, Rod. I have a minilathe and an X2 mill. I don't have a Myford, but I consider those who do lucky, not elitist.

Neil.

Hello All,

I understand the author agreement is being amended, but in the short term I'm seeking clarification on the copyright issue.

This link for email should work: [email protected]

Thanks

Neil

Edited By Duncan Armstrong 1 on 12/02/2014 14:40:40

The Velleman 'RepRap' available from Maplins and CPC appears to have a frame made of aluminium extrusions, yet it is at an 'entry-level' price point.

Has anyone got experience of one of these yet?

Is anyone out there willing to design a small test piece, small enough to fit in an envelope, that could be printed off on any machine or material to allow direct comparison of the results. I'm sure I've seen a small 'robot' figure that might suit, or there are the 1" cubes seen in another thread.

I'd be interested to compare such samples, and they would be invaluable if we were ever to run comparative reviews, rather like the hifi bods listen to test records.

Neil

There is one big problem I have to tackle to publish more short articles. If by 'short' we mean 1-5 pages, then the average length is three pages.

Looking at articles that are 'banked up' for the next few issues, the typical longer article is 20 pages.

So to fill the same number of pages as one long article, I need seven short ones.

Despite what it may seem, long articles can need more editing effort (on a per page basis) than short ones (they need to be split into sections, references have to be checked and amended but now span multiple issues of the magazine, and any amendments need to be made mindful of the whole series, not just the one instalment.

There is space for both types of article in MEW, though there seems to be agreement that more short articles would be welcome. That said, I don't want to disillusion writers of good, longer articles so they shouldn't fear becoming an endangered species.

Many of the best writers can produce short as well as long series, but I am sure that putting three articles by Fred the Shed in each of seven successive issues might be equally unpopular. So, the challenge I face is enthusing a large number of new authors to come forward.

Hence, saying 'if you want to see new content, write some yourself' isn't flippant, it's practical. It isn't elitist either.

Another possibility is changing how articles are split. Two parters could become longer single part articles (but this reduces variety). Long series could be split into smaller parts, making more room for short articles, but then they drag out for longer.

One approach that will work for some topics, but not others, is the linked series, where each article stands alone but still forms a body of work when taken together (my own first articles for MEW were structured in this way).

It's all a balancing act, and I don't expect to find any magic numbers. All I can do is ask encourage new writers and old alike to consider different ways of presenting their work, and experiment with different ways of presenting the content. Then listen to the feedback (hopefully not in green ink or ALL IN CAPITALS) and learn from it.

Anyone interested in expressing a personal view on the content of MEW or offering to write for it can contact me on neil.wyatt @ mytimemedia.com (delete spaces)

Neil

Edited By JasonB on 12/02/2014 16:59:06

One thought I have is that the advent of the digital camera means effectively free photographs. I shot the equivalent of two rolls of film last night just to get one good shot of Jupiter and one of the moon.

This means that when documenting a build it's tempting to photograph every single operation. That operation then gets described, so are digital cameras a potential cause of bloat?

Neil

Hi Keith,

Welcome to the forum,

I'm a bit confused as to what you are actually measuring. Is it the squareness of the movement of the table in X and Y directions with respect to each other or the squareness of X and Y travel to the axis of the mill spindle.

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 11/02/2014 19:48:01