Member postings for Breva

This may come under the "silly question" category but .......

My motorcycle runs down its battery if left unused for more than a fortnight. The clock etc. never switches off, so I'm fitting a cut off switch to the lead from the battery to the computer and instrument panel. The heaviest load would be to the solenoid relay switch when the starter is activated ( not the actual load to the starter motor)

I've loads of swiches in the junk box, but none rated for 12V. Typical would be one marked 10(3)A 250AC~.

Is it safe to use AC designed switches for DC use, as in the case above?

How do you work out what DC load an AC switch can carry?

Am I right in thinking that 10(3)A means 3A continuous and 10A intermittent use. If so, how long can the intermittent periods be?

All advice will be gratefully received.

John

Nigel,

On a Colchester Bantam the clutch engagement lever / latch assembly, has a spring and detent that holds it up in place when engaged. Could it be that you have a broken or missing spring?

If you think that a repair / disassembly writeup on doing the clutch on a Bantam would be of any help, let me know. The parts won't be the same but the same principles may apply.

On the Bantam I had to remove the leadscrew and square shaft before the apron could be removed. This is easy by removing the RH bracket holding both.

John

Hi David,

Good luck with the new Mill

One of the few extras that I bought when I first got my mill was a set of parallels. They are not strictly an essential but they have proven to be a good investment.

They have many uses in the setting up of jobs on the mill. I wouldn't be without them now.

John

Under my Bantam I have used a sheet of the free rubber that Ian Parkin kindly provided some time back to line the tray.

Marvellous stuff and makes cleaning up a breeze. Everything comes away in one clean lift. Away better than cling film for that job.

Thanks Ian!

PM me if you would like a copy of the US Clausing version of the Bantam manual. It is useful on the nuts and bolts aspect of maintenance and adjustments.

This page gives info on the shear-pin mentioned by other posters.

John

Hi Colin,

There is an excellent little prog. available that you might find does what you want in saving info from the Forum or indeed anywhere else. Check out: (usual disclaimer, I just find it great)

www.faststone.org/FSCapturerDownload.htm.

It isnt freeware but does allow a free trial and then costs c.15 euro for a lifetime licence.

With it you can capture irregular, regular shapes. You can scroll from top to bottom of say a Forum page, then crop the ads.etc on all sides and save to a file or Word doc. You can save further pages to the same doc and so on. It copies videos from yoo-toob etc.also. etc, etc. One last thing about it is that it can grab pics/text even from sites that don't normally allow you to copy them.

The same site has a very useful Photo Resizer for free also.

Hope this helps

John

David,

The above type of rear parting tool holder works well. The one in the pic. is from RDG (no connection),around £60, but there are many types out there. The blade takes GTN3 inserts. These curl the chip in from both sides so making it narrower than the groove being cut and helps prevent jams. Parting becomes a routine operation with this kind of setup. (And you'll notice a big saving on washing powder)

Use plenty cutting oil. Keep both sides of the cut wet. Provided you have plenty oil in the cut, I have found no difficulty in stopping the cut by backing off very slightly, if there is a need to brush away swarf that might build up and get drawn back into the cut. Spindle speeds up to about 250 rpms work ok, with a steady continuous feed into the cut. I prefer around 100rpm. As you come nearer the centre ease off the feed pressure BUT do keep it cutting, not rubbing.

Also, be positive when beginning the cut. It can sometimes take a good pressure to get the cutter to "bite".

Take any slop there might be out of gib strips and if you can, lock the apron down on the bed while parting off.

Make very sure the cutting tip is sharp and has no tiny chips out of it.

J

.

Your lathe is probably similar to the above, but note the above has a metric leadscrew.

First, There are three different sets of gearing ie. N, P or Q as seen on the bottom left of the front cover. See above. These are set on the left end of the lathe.

Lets assume you want to cut a 1mm pitch thread. On the panel it shows that a 1mm thread can be cut using either the combination PS1 or NR3. Choose one of these and check that thats the gearing setup that is actually in place under the end cover on the left. Lets say you pick gears P. (as in PS1). Set the two appropriate levers on the gearbox front, ie. to S and the joystick to 1

Set Lever A to the required direction of cut. Engage the dog-clutch C. Use lever B to engage/disengage the half-nuts.

Use lever D (red knob) to drive the cutting tool to the left, and when the cut is finished withdraw the tool and use lever D to reverse the tool back to the start of the cut. (Leaving lever B and the half-nuts engaged).

Do not use the clutch lever on the front of the apron while screwcutting.

John

Let me add to the above and include all those who regularly, on the forum, give the benefit of their knowledge to beginners/ improvers.

A very happy Christmas to you all and many healthy years to enjoy in the future.

John

Neil,

Will need a bit of grinding there!

Can a carbide tool of similar shape to yours be got for a tangential tool? Would it work?

John

Definitely not trying to tell anyone about sucking eggs here but....

If I can't get the bearing apart but need to clean it, here is a simple method that I have found to be very much more effective than brushing with a solvent.

Hold the bearing,either on its own shaft or on a suitable short stub and to lay the bearing, side down, in a flat container. Fill the container with paraffin/white spirits etc. to above the top edge of the bearing. Then, hold the bearing just clear of the bottom and spin the bearing gently with your finger under the liquid. The dirt is spun out and falls away to the bottom of the container. Repeat till it runs smoothly. Turn over occasionally and spin the other way.

It can be quite surprising how much dirt/grit can come out. Because it is spinning in the liquid there's no danger much of damage but you can feel every tiny bit of grit in there until you get it all clear. Let the cleaning liquid settle, pour off the clear liquid and keep for the next cleaning job.

Thanks, Neil and John.

The 60 deg. will do just fine as my first jobs will be making slides for a tool grinder along the lines of Harold Hall's design. HSS should do all my jobs as well.

John

With dovetail cutters being offered in 45deg. and 60deg. versions, I wonder if the more experienced members on the Forum have an opinion on which should be used in particular situations?

Are the carbide tipped cutters a better buy than the HSS ones on general offer?

John

Thanks to all for the good advice.

Will, that's a good point you make about drilling. I hadn't thought of that before. Setting the spindle dead square with the table, if that can be achieved, should be best. If the leading edge is cutting and removing the material the trailing edge should in theory have nothing to rub against as it passes over the cut surface. Probably if there is slight flex in the setup anywhere, the cutting edge may not remove all of the material, leaving a small raised amount for the trailing edge to rub on. This, when you think, is a good argument for having very sharp cutting edges and trying to remove as much flex as possible out of the mill.

My own mill is an Amadeal 25 (like the WM18) and I am considering building a supporting beam of some sort, to dampen down the slight flex in the column. This is not a criticism of the mill. It will never be a threat to the Bridgeports but it's not bad and a little stiffening up couldn't hurt. I haven't seen a mod like this mentioned anywhere.

John

A learners question If I may?

Is it the recommendation to tram the head absolutely flat?

I seem to recollect reading that there might be advantage in setting it a gnat's whisker one way or the other.

If so, which way and why?

John

"Careful if using ER collet cutter may drop unknowingly or cut a taper, used to cop us out at work."

"I've been caught by this a couple of times. Really pays to lubricate the collet (outside) and tighten as much as you can."

Jon and Neil,

Are you suggesting the ER collet loosens during the work?

Why do you think this happens? I have a set and even though I have not noticed it happening I am glad to be forewarned about the possibility.

John

I had the pleasure of visiting the Moto Guzzi museum in Mandello last month and seeing the 500cc V8 GP engine and bike in the flesh. What a gem of an engine! So small and compact. It is smaller than most 250cc. two stroke engines. I can only raise my hat to anyone who could build a scale version in their home workshop!

On a lighter note, as a Guzzi owner I was keen to find out how the Italians pronounced "Moto Guzzi" as you hear so many versions of it over here. They say Moto Gootzee, with the "t" being soft, ......and I suppose they should know!

My humble contribution to the universal store of knowledge for the day.

John

Ian,

Got my sheets today and very pleased too!

Thank you for all your trouble you went to.

Best wishes,

John

Ian,

Money just gone and addrs. details in the PayPal message.

Many thanks for the kind gesture.

John

I use one of those shower stools with the adjustable legs,used by invalides . Light and strong and easy to set at "your" height. It was my dear departed mother in law's. Only thing she left me

I am recently making a habit of sitting any time I can and it has made a great difference to my level of backpain.

There are some things you just can't sit for but the secret (for me anyway) seems to be to alternate from standing to sitting frequently. I keep the chair set fairly high and have no problem working at the bench. I use bed-stops, set the lathe on power-drive and sit and watch it work!

John