Member postings for Jesse Hancock 1

It's not the cost of castings, it's finding a foundry willing to mess around doing small one-offs. Neil

Down here finding a foundry at all is the hard part. Travelling to Avonmouth where much of the areas heavy Industry was carried out and still is, you won't get by reception, unless of course you know someone in the factory.

This goes along with the (Corner Shop's Closing) thread.

Phil Whitley and Bob Brown are both correct but don't let what they are saying lead you into thinking we were all living the high life because we weren't. I've already spoken about my old man's propensity or tendency to always be under the bonnet of cars tinkering, fettling or fixing as the case may take. However it went with the period for the most part. Cars and motor cycles were not as reliable as today. The main faults I believe were carburetion and ignition both being prone to wearing out or slipping out of tune. ie cables stretching, nuts loosening, dust, dirt, water and rust contamination all playing their part.

I think the drive for more reliability was led by Honda in my experience with things like grease nipples in cables! Gone in an instant all that business of releasing cables and taping on home fashioned cardboard funnels, filling them with oil and allowing all day for the oil to run down inside the cable. The joy of taking a horizontally built engine apart as opposed to a vertically split British design. It's scary to think that it was in-trenched ideas of the bosses and lack of investment which has led to the present state of Britain today.

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 20/04/2015 07:56:12

Yes I remember taking home £3 pounds a week back in the sixties of which my mother took £2 for board and lodge.

It brakes my heart to think of things like a BSA A10 I bought for £5. A Velocette 500 Venom which a couple of mates and I enquired about and the guy gave it to us saying he could use the room in his garage. When I was 14 my old man paid £3 for a BSA Bantam (because the tyres were new) which he supervised the very thorough over hall including refiling both drive sprockets (gear box and rear wheel) by hand (mine) which were then taken back to his works to be heat treated and tempered again. I'm writing this thinking I'll bet people don't believe me. I can hardly believe it myself. One last good find of mine was a AJS G12 650cc with a Watsonian side car it was immaculate except for two things... The rag top on the chair was rotten and someone had over tightened the magneto brush holders putting a dimple in the slip ring which resulted in a bad misfire. Dad took the magneto to work and when reinstalled in the bike it roared into life. I kept it for a few years driving it to work. There were plenty of other finds and bargains to be had but I'll only bore you.

When a teen many local kids and I used to club together to buy stuff like Morris 'E' types or sit up and beg Populars, Vauxhall Wyverns, Hillmans and so on which we duly killed racing them down on the local common stock-car fashion. On a good weekend it was like a Keystone cop movie and a wonder no one was killed or seriously injured.

This was stuff we as teens temporarily restored to life to stave off boredom, well we didn't have computers back then did we?

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 19/04/2015 22:48:20

That's right but lets hope they don't keep spinning when you stop turning.

Jay B But I like using my bell punch.

I wish I could say you stole my cunning plan mate but my that is cunning. I'll have a look cobber and thanks.

One of the best mods I've seen (I think it was on here) is adding small ball bearings to a steady clamp. (I must do that one.)

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 18/04/2015 20:42:38

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 18/04/2015 21:00:27

What did I do today? That's a good question to which the answer is not much. However I have made a start on the valves for the Sealion. I always like to start off with a minor disaster and so after bell punching the centre of the st/steel bar (perfectly) I chucked the bar and promptly broke the nose off a centre drill. No I didn't clock the bar so I gave myself 100 appropriate lines.

Gave up on using the live centre as it would leave the stem hollow on the tappet end. Yep didn't think that through either because I should have left the stem over size and trimmed back as a final op. Next problem was (of course) spring in the material necessitating taking two bites on the same setting. At first I tried ignoring the problem and resetting but this resulted in some alarming squealing noises with the tool threatening to dig in and a stall, the first I've had on the lathe.... Coffee to let the overheated electrics cool.

There's nothing like having a good struggle I say and that's what I did struggle. I changed to my Unimat 3.5mm cutting tools when nearing the final destination. Didn't even finish one valve but I do have a cunning plan for next time.

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 18/04/2015 20:12:26

John well spotted zero blindness?

Why not keep them all? One reads to nearest 5 thou and the other 1 thou.

Use the 5 thou to rough out then if needed switch to the 1thou readout.

Most of the model plans I have don't stipulate thousands they leave it to the engineer to get as close as he feels is necessary for the job.

I have been known to use 8mm (7.75mm) coach bolts with the end squared off to 14.75mm and you have to grind a bit of the dome away so as to slide up the slot. I made some in 6mm too.

Forgot to say I have a hold down kit as well but they only supply 4 tee nuts and it depends on how wide to top of the slot is mainly since the studding in the kit is 10mm which is big when it comes to small milling tools.

They work for me

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 16/04/2015 17:01:54

Oldvelo Neil : sure I bought the micro whilst keeping my budget in the black, it was as much as I dared spend at the time but when needs must and all that.

In my experience (in work) it was always comforting to have spare capacity but not particularly profitable. A hobby is a different kettle of fish but there are times when jobs are taken on without knowing exactly what is needed from your kit I think you would agree. Or you wish to take on something larger and more ambitious.

Super X2 rigid column etc etc too much for me so....

For the record it's looking like an X2 or clone there of, due to cost and physical size. I'll keep the mini too and use it to modify big brother. I might even make a mod so as to keep the tilt but I can't see why.

Does anyone understand the thinking behind the tilting head?

Ronan, I felt like it at times however if I had I might have to drown the misses as well (Her cats).

On topic: The mini lathe cross slide knuckle peeling allen screws holding the handle and adding salt to the wound it always seems to line up with the handle on the feed screw.

I'm going out today priority is domed allen screws.

A tad off topic:

Neil I used to drag a bowl of hot water over the shag pile and watch fleas leap into it and drown. %^&$**&^%$ cats.

Ketan, Spot on and I take your points on reviewers. Just watched the videos over at arc, the side milling video wasn't too revealing I'm sorry to say.

I like Sieg milling machines but they are a bit too pricey for me since I have to weigh this against usage.

I've been trawling the net for some time now on the look out for a suitable replacement which fits my pocket. Not that I want to but I don't mind having to modify the basic tool as I have contacts in the steel trade so any amount of bracing can be catered for.

Fizzy ask Neil Wyatt show you the mods he's carried out on his mill.

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 15/04/2015 21:16:02

Sorry capstan but I laughed when I saw that. This is my biggest hassel as well not just with dropped gear but I only have to put something, anything down and it goes behind a cloak of invisibility.

Normally it's right where I left it or under my nose.

Must learn to drill holes in my head and see what's going on in there or not as the case may be.

Jim that's why they call it a pass time isn't it?

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 15/04/2015 15:19:08

Very good standards from what I see and if I ever attain those standards I'll be very pleased.

I wonder what the bill is for emery clothe, wire wool and Duraglit.

Hi guys, I've just come off the phone to Machine Mart where I cancelled my order for a mini mill due to the lack of service and delays. It's a long story which I'll leave to another day when I've calmed down a piece.

What would be nice is for people on here with milling machines in the BUDGET bracket to post comments and experiences of mills, vendors, delivery and after care. (I never trust site reviews since they can be abused.)

Hopefully this will guide me as to which mill and who I might purchase from.

I'm in Bristol so I won't expect too many vendors to be farther north than Preston to be able to compete on delivery but you never know.

PS: Trouble with the Micro is height in that as soon as you put a rotary table on the bed there's none left! Plus of course the Achilles heal that is the plastic gearing, one snatch and they are toothless.

I wonder witch huan of those high flying tieps came up with predictive speiling cod's wollop on funs. Talk about the blind leading the venetian!

I'm sure there is no one on here who is doubting Neils enthusiasm for the machine or it's capabilities. I'm also fairly sure that a lot of us on here are of fairly meagre disposable income and it's this which is the stumbling block for most. Not ££££'s but ££'s and indeed the question do I need a dedicated sharpener for milling tools or shall I put the car on the road again this year?

Being realistic with none existent cash is not being negative in my book.

Meanwhile... Jeeves get the Bugatti out old bean I need a loaf of bread and some fag papers.

Being sarcastic however is a trait I inherited from my father so please forgive me if you can.

Neil I don't think you have to Roy has said it all. Unless you're thinking of going into business. I could buy an extra milling machine for that money.

John, Tell me about it, I remember collecting copper fuse ends (BIG ones from a demolished factory) by breaking the insulation and to ensure there was no rubbish or contaminates in the load. The lead coating I left alone. When I had a sack full which took a deal of time and effort I can tell you, I took the sack down to the scrappy. A big fat guy asked me to empty the sack on the floor so as he could run a magnet over it. He sat on a low stool and pushed the magnet about spreading the scrap further and further about the floor. My haul passed the test then he handed me £15.00 about half what it was worth, saying it was dirty, my hackles rose but I took the money. I then jumped into the midst of the scrap and as quick as I could I kicked it from one end of the place to the other. Almost before he could get up off his stool I was out the door calling him some choice names.

It probably took him a week of crawling about to collect it all again.

PS: Unrefined copper sulphates usually carry some lead anyway which is why I was a bit cross.