Member postings for john carruthers

>>The lathe is not working at all at this point. I am hoping that the company can come up with a solution tomorrow otherwise it will have to go back.<<

Fuse blown ? there's often a fast blow fuse holder on the control panel.

I used the shanks of broken taps, no problems so far.

Hi Brian, I've learned a huge amount just watching Chris @ Clickspring's videos on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=11&v=Yt20qj1DHpc

He works to very high standards but his videos are easy to follow. Some of the lathe sequences are speeded up but that helps.

(Plus you'll be able to understand his weird accent )

Received a nice prezzy today, an old SE3 G&G (Mamod) 2 cylinder engine in need of TLC.
Spent a pleasant afternoon cleaning and fettling, now it runs on air. It is missing its burner so I shall make a temporary meths tray tomorrow and get the buffing wheel going.

Made the Eaglemoss planetarium, worked out to about £250+. The speed can be varied with a pot underneath the motor housing. I would have liked to do the tellurion too but couldn't afford it.

Have you tried fixing one end and give the other end a sharp pull? I used this method for prepping wire to make mail (chain mail). 3.2mm is thick but some sort of tensioner should do it.

My first 'real' thread job. 2 off, 43.6mm x 36 tpi. 3mm thick x 3mm wide. Two rings to hold a set of telecompressor lenses in an Optec adaptive optics tube. Saves a bit of optical train hanging off the back of a 12" SCT (might even pass between the forks now )

One more to do this afternoon.

10 tpi, 0.923" dia, thread length 8.5", overall 15.75". RH sq

10 tpi, 0.915" dia, thread 20.5", overall 32" RH sq

10 tpi, 0.5" dia, thread 16", overall 19" RH sq

8 tpi, 0.75" dia, thread 21" , overall 30" RH sq

8 tpi, 0.75" dia, thread 20.5", overall 24.5" RH Acme

12 tpi, 0.638" dia, thread 15",overall 16.5" LH sq

Free to collect, East Kent.

Eastry, Nr. Sandwich. CT13

I have been give a box of assorted bits and pieces including several used lead screws. Might help anyone refurbishing an old machine?
All have nuts, some very light rust.
Free to collect, East Kent.

10 tpi, 0.923" dia, thread length 8.5", overall 15.75".

10 tpi, 0.915" dia, thread 20.5", overall 32"

10 tpi, 0.5" dia, thread 16", overall 19"

8 tpi, 0.75" dia, thread 21" , overall 30"

8 tpi, 0.75" dia, thread 20.5", overall 24.5"

12 tpi, 0.638" dia, thread 15",overall 16.5"

Edited By john carruthers on 09/08/2015 12:56:47

Edited By john carruthers on 09/08/2015 12:57:10

>>I have no suitable bar: would a length of bright mild steel be accurate enough or do I need to use something like silver steel? Did you shim your tailstock backup into line?<<

I imagine so, I used a roller from an old printer, it happened to be ground all over, straight and parallel. It was a good fit in the spindle bearings too.
Remove the spindle, fit the test bar, get it parallel to the bed, then set the tailstock to the head.
I shimmed my tailstock a few thou, just copper shim stock.

Heroic measures but, assuming you have a bar that fits the head and tailstock, loosen the head and tailstock locking screws, fit the bar, tighten all and hope it gives a base to measure from ?
my tailstock was rather low due to wear.

>>Anyone happen to know what the colours the wizard lathe are? <<

Octarine?

Spent a happy hour digging through a box of junk treasure I've had donated. Several lead screws+nuts, a longish ball screw, some MT3 centres, a mini slotted table (just what I need), some thick brass gears and various lengths of brass pinion stock.

Exactly what I was doing last week, refurbing my old Stanley enclosed hand drill. I ended up buying a cheapo chuck from Machine Mart just for the springs.
Worth a fiver if I get another 40 years out of it.
**LINK**

As a 14 year old I witnessed a huge row between our metalwork master and the head master. The head was insisting we wore school ties in the shop ! and this was a technical school !! (newly appointed head).
A few minor accidents did happen, black fingernails and minor scratches, but never anything serious.

The teacher 'Cog' Wheeler ran a safe shop. He demonstrated 'the most dangerous tool in the shop' by running pigs trotters through the bandsaw. I learned more from that old boy than the rest of the staff put together.

Chucks etc are available for your lathe, you may need an adapter plate but I imagine you'll find one that just bolts on, same with a faceplate. You will probably find they are held on the spindle by 3 or 4 bolts. Once you know the bolt pattern you can order accessories to fit.

This sort of thing...
**LINK**

You need as good continuity as you can get for earths. If you aren't sure, rig an earth spike into the ground and run a separate cable. You want as low ohms as you can get. There is no one standard, some say 60, some 25, I have 8 on a damp day.

The 1" x 40tpi screw thread that drives the declination of the 28" at Greenwich was hand chased in gunmetal. Parts of the drive date to the 1893 clockwork (which replaced the earlier water driven system) with recent modifications in 1970 when the scope was relocated from Herstmonceaux. The main source of periodic error comes from the pitch circle and bore of the gears being slightly eccentric. Most errors are now corrected via the recent AWR drive box and a guide scope.

Last time I was there the whole thing had ground to a halt because one 1" tapered pin had dropped out

(note to self: don't get fingers in the clutch when the solenoid fires up )

I did hear that Barrie Watts (Beacon Hill) was packing up making worms/wheels?  might be an opportunity for someone?

Edited By john carruthers on 31/07/2015 18:20:38

Ah well, back to the lazy Susan bearing