Member postings for Simon Robinson 4

Please can you tell us the make and model of grinder.

Do you have any other tools that take the same battery? Does the battery work well _under_ _load_in the other tool?

Does it have a momentary switch that you need to keep pressed to operate it? Or is it a latching on-off switch? When it shuts down, if you switch it off and then back on again, does it resume working?

If it is easy to do so, open it up and check for loose connections, intermittantly broken wires or dry solder joints. Actually I’ve used it a lot and it’s not needed a full charge so maybe the battery capacity is reduced.

its a Parkside grinder I got from Lidl. The battery seems to reach full charge quite quickly. Less than 20 minutes.

I think it’s a latching on off switch that slides forward. It doesn’t need to be pressed all the time.

Sometimes it starts up again after shutting down by switching it on.

I generally use white spirit to clean up, using a very fine wire wool - let it dry and if there is any oil/grease left repeat. When happy, very lightly sand. Water/soap can also work but tends to raise the grain more. Don't soak your model and the PVA joints should be fine.

If painting, use a special primer such Bulls Eye 1-2-3, relatively expensive but it works very well (and there's no need to use 'knotting' either). 1-2-3 is a 'white' primer so may not suit every job of course.

However, it adheres well and will stop anything coming through to spoil your top coats.

Regards,

IanT

PS If it's just oil from your fingers, prevention is a good (better?) idea - so wear gloves.

Edited By IanT on 25/05/2022 21:55:07

I have never had problems from the natural oils from my hands when finishing wooden models. If however you are talking oil and grease that you have picked up from handling metal engineered models and the like the hand cleaning is the answer before working with wood.

Oxalic acid will clean it off but if left on may dis-colour the wood as in that it can act like a bleach.

I don't paint my wooden models but do apply a lacquer for protection after applying a sealer first.as in this model

What did you 'seal' the roof with? It should have been heavy duty felt, the expensive stuff. 6x4 sheds tend to be made cheap with the thin felt and thin walls made from fencing panel timber.

Without gutters rain will run off the roof hit the patio and bounce up wetting the walls.

I have a 17' by 19' wooden garage which is used as a workshop. Whether it is luck or not, I do not know, but it gets no damp or condensation.

The walls and doors have foil-backed bubble-wrap insulation stapled over them with flake board on top. The roof is unlined. There is a modest amount of ventilation under the eaves and around the doors which are a "comfortable" fit. There are also a couple of holes drilled in the apex.

The wooden floor is up off the ground, standing on beams. I put a sheet of plastic damp proof membrane over it and covered this with hardboard and those cheap inter-locking rubber mats.

Originally, I also lined the roof with polystyrene covered with hardboard. This was a major cause of damp and was soon removed.

It is not the warmest place on Earth, but it is dry and damp free.

Regards,

James.

Edited By James Alford on 18/03/2022 09:21:43

Edited By James Alford on 18/03/2022 09:22:19

Edited By James Alford on 18/03/2022 09:22:43

Interesting to read how damp air actually rises. The condensation problem on my metal roof was terrible, even with a dehumidifier. I used the metallic bubble film. It has a reputation for not being hugely effective compared to other insulation, but I wanted something that wouldn't lose me headroom and could go between beams and the roof as much as possible. It's been really effective, I used a version with self-adhesive strips on it, but ended up using a roll and a half of double-sided tape as well for about 20m^2.

I'm hoping it will help keep things cool in summer as well.

Neil

Never though about it but car roofs must get a lot of condensation between the upholstery and metal roof. I’m not sure how they prevent condensation in vehicles otherwise the ceiling would soaking wet most of the time.

My little 6 x 4 shed (used to store the mower, shredder and other potentially useful junk) used to get damp. I installed a couple of passive vents, one low at the back, one High at the front and a cheap solar powered vent in the door. That has kept it dry ever since.

I will just mention that newer (Start Stop) batteries do not like old battery chargers (don't ask how I know!)

I now have a new 'Start Stop' charger (from Halfords) that offers 'fast' & 'trickle charge' settings which seem to be fine. It was much cheaper than the new battery.

The old battery charger is now regulaled to rust removal (electrolysis) duties - for which it is ideal.

Regards,

IanT

Use it.

The tin is labelled to suit as wide a market as it can, hence that peculiar warning.

I've an idea I have seen somewhat similar elsewhere; but I forget what for. That assertion appears written by lawyers for lawyers rather than technical people, and one is tempted to ask if it means the paint is safe in Utah or Nevada.

The reference might show what is really meant, what concentrations, situations, etc.; what part of the body it may harm, and what precautions to observe. It's probably based on frequent, heavy industrial use of the offending ingredient; not occasional hobby use of the complete paint.

Most paints, lubricants and solvents are or contain substances that can cause skin damage and even cancer with sufficient prolonged or frequent exposure, so obviously need the usual workshop hygiene precautions; but for proper information I suspect the paint's real MSDS would be more useful than something written to suit legal blokes in one single US State!

So use it, but simply take common-sense care in doing so.

When I was looking into fuel stabilisers for petrol, which does go off, StarTron seemed to get the best reviews.
I note that they also do a diesel version. http://www.starbrite.com/startron
Just beware that in the UK it seems to come in different concentrations, so the more expensive version might work out cheaper.

One issue with diesel is that of "Diesel Bugs" which grow/multiply in the tank in the presence of moisture.
All seems fine at first when you set off, but the black gunge gradually blocks the filter(s) leading to fuel starvation.

Any marine chandlers should be able to supply something to kill them off if you end up with a fuel infection.
I would assume that the StarTron additive will keep them at bay as well.

Bill

That sounds quite good. Thanks I’ll see if Halfords have it.