Member postings for MW

If you want a UK made adhesive use bondloc, not nearly as well known as Loctite so it would be unlikely the Chinese would try. The price is very comparable between the two.

Michael W

Hi,

This came up in a recent EPE magazine, a brownout protector for induction motors..

So, it explains on the page briefly what it's all about..

"Brownouts occur when the mains voltage drops to a very low level, say below 100 VAC and this causes incandescent lamps to be very dim (hence the term) or "brown". But as well as making your lights go dim, brownouts can cause induction motors to burn out because they cannot start properly."

They go onto explain that these used to be quite common in rural areas when power lines had very long runs and a happenstance falling tree or animal might cause a drop in voltage, and end up putting too much amperage through your motor, however they have become more common in urban areas now where the electricity grid runs close to capacity.

Anyway, i'm wondering how useful a device could be to protecting an induction motor in a suburban workshop, or even an inverter-fed 3 phase motor?( I presume an electrical reactor here would be more useful for stabilizing mains AC single phase supply.)

I occasionally notice lights flickering in my house, but I presume this is due to an intermittent drop rather than a full-on brownout so to speak. Which I have no memory of ever occurring.

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 10/06/2017 12:45:19

Well I guess I better get to it then !

Michael W

Looking good, Mechman.

Very similar to my WM16, although I kept the gears rather than switch to belts and the motor is mounted on a much simpler angle bracket and plate configuration! TEC motors if i'm not mistaken. I call mine the frankenwarco.

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 09/06/2017 13:09:57

And you shan't be disappointed, it's a very good book by a great writer, well done!

Michael W

I do have to say this shows there are still some advantages to making your own knurling tool, even when cheap ones can now be obtained that do a reasonable job.

At least with a homemade one you can make it fit whatever stock bore sizes happen to be available to your area.

In other words, you're not necessarily stuck with a design that can't be altered easily.

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 08/06/2017 15:26:58

sometimes they are tapered both ways so there isn't a right or wrong way. The only time that matters is when the die has been visibly ground off the back face, that is so you can flip it round once it's cut and use the full depth to proceed right up to the shoulder.

That is, if the die was cut straight the first time.

Michael W

You also need a retail adapter to fit seat cushions made by any other manufacturer.

Michael W

You have to be careful with staples because some of them are brand specific, like the wickes metal one I own. Only takes it's staples.

Michael W

I probably have the same one, as I have a different model to the prusa, but it's made by the same Chinese people who originally designed the prusa, I believe they explicitly said on the ebay page of mine, that the board really needs some kind of extra forced cooling to what it comes with if you expect it to work hard!

Depending on how the soldering went, maybe a different connector or the amount of solder used is now dissipating more heat! 

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 05/06/2017 22:57:41

Indeed, the thickness of the metal can play a crucial part in the tempering process, the temperature needs to be held for more than just a few seconds.(The hardening process on a molecular level isn't exactly instantaneous. The longer it's exposed to the given temperature the more complete the transformation will be.) 

This is why a furnace or some kind of heating rig can be better for tempering than just holding it against a blow torch, which will of course, just keep raising the temperature til it reaches the nominal burning temp. (although I suppose altering the distance you put between it and the burning gas might give you some result if you keep a keen eye on the colours!)

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 05/06/2017 22:50:45

I doubt even hulk Hogan could lift a chester crusader singlehandedly

Michael W

I like the expression, "it's wise to keep your head open to new ideas but be careful not to leave it so open that your brains spill out"!

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 04/06/2017 00:08:45

++1 Very good book, doesn't matter how old it is, it still has tons of information for the budding engineer. Very good writer.

PS; I know of an American book that I have become fond of, simply because it also contains a lot of obscure information about particular finishes you can apply to different metals, some chemical. The book is called The Home workshop guide or something like that, by a man named Doug Briney, he does a lot of his work with the sherline machines but he still has a lot of useful things to say for people who own other machines. 

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 03/06/2017 18:31:38

Great tip, i'm going to try it!

Michael W

Ah, I think i'm showing my inexperience there! Thanks for explaining it to me, yeah it does work exactly as you said, go to cherry red and the oxidizing flame starts to push the slag to one side, with plenty of sparks.

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 01/06/2017 15:15:48

Hi guys, I know you like these ones, anyone who can help me identify these...

They are described as "Broaches" the cheap price lured me to them, even though I have no idea what they do. Certainly not the type of broaches i'm used to.

They are probably clagged in a lot of ancient preservative, but they have a tapered square end one side, and a tapered pentagonal shape the other way. Maybe they are for pressing square/ pentagonal holes in wood working?

Michael W