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Member postings for Tim Rowe

Here is a list of all the postings Tim Rowe has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.

Thread: A write off Motorhome repair
07/10/2022 18:37:53

Steviegtr

Nice work. I have done a lot of GRP and composite work in the past.

The best tip I got for avoiding the itch was to wash or shower with cold water. If you use hot or warm water, you open the pores and the go little fibres go straight in.

Tim R

Thread: Hello from Winnipeg, Canada
15/08/2021 21:19:15

Steven

Enough about the engineering stuff. What about the classical guitar? I know there are quite a few musicians on here. A few years ago I got reasonably competent with classical Spanish guitar but because I don't practice enough I have gone back to being rubbish.

All the topics on this forum are interesting.

Tim

Thread: Consequences of Machining Cast Iron
13/08/2021 07:55:22

Another option is a yacht chandlery or buy online. They will have rust stain removers for use on GRP boats and the active ingredient is oxalic acid. Very effective.

Tim

Thread: What on Earth would this be used for?
26/07/2021 16:17:58

Martin

A wild guess. Maybe a starter for a hot bulb engine.

Tim

Thread: English members who have moved to France.
19/07/2021 07:23:13

To answer Dave Halford.

I work and I am self employed (autonomo in Spanish). I have to pay about €330 per month social security. This is a fixed fee regardless of how much you earn and give total access to the public healthcare system which as I said is excellent. After 15 years paying this into the system I will qualify for 50% of the state pension. Not a huge amount but the Spanish pension system is more generous than that of the UK.

Tim

17/07/2021 15:45:15

Big question you have to ask yourselves is why? And be honest because living in a different country is hugely different from visiting it for holidays or business.

I moved to Mallorca in 2007 and it was my then wife's initiative. I was ambivalent but actually it turned out to be a good career move and I had just turned 50. I learned Spanish quite quickly and I am now fluent. That is the biggest single integrator in your new life. My wife didn't and we struggled a bit with our relationship (31 years),When grandchildren came along she wanted to move back to the UK and did. We divorced and I stayed. This is not uncommon. I am still working and hope to retire in 3 years.

I am now very happily integrated into a Spanish family and wouldn't change a thing. When we get the opportunity we love to visit the UK but I no longer think of it as home.

I don't think you really become a citizen of a country unless you hold a passport. I could have a Spanish passport but I would have to renounce by British one. I am not ready for that but have got close on a few occasions. My official status is that I am a resident of Spain, taxed and spend in Spain, Spanish healthcare which is excellent and I can vote in local and European elections but not for the national government so a part of me always remains an outsider.

Brexit is supposed to be killing freedom of movement but of course it works both ways. Fortunately I can now get a resident card that has a photo so it serves as ID. I can therefore travel around Europe without joining the passport queues. Other aspects of our departure from Europe have not been so easily solved and are proving expensive.

Don't get stuck in an expat enclave and keep in touch with friends. Expect a honeymoon period for the first 6 -9 months and then you have to work hard at the change and stick it out. If you do, you will reap the rewards and make a success of it.

Good luck

Tim

Thread: garden chair, wooden slats broken.
18/05/2020 13:28:48

Hello Clive

What is the chair made from? If you don't know or it doesn't matter I would replace the slates with teak. More durable than all the others mentioned and easier to maintain.

A cautionary note about Iroko. If left outside to weather it can warp exposing its twisted grain with the real risk of nasty sharp splinters in sensitive body parts. Iroko splinters tend to go septic and the wood itself untreated tends to go a nasty shade of black. Iroko dust is horrible as mentioned above.

Not that I have got anything against iroko of course.

Tim Rowe

Thread: Steel boiler storage.
20/07/2019 11:18:13
Posted by Brian Wood on 20/07/2019 11:04:28:

Hello Kevin,

You secure it mechanically so that it is in good electrical contact

It's called cathodic protection and is very important in the marine world. The electrical connection has to be very low resistance as the driving voltages are very low.

Tim

Thread: water supply
16/06/2019 09:43:13
Posted by Mick Henshall on 16/06/2019 09:13:34:

We are surrounded by lots of water, ships can make fresh water from salt water, big mistake is not investing in de salienation plants , as I understand it as you cannot destroy water there is the same amount now as there has always been, thats my opinion right or wrong 🚾

Mick 🇬🇧

You are right. Big ships (and little ones) make fresh water from the sea using reverse osmosis but it is energy hungry. It is not usual to drink the stuff and is often called "technical water" and is mainly used for sanitary purposes as well as for cooking. We have large scale de-salination plants here in Mallorca but they are only used in high tourist season and in emergencies.

You are partially right about not being able to destroy water but you can split it into oxygen and hydrogen using electrolysis so we have used up tiny amount. Again energy hungry.

I think one of the main problems is that more and more water is the growing populations and changes to the natural distribution patterns of rain and snowfall.

Tim

Thread: Illegal CD copy
14/06/2019 07:23:54
Posted by Fred Karno on 14/06/2019 03:54:33:

Michael,

I made a crack at those who, rather than bother to read the legislation, take their information from Wikipedia and James Bond films. You didn't get it, and now you dig an even deeper hole and refer me to a link to a "Cabinet Office document".

Once again I have news for you. This "Cabinet Office document" is not legislation, nor does it pretend to be. Those who bother to read just the executive summary recognise it as no more than a policy - in this case, a list of classifications and how they are to be applied. It has no force in law.

For the protection of my sanity I have now marked your posts as "To be ignored" but I am sure that will not stop further displays of your inability to learn.

Fred

I don't know enough about the subject to know whether you are right or wrong but I have a good idea. I do however think your manner of expressing yourself is unnecessarily rude.

In fact I have seen much better behaved Trolls.

Tim Rowe

Thread: Tyrosemiophilia
07/06/2019 17:58:02

Those 60 pint glasses must be a bit of a handful!!

Tim

Thread: Basic questions about wax chucks
30/05/2019 18:31:14
Posted by Nigel Watts on 29/05/2019 16:05:03:

These old glues have their advantages. I am more a woodworker than a metalmaker and the old hide glues have great properties with their two stage set - a weak one as they cool quickly and a stronger one as they dry slowly. Modern glues tend either to set rigid immediately allowing no time to adjust or take a long time to set at all, making clamping more difficult.

Edited By Nigel Watts on 29/05/2019 16:08:31

That's interesting Nigel. I bought some light burr type veneer to finish a deck on a model yacht. I bought it from a furniture restorer who suggested hide glue and I wasn't quite sure why. She also said contact would be ok but positioning would be tricky and I am would be worried about the glue being flat enough. Water based glues would be out and I would only use epoxy if I had a vacuum bag set-up which I don't.

Perhaps I should go back and get some hide glue but I seem to remember there were two types?

The veneer will be sealed with multiple coats of yacht varnish so I am not too bothered about the water resistance of the glue and the boat would only ever be out on the water for 2 or 3 hours at a time and then fully dried off.

What do you think and sorry about the thread drift?

Tim

Thread: proxxon band saw
29/04/2019 12:53:01

Hello Duncan

The belt just slides into the Vernier at 9.5mm but it is probably nominal 10mm which would fit fine as there is a bit of clearance to the flange of the splined drive.

Good luck

Tim

28/04/2019 09:26:18

Hello Duncan

Just had a look inside the cover of mine (MBS 240/E)

The belt is Fair (trade mark) MXL B285

Hope this helps

Tim

Thread: anealing piano wire
11/04/2019 08:35:13

I build a lot of model aircraft and here is my solution:

p1310167.jpg

p1310168.jpg

This is a small electric plane but the method scales up.

Brass tube is available that slides over the piano wire for a nice fit either for soft soldering or gluing with epoxy. The tube is the correct length for the hub of the wheel with some extra and the piano wire is cut off level with the outside face of the hub. The brass tube is then cross drilled which obviously is a piece of cake and the wheel retained by a stainless steel washed and in this case because it is a small model, a brass pin. In larger models I would tend to use a stainless steel split pin. If you don't like the bore of the copper tube being visible it can easily be filled.

To stop the inner face of the hub binding on the leg of undercarriage I solder, or in this case epoxy another washer in place and build up the fillet so it looks nice and tidy as well as being well supported.

Usually the hole in the hub needs to be reamed out to fit the bras tube but this provides the opportunity to make a proper bearing fit. Often stock wheels are sloppy on standard wires sizes and chatter when spinning as well as reducing the accuracy of the tracking.

I once tried to thread the end of the piano wire to take a Nylock nut. I did get a thread of sorts but it wasn't pretty and wrecked a perfectly good die. The end result was neat but not really practical.

Tim

Thread: Aluminium Firebox
15/03/2019 10:25:34
Posted by vintage engineer on 14/03/2019 21:48:12:

Molten aluminium and water is highly explosive!

So are all molten metals with very few exceptions including Mercury and specialist low melting point alloys like Cerrosafe.

Tim

Thread: Tube Notching
04/03/2019 18:13:33

Andy

I am intrigued - A fuselage for what? I wonder how strong those joints are going to be?

With a 0.2 wall you are removing very little material. I would be inclined to insert a suitably sized wooden dowl and use a fine round or half-round file. Unless of course you are doing hundreds!

Tim

Thread: Kyosho Fairwind
07/02/2019 17:49:03

Follow Jason's link. I am doing a reconstruction of a 50 year old model Galileo. You will find the forum very slow in comparison to this one but nonetheless useful for information. See you over there.

Tim

Thread: Hip replacement - End of live steam?
04/02/2019 16:13:48

Hi Dennis

You will not look back. I had my first new hip when I was twenty five. I am now 62 and have had 9 in total. 6 on the left hand side and 3 on the right. I wore one out after 17 years after the socket developed two bearing positions. It used to jump from one to another which was a bit disconcerting. In sport you can often keep the trophy if you win three times in a row. I mentioned this to my surgeon and said I would like to keep my faithful friend. He said it breaks all the rules and he could no possibly do it but look out for a package on my bedside table in the morning.
It is a great conversation piece - or stopper depending on the audience!

I work full time as a yacht surveyor that involves walking, ladders, cramped spaces and moving decks. I don't plan to give up any time soon.

The best advice I can give to you is use it like normal. One of my surgeons said to me after a concerned relative said I should take it easy, "I would not have bothered to fit it if all he is going to do is sit around all day"

You will know your own limitations nd never let anyone else decide for you what you can and can't do.

PS I have not yet found a modelling use for the material being mainly into RC aircraft and yachts.

Tim

Thread: Hello from Bedfordshire...
20/01/2019 20:57:58

Hi Martin

I think you have more posts than me already. I find this a really fascinating forum and I have following it for a few years. My Grandad was a keen and accomplished model engineer and a tiny bit has rubbed off on me. Fantastic range of subjects here.

I have slowed right down on the model aircraft building and having a re-visit to some radio controlled yachts. I have an IOM that I would quite like to race competitively. Our nearest flying site is an hour away but I have a harbour on my doorstep. I am also rebuilding a damaged model yacht that I built 50 years ago.

I like the sound of your lathe. I think you said it was ex toolroom. I have a the 400 Proxxon with a mill attachment. The most complete item I have made on it is a combined nose weight and tow release for a Sophisticated Lady. It will get some more use now with the RC yachts.

You are a great contributor on the modelflying site and look forward to your posts here. On the modelflying site you might know me as Levanter.

Best regards

Tim Rowe



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