Member postings for Adrian R2

Or even a single pin with the tip offset by a quarter of the existing hole pitch, so it can be rotated through 180 degrees to half step?

Simplest to assume that any non-model eng offer in the classifieds is a scam, and especially ones for software downloads.

Curious - depending on browsers my usual computer either refuses to connect or gives me a security block, even through I have bought from EKP before. I have just tried another machine and that is fine. I shan't worry about trying to understand why, glad all is well.

Careful - that EKP link appears to point elsewhere. It looks like they are now EKP Screws, **LINK** (?)

Not clear whether they are still selling retail.

Edited By Adrian R2 on 22/09/2021 14:28:26

All a bit mad, isn't it? I recently had to send a battery unit away for repair. The T&Cs for the courier recommended by the repairer said they would not take a "battery" but would take a "controller" with a built in battery. The only justification I can think of is that the latter assumes some protection circuit but how can they, or anyone tell?

Anyway, I bagged and double boxed it and it got there and back (within UK, surface transport only) safely and has not as far as I can tell been stickered, X-rayed or otherwise examined.

Meanwhile I have ordered many batteries and battery containing gadgets online which have been delivered by post and the various courier firms without fuss. Maybe professional sellers have some special conditions which means they are trusted to pack properly, or maybe they just don't declare.

I'm sure accidents do happen, but it would appear to be self evident by the number of non-combusting delivery trucks that the risk isn't as big as somebodies safety consultants thought it was.

I would guess (by extrapolation from my uncle's Field Marshall) that on the full size one just reducing the throttle to minimum would slow the whole contraption down to quite close to a standstill, then the final declutch and push the lever further to bring to a halt with the transmission brake if needed - on the soft it'll probably dig in anyway, but hard packed ground or a slope might be tricky. Stop engine and release clutch as a parking brake. Actually much the same as a single pedal ride on lawnmower nowadays thinking about it.

Thanks for the scaling factor - on several of your pictures it's not obvious what size the parts are which is a compliment to your work.

So it does have a brake after all. That makes a bit more sense than relying on the operator always having to find somewhere flat to stop. Does the lever have a means of holding it in the brake position?

I suppose the next question is how is it started, both in real life and model form? I found one video on Youtube that appears to show heating the hot bulb and then inserting a peg into a hole in the flywheel to turn it over.

Agreed, however in this case the "boy" was over 25 and had done similar sized holes before, even 22mm for plumbing jobs. Drill tip is OK so I'm sticking with my theory of uneven stonework jamming it up.

The point about fuses is very valid, my angle grinder was once saved after a snarl up by its 5A fuse blowing before further harm was done, unfortunately I didn't think to check what was in the drill which was indeed 13A.

Grumplings are stone footings at the base of a wall, or they are hereabouts anyway.

I have a bigger Wolf drill, but it's heavier to handle and I thought this one would manage as it had done similar jobs before. Hole was only 15mm dia using an extended masonry bit, but for some reason the drill kept grabbing and stalling out. I should have stopped and changed tool, but I didn't and so here we are.

Fortunately no pressing need for an immediate replacement, but does look like SDS is the way to go if this one can't be rescued.

[Edit: thinking about it the 2ft in my original post was a bit exagerated, probably more like 18". Enough to need the extension bit anyway]

Edited By Adrian R2 on 31/08/2021 16:32:59

Right, thanks, much as I suspected. I shall put it in the rainy day pile for a bit and then perhaps test the armature.

Job was drilling through about 2ft of rough stone grumpling which kept jamming the bit, even using hammer mode. Would an SDS be a good upgrade for it's replacement?

Tea Room as I'm presuming this is a lost cause! I overheated a handheld power drill last week through impatience with some DIY, causing some smoke and eventually blowing the fuse.

Once it had cooled down I found that it would no longer spin, just hum - dismantling showed some melted and resolidified wax/resin substance had jammed the armature. With this pared away and drill reassembled it turns again under power but only slowly and gets hot again very quickly.

Waxy stuff looks to have come from stator windings; I tested continuity of both halves of this while it was apart and got around 5 - 6 ohms each so not completely burned out but I suspect internally shorted (?)

Can anything else be done/checked apart from learning some mental relaxation techniques?

Edited By Adrian R2 on 31/08/2021 12:11:42

Alternative suggestion - if the wheel fits well on the motor shaft and doesn't vibrate too badly as-is, then clamp the motor to the bed of your lathe, align carefully, spin it up and true the face and edge of the wheel as an assembly. Speed may not be ideal but you are only after a skim so proceed with caution and should be OK?

(yes there are hazards to doing this but probably similar to building and using the thing!)

I would try what you have in a similar piece of scrap, see what happens. 3.7mm seems on paper too small but it might drill oversize and be just right. Obviously don't over stress the tap if it doesn't want to go, but assuming a non-safety related attachment then there is a fair range of tolerance.

If this is an "espag" then they are easily removable (2 screws under those plastic covers) and then dismantleable from the rear. They are also cheap to replace providing you have the patience to search around and find the one that matches yours.

Hi Fred - Just wondering whether you'd attempted this yet and if so how it turned out?

I've done this accidentally through muddling up radio control car battery packs and settings on a programmable charger and only realising later, so while it may not be optimum I'd say it should work. I would have a try but keep an eye on it to make sure nothing gets overly warm.

Andrew - looks like £21 for 10, not £2. I thought that was too good to be true.

Perhaps the MyfordBoy simple steam traction engine? I haven't actually tried to build it but it would seem to be well thought out and he advertises a set of castings and plans for a reasonable price.

The 3D sand printing process I mentioned creates the moulds and cores directly from the CAD model, so no need for patterns at all, and you can cast pretty much anything in one piece. Defintely magic wand territory if you can just print one out and pour metal into it.

That tank looks really tidy. What is it with old tractor designs and things passing through tanks? On the B250/B275 International Harvester co decided that it was fine to do the same with the steering column.

One magic wand I saw recently was a 3d printer for making sand moulds - not hobbyist stuff but a fascinating way to turn designs into metal.

Good point about the differential being not the usual arrangement for a steam wagon. There are only the rusted remains of the casing, no actual differential or halfshafts and no other bits of the machine in the hedge. My great grandfather did own traction engines and at least one lorry which I think was a Clayton but this was all sold off before I was born and no-one remembers what this axle came from. As Nigel says, it could well have been adapted or intended as a trailer and not original, so its the wheels which are the most likely to lead to someone recognising it.