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Member postings for Nick Clarke 3

Here is a list of all the postings Nick Clarke 3 has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.

Thread: Gas fired engines
21/03/2023 15:10:32

In the 11/9/1958 edition of ME there is a design for a 5” gauge water tube boiler that it is suggested could work with the ‘tube with slits’ type of burner described above.

Food for thought?

Perhaps best redesign the asbestos lining to the casing though!

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 21/03/2023 15:11:57

Thread: Assessment of an old copper boiler
21/03/2023 14:46:29
Posted by Dave Halford on 21/03/2023 12:06:51:

Russell,

The 'soft solder' in this case would be Comsol or similar which melts at around 100C hotter than electrical solder. Don't mix them.

Not likely I’m afraid - tinman’s or plumber’s solder was recommended right up to the 1970’s in published designs and it was suggested by LBSC more than once that silver solder on threaded stays (unlike copper rivets) could crack.

I personally doubt it, but it is there in print.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 21/03/2023 14:47:25

Thread: looking for new 3d cad
21/03/2023 14:39:51
Posted by Bazyle on 21/03/2023 14:04:07:

Going a bit off topic is there a next generation CAD working in virtual reality? Where I can pick up a bit of 2x4 virtual wood and put it in mid air, then add more to make a shed, adjusting lengths etc in a very visual but tactile way rather than laboriously defining dimensioned sketches of each timber. Then exit the virtual space to find I have a CAD drawing.

Why use a CAD drawing as the 3D print or other CAM ought to be fully integrated?

Mind you I am also getting flashbacks to Tony Hart and Morph!😂😂

21/03/2023 14:39:50
Posted by Bazyle on 21/03/2023 14:04:07:

Going a bit off topic is there a next generation CAD working in virtual reality? Where I can pick up a bit of 2x4 virtual wood and put it in mid air, then add more to make a shed, adjusting lengths etc in a very visual but tactile way rather than laboriously defining dimensioned sketches of each timber. Then exit the virtual space to find I have a CAD drawing.

Why use a CAD drawing as the 3D print or other CAM ought to be fully integrated?

Mind you I am also getting flashbacks to Tony Hart and Morph!😂😂

Thread: Geometer
17/03/2023 07:38:33
Posted by Dave Wootton on 17/03/2023 07:14:22:

I believe Geometer was one of the pen names used by Edgar T Westbury, another was Artificer, quite a remarkable man was ETW.

I have heard it suggested it was ETW or alternatively that it was a pen name of Ian Bradley - half of the Duplex author with Dr Norman Hallows.

The Geometer articles began to be published in 1955, but whichever author it is, they both began writing well pre-war so the experience they were based on will date from then.

Thread: Overpainting Powder Coated Steel
12/03/2023 20:57:22

I have just acquired a loco with some powder coated parts and these, particularly the bogies, have scratches in.

Obviously they could do with touching up but I am concerned that the powder coating will still scratch and the overpaint will fall off unless removed which I suspect will be the impossible side of difficult.

Any suggestions?

Thread: This made me smile
10/03/2023 19:09:45

I had only just started teaching IT when my then Head came to me highly amused by this leaflet suggesting a discussion group (pre internet of course) to help Head teachers understand this strange new subject. He wondered if he was the only one to notice the acronym for the discussion group Secondary Headteachers and IT?

Thread: Removing masking tape
01/03/2023 08:59:40

Sorry forgot to add - it is for pla prints

01/03/2023 08:58:22

I have been using blue masking tape on the printer bed with great success to help with adhesion, particularly with larger prints but I now have an issue.

When it comes to removing the tape from the finished print it leaves behind by its of paper and glue that is almost impossible to remove with a scraper or knife.

Any suggestions for a solvent to help - so far I have tried acetone and automotive paint panel-wipe - both with zero effect.

Thread: Would You Rely On This Comparison Site?
27/02/2023 17:30:37

Having had to specify and support classroom printers for quite a few years I would be happy to offer this broad generalisation - HP are usually quality kit but the toners with the built in drum can be very expensive for some while Brother will often allow you to replace belt/drum/toners independently -BUT Brother may well have usage counts on every component and when it thinks it is life expired will stop printing until you either replace the part or fiddle the counter.

Thread: Nozzle replacement (Ender 3)
07/02/2023 10:09:44

I am still very much a beginner at this 3D printing lark and barely beyond the nursery slopes of 3D CAD but I have a question about replacement nozzles for the Ender 3 printer.

On the internet they are for sale in multipacks suggesting they may not have a long service life - but what are the symptoms that suggest a nozzle might need replacing?

Thanks,

Nick

Thread: Repairing a Soldering Iron
06/02/2023 17:05:00
Posted by Speedy Builder5 on 06/02/2023 16:11:43:

Nick F, The small one here is 125 watt and lord knows what the big one is. Neither trip the RCD's so I guess they are still good. as you say, ideal for brass plate work and the Big Un is great for soldering zinc guttering which is used extensively over here - mind you, it takes about 30 mins to warm up and even longer to cool down.

An auto electrics place I used to work at used to replace the diodes in Lucas Alternators wit bullet diodes with one wire melted off and the duff diode in the heatsink scraped out to allow the short end of the new one to be soldered in.

This needed a Solon 125W Iron that was given a little help by being poked through the bars of an old fashioned 2 bar electric fire and left for half an hour or so!

Thread: LCD display : fraying at the edges
20/01/2023 12:13:18

Even if the display is not terminal be careful with heat.

Years ago I wore an early LCD watch in the sauna and all of the figures disappeared, only returning weeks later.

Thread: I thought winter was over.
17/01/2023 14:28:16

Can anyone help me remember?

One year we had snow in Nottingham in early June - 1974 or 1975 perhaps???

Thread: AC current measurement device
17/01/2023 13:43:41
Posted by Steve Skelton 1 on 17/01/2023 12:51:39:

Henry, to measure current in a cable you have to separate the phase from the neutral which is why you will not find a device to measure the current in a 3-core cable.

When in the trade I used to have a plug and socket with the three short cables separated in order to accurately measure the current draw - I could also measure any current leaking back to earth through the cable.

The plug-in adapter units work OK but are not particularly acurate but do have data collection options.

+1 for me - but don't ask me to find it and the clip on meter I use with it.

In the workshop somewhere under the bench!!

Thread: scams
13/01/2023 16:01:51

I know it is hijacking your thread but the biggest scam about is where car tax, or road fund licence as it used to be called, is not used to keep the roads in good repair - I mean what's the chance of that!

Thread: A guide to 20th century tool chests
09/01/2023 17:23:55

A retired MD of a small engineering firm servicing the motor manufacturing industry (Yes that's three no-nos in a row today!) asked me if I wanted a tool chest he had.

When I went round there was a discussion as to whether it had been his father's or his father in law's and he and his wife went through all of the classic hand tools saying what they had been used for and even discovering some small parts - 'Oh - thats a so and so dipstick' etc/

They both enjoyed themselves and I was fascinated. By agreement I put those tools that I needed back into use and gave the remainder to a guy at the club who is setting up his first workshop.

A very generous action that has benefited both of us and a lovely experience for me and the donors!

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 09/01/2023 17:24:33

Thread: Belt variator?
04/01/2023 18:41:35
Posted by DiodeDick on 04/01/2023 16:09:41:

I was surprised that no one mentioned the Daf Variomatic transmission

Rayleigh mopeds with the Mobylette engine used a similar primary drive. A couple of guys in the Nottingham SMEE members built 5" IC shunters using them in the early 70s.

Thread: Just How Expensive Is a Card & Stamp?
03/01/2023 19:10:54

I do send money to two charities supporting people with the conditions that I have lost two close friends to, but the main reason I don't send physical cards is the many years spent in early January cutting up cards so that my wife, an early years teacher, could use them in school. To realise just how short a life that a card has and how 75% is recycled immediately seemed to make the whole thing pointless to me.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 03/01/2023 19:11:14

Thread: Spring brass
03/01/2023 17:31:31

While agreeing that beryllium copper is the stuff be careful as a cut from it can become infected very quickly.

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