Member postings for Ron Laden

I was once told if you machine oilite it looses most of its porosity as the granular surface tends to get smoothed over, whether that is true or not I don't know.

Edited By Ron Laden on 10/03/2021 07:47:39

Thanks guys I have ordered the Dremel speedclick mandrel and 5 discs I will see how I get on with those.

Ron

Any recommendations for Dremel type cutting discs that have reasonable life and are good value for money. The ones I have at the moment cut well but their size reduces faster than what they are cutting.

Around 25 - 30mm would be good though not critical, dont have to be genuine Dremel as long as they do the job.

Ron

Nick, one can only say from experience but I have the SX2P and for its size and price I think it very good indeed. It has been 100% reliable in the 2 years I have had it and its done all I have asked of it.

I bought it at a year old in as new condition but it is an ARC supplied machine. It's a 500 watt (output) motor and providing you treat it as a small bench top mill and don't do silly things with it, it has more than enough power for its size.

There are other options of course and it depends on your budget but from experience I can only speak well of the SX2P.

I know nothing about this engine but looking at the cylinder couldn't that be set up in a 4 jaw with spacers to clear the end flanges if needed and then bored with a standard boring bar.

I am probably missing something

Thanks guys I have just ordered a copy.

I have other books but not of them have model related information so it will be useful.

Ron

Is the Model Engineers Handbook No 3 by Tubal Cain worth getting, I have only just come across it.

Just wondered what people think of how useful it is and its content.

Funny you should say that Jason as someone else told me not to weather it. I am a fan of weathered loco,s though they are not to everyone's taste. In fact I could count on one hand the number I have seen on club tracks and only one of those was fully weathered.

I could also be a fan of weathered/aged stationary engines having seen you Heinrici I thought that was excellent how you achieved that.

Getting there, quite pleased with how it's starting to look.

Is it not as simple as needing a new rack and pinion, if you have shimmed the rack and it still had backlash surely it must point to pinion being a bad fit to the rack. Is the pinion secure to its shaft, I have never had mine apart so don't know how it's engineered.

I went with 120N on my strut only because at the time of fitting I read somewhere that 150N is a bit too strong (don't know what that was based on) so with my 120N my head is heavy re balance.

Never had the sticking issue fortunately it's as smooth as you want it though a bit heavier upwards but not arm aching so. I agree with Jason to my simple brain I would have thought the head needs to sit heavy not equally balanced especially with the amount of backlash you have in the rack.

Just a thought straight off the top of my head but if the pinion is a bad fit in the rack and you shimmed the rack until it felt rough but still had backlash then I would have thought the tips of the pinion teeth are bottoming out but leaving gaps between the sides/mating faces of the teeth. I can't see where else the backlash could come from. If that is the case I would be tempted to reduce the o/d of the tips so the pinion sits deeper and mates with the rack The rack would need shimming again of course to make up the difference.

I could of course be wrong but with your explanation of the shimming and still having backlash that's what I imagined must be happening.

Just save me wading back through every post I keep seeing the mention of "sticking" are you saying that the head actually sticks to the column..?

The base plate on my tool post has 4 dowel pins which locate in the two T slots for alignment on the cross slide. I always sandwhich a piece of 10mm square tool steel between the parting blade and the face of the chuck as a quick check that the blade and holder is sitting square.

Edited By Ron Laden on 05/03/2021 07:08:40

Edited By Ron Laden on 05/03/2021 07:09:52

Well the clamp will help obviously help but since you have fitted the T nut and milled the key have you not tried parting to see how it performs..?

Edited By Ron Laden on 03/03/2021 13:50:18

Edited By Ron Laden on 03/03/2021 12:58:12

"therefore 150N gas spring is the correct size"

Is it..? I fitted my SX2 with a 120N it is equally balanced and I have never had any machining issues with it.

Edited By Ron Laden on 03/03/2021 11:18:06

I think adding the key and Loctite the stud to the T nut was the easiest option, should work well. Do you have a driven crosslide on your lathe if so that helps or at least it does on mine, you have a consistent feed and free hands for adding cutting oil etc.

My rear tool post made not by me but the previous owner. He didn't go for a central vertical fixing but mounted it to a base plate which picks up on 4 Tee nuts. A tongue locates the post to the plate and is fixed from underneath. Fortunately my Tee slots run front to back which is handy as I can slide the post in and out. It works well, very rigid.

Edited By Ron Laden on 02/03/2021 07:48:27

Edited By Ron Laden on 02/03/2021 08:06:54

I have an inexpensive set of 3 which came with a small, medium and large puller, no its not the best quality but it works fine. I couldn't see the point in buying an expensive puller when it's something I will seldom use, in fact I haven't used it in the last 2 years.

I use the ARC inserts and wouldn't call them "cheap end" by any means they are far better than the cheap ones I have tried and consider them to be mid price range.

I don't have problems with them chipping and with all due respect is it what you describe as your "cack-handedness" that's the problem. Would improving how they are been used give less problems and I can't see "spending a lot more money" is going to help. One would assume that top of the range expensive cutting tools would be better overall but I would hate to think I was spending 3 or 4 times as much and then pushing them too hard or outside what they are happy with.

I,ve had a change of mind re the weathering, I was going to go with a light scheme but I have decided to go with something heavier. I have a model of a quite heavily weathered Class 52 which is also in a Maroon scheme. Using some diluted roof dirt enamel I have given all the body a wash as a base, it has toned down the colour quite a bit which I can now add to.

Edited By Ron Laden on 27/02/2021 19:24:04