Member postings for James Hall 3

Having decided that I'd acquired some basic skill in the use of my new SC4 I thought it time to actually embark on making something - so bought the enticingly titled Stan Bray book on making simple steam engines and boilers.

For a simple boiler he recommends copper rivets to hold the boiler end plates in positioning while silver soldering - hmm, I thought, good idea and nicely decorative too - so drilled all the holes and bought some 3mm copper rivets.

BUT - 3x4mm rivets are too small to hold in my fingers to get them bright clean (they are dull copper, not shiny, but not visibly dirty either) - what do I do to clean them up? I could soft solder them in place after the main soldering job using active flux - but that would make a nonsense of silver soldering the rest of the job!

Any suggestions from the old hands would be very welcome.

Two asides: I was in a nasty traffic accident a couple of months ago, injury compensation is at an early stage but just before Christmas my replacement car arrived courtesy of the other driver's insurance - funny thing, but it looked more like an SX3 mill than a Honda Accord. Every cloud has a silver lining. Second, building my first engine (Slim Sam for those who know the book) have found fatal errors in the plans - more of this in another post.

Thanks for the pointer Howard.

I've taken my kids, and then Grand-kids to many of their excellent open days over the years. I shall certainly investigate membership (when I am released from 'shielding'.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

First thing this morning a phone call from Ian at ArcEuro saying that he'd seen my post here and would help sort out the problem.

An exchange of photosand some discussion produced a simple solution: as suggested by Hopper above, elongating the fixing holes in the guard with a file provided enough clearance to do the job.

Great thanks to Ian and ArcEuro - it's a real and unusual treat in this day and age to receive such first-class, immediate, helpful and friendly customer service.

And thanks to all here who responded helpfully to my appeal for help.

Jimmy B: Thanks, you confirm what is fairly obvious - that the carriage and 'box' should not foul each other. I'll see what arc say about it tomorrow.

Thanks for the link to the supplementary manual - the one provided really is unduly minimal.

SoD: Words of wisdom which I shall follow. I'll clean up the change gears as i can't really get into too much trouble there, and leave it at that for the moment.

Thanks also for the responses here - there's some reaction I've put on my other (SC4 Cleanup) thread.

Hopper: elongating the holes would be a better way - though funnily enough the whole side of the 'box' facing the chuck - where you'd expect the swarf to be coming from - is completely open (ventilation for motor?) so the cut-a-bit-away solution would make little difference to possible muck on the motor.

SoD: will start - once I've learned to drive it - by making some fitments for my wood lathe. Always good to increase your repertoire on making/mending in any case. If I ever get good enough will hopefully start on some simple model making.

Many thanks for the replies so far. Some specific responses to them:

Hopper: The change gears are also covered in metal-containing oil, so will obviously want to take them off and clean thoroughly - if I found that stuff in car gearbox or sump oil I would very quickly do a complete strip, clean and rebuild to avoid premature wear and death. I suppose that my worry is that if mechanisms have been left with machining remnants there after manufacture why not other internal parts. Advice to leave well alone is probably good but I'd like to be sure that all actually is well. I have to make an admission here in that I'd like to know how to strip the machine just out of a lifelong desire to see how things work and to see internals (from about five my parents friends would give me old clocks, etc. so that I could dismantle and examine them - I haven't grown out of it 50+ years later).

Dave Halford: (This is actually about my second newby question) - I think the problem is not 'over' but under- travel of the carriage. You can see from the pic that the rack allows something like another 60mm of carriage travel towards the headstock - and I assume that it's there because it's meant to be available. As it is, to cut anywhere near the chuck would require the compound to be extended quite a way. I assume that maximum rigidity is achieved with the toolpost above the compound slide mounting rather than sitting in mid-air at the end of an extended compound - surely that positioning of the tool should be by way of the carriage - that's what it's for. But, yes, you're quite right (and others) that this is something I should take up with arc. I will do so.

SillyoldDuffer: You're right, of course, that to start cutting metal is the best way to discover shortcomings and faults and where fettling is required - though not necessary to notice obvious things like parts of the machine fouling each other. As I've just blown my life-savings on this I'm sure that you'll understand my desire not to start using it if wear-causing cr*p is hanging around inside the mechanisms.

A second newby question:

The carriage on my brand new SC4 will not travel all the way toward the headstock but comes to a premature halt with a resounding hollow clunk (see first pic for amount of 'untravelled rack).

The reason is obvious - the rear left corner of the carriage collides with the 'box' built in to the splash guard to shield the motor(?). Arrowed in second pic.

There's an obvious fix - thirty seconds with an angle grinder and metal cutting disc would cut out about a 6x6x6mm corner of the box to allow the carriage past. Ah! but what would this surgery do to my warranty I ask myself.

Any comments/suggestions please.

Here's my first newbie question.

Took delivery of my first engineer's lathe (Sieg SC4) p8020004.jpgthis week from arceurotrade. First impressions good BUT some issues coming up on which I need advice.

Quite a lot on the Web about cleaning shipping oil/grease from new machines. Several say that they have found a lot of swarf and other muck left in parts of new SC4s and recommend a lot of opening up and cleaning out.

Judging from the inside of my gear casing where a lot of gunk has been thrown around - some of it undoubtedly metallic dust (see pic), I would certainly do well to check all mechanical components for cleanliness before first use.

Looks fairly straightforward to remove compound and cross slides to check leadscrews, etc - but the apron/carriage is a different matter. Apron obviously contains a lot of mechanism associated with power feeds (confirmed by manual parts diagram), but I'm wary of just undoing bits and pieces as I don't want to end up with a welter of cogs, shafts, springs, etc. which I can't put back together.

Can anyone please advise on dismantling (particularly apron/carriage - but also cross and compound) so that I can get these cleaned out as necessary

Thanks to those also making me welcome.

In reply to Howard, I'm based near Cambridge. I'll have to investigate local clubs if any.

Thanks Oldiron, Harry and David for your welcomes.

I'd better quickly clear up a misapprehension - Computer Science is NOT IT - it is a great deal more to do with mathematical and theoretical underpinnings. I have got to know how doctors feel when at parties - they say that as soon as anyone finds out that they're a medic they start getting bombarded with questions about the person's various medical complaints. I get asked about peoples' email problems, why web pages don't work, etc., etc. - I usually have to answer that I honestly don't know. I'm happy to answer questions if I can - but mostly I can't!

Just to say hello.

I'm a retired computer scientist - though from the more engineering-orientated side of the business - and a reasonably accomplished wood turner.

I'm reasonably competent at basic metalwork, car/motorcycle engineering and so on and love designing and making things to aid everyday life.

I've recently decided to enlarge my repertoire by purchasing a Sieg SC4 lathe - hoping that I might even one day become sufficiently competent to start on some simple model making.

No doubt I'll be posting quite a lot in the next few months asking for advice both on lathe use generally and specific to the SC4.

Membership of my local wood-turners' association has taught me the priceless value of advice from the 'old hands'.