Member postings for Chris Mate

I was just wondering if theres not two arguments regarding filing mixed up, the one is damaging a file & clogging of a file using the right file versus achiving a certain shape more accurate by using just forward pressure, eliminating uncoordinated backwards filing removing accidently metal you did not want to, and then have to do repeat unnecessary actions-?
I have to remake small part for an old airgun, and am curious as theres not much to file away wrong-? I am still thinking about how to go about it.

Dry new cells installation: I got a scare

So once in my working life I had to deal with the replacement of a battery(Huge cells). I was a safety officer OHASA as well. So here come the contruction team and start rigging the rest of the battery room to take the new batch of dry cells.
Brand new cells were installed and then the fun started. One constrcuction worker start pouring the battery acid-liquid into the new dry delivered cells. A huge mist filled the room and these cells temperatures rised as it reacts with the plates. I could not believe my eyes, and immediately evacuate the personel from other rooms as well as the construction guy. On the phone to the boss, on his phone to more bosses. It then came back the the construction guy must continue carefully, this happennes apparently if there is a big difference between dry charged new cells and the liquid filling them again. I am not an expert here, that was the reply back. The battery room did have two large extractor fans no sparks insulated types. Too much for them.

It took the cells to stop misting lets say since 10:00 in the morning to around 18:00 that evening, then they started to cool down slowly......In the end everything settled and worked till the place were scrapped for new equipment and smaller battery/rectifier units. As far as I am concerned this was not a normal situation, no smoking.

Edited By Chris Mate on 26/11/2021 16:31:28

I had a few experiences......
Lead acid at work:....Specific gravity and volts per cell(around 2.1 -2.2V) These are not car batteries.
I once had a very interesting situation with large glass lead acid cells/batteries. Over the years these huge cells were installed with the rectifiers in different rooms. Everything went well for years till we had a change in upper management(New souls), and new emphesis was placed on battery charging. The acid levels(specific gravity) were checked/recoded more accurately etc. It was then decided that all batteries being charged at a certain rate and I cannot remember exactly but some read say 1240 and others 1260 in different stations/towns. It was then decided to up the charging in those places below 1260 max by doing adjustments to the rectifiers(Huge-Permannt installs).

I then noticed excessive gassing where I was stationed. I reported it but no change in policy. My curiocity let me investigate and what I found then was interesting.....Decided to phone the manufacturers and get their specialist opinion on make and type of lead acid battery(Huge cells). The result was policy changing important.

Manufacturer X told me that their cells should not go over 1240 max, thats why you cant get it up to 1260, no matter how much you overcharge it.
Manufacturer Y told be their cells can be 1260 no probklem.
The company had many installations of both manufacturers. I passed the correspondence to management, and the rectifier setting were corrected where applicable. This whole episode took 3-4 months to reverse.

In this case installation knowledge was not passed on correctly to maintanance as well as the knowledgeables retired as well over years.....With excessive gassing you sit at work on a potential bomb. If these cells explodes and I saw it once(Guy causes a short bon one), it shoot the metal parts into the upper concrete floor.

Lead acid personal:
I have 3 vehicles driven regularly, not stored.
My experience is:
1-The battery from new always lasts the longest.(Longest one last 8 years)
2-Usually when I starts to get the feeling I must change a battery, its the beginning of the end, usually after 3 years. They usually lasted 4 years +/-.
3-If I accidently went to a meeting in thick mist, then forget to switch off the lights(Older vehicle) with alternator, battery drains dead completely you cannot running start it's if dead, you need a jump start(Alternator), and then within few weeks that battery will become weaker and just suddenly drop me dead in town somewhere...New one.
4-With modern vehicles with electronics I start thinking of new ones after 4 years.

Some other experience many years ago:
-- I also experienced that not all new batteries are 100% "new". Example=I build 5HP petrol engine/charging 12V unit for my uncle on farm. I used 2 of my batteries to calibrate the unit switch off voltage, ok fine it works.
I then went an bought 2x new batteries for it, and suddenly the unit switch off alright, but just before the engine stops it restarts again...Problem. Ok after a week of scratching heads, I took the new batteries for a load test and both failed=They replaced both at no cost vand my problem was solved.
-Both the failing new batteries started my vehicle ok, but their voltage drop very fast, too fast if charge is removed and thast was the problem.

Edited By Chris Mate on 25/11/2021 19:41:05

Edited By Chris Mate on 25/11/2021 19:44:41

Forgot to say in both cases, not delivered at the same time, I choose to let the local courier load it on my pickup at their local premises with forklift, then I reverse pickup in my garage entrance and unload it from there to the required spot with the engine hoist.
When you tie the Mill to the engine hoist with straps you have time to think and test its stability before moving it away from the pickup.It really pinned down the engine hoist to the cement garage floor, I had to maneuvre it along. The front strap is kept in place by the bed position, but the rear strap(Around vertical column) I added the pipe to secure it, I saw this as a selution when I lifted it from the pickup initially and did not trusted my 1st attempt.
This worked for me, this way I was not dependant on other help.

I recently moved a new ZAY 7045M mill 350kg onto a concrete foundation poured in garage providing 250mm lift in height with 6x bolts to bolt its cabinet down to, the height worked out great for me. The mill bed on the cabinet was too low for me. I also lifted my 330 lathe on advice, and that was a great move for me. It was heavy the hoist did not moved as freely as I thought it would.

I used an engine crane with 4x straps-Vertically(Which I already had), the mill head lowered down to the bed with cardbord in between.
I found using a 3mmx 600mm piece of pipe as support with the straps over it at the lower quater of the mill square column-rear(isolate with cardbord), then straps underneath the mill lower cast iron base, kept the straps apart keeping it from possibly sliding on the lower end towards each other causing a shift. I also tied the top of the mill to these straps top end attached to the crane with an extra strap(Horizontally.
I just made the height with 2 inches spare over the cabinet now extended 250mm with the engine hoist.

I had the following experience with my chinese BLE330 like lathe gearbox.

The manual say grease the spindle bearings. The lathe came with grease in spindle bearings(Tapered) and a paper thin gasket that block the oil holes on top of the spindle bearings when lid is on, but that is half the story.

I then noticed that after some long runs the bearing holders leaks oil to the outside through the greased bearings.
Removing the lid, I found that even if the spindle bearings are greased, the bearings are open towards the inside of the gearbox, which means that over time in higher speeds the oil get splashed into the bearings from the inside and systematically wash out the grease, however the grease left blocked the natural lower holes letting oil through back in the gearbox, which results in it leaking to the outsides.

I then phoned the dealer and explanied the situation. Dealer said its better to get it oil lubed with the splash.
From that and the glass lid I made led to my oil mods, now the bearings gets oil at all speeds and although theres a good flow of oil, after all the grease washed out, the holes work top and lower, so it stopped leaking to the outside. The original gasket was tossed away(Looked like newspaper thin) and a new one made to accomodate this.

So after all the lathe gearbox was engineered with oil in mind, the holes and flow system was there.

Not sure the situation in other lathes...

Edited By Chris Mate on 13/11/2021 08:05:10

Edited By Chris Mate on 13/11/2021 08:08:28

I was in a similar position with 3 Jaw chuck. After reading up on it, and thought about the options done by others, I decided not to:
1-Swop the jaws around.
2-Not to grind the jaws.

I decided to modify the 3 jaw chuck with a setscrew across each jaw, so it has 3 adjusting points, ok this is a bit differrent feeling than a 4-Jaw with 4x adjustments possible. You can reach a point where you have to repeat to get the movement you want. So far I ajm glad I did it. Some 3 jaw chucks comes with such an option.
The holes were drilled at around 1-2 degrees angle in chuck and treaded, setscrews used.

After that I carried out an experiment at different diameters, and I found that say I adjust the chuck true at 8mm, it was out at other different diameters, some like at 25mm more and others minimal difference, due to how the chuck works inside, this is the reason I did not grind the jaws at a cerain diameter. I mainly use this if I have keep trueness after chucking up, or if I turned something and have to reverse it in the chuck and keep my previous cut still true to the one I amk going to turn.

So I just leave the chuck at the settibg it was, untill needed to true up.

Note: I fitted 3x split washers to chuck fastning bolts, this give me a squeeze fit to adjust chuck, if its loose you may battle tightning the chuck and keep it true..

Now putting in a long shaft, you must 1st drill a true hole at the end for tailstock to mount, and that in turn must be at the centre of the spindle, then extend the shaft to tailstock to hold it.
Now after this you also faced with a a twisted bed issue if lathe was bolted to a table or bed, now its cutting and shimming. This is what I experienced. So theres more than one factor getting a longer shaft cut not tapered also.

Edited By Chris Mate on 11/11/2021 16:31:34

My BLE 330 type small gearhead lathe has MT5 spindle for collets and it can do 1650 rpm .
My lathe chuck guard is only a perspex type one, no metal. I did made some other guards fitting to toolpost, which I fit as needed.
Nowhere they indicate the speed limit of the 3 jaw chuck that came with it. Does anybody know their 3/4-jaw chuck speed limits-? (Compared to collet speeds).

I removed , but in return I fitted 2x specific holders on a swing arm for 1-The Chuck Key and 2-The Toolpost Lock Key. Both activate a switch which if any one of them is not in its place the lathe cannot run, or if removed while the lathe is running it stops and must be reset, in series with the other safety swictches. I thought this may be a bother but quickly got used to it, so far it never bothered me. I also added a foot switch on the ground I can step on if I want to stop it and both hands occupied, same with vertical bandsaw.

John Olsen Interesting...My father was a steam train driver retired when diesel came, never involved in an accident , he had lots of stories to tell, I know being on time was a big issue, and as a child I have seen some accidents on corners, lots of metal off the track.

I remember him telling sometimes if they get slippage and sand does not help, they reverse back and make a new attemp at higher speed, those days there were no communications like today, so they do what they can, or walk back and place explosive caps on tracks to warn next trains. If the reverse does not help, they must half the load and try that, and come back, or get another locomotive. There was also a conducter in his own wagon at the back, and his stories about conducters and kicking them off with shunting was funny as they run towards stop blocks..

So there seems to be something in slippage and speed over slipery area, or is it more momentum in practise.

I was thinking with good traction the smaller wheels will have lower gearing, but seeing it is metal on metal and not tyres on a tarrred road, I was thinking if the larger wheels start to spin and sand applied, it will keep on spinning easier than the smaller wheel turning faster at same speed of locomotive, not sure, but maybe if the experts can elaborate about large locomotives what will happen most likely if sand is applied to tracks with a comparison between locomotives at same angle pulling same weight but one with smaller wheels(Low top speed)and one with larger wheels(high top speed), which one will slip more...I would like to think there will be a difference from this perspective, or is the difference in contact area(Metal-sand-Metal) so little it can be ignored in practice-? Then theres also similtanuesly the argument when slipping starts for both the one with larger wheels will be travelling at a higher speed, but this throwes my suspicion in the other direction, now I am more confused-?

Hi, I saw this type of a thing since 1 oct 2021 for the 1st time, it seems from the same source but the email adress keeps on changing as I block them. Then at 2 weeks in it stopped coming, now just a few now and then..

[email protected]

What is this=The whole part before .XX.YY keeps changing.

The contactor should have an operating coil and a hold coil.

I would disconnect motor belt from lathe gearbox.

Does the contactor operate from 24V from a 24V transformer-?, but of course it must swirtch 380 V to the motor.

If motor checks out ok, and contactor has no visible burning or damage, so if it operates it puts the phases in cross contact, so if contactor looks ok, I would use an insulated stick and manually push it in, if motor starts and you hold it in it runs, if this is ok, then the contacts are ok, but the operating coil which maybe 24V is faulty, or if it operates but falls out the holding coil is faulty, or the pathes involved, like a safety cct wiring.

A safety CCT broken(Switch/Wire) could then also prevent it from operating.

Clogs..., a local machinist told me he uses EcoCool CG.

I am looking at Jotun paint 1L cans resin type easy for me to get at local Agri store. After I am finished with the tank mods, I want to get it sandblasted and the apply a proper paint. Other paints are only 20L and gets very expensive, for one qwote I could get a stainless tank made up. I was thinking as I pull the tank out of cabinet I want to ad a madeup short Piece of contraption on which it can extend out whatever rail/bearing system I decide apon.

After this I want to make catch plates/curtains around travel of bed that can be easily either removed & reposition or swivel some way or type of curtains directing the fluid spatter down. This will take some thinking. I really want to see if I can contain a lot while not closed like a CNC mill.

Bought new small mill ZAY7045M, installed 230mm higher, bolted to concrete base poured in garage. I received a cooling tank and pump with it. I am currently busy installing a cooling system for use when I want to as I think it should be for me, after looking at other installations.

1-Tank holds 30L.
2-Add Ball Valve that can be closed for return flow at tank next to pump.

3-Add 3x filter system next to mill, input from pump output on tank.
4-Add T Block with 2x Ball valves, one for return , one towards mill for nozzels. Output of filter system 5-25micron is connected to the t Block input..
5-Add 2x nozzle bendable systems one with 2x nozzels, and one with 1x nozzle, two systems can be closed independant of each other or both at T-Block ball vale.
6-The flow at nozzles can be manupulated with return ball valve and or Nozzle ball valve.

7-The Return: I have a plastic drum to catch the water on bed to test maximum flow back to determine if return pype and fittings are big enough to take back what it gets. I am happy , it does.

8-The Return: I looked through farm cooperations and found a filter holder with filter I liked. I modified this on to a large magnet with a catch can(Round aliminium modified) that sits at height of coolant level. The purpose of this contraption is to catch the flowback dirty coolant with oil etc, but contain the oil in a small space(Filter with=60mm)-(Catchcan=Round 180mm x 60mm). The theory here is the dirty oil from bed, will never get into the rest of the tank, and as the oil rises, it spills over in the catch can with bottom that fits over filter head(60mm) in such a way the oil cannot flow back if it spilled over. I will decide later if I can drain it to a can from here, or just scoop it oit with toilet paper soaked.

9-I added two fishtank air pumps in mill cabinet drawer above where the tank is going to sit.
The one pump feeds the Filter one of the 3x Filter system and aerate that as well as the tank section where the pump is mounted.
The other pump feeds the pretank section where the pump is not fitted(Open top) as well as the bottom of the filter (60mm) with catch tank and arerate these. The theory is that when I am not using the mill I cam switch these 2x 4W 9500 airpumps on when in the garage or when the garage AC is on.

10-My next step is to fit the tank into the steel cabinet beneath the mill in such a way I can pull it out to look if I want to without spilling fluid, so it must move smooth, I am thinking about how to do this.

Maybe this work out as I hope for. I have to make a choice about which coolant to use.

For me its about accidents you cannot explain easily, like if I slide on oil on a corner, there you have your answer immediately. If I overtake a car, get next to it, and suddenly another car appear from the front, if its fast enough to... trigger my reflexces, I would apply a force to the handlebar without thought which will be wrong, I will then end up in the oncoming car head on, the object my body(Not me) was trying to avoid, and these accidents are deadly mostly, and I certainly had a sace to get through between the two apposing vehicles seeing the with of the motorcycle, but just could not.

So over many years I never saw the mentionuing of "reflexes=wrong" in this regard. While you in a reflex condition, it's very difficult to remember those few seconds which is understandable from the relex perspective, muscle memory.

The gyroscopic effects are not exactly the same as is explained with holding a bycicle wheel from one side of the centre spinning, in this case theres the road as a reference also. If I steer with the handlebar at speed over 20km/h, My passenger can lean the opposite way, but the bike will go where i steer it, it maybe unstable as a result. As with anything there will be many argumuments about the science behind it.
-If you keep ia still standing motorcyclle upright, it will just simply fall over.
-If you take the rider off a motorcycle at speed, like some accidents do, it may seems like it has a gost rider on it as it progress forward...
-If you lock up both brakes/wheels at speed, you have a "dead" motorcycle.
-If you strike strong diesel flow on a straight road, dont lock up the brakes, you have an alive motocyle, and can coast safely without applying brakes to stadstill (This happenned to me at 120km/h). After I stopped, the bike was full of splashed diesel. If I did not knew this, brakes wiould e applied and I was injured as a result.


A motorcycle with a sidecar:
Since I knew about this, the 1981 around, I was one day passed at 140Km/h by a guy and his wife on a Kawasakie with a sidecar and a child in the sidecar. Now I know there was a corner just before the town approaching, that day I took my hat off for this trio.
As the sidecar at speed entred the corner, the sidecar with child starts to lift, that guys wife climed in the sidecar in the corner with the child and the made it around somewhat in a zig zag fashion, this told me this guy had a lot of experience but maybe not the full understanding, because how much weight do you need to suppress the gyroscopic forces of a 3-track vehicle, that suddenly turns into a single track vehicle-?

Think about this......

This is my theory and maybe it can help.
You have to take the following factors in mind: Your mind &/versus body reflexes
1-Its a single track vehicle.
2-The Steer Left-Go right thing....(The excact wheel science is not important other than deeper understanding)
This is not the same as old term countersteering(Slow) like you see in stock car racing, however I believe the same can happen to a car if it travels fast enough with only 2 wheels on the ground.
-----0-10Km/h as you push steer it.
-----10-20Km/h a sort of dead zone.
------Over 20Km/h if you push the handlebar left the bike goes to the right, no matter where you lean or your passenger, this can be a powerfull force as illustrated by Sidecar cop shows. In this regard a sidecar can be a nightmare as it shape shifts in a corner.
3-You body reflexes:
------If you dont panic in upcoming situations, you will go as you planned by leaning the motorcycle or whatever you think you do to go around a corner.
--------If you panic, you were too fast, you were not paying enough attention whatever, your refkexces kicks in to defend you, however you may be "born with a car steering wheel in your hand", and the next 3 seconds of operation to the handlebar may be wrong, causing you to go where you try to avoid.
4-I took me 3 months of practice every day to change my relfexes so if I panic I pull the handlebar in the opposite direction.
5-How do you know I am not lying------Have you ever get near the pavement or a slight corner with your motorbike or bicycle, and get that enormous feeling like in a dream, you cannot get away from what you trying to avoid-?=If so your reflexes are wrong ....and may get you killed in head on colitions with oncoming traffic, you want to steer between the car you pass and oncoming vehicle, but you cannot get it in that gap, you got 3-5 seconds and if wrong your body get confused and cannot correct because you are in a reflex condition, it difficult to remember these few seconds.
Think about this, you probably won't move the handlebar the higher the speed, however its the direction of torgue your hands/arms apply to it, in reflex condition you dont think, body just acts fast or sometimes freeze if no time to react.

So its not as easy as telling somebody you should steer left to go right, you have to get your reflexces right, thats when it matters and its unlikely you get it embedded in one day practise.
I dont think theres an easy selution to this for most.

Note:To further prove you can change a reflex, I usually twisted my anckle with pain, so around the same time as this, I practised if I step on one foot the wrong way, I relax that side, so it does not put pressure on the wrong move and worsen the problem, and since then I never twisted an anckle again, and it worked.

I have seen videos of motrorcycole racing drivers that was killed by incorrect steering reflex with much space to spare. Knowing about it is not alone good enough, you must have the reflex working correct.

With this in mind rewatch videos motorcycle or bycicle accidents that looks like steering accidents, you have to watch carefully those few seconds....Interesting.

Interesting, I am curious to know if the thread strenght, torgue that can be applied, had been tested for each method-?

I am busy installing a Mill/drill 7045M which came with a swivel bed and coolant pump and tank no choice, facing the same problem. Going to use extra valve to run output back to tank, just exactly how I am going to do it, I am thinking about on how to aerate that streem as well back in tank. I also going to install a smaller catch tank within the tank to keep oily impurities to a smaller surface, and that has an overfow to a small tank as it rises, thats the plan for now.
Maybe add airpump drawing minimal power as well.

I don't have a rust problem, wife made a cover , but after some time however I decided to use a motorcycle cover breathing type, easy/quick/light to remove and put back on, it keeps dust out, so far no problems with it.