Member postings for NR67

At an industrial manufacturing level the cost of energy is paramount. Its one of the reasons China is so competitive and we see this in the price of imported machine tools. Wind can of course be converted into usable energy. Its been happening since about ad 700. The untapped resource in the UK is tidal power. We have huge tides and they will keep coming and going while there is the moon. We are surrounded by tidal water and as a civil engineer its a mystery to me why we dont do more in this area. Its not high tech or trendy enough perhaps.

I really hope the green activists are able to contain their disappointment when we get to net zero in the UK and nothing in the way of climate has changed. The population will be poorer, will travel less and still be staring at parched fields and swollen rivers. Our 1% reduced to nil is really nowhere near enough when China this year are commissioning 30 new coal fired power stations. The media never seem to explain the whole picture, the science and the politics of it all. Instead it is micro stories of Man glued to Road etc. I have given up wondering Why.

P.S. China operates over 3,000 existing coal fired power stations.

Edited By NR67 on 17/08/2022 11:00:17

I still enjoy driving and embrace the new tech my car has. Adaptive cruise control for instance reduces the possibility of running into the car in front which is a comfort because the radar applies a distance set by me and if they slow so do I. As a PPL I relied heavily on the mark one eyeball and its saved my bacon more than once. In the workshop the eyeball and its ability to line up and make good decisions is still working as well as ever. I trained for IMC but never used it in anger because I never practiced enough. Driving, flying or machining the eye is still the best tool in the box.

Edited By NR67 on 17/08/2022 09:31:35

Jon, Ive pondered which 2” traction engine to start for some time. In another thread contributors have helped me look at the pros and cons of the Durham and North Yorkshire and the Fowler A7. The Burrell is now a contender too. The decision has to be based on so many criteria. My abilities, the machine tools I have (similar to yours) the help I can get for gear cutting and machining of any oversize parts. Add to that the availability of castings. How is your build progressing and how is MJ helping.

Have good comms now with Mat at Blackgates. Next month there is a new catalogue apparently and these will be posted out if you ask.

Back in the 80s when I built my first loco I used them for everything. First class company. Nowadays we expect too much perhaps. We treat online retailers like our own stores. Click today its here tomorrow. I will persevere with them.

“Only punish those who deserve it!”
I dont really want to punish anyone. That is a bit extreme.

Most companies with volume have the mail collected these days. Well mine did .

Happy days. Contact has been established. 😁

Thanks for that Martin. Ime now awaiting moderators to give me access. Internet gives us so much to read its difficult to stop and get back to the workshop.

When I pull the trigger on this it will be 2”. Almost certainly the Fowler A7. The decision related to size and its storage/transportation needs and cost. Like Jason ime not one for rallying anyway, preferring to judt look at rallies. Its surprising how early impressions also make a difference. I have the build manuals now (80 to 120 pages of A4) for two models. One company had the cheek to charge £8 postage. The actual cost was about £2.50 plus a jiffy bag. OK in the bigger scheme of things its not the end of the world because model engineering isnt a cheap hobby these days, but feeling fiddled at the start of a project isnt a good place to be.

Oh, are they on holiday?

Thanks, I will wait a bit.

An old thread but same issues. Ive emailed Blackgates twice with no reply. Anyone else have problems contacting them?

Ive just put a 3 phase motor on my lathe. Everything came from Newton Tesla. Maybe they can help you.

Duncan, my Volvo has what you suggest. In active cruise control you set a max speed and set distance to car in front.They slow down, I automatically slow down, they speed up, so do I. Its done by radar. Too clever for me but it saves you accidentally running into the back of someone.

Lee, I remember beer. Its over £4.50 a pint and it’s suddenly become a luxury. £36 a gallon. It makes petrol look cheap at £9 a gallon when you think of the work it takes to make petrol.

Its warming up without doubt and sea levels are rising. There are 2 courses of action.

Stop the cause or treat the effect.

To stop the cause the countries with the biggest emissions need to stop making them. In the UK our 1 or 2 percent isnt going to make a huge impact, but we seem to be determined to make ourselves poor my pursuing that nett zero. China, India, Russia the USA are not interested, but they watch with interest as we go crazy over electric cars.

Sea levels will rise and places will become flooded . That and heatwaves are the effect. But as a civil engineer I know its not the end of the world. Engineering solutions are available, sea defences are relatively easy to make. Its water and we know all we need to know about how to stop its flow. Being an island gives us the edge on designing coastal works. Its not new of course Holland did to protect their low lands and the Dutch brought that expertise to the UK around 400 years ago when the king asked Vermuyden to drain the fens.

As much as we in the UK would like to think (or be told by others with a financial interest) driving a Prius, not flying on holiday and eating less meat will not stop the changes that are coming. We should be asking the engineers to prepare for the effects of global warming. They will do that, as I said its actually not difficult stuff.

The big BUT is who is going to pay for all the work needed.

I only have AC in my home office and its lovely these last few days. Its also made me do stuff in here that I had put off doing. It was a DIY package, already charged so all that was needed was fit the 2 units, pipe up, bleed some gas and it worked. When I used to spend all day inhere it was a god send. It heats and cools.

Dominic, Like you I have a project to finish but all the engineers ive ever come across have at least 3 on the go at same time.

Jason Great photos.

Hi

G0UMM here.

I did the RAE then the morse test way back, cant remember. Sold all the gear some while back. The shack is now back to its original condition. Super 7, Mill, shaper and stuff.

The morse was a one week wonder. Learnt it passed the test then forgot it, although sometimes when morse is on the telly I find myself reading it, or some of it.