Member postings for Rod Clemett

Hi Dr_GMJN,

The only other small scale traction engine construction book I can think of is "The Alchin Traction Engine" by W.J. Hughes.

More generally, (and I don't know if it's already been mentioned above), I'd recommend "The Model Engineer's Workshop Manual" by G.H. Thomas. If I was limited to one single book on the subject, it would be that. I think TEE publishing still have some stock.

Clem

Does the pin align with the drain plug hole at all, to give clearance to knock it out?

The reason I'm wary of the 'couldn't you just....' suggestion, is that in my experience those who make them usually haven't fully grasped the problem. I see that I was no exception! Sorry!

Clem

I'm wary of making a 'couldn't you just...' suggestion, but couldn't you just slide out the big shaft that the selector lever pivots on, and lift out the lever complete with that gear still attached?

Clem

I recall reading about an ebay scam with classic motorcycles. The item location is always somewhere that's likely to be too far away for you to view/verify/collect in person - so often the North of Scotland. The kind 'seller' - operating under a hacked ebay account -will admit that he is aware that this remote location could be a stumbling block for striking a deal, and is therefore prepared (out of the goodness of his heart) to ship you the item "on approval". All you have to do is to pay a deposit up front.....

Clem

Matt, bit of a long shot, but could it be "Voices from the Fairground"? If so, theres a copy available on Abebooks at the moment. Postage is almost as much as the book - which grates a bit - but if you think of the book in your hand for just over 20 quid, it might not feel.so bad!

Clem

Edit.. must type faster...

Edited By Rod Clemett on 17/09/2020 20:17:10

Depends on how you weigh the balance between non-destructive methods and speed of the solution! Self-tapping screw and a slide hammer?

Have you considered a car/motorcycle bulb, with appropriate lamp holder?

Clem

Hi Brian,

My filing system is clearly more effective than I thought!

I've sent you a PM.

Clem.

Hi Brian,

I'm 99%(ish) certain that I'll have this issue - but it will take a bit of digging to find it, as my filing system is a little....er.... 'casual'!

If nobody with a better filing system comes to the rescue in the meantime, I'll try to track it down over the weekend.

Clem.

At a guess, I'd say it represents the end of the valve rod, which is included in the cylinder arrangement drawing.

Clem

Those of you with more than a passing interest in fine optics, look away now!

More and more I find myself reaching for my smartphone's camera in the workshop, both as an aid to see detail my eyes will no longer resolve, or simply as a record of anything interesting (to me!). I wouldn't class these snaps as "photography", but I was pleasantly suprised by the capability of a device I carry in my pocket.

Clem

These are uncropped images from a Samsung Galaxy S8. The last one is/was M8 thread in a gearbox casing:-

Edited By Rod Clemett on 16/05/2020 00:13:52

Edited By Rod Clemett on 16/05/2020 00:15:15

Jim,

is it possible that there is a default parameter in the settings for your new inverter that needs to be reset to match the number of poles in your motor?

I'm wondering if this could be responsible for the reduced motor speed you are experiencing at 50Hz.

Clem

Steve, Take a look at the manual for the Denford T1P Turret Mill. You can find it in this forum topic:-

**LINK**

Looks to me like they used the same milling head on your machine.

Clem

What you have there is a likely a rare beast.

There was a thread on a Denford forum a few years ago that referred to a rare late model Denford/Senior mill fitted with a different vertical head with an R8 spindle. The suggestion in that thread was that the head might have been based on that of the Denford "3C" model - but that was speculative.

Denford thread

It's possible that yours is one of those (or indeed "it"!). In any event, it's not fitted with what we think of as a standard TS "Light Vertical"/"S-type" quill feed head.

My advice is to try the Tom Senior group on "Groups.io", where the previous Yahoo-based group migrated to.

Clem

Looks like a Myford ML1/2/3/4 to me, on the maker's stand. MYFORD ML

Hi Peter,

I put a few pictures in an album for you, as requested. My mill is (I think) 1976 vintage, so it's possible yours will differ.

I don't have any pictures of the switch panel. Mine is in bits currently (long story).

When I first bought it, over 20 years ago, I phoned Denford and spoke to an ex-TS man who told me that the DC table drive was installed by Simplatroll at Leeds. He reckoned that only three Light Verticals had the conversion, although that seems hard to believe (I think it was standard on the VS). He also relieved me of, I seem to recall, £30 for a copy of manual - which Denford themselves produced following their takeover of TS. What arrived in the post was a few badly typed, badly copied (and mostly irrelevant) sheets - with some duplicated and others missing! To add insult to injury, it turned up on the internet FOC a few years later.

The main motor on the head of mine is three phase - but originally single voltage, delta wound. I had to unpick the star point from the windings before I could run it on an inverter.

Clem

I have a Light Vertical (S) model with a similar drive system. On mine at least, the DC drive panel takes a 240v, single phase supply.

Hi Martin,

Fair comment. The 'Magnetoman' on the Britbike forum / Vincent Owners forum ( I wish!) is indeed the specific one I meant. On there, it's the handle of one Dr Charles Falco, an American physicist.

Clem.

Colin,

Before you give up any idea about having a crack yourself, check out 'Mr Factotum' on YouTube. Google 'Brufnut' too.

The 'Brightspark Magnetos' website has some drawings for bearing pullers etc. Any post by Magnetoman on the various forums is worth reading, although a counsel of perfection. Remagnetising is a bigger problem, but not insurmountable.

Yes, you'd probably be best advised to use the cheque book instead, and you'd get a faster and guaranteed result, but perhaps sometimes it's better to travel hopefully, than it is to arrive!

When I thought I'd got problems with a K1F, I too reached the conclusion that prefer to try myself rather than farm out the job - because like many on here I guess, I'm cursed with a head that leaps to the conclusion that 'I could fix that' faster than it thinks 'I could buy a new one'. The K1F turned out to be fine, but I've got a couple of spare K2Fs, and I'm determined to give it a go when time permits,

Clem.

I can't believe some of the things I've read here - they're just LITTLE KIDS!

If the worst they ever do is knock on your door once year in the hope of getting a free sweet or two out of you, I'll chalk it up as an overall success for society.

I'll concede, there are perhaps a few teenagers who should know better - but most of the callers I get I'd put at aged 10 or less.

Do we REALLY think it's "clever" to scare them, slip them LSD, put razor blades in apples, soak them with water...

Does it REALLY give you satisfaction to upset pre-school children?? What a bunch of mean-spirited miserable b*st*rds.

Good God people - were you mixed in a bucket or were you young once too? I won't see 60 again but I can still remember some of the things I got up to 50 years ago! Why not break the habits of a lifetime and try being nice to them?

Honestly, given some of the vitriolic attitudes displayed towards young children in this thread, I'm surprised it's not been deleted by the Administrators.