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Member postings for Ian Abbott

Here is a list of all the postings Ian Abbott has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.

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Thread: Is this hobby dying?
09/09/2010 18:06:18
We're feeding the grandkids Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine while they're little, maybe it'll spark an interest.  As soon as they are old enough, it'll be tool kits; they can work on all the furniture that their parents scrounged off us.  Three of them are girls, but no gender stereotyping here, they can all wield a hammer.
 
Evil laugh echoing around the room......
 
Ian 
Thread: Gazelle 2-2-2 Drawings
08/09/2010 21:23:39
Does anyone know if there are any drawings for the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire, Dodman built "Gazelle" in its 2-2-2 incarnation, either scale or original works.
 
The loco is preserved at the Colonel Stephens museum at Tenterden as an 0-4-2.
 
Ta,
Ian 
Thread: Small Arms models
01/09/2010 19:35:50
My problem isn't with David's position on advertising scale firearms, he is being quite sensible given the situation, it's that some in authority have the power to force people to cease what are quite legal actions.  The big problem is that it is extremely expensive to knock these over zealous idiots down.
 
The laws are quite clear, replica and model weapons are legal and require no certification if they cannot be fired or easily made to fire, nor are plans or adverts for such, but as is usual someone is going to exceed their authority and create problems for law abiding citizens, such as the management of ME or a legitimate collector of replica and model weapons.
 
Politicians don't get enough heat on things like this and the previous government were particularly bad about stepping on people's rights, perhaps this new crowd will see sense and start cleaning up the obvious abuses.  Not holding my breath though.
 
Ian 
31/08/2010 20:02:40
Had a long talk with a chap at the Torbay Steam Fair earlier this month.  His group do the military thing.  They had everything from WWI Lugers to current military equipment, his information is that if it don't fire, it's legal, no permit, nothin'.
That said, the rozzers may need to be shown that a firearm is none functional, but you could have a 1:1 scale AK17 with a permanently blocked barrel.  Again, common sense says that you don't wave said weapon around in the local Barclays branch.
 
I don't see ME people being interested in something that's being used in Iraq, but pinfire revolvers or single shot ball and cap dueling pistols would make interesting projects, covering a wide range of processes, casting, heat treatment, rifling, & etc.
 
Funny, thinking of another thread, but the spellcheck didn't like "rozzers".
 
Ian 
Thread: How to drill a square hole?
28/08/2010 18:23:50
Can't remember what I was told about the cutting tips.  One could braze on a harder material I guess, then harden & temper.  The one in the photo looked like the bar cut away on the mill, with no additions.  I remember that he couldn't get hexagon in anything but mild steel.
 
Ian 
27/08/2010 20:06:56
It's not so easy to fasten a triangle into a bearing or onto a driving shaft.
 
However, on that subject, the geometric centre of the triangle isn't in the middle, if that makes sense.  Or, while the upper part of the outer surface will maintain a constant distance from the surface that it is rolling on, the centre of the triangle goes up and down relative to the surface.
 
That's as much as my mind can manage after a day in the noise of the Dartmouth Royal Regatta, which ended the day with a free air show, featuring the Red Arrows and the Tornado on reheat. 
 
Ian
Who's hearing wasn't deficient. 
26/08/2010 19:00:38
Apparently, the constant diameter triangle used on the cutter in the photograph is achieved by mounting three pieces of hexagonal bar in the three jaw chuck, then rotating the bars by two flats each to bring the next face into line.
 
This procedure gives one three triangular lengths of bar after three rotations.
 
This is how it was explained to me by the maker.
 
Interesting thought here, with a constant diameter triangle, it shouldn't matter how you position the bar in a three jaw chuck to machine a diameter on the end.  
 
Ian 
Thread: Rimless wheels
26/08/2010 18:50:11
I need to go and talk to the wheel turning shop in Buckfastleigh in the next week or so.
I'll ask them what profile they turn on the main line stuff.
 
Ian 
19/08/2010 21:06:15
It was a long while ago, but didn't it involve movement of the axles to align with the track at a tangent to the curve as well as the coning?
 
Or am I thinking of the ME article.
 
Ian 
 
 
Thread: How to drill a square hole?
09/08/2010 17:46:51
I looked it up, the shape of the drill bit is called a Reuleaux Triangle, which has a constant width and can roll like a wheel.  Which Nigel also had on his table.
 
What did we do PW.  (Pre Wikipedia) 

Ian 
09/08/2010 17:23:38
The image doesn't seem to want to load on here, but if you look on the "Latest Photos" bit, it's there.
 
The gentleman's  name is Nigel Whiteway (I hope I got that right), it was noisy.
 
Ian 
09/08/2010 17:05:33
Ah, you drill it on a milling machine.
 
(Two pieces of "L" shaped steel bolted together)
 
Ian 
08/08/2010 17:45:31
At Torbay Steam Fair today, I met a man from Brixham Model Club, who had a square drill on display.
I can't remember the correct name for the rounded triangular bit, but essentially, it is a three face end mill, guided by a square hole, which mills out a circular hole to square.
 
I'm still getting the photos organised, but I'll post a picture or two when I've done in a day or two.
 
Ian 
Thread: Lathes??
08/08/2010 17:37:17
In 1975, I noticed a Randa Model A longbed in a corner of my next door neighbour's garage, I gave him £12 for the thing and I'm still using it.  It's travelled around Canada and back to the UK.  Sturdy doesn't quite say it, it's accurate and will swing 9" dia. in the gap, with just under two feet between centres.  At about 90 years old, it has no frills, but it does have all its thread cutting gears, low speed reduction and I can carry it under my arm.
 
At Torbay steam fair today, there were the usual flat bed lorries and stalls with all kinds of used tools and general junk, I picked up an old 115v Craftsman 7 1/2" circular saw for a fiver, no lathes though.  However next weekend is the Kingsbridge Working Machinery meet, if you're in South Devon, last year there was a trailer with lathes, profile grinders, drills, you name it.  See ME a couple of issues ago, (the one with the Massey tractor on the front) there's a picture of what you can get at these meets.
 
Ian 
Thread: wind turbine
21/07/2010 20:55:24
I've been considering the differences between building or buying a Savonius rotor generator to charge batteries alongside solar panels.  Before I put drill to metal, I'm waiting for the quote from the chandlery down by the river for a commercial unit.  If the figures give me pains in the chest, it'll be the end for the pile of Lidl capacino coffee tins I've been saving.  I've already nicked the general outline of the commercial thing, but my difficult part will be the electronic part.
 
I'll pass on any info and designs that I come up with.
 
Ian 
Thread: Antivirus
19/07/2010 20:12:29
Now it's getting interesting.... >
 
Ian 
Thread: Massey Ferguson Tractor on front cover of ME 4382
19/07/2010 20:06:14
But it is engineering.  Was the full size stationary engine on the front cover a while ago not appropriate either, or the full size traction engine, or perhaps the full size motor vehicle?  Sometimes we make 1:1 scale models of clocks, do they count?
 
Ian 
18/07/2010 19:56:44
That would be either my fault typing it in, or the program was wrong.  Mind you, I used to work for Massey Ferguson, so I have no excuse, where the program is just a piece of paper.
 
Ian 
Thread: Antivirus
18/07/2010 19:46:08
Damn
18/07/2010 19:45:44
(XX)  (YY)
 
No smileys, must be a Windows bug.......
 
Ian 
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