Member postings for Bill Dawes

Thanks for replies guys. I have knocked up a couple of heat shields, just waiting for a fresh supply of silver solder so will report on how I got on. The youtube that puzzled me is a couple of guys, both with burners heating up a largish boiler, two friends looked on filming. The guys soldering did not have any protection from radiant heat which must have been considerable and is the problem I have.

Bill D.

Excellent service once again from Arc Eurotrade (silver oxide batteries) and BA Bolts (SS csk BA screws)

Ordered Sunday, arrived this morning Royal Mail, so praise to them as well.

Bill D.

Hi Ken,if you don't mind taking some advice from a beginner in silver soldering terms, I too struggled with my 5" loco boiler (my first and not yet finished) I found things much improved after changing to a bigger burner, a Sievert 2943 I think, about 43kw.

I also found you have to be patient, it takes quite a while to heat a boiler up to 600+ degrees for the solder to melt. I use 455 solder in the main, 438 on bits that are likely to be reheated a few times.

I usually get my solder and flux from the excellent CUP Alloys.

My hearth is an old BBQ stand and using builders aerated blocks, they seem to work well, cuts easily if you want to make any special shapes, I also bought some wool blanket from CUP.

I can well understand the frustration, it seems that everybody but you finds it easy.

Good luck.

Bill D.

Hi all, a problem I have when silver soldering is how to avoid burnt hands. Tried various thick gloves, currently welders gauntlets but after a while have to quickly shake the glove off as it gets too hot. I guess welders gloves are more for spatter protection.

What puzzles me is that I recently watched a video of a group of guys soldering a boiler and they had no hand protection, have all model engineers got asbestos hands except me? just looking at a website, Safety Gloves.co.uk, they seem do gloves for everything including 350 C resistant but are the right ones for our use.

What do you guys use?

Regards

Bill D.

Many moons ago I embarked on my first steam loco, Emma Victoria, back in 2011 I think when the build series commenced in ME. Still on it, not done any for months, not lost interest but got overtaken by many other things. I find when i have left it off for a while I can't just nip into the workshop do do the odd hour, need a day to recap where I got to and what the next steps are. Am I unusual in this?

Bill D.

Sorry if this has already been answered in the voluminous calcs. but I think a possible issue is not just fuse rating but the fuse type. Motors driving a high starting torque machine need a motor rated fuse. If you look at the time/current graph of a domestic fuse to a motor rated one you will see that the motor rated one blows after a much longer period, it can be milliseconds v several seconds.

I know this from my job in industrial fans where acceleration times can be many seconds, a non motor rated fuse would be useless.

Having said that for a normal domestic situation, even a machine tool of a kw or so, I would not have expected a domestic fuse to be an issue.

Bill D

Sorry Grizzly bear did not word my question clearly, What I meant was cost of homemade GF bread v shop bought.

Bill D.

Pleased to see fellow Coeliacs responding. I was diagnosed about 25 years ago, things have changed considerably since then. (ME exhibitions seem to be the exception when it comes to GF catering) However main problem is cost, GF bread used to be available on prescription until recently in our area.

Warburtons multi seeded is pretty near 'proper bread' but at a cost. Bought some the other day from Tesco, 300g loaf for £1.75, a Tesco non GF white loaf was 55p and 800g, Equivalent to £4.70 per 800g. (I realise there are probably better and more costly breads but even they are cheaper by a factor of several times GF cost.)

My wife and I have talked about a bread maker for a while, anyone know how the cost compares for bread maker v shop bought GF bread?

Bill D

Have to say I really like the ads for the various shows/steam fairs that have apppeared in the last few issues.

Bill D.

I have a Wanner grease gun, bought it brand new in my early days of motoring so must be about 55 years old. (cars had lots of grease nipples in those days!) Never done a thing to it as far as I can remember.

No idea how much I paid for it (how did I afford it come to that) must have been a genuine Wanner, I don't think far eastern fakes existed in those halcyon days.

Bill D.

I have been dealing with Macc for some years now. Early days were a bit erratic, seemed to change, coincident or not?, when Joe got married. After that I have to say, excellent service. Hope everything is ok with your wife Joe?

Joe obviously has the same problems from time to time as anyone running their own business.

Bill D

Saw a new Mondeo the other day and it suddenly struck you don't see so many of the once ubiquitous repmobile these days.

On a 120 mile trip up the M4 I counted 5, everything else, Mercs, Audi, BMW etc.

Ford sales must be really hammered.

Bill D.

Now I have seen it all (well until the next time) Bought a greetings card the other day, one of the film wrapped ones, and there was a sticker inside telling me to remove wrapping before sending. Who and why thought this was a necessary thing to say?

Bill D.

Incidentally for anyone interested, my brother Mike Dawes (sadly late brother) was awarded the Pinhard prize in 1969 as a young secretary of the Midlands motor cycle racing club. The prize is awarded by the Sunbeam motorcycle club for services to the sport by people under 21. A visit to the club website will show all previous winners and Mike is amongst some big names, Surtees, Hailwood, Lamkin etc.

Bill D.

PS sorry Bill in response to your original question I am not a motorcycle expert although I have dabbled a bit back in the 60's, my younger brother was into racing. I have a vague recollection of taking something like this out of an old Royal Enfield and was part of the oil system as it pumped oil all over the place when we reassembled it, obviously badly.

Bill D.

When I first read this thread I did wonder if it was Vale Onslow, as a Brummie (long since exiled) I remember them well having been born in neighbouring Sparkhill.

Len continued to ride bikes until well past his 100th birthday, a remarkable man.

Bill D.

I had a similar problem recently. I have one of those multi purpose rolls, bender, guillotene machines but that struggled with the thickness as did tin snips and my bandsaw which is usually great for cutting out pieces from brass, steel and copper sheet was not suitable in this case. As a last measure I rediscovered my angle grinder I bought many years ago, with a bit of care it did the job in no time.

As with all problems like this, its horses for courses.

Bill D.

Just how amazing living in Brum in the 60's is difficult to convey to younger people, Practically every pub, club, assembly room, school hall had rock bands on. You would walk down a street and hear kids practicing in their front room or struggling with equipment on a bus to a booking (I don't think they were called gigs in those days)

Many many great names appeared from all those enthusiastic young groups ( in those days a band was Joe Loss etc)

Anyone interested in the Brum rock scene should get hold of 'Brum Rocked' and 'Brum Rocked On' by Laurie Hornsby, an incredibly detailed description of dates, places, people in the 60's. Many names a lot of you will now know as rock legends, mostly starting off as kids working in car factories etc.

Bill D.

Sad to hear that Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues has passed away.

As a Brummie of the same age I used to watch all these young kids, many now millionaires, during the fantastic Brum rock scene of the 60's.

Bill D.

Tonight 7.45, 'How to refuel your 2 stroke' from the 1940's

Why don't they make these quaint little films anymore.

Bill D