Member postings for John Shepherd

My experience with H&S seems to be at odds with some others. I worked in an environment where we had to do a risk assessment for all major works because if we didn't get it right, there was a serious risk of injury and/or loss of life and it would stop us doing similar beneficial work in the future.

Our H&S team never stopped us doing anything. They suggested how we could look at problems and minimize the risk. Once we showed that the risks were acceptable against the outcome and that control measures were in place, without making the job impossible, we were good to go.

I don't get upset about legitimate H&S issues but I do object to the publication of bad practice and poor uninformed advice. Fortunately, we don't get too much of that in the MEW magazine but when it is perceived that there is an issue, there is often a massive over-reaction as in this case.

Regards

John

John

Just heard that the recall has been extended to all cars made in Germany.

(My Audi was made in Hungary so it is not included)

Neil

A vote for 3D projects as long as they are directly related to engineering projects and do not stray into general 3D printing. If you are considering this, you may wish to think about how the 3D printer files might be shared?

Don't mind articles on repairs as long as they are about innovative techniques and not specific to a product few of us own. JS posts on how he carries out repairs are a good example of the former, mending frying pans is not IMO. (apologies to Des Bromilow).

Other ideas:

Producing a model from a full-size item when no drawings exist. I marvel at the work done by the likes of Cherry Hill but wouldn't know where to start.

Finishing projects. There have been articles on painting etc., but getting a good surface finish and how to best use paint and other coatings eludes many of us judging by requests for help on this forum from time to time.

Hope that helps.

John

I used a 20deg angle for the laser and it is very sensitive for a vertical bar. The ring almost snaps into the horizontal when X & Y are aligned but I need to use it a bit more to give a definitive answer on accuracy. I don't find finding the centre line of a horizontal bar so easy, though.

John

Recently my son made me a 3D printer, I am still on a steep learning curve with both the printer and drawing in 3D so I decided to make a rotary laser centre finder as a project. I will not re-open the debates on 3D printers or laser centre finders already aired on this site, but I can say I found the exercise rewarding and as a bonus I have a useful tool I would not otherwise have made. If anyone wants further details please ask.

John

I have a similar set made from castings as mentioned in the previous thread. I can't remember how much the castings cost but if the rest of my tools have increased in value by the same amount as the prices charged by 'these people' perhaps this model engineering hobby has not kept me as poor as I thought.

( I believe castings are still available from Polly?)

Regards

John

DIgital voltmeters usually use thermocouples not thermistors, if you google DVM and thermocouple you will probably find several to choose from. Hope that help

Edited By John Shepherd on 21/07/2016 20:45:10

Thanks Jason

I found the picture after scrolling down the website home page! I made the mistake of going straight to the 'Dark Lady' Tab at the top of the home page

Regards John

Are there any pictures of the finished clock? I looked on Brians website but as far as I could see there is no indication what it looks like. There is a picture of a wall clock but I don't think that matches the Dark Lady description.

With some trepidation, I 'Googled Dark Lady Clock' but the only useful link was to Brians website.

Regards

John

Here in Thornbury we have an annual Arts Trail where local artists show their work in a variety of venues around the Area.

I have just got back from visiting George King who is a woodturner and have enjoyed looking over his two model traction engines among other amazing wooden objects. There is a completed working engine made from the Minnie drawings and there is a showman's engine which is work in progress.

Both are incredible and the Minnie has actually run under compressed air.

Some of you may have already seen the Minnie as it was exhibited at last year's Bristol show and at the Dorset Steam Fair.

In any case, do have a look at his website or if you live in the area it is well worth a trip to see his work this weekend. (Details are on the website.) **LINK**

Vic

That hole is only 4mm so useless for any form of clamping, it is useful for attaching alignment guides though.

Chris

Be aware that the division plate instructions provided by Vertex have mistakes, it has been covered recently on this forum but if you can't find the thread and need an updated chart, let me know.

Regards

John

Chris>>

Here is my solution for what it is worth. I also have another short version of the clamp like the one used on the rear for when the chuck is not in use. They work for both vertical and horizontal mounting.>>

Tim

A 12v lead acid battery needs a charging voltage of at least 13.8v before it starts to charge. If your battery only shows 13.5 v either with the charger connected or soon after it is disconnected, I would suspect your charger is not suitable or is faulty.

Are you able to test the voltage with a separate meter with the charger connected?

Are you able to charge the battery with a high current charger?

If the charging voltage is OK then perhaps the battery is faulty. Lead acid batteries designed for cars thrive on heavy charge and discharge and don't like being trickle charged. One of the chargers mentioned might save the day though and keep your battery in good condition in the future.

Hope that helps

I keep promising myself some of these:

**LINK**

Just to add to the debate - Under the latest UK house wiring regs, all screw type junction boxes etc have to be easily accessible. Some Wago connectors (other makes are available) are classed as maintenance free and can be used where they are not ultimately accessible, such as under floorboards etc. I think this is a good endorsement of their reliability.

I have used them and they are great when working in confined spaces, Time will tell but I have come across a lot of doggy screw connector joints and will even admit to being responsible for one or two myself (in poorly designed connectors of course!).

Screw terminal junction boxes and Choc bocks, Lego brick connectors, barrier strips, call them what you will are the last choice for me now. I even prefer crimps in some circumstances, provided the right crimp and a good ratchet type crimp tool are used.

Going back to choc blocks and in particular, stranded conductors, there is always the problem of stray wires and there is a temptation to tin the bare wire with solder. This cures one problem but unfortunately, causes another in that it creates a weak point and I have seen several fractures of the wire at the junction of the tinned wire and the insulation. Crimp "bootlace" ferrules overcome this.

If using connector blocks, I would not use ready made jumpers unless it is a 'production run', I'd save money and make them from solid copper wire.

Hope that helps.

Printed off the pdf but unfortunately, it still contains the same error for 13 divisions - i.e. 6 Turns + 30/39 and not 6 turns + 36/39.

The other two errors I am aware of on the original Vertex instructions for 7 divisions and 40 divisions are corrected on the pdf.

Regards

John Shepherd

Edited By John Shepherd on 27/02/2016 16:55:50

Went into a Wilko shop today and found they have a 'pick and mix' section for fixings. Stocked up on 6 & 8mm wing nuts, 5, 6 & 8mm penny washers and some 6mm nuts and washers to fill the bag. The amount of wing nuts and washers I got into a £1.99 bag will keep me going for some time.

Unfortunately the screws they have are 'roofing bolts' so not not so useful to me.

They do wood screws as well, just like the old hardware shop where you could get loose screws etc.

Regards

John

I help out in a small local museum and we have several portable dehumidifiers of different makes and age and all seem to work well enough. We take daily readings and aim for a relative humidity of about 45 to 55% which we achieve most of the time.

The latest two we bought were rated at 12 Litre (with 4 Litre tank) from Screwfix, when they were on offer at a about £100.00 each, they are now £130.00 I think.

I see Aldi have some on offer at £118.00 but I have no experience of them.

Hope that helps.

Regards John

Muzzer

The measured inductance of the demagnetiser is 936mH and the resistance is 231R. A similar sized unmodified transformer measures 232R and 2.4H.

I was in the workshop last week and every tool I used seemed to be magnetised for some reason and I promised myself I would move the demagnetiser project to the top of my to do list. Stopped for lunch and lo and behold MEW dropped through the letterbox with the demagnetiser article inside.

I set out modifying a transformer similar to the one in the article and did a quick test without the current limiter lamp and with a 3A fuse in the plug and it worked Ok. I have measured the AC current at 240v and it is about 0.5A. As expected with the 'I' laminations removed the transformer does get hot after several seconds so a push button is a must and the duty cycle needs to controlled. Although the current limiter is good practice, I am willing to give it a try without, but as soon as I get the box to mount it in, I will be fitting a resettable thermal fuse on the windings and a neon to show if it has tripped or not.

(Note I would not take this risk with a heavier duty transformer or an ex microwave one)

Regards

John Shepherd