Member postings for clivel

There are a few alternatives you could consider for getting it to run on Linux:

1. If it ran in in a DOS box on Win95 then the simplest would be to install DosBox on your Linux system.
2. You may be able to run it using Wine (a Windows compatibility layer) however I am not sure if the current version of Wine still supports older versions of Windows.
3. If all else fails you could consider installing an emulator under Linux. These emulate the actual PC hardware thus allowing you to install the operating system of your choice e.g an old Win95 CD from the well known auction site suggested by Ady. Free emulators to consider are VirtualBox or the free version of VMware Workstation Player.
   I run Linux Mint for the most part, but occasionally I need to test some software under Windows. Using VMware, I can simultaneously run both XP and Windows 7 without leaving my Linux environment. I believe that VirtualBox works just as well, but haven't actually tried it myself.

Hopefully one of these suggestions is of some help,
Clive

Edited By clivel on 29/08/2015 03:30:17

Around the time when the series was first published in ME I was very much a beginner (not much has changed). Having just completed a very basic oscillating engines and a few simple tools I was looking for a suitable next project.
After reading Webster's introduction to the series, where he described it as "written for the complete newcomer to model engineering with a detailed description of the construction of each part", and upon completion the novice builder will have completed the equivalent of an "engineering apprenticeship", I thought that it would be ideal next step. Unfortunately though, David's assessment is correct, "total crap".

I had always hoped that either David or Diane would eventually get Webster to knuckle down and correct the errors and complete the series. So when the book came out, with a foreword by D.A.G. Brown, I immediately rushed out and bought it, having mistakenly assumed that it was an updated and corrected version of the series of articles in ME. It turns out that it is for a different engine, but the quality of the book is no better, and if anything actually worse than the ME series.
Jason is correct, poor drawings, missing bits, and most disconcerting for someone not terribly experienced, there are no assembly drawings not of the complete engine nor of any of the sub-assemblies, only isolated bits and pieces. I spent a good while trying to visualise how some of the pieces go together, but with little success.

On the plus side, the book contains a few nice photos, but other than that, it is a complete waste of money.

Clive

Edited By clivel on 22/08/2015 20:24:49

You don't say what size lathe you have, but it doesn't get much simpler than the Elmer's 25, which is small enough to build on almost any lathe. You can download the drawings/instructions here: Elmer's Engines, Scroll down to to "25 Wobbler - The Start Off Project for all newbies".

Here is my effort, it was built on a Unimat, and my introduction to Model Engineering. Although Elmer specifies North American screw threads, I substituted the closest metric size instead. One of the advantages of an engine like this for a first effort, is that it is built completely out of stock metal, so no need to replace expensive castings when the inevitable happens and a part needs to be remade. 

Clive

Edited By clivel on 20/08/2015 21:58:08

Thanks Rod, That is very helpful.

From the Wikipedia link it seems that potassium rather than sodium hydroxide is the key difference, which means that the "potters mould making release soap" on eBay is likely the genuine thing.

I wonder though, whether soft soap is that much more effective than regular bar soap at preventing black scale that it is worth seeking out, or is it, being in liquid form, just more convenient to use.

Clive

Oh excellent thanks, I'll give bar hand soap a try next time.
Clive

Simple when one knows where to look, thanks

Paging through some back issues of "the other magazine" (EIM), I came across a letter suggesting that a good way of preventing black scale when hardening silver steel is by dipping the item to be hardened in green soft soap prior to heating.
When the item is heated the soap first burns yellow and then congeals forming a black protective coating. Heating is then maintained until cherry red, the item is held at this temperature for a half a minute or so before plunging into a jam jar of cold water containing 2 to 3 teaspoons of salt.

Needing a D-bit over the weekend I decided to give this method a try. Not having any green soft soap, I thought perhaps that the green washing up liquid from the kitchen sink may be a suitable alternative. It didn't seem to do any harm, the tool came out as hard as expected, however it was as black if not blacker than my previous attempts at hardening sans the soap.

A subsequent enquiry for green soft soap at the local chemist had the young lady direct me to a shelf full of smelly substances in pump bottles, not too dissimilar to the "hand washing lotion" already to be found in our bathroom at home. Containing a multitude of scents and hand softening salves, it seems unlikely that this would be much use for hardening, and if anything more likely to have the opposite effect on any self respecting silver steel!

So, what is green soft soap? Is there anything special about it that makes it suitable for use when hardening silver steel? And if so, is there a generic type that is likely obtainable here in Canada?

Clive

Hi Doug,
There is now an error in the link, try it like this instead **LINK** something must have changed with the website host in the 2 years since the link was first posted.
Clive

Dias,
Not only did I read the second message posted at 22:39:57, it was actually that second message that prompted me to respond, a message in which he inexplicably and for no possible reason, other than he likely has a problem with them, decided to drag Jews into the equation.

As to reading something into the capitalised use of 'Vandal'; being at the beginning of a sentence, where it is expected to be capitalised, I don't believe that your point has much merit. Especially as in his earlier posting it is was the non-capitalised 'vandal' he had an issue with.

Regards,
Clive

Until now I was happy to assume that your previous posting was motiveless and possibly even tongue-in-cheek, I cheerfully overlooked the fact that you are probably too narrow minded to actually click on the link to the digitised volume, in which case it would have been quite apparent that it came from the "Leland Stanford Junior University Library" an institution not likely to be responsible for VANDALISING its own books.

As to "vandal" being racist, perhaps you should take that up with the editors of the Oxford Dictionary who define it here as "A person who deliberately destroys or damages property belonging to others". And I very much doubt that the long since vanished Germanic tribe who vandalised much of Europe 15 centuries ago have lodged too many objections with the OED.

Unfortunately your second posting makes your motive crystal clear, if anyone here is a racist, then it is you, but your racism clearly only extends to one particular group i.e. Jews.

At this point I have lost all further appetite for this thread and can only hope that a moderator sees fit to lock it.

Clive

Edited By clivel on 05/08/2015 23:13:57

A "Can of worms" as described by Brian in a posting above really does seem most appropriate when it comes to wire and other gauges.

However, a US Department of Commerce and Labor publication - Circular of the Bureau of Standards No.31. Copper Wire Tables (1st Edition 1912) contains a "Short history of wire gages" which does offer some insight into the subject. Unfortunately it makes no specific mention of number drills, it does however confirm that the Birmingham Gauge (Stubs Iron Wire Gauge) numbers refer to the number of times the wire was drawn, each subsequent drawing causing a reduction in size. So for example the first drawing is gauge 1, the second gauge 2, etc.

The above mentioned publication also includes a reference to an article published in The Electrical World Vol 10, 1887 by S.S. Wheeler that describes "over 30 gages, 19 of which were wire gages" and has elsewhere been described as "the most complete exposition of the subject yet made". Unfortunately this article must have been of some value to the vandal who removed the relevant pages, 253 to 259, from the copy scanned by Google sometime in the intervening 128 odd years since publication.

In regard to the number drills. Many references state that the Stubs Steel Wire Gauge is the basis of, though not identical to, the numbered twist drills sizes. From a cursory comparison of a few of the number drill sizes in relation to the same number Stubs Steel size, it seems that the number drills are sized between 1 and 3 thou larger than the equivalent numbered Stubs size. So it could be possible that the number drill series were originally intended to provide clearance holes for Stubs Steel Wire Gauge sized material. Naturally the letter/number series sizes now cover a much wider range than the Stubs sizes which would explain why the Stubs is now regarded as only a basis.

Lacking any further information, and not being sufficiently interested in the subject to devote much more time to it, for now I will just amend the the current US-centric Wikipedia entry to more correctly reflect the international nature of the numbered drill series.

Clive

Edited By clivel on 04/08/2015 08:58:54

Needing to once again drill a few holes shown on the drawings as number sizes but using my metric drill set, as usual I turned to Google to find the equivalents. This happens frequently enough that I really could save myself tons of time if I took the trouble to print out a table to stick on the workshop wall once and for all.

One of the first result returned by Google, was a link to the very useful but unfortunately not very reliable Wikipedia.
A case in point being the Wikipedia - Drill bit sizes page which has a subsection dealing with the "US number and letter gauge drill bit sizes" where one can find the largely irrelevant statement that they are "analogous to, but different from, American wire gauge".

Now, to the best of my knowledge the number drill series originated in the UK and not in the US, I also believe that the numbers size are related to but not identical to the Stubs steel wire gauge.

As so many people seem to take what they find on Wikipedia as gospel, when I come across any glaring errors, I do try to set them right. To this end I would appreciate it if anyone could shed some light on the history and origins of the number drill series and preferably provide some links to reference material.

Also, are the Stubs iron wire and Stubs steel wire gauges two different standards and are either or both the same as the Birmingham wire gauge? Wikipedia is about as clear as mud on the subject.

Thanks,
Clive

If it is a regular analogue test meter without any electronic amplification, then there should be no need for batteries except for the resistance ranges. My 40 year old Avo 8 hasn't had batteries for years and still works perfectly, I just don't use it for measuring resistance.

Of course this doesn't apply to digital meters which will require power to run the circuitry.

Clive

As an alternative to having your own castings made, you might consider using steam piping tee fittings as illustrated in MEW No 149 under the title "Making a pillar tool without castings".

Clive

Edited By clivel on 30/07/2015 23:10:34

It could be a long long wait if you are waiting for the CAD$ to recover, but as you are not in too much of a rush then you may want to hang on for a second hand machine instead. Although South Bend has some sort of mythical status in North America, there are a number of other US made machines that are just as good if not better e.g Logan, Sheldon, Clausing etc. also worth considering are some of the Atlas models. Although some look down on them, in reasonable condition they may still be better than a poor quality example from the Far East.

As others have mentioned, one place to look is Kijiji but you should also consider Craigslist. Out here on the West Coast (Vancouver), Craigslist offers a better selection. But that is of course relative some weeks there is nothing and other weeks there are two or three machines to choose from. The prices are also all over the place. While I was still searching for a lathe, I missed by minutes, a pristine Myford ML7 with a range of accessories including both 3 and 4 jaw chucks for only $500. Conversely I have seen someone advertising the same clapped out South Bend week after week for $2500. One just has to be patient and check Kijiji and Craigslist every day. I waited nearly 6 months before finding something suitable - a 10" Logan in reasonable condition with chucks and accessories for $700.

Clive

Edited By clivel on 29/07/2015 06:21:56

Duncan, thanks for the speedy response, and MichaelG thanks for the link to those very useful tables.

Clive

I recently ordered some ME taps and dies. The 5/32" x 32 I received was marked BSW rather than ME.

As I have always had excellent service from this particular supplier, I assume that 5/32" x 32 ME and BSW are identical. Is that correct?

If so, in general, are all ME and BSW threads of the same pitch and diameter equivalent?

Thanks,
Clive

You may be able to modify the Unimat 3 grinding attachment to fit your lathe - they do appear on eBay from time to time, but sometimes the prices for Unimat stuff is insane.

Here is a picture from the page at **LINK**

Thanks every one for the really useful advice.

Jeff, I am in Vancouver, I did get my bronze from a nearby Metal Supermarket, however they never mentioned the possibility of getting phosphor bronze via special ordering, although given the small quantity I need it probably wouldn't be worth their while.
The last time I tried ordering anything from McMaster Carr was about two years ago, instead of sending my order they cancelled it and instead sent a rude note about not shipping to Canada. Have they since changed their policy?

Clive

The "words and music" for the Martin Evans designed Jubilee loco specify brass or preferably phosphor bronze for the oil pump body.

Having gotten to this stage I popped into a local (I am in Canada) metal supplier today looking to buy some phosphor bronze. The young man behind the counter who didn't seem too clued up, didn't seem to know what phosphor bronze was, but sold me a length of 660 bronze which he thought was the same thing. I bought a longer piece than needed thinking that I could use the excess for boiler fittings.

Once home, having second thoughts, I Googled 660 bronze only to find that it is SAE 660 bearing bronze which is leaded and intended for medium speed bearing use.
Would this be suitable for the oil pump body and/or boiler fittings. If not, as I can't return the piece and don't foresee any need for bearings in the near future, any suggestions for what else I could use it for would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Clive

Edited By clivel on 16/07/2015 05:32:16