Member postings for old Al

They got too big for their boots too quickly and their vans are like racing cars in the street.

Best of luck, hope you didnt lose much money

Pay for insurance, try claiming and getting the money back!

Just remember, we, model engineers have huge trust in the people we buy and sell to.We are likely to honestly describe the stuff we put in boxes and send via this type of courier. But stop and think. these people are poorly paid and looking for' a little extra'. Someone just might see a juicy sounding parcel and 'lose' it. When you describe your items, use vague descriptions such as metal parts instead of 'vintage rare steam engine parts' or whatever.

Look after yourself

Oh, and turn it off at the end of play. mine leaks if i dont

Set it about 1/2 way to start and leave it like that unless you dont get the umph you need with your biggest nozzle. They are very crude things, almost an on/off device. You have your fine control on the gun

At this time in your experience,10 minutes with someone showing you how and why on your lathe will save weeks of guessing. However many books and videos you watch and read.

i know it goes against the grain a bit, but, its well worth it. we were all beginners once, and we still make mistakes, but we dont tell anybody anymore

best of luck

send them back

Never mill with the quill loose. Even on my Bridgeport, i have the quill nipped up. It can be forced up or down so, dont invite errors, keep them at bay.

Standard zinc ingots are smaller than the size you want. Time to think again

drill to the biggest drill you have, then bore with a boring tool. Minimum overhang, you should be able to take bigger cuts than 0.3

Yes im on the little island past the Wantsum. I thought we were so far away from the rest of the world, the corona virus wouldnt find us!

I had the same problem with the same size some years ago. If you want to come down to the wrong side of kent, i will sort you out with a couple of foot, but i wont post it at the moment.

So, why are the press just showing younger people on the beach, in the park, socialising wherever, What wrong with showing us more mature people, breaking the socialising rules also

All of the silver steel i have had from Stubbs has been cut with a cutting disk (grinding disk) and i believe the posibilities of hardening the end is the reason for selling in 13" lengths.

Other imported stuff is cut with what looks like a bandsaw

does the end of the bar have a cut or ground finnish?

I would not take the suppliers word for the grade of material as 100%. They are normally pretty good, but not always. It pays to check if you are worried

join a model engineers club, bound to be a test bar or two there

As an experienced model engineer, i find working from nothing is usually far quicker and more satisfying than starting with somebody elses failed project.

Most people only build one loco and most of those dont get finished. Simple mistakes are compounded and compounded and are all in the builders head and you have to unravel all of that to get the loco to work.

Join a club and ask questions and get advice. The 'old guard' at the club will know the good and the dodgy designs and will be happy to offer their input.

I rebuilt a loco recently and i dont think a single thing was reused apart from the professionally built boiler. Customer was happy he got his loco back looking and running so nice and he still thinks he built most of it!

Best of luck whichever way you go.

Does it have an adjustable back gear like the colchester student. if that is not adjusted right it makes a lot of noise

Its nice to have CUP on our side in their ever helpful self.

so you need loads of heat from a reliable source, but what has not been mentioned is the need to use a flux that can last the distance. You didnt mention what flux you tried using. We all have easy flow 2 in our toolkits, but it probably doent last long enough for this job

A bit of green paint and you believe it. Have a look at some of the offerings off ebay. every length has the end painted and that doesnt get done at manufacture. Buying ad hoc off all and sundry is prone to disaster and there are a few out their that want your money at any cost, even a dab of green paint.

Find a good supplier and stick with them. Cheap en1a, that will be the day

I use JJ cables and they make to any length with any end fittings