Member postings for DMB

My thoughts on this problem as I have had the same. Measure dia. of thread and pitch, if you possess a thread gauge and turn up a trial short length. Failing that. guess by apparent age, units of measurement, make, as to likely thread used, e.g., Starrett and Mitutoyo, UNF/UNC. Metric units by say German manufacturers would probably be M2.5 or M3 and same for the British makes, but if instrument is old and uses Imperial div's, then probably 6BA.

DMB

Thank you very much, Dave. Greatly appreciated.

John

Edited By DMB on 31/10/2021 10:17:57

Excellent idea, Noel. Some sort of marking out on a large board or a simple jig, either to check job progress/accuracy. Similar idea to produce a curved fence top and bottom rail, was done by Worthing model engineers. They have a flypress with a round cross bar to hit the work at regular intervals causing the work to curl up. I think that they also have some short bending rolls with 'fat' rollers that produce the same effect.

John

I have found that if I come to the end of a sentence, say most of the way across the page then want to start a new paragraph, press return bar and it jumps down otwo lines. A little trick I've learned is to space along a few character spaces, leaving insufficient room for the first word of the new paragraph and it jumps down to the very next line.

I should add that there probably is a better way to do this but I struggle a bit, these contraptions were not even dreamt of before I left school. Find that various outer jobs done regularly I remember how but something done infrequently, I have to write down the method or rely on Google's ask anything!

Edited By DMB on 28/10/2021 21:39:10

Heavily insulated workshop with all machines covered at night with old plastic sheeting and bags that originally contained sand/ ballast/ gardening peat or similar. Some heat on most of year round as if I turn it off, liable to absent mindedly forget to switch back on. One mill has 4 old style lamps, 60W wired in series in a protective wooden box, lathe has tubular heater on thermostat and a timer. Workshop always cosy nothing that's protected rusts. Hygrometer shows 60% humidity this afternoon and temperature 80F. Heat only goes up so high when using machines with heat of the drive motors. Doesn't take long to cover/uncover machines with the plastic sheeting and bags, but I only do the machine that I want to use. Lot of tools kept in spare bedroom with the benefit of central heating. Second mill, bandsaw, massive bench drill, linisher, workbench, all covered but no heater. I find that the 2 machines which are covered and have a heater, keep the whole shed warm - 10 X 8ft, so not a great volume. Cheapest would probably be to oil/lanoline all and cover and check regularly.

I believe that bamboo can be controlled by copious applications of seawater and paraffin guarantees death to virtually any vegetation. I once had a tree growing a thin trunk my side of my back garden wall and anoth on my neighbours side. I could foresee the eventual fate of my wall and the renter's next door would be unlikely to do anything. I dealt with both trunks by cutting to ground level and pouring a small quantity of paraffin on the stump. No regrowth after a decade or more, so can vouch for the paraffin,but be careful as I suspect it is a serious pollutant and nothing will grow if spilt in quantity on soil.

Clive said 256 MPs voted for continuing to dump sewage in rivers and sea.

At General Elections, I'm a floating voter and if the majority of those 256 were from one party, I would not vote for that party.

I ignore all the would be MPs who promise to work wonders and shit miracles and decide my vote on past performance,or lack of.

Points awarded for getting Brexit done but deducted for damn great tax increases currently being threatened, if those increases adversely affect me.

There you go

I'm thinking that the board of Directors of each water company make decisions to maximize profits for their shareholders, to the detriment of proper investment in the infrastructure to prevent sewage discharges. Company gets fined, passed on to us customers in increased bills. Directors who made those decisions are unaffected apart from the effect upon their personal water bills and it wouldn't surprise me that they get their water free as part of their perks.

It's time for a law change to make all Company Directors personally responsible for their decisions where those decisions affect their customers financially.

Why should us water consumers effectively be hammered with the fines and the decision makers get off the hook? They are highly paid and should be hammered accordingly.

They will soon pull their socks up and we will finally see proper action instead of bullshit excuses.

Edited By DMB on 25/10/2021 09:42:51

Ignatz,

My MLS7 is older and grey like its owner! (1971) It has BSF threads all rounds except some locations that call for something smaller than 1/4"BSF, where 2BA has been used. The leadscrew brackets, felt wiper brackets on the left hand side of the saddle, retaining screws on the ends of the changewheel spindles and there could be more.

Grope around behind the left hand mandrel bearing and you will find the locking pin.

Hope you have many happy hours using it.

John

Edited By DMB on 13/10/2021 19:50:50

Hi,

Have you tried to find a website for the manufacturers? They just may list manuals in lots of languages. If all else fails and you end up with one in say Mandarin, could you not feed it through an online translation. Just a thought, I did it with German language model engineering books to decipher some of the words that I didn't already know.

One model engineering club has passenger cars on the 5"G, which are stored vertically in a shed against the wall. A chain around them is fixed to the wall, semi permanently one side and quick release hook on other side, the purpose being to prevent them from toppling over causing injury or damage. To prevent the chains from damaging the cars, the chains are in clear plastic tubing, maybe about 5/8"? diameter, as far as I can recollect. I think it was from either a DIY shed like BnQ or a small ironmongers shop, not expensive. As Treasurer, I've just rummaged this year's purchasing receipts but no trace so must be in archives, previous year.

Women, bah, how frustrating, they're always right!

Thanks for the mention, Michael, just Knew it would likely be beyond what I'm prepared to pay for a saw even if it does have fancy design features and of course a matching price. Bet someone tries to flog it in UK at an exchange rate of 1:1 to catch a mug. Probably blame shipping costs etc.,etc. Remember that TV programme, Arthur with his "overheads".

Talking about clocks, the Big Ben restoration team now taking up residence in Brighton, repairing the old Q. Vic. clock in its tower at the South end of Queens Road which leads straight from main station to seafront. (South of road junction next to clock tower, road is called West st.) Apparently, the golden orb on the top rises up a spike then drops down on the hour. I've lived here 70+ years and never seen that spectacle. Ball contraption designed by Magnus Volk. Local newspaper, "Evening Argus " shows photo of clock's works with 1888 on the cast iron frame.

Edited By DMB on 30/09/2021 23:11:29

Gauge plate = high carbon = harder + 6mm thick, would that be asking a bit too much of such small saw blades?

I have an Eclipse piercing saw, bought new about 4/5 decades ago. Has a couple of small levers to twiddle the blade around to any angle of users choice. It looks like the first one on Cooksons site and under the "you may like" section, is a picçy of a different design.I bought an el cheapo one like this from Proops' stand at the long defunct Brighton Modelworld exhibition. Used it satisfactorily.

John

Thank you, pgkpgk and Diogensil for your recipes, much appreciated. Being on my own now, can only rely on recollection of my late Mother and late Wife used to make and their methods, together with what else I can pick up. Surprised at how much info I absorbed without realising. I have a bit of a lazy meal method which I did last week.

Bought a couple of large cooking apples, went BlackBerry picking on edge of South Downs. Simmered apples til soft and turned into ovenproof dish, raw blackberries layered on top, packet of Aunt Bessies crumblemix on top, sprinkled with Scott's porridge oats for crunch and shake of cinnamon for extra flavour. Luverly!

Model engineering club widow recently advised me how to make own crumble - simply rub together butter and flour, any type, plain or self raising. Porridge oats topping idea came from late wife. Did some shopping in Sainsburys today. They're flogging 225g of raspberries for £2.25 (£10/Kg) but blackberries were £2.85 for 225g = £12.67 /Kg! Streuth, they're currently free everywhere and fresh picked. Dearer than raspberries.

I had a favourite old wartime recipe handed down from my Mother for a very tasty tart, but temporarily mislaid it. Hope to recover it soon and post it. Won't be using the dried egg though! I get big fresh eggs from Dave Ovett's shop in Brighton's Open Market. Remember Steve Ovett? His family's shop.

John

Hi, S.O.D.,

I have some fibre jaws. OK, but no good for holding round work vertical for threading - work just slips.

Normally have 2 pieces of 1 1/2" steel angle sitting on the OEM jaws. Downside is, have to close vice when finished with or one small knock and I'm locating them from the floor!

Also got some nice home made Ali ones with ends bent around OEM jaws and they tend to stay put.

Hi Steve,

See you have vice mounted on swivel. I dont use a swivel facility much but daylight 'tween chuck and top of vice a nightmare, so use vice without the swivel base for a little more space above.

John

School science lessons were so much easier in metric, rather than buggering about with archaic rubbish like BTUs. One of the best events of recent years was dumping duodecimal money. Fart-hings, x 2 = one ha'penny, x 2 = one penny, x 3 =a threpenny Joey, x 2 = a tanner(6 pennies) x 2 = a Bob/ one shilling, x 2 = two Bob or x 2 1/2 = a half crown. Then 10 Bob notes × 2 = £1note x5 = £5note, which we still have.

What a load of old crap dating back donkeys years. Nothing wrong about the age, just the awkwardness of calculations. Same goes for weights and dimensions. For those who don't know, old penny noted as a 'd' which is an abbreviation of denarius being a Roman coin. The shilling likewise, was an 's' Roman solidus.

We just need to stop Networkrail from continuing to use 'Chains'. No doubt there are many more examples of the old medieval system.

I am happy to use whatever I am confronted with, all my machines having Imperial leadscrews and dials to match. Model engineering metal stock much easier to obtain in Imperial sizes and use metric screws or Imperial, depending upon what their use is. Tools/ accessories for mills/lathe etc use metric easily obtainable locally. Use conventional Imperial screws on models. Loco and clock drawings all Imperial, doesn't matter too much to me. Harold Hall's books and grinding jig drawings in metric with metric threads. Fine by me.

John