Member postings for DMB

BTW, yesterday it started in Brighton around 2pm and it's a bit more than icing sugar on a mince pie. Maybe an inch or two, just enough to change the overall appearance of the landscape. Large stuffed freezer and stock piled tins packets n general cupboard ingredients so no need to venture forth for food for a few days.

John

Clive,

Dodged the '47 snows, born 6months after they'd gone!

'Lucky' John.

Clive,

I understand that Kent generally has a reputation for copping severe weather but East and North, especially. My late wife had a farming uncle and aunt in Longfield. Many years ago her aunt phoned her sister here in Brighton and said that the wind blows across the fields and puts huge snowdrifts against one side of their farmhouse but on that occasion it was particularly bad - drift was up to the eaves, of a 2 storey building!

John

Nicholas, I know, just 2 finger expansion of Google maps gives names

Clive, "did you mean?" A crowd of grumpy ol' sods? ha, ha.

1 Good on yer!

2 Dont stand for rubbish service

3 Pretty obvious who the 2 businesses names are. Was considering same move.

Similarly, the AA has just tried to sting me with a £49 increase @ renewal. I complained and woman @ other end knocked off £8 and going to ring me back on Wednesday. Not good enough, cheaper quote £27 less, so she will be wasting her time unless she wants to match it. Some orgs. call it "Customer retention"

Edited By DMB on 05/12/2022 10:14:39

Nigel, Brian said his computer states is unsafe and that's why I called it dodgy. My 'puter says the same about some sites, including model engineering ones. Reason is they haven't got the latest security features.

John

Wooden shed. Roof, walls and door all completely covered with roofing felt to keep rain off wooden structure, so waterproof. 3 ply sheets on interior walls. Void stuffed with loft insulation. Roof lined with polystyrene panels glued in place with overlapping joints. Tubular heater +thermostat + timer on lathe. Timed off during the daylight hours. Lathe covered with thin plastic sheet. Mill 1 covered with thick plastic sheet and home made low wattage heater on drip tray. Heater is 4 old style bulbs wired in series on protective box. On 24/7 except when mill in use. Mill 2 covered with thick plastic sheet, no heater. Tools and work left on bench with thin plastic sheet cover, no heater. Tools on open shelves around mill and lathe, no cover or heater. It's that tubular heater that warms the whole workshop with its heat gradually escaping from under the plastic cover. Comfortably warm upon unlocking anytime next day. Concrete floor sealed with black sealant jollop, covered with scrap sheets of hardboard with old redundant car mats. Wooden walled shed stands on brick walls, 3 courses. Felt overlaps brick wall base. Windows boarded up. Small wooden frame around inside of door, to which 3 ply glued and screwed and voids stuffed with loft insulation. System works well, just a bugger getting from house to workshop and back in wet/freezing cold. Yes, it does get cold down 'sarf' in Brighton! Shed size, 10 x 8ft, so fairly small volume. Max/min thermometer to keep check on temperature variation.  Humidity gauge to  get some idea of air condition. Got dehumidifier to remove moisture but never use it. Others have said plastic sweats but not if low heating keeps the dew point high enough.

Edited By DMB on 04/12/2022 22:47:39

Edited By DMB on 04/12/2022 22:52:11

Edited By DMB on 04/12/2022 22:55:19

Google says there are 3 railway stations in "Arrergate"!

Dodgy website.

No admission prices.

I wont bother

If H. Xbn. had been advertised in ME in a proper fashion as previously, I would have been only to willing to purchase a ticket and book hotel accommodation. In the weird goings on in previous posts here, I feel put off and consider it not worth effort or expense of travelling up from Brighton. Here's one potential customer who will be choosing another weekend venue like Didcot, Swindon museum, Mid Hants Rly or the like.

John

Hi Chris,

GWR Standard brake layout, so worst comes to worst, find any old preserved GWR loco to see how it's done. I'm sure that other designs of GWR locos published in ME in days gone by, will have shown the brake layout. Sorry can't be of much further help

John

Hopper,

Whilst I agree with your last post, have another look at the photos. Both tracks appear to be buggered!

John

Small tubular heater on back of Myford drip tray set to thermostat and timer for on after sunset and off after sunrise. Lathe s plastic cover traps most heat. Mill also covered with plastic and ultra low wattage heater on 24/7. Heat escapes from both Sources and keeps well insulated workshop comfortable. Fly in ointment: darn cold making 'leap' from warm house to warm workshop. Gave up smoking 30+ years ago. Dont drink much and not at all if using machinery. No seating - standing room only. So, warm and keep happy by making something. Need to eat and calls of nature unwelcome interruptions.

John

Recently, a fellow club member said he couldn't fathom out how to wire up a 2 button on/ off switch box for a machine. His expertise lies in mechanical engineering, not electrical.

These black and yellow plastic boxes are sold in the UK with a circuit diagram. The much cheaper far east version is identical but no circuit diagram is supplied and the inner black terminal block appears to have different internal connections so UK version circuit diagrams don't work.

The 3 button boxes that have a red mushroom head emergency stop, have a second smaller black terminal block inside, for the emergency stop. Instead of the live mains feed being connected to a certain terminal on the two button block, the same terminal is fed from the output of the smaller emergency block. The input of the smaller block is fed from the live mains wire. It can therefore be seen that the emergency button is connected between the live mains and the larger 2 button on/off switch block.

HTH anyone with the same problem.

John

Kevin and others,

Many years ago, I saw a number of various items being unpacked by fellow soldiers and noticed how very well packed. Sealed in thick polythene, as I recall. I think some sort of brown rust proofing paper was also used. Metal items stored for months came out bright and shiny as the day that they were packed. After half a century, it's a little difficult to recall exact methods and materials were used. I have since packed away little used tools wrapped in Vapour Phase Inhibitor paper from one of our suppliers. Works perfectly, but the items concerned also have the benefit of a dry warm atmosphere in the CH house. Things that I'm referring to, are e.g.,  Myford equipment rarely used like a vertical slide, taper turning attachment, the multi -station carriage stop. Other, non - Myford items as well. Glass bottles of steel screws, nuts and bolts, nails, all have a slip of VPI paper included, even though stored in the house. Cardboard box of silver steel is lined with VPI paper.

Don't store any ferrous items in contact with cardboard. If it gets damp and especially if the cardboard was made using Thames water, it will rust, even if items were chrome plated. This happened to a company who kept their stock in an unheated brick built store. I keep  small pieces of steel stock in a plastic box with VPI paper. Only non -ferrous kept in a tin plated steel container and with no VPI paper, as I also found it went green - verdigrease?? 

Edited By DMB on 21/11/2022 17:14:11

Edited By DMB on 21/11/2022 17:15:40

Prof Hugel's book is still available to SMEE members only.

John

Funnily enough, I bought an Iron base casting for a GHT rear toolpost and drawing included some considerable time ago and recently made a start on that project, partly because of the need for something to write about in the club newsletter and partly for convenience, rather than keep messing about getting parting tool aligned in the front QCTP. Included with my Reeves order, were the 2 castings for the multi station tailstock Turret, also included drawing. Not touched them yet. I notice that project is available elsewhere, completely made up with what looks like a ground finish and for what I thought was a good price, given the amount of work involved. A now deceased club member once said I could spend my life making tools to make other tools and never get around to what you really want to make.

I suggest that Reeves along with all of the other ME suppliers have had it good for quite a number of years with ever increasing retiring baby boomers taking up the hobby or devoting more time and money to it. Firstly, they may have bought say a1" micrometer and an engineers square, a rigid steel rule, scriber and a an engineers bench vise. Then a set of drawings and castings. Secondly, all those tools will outlive their owner, so only bought once. HSS lathe bits last a long time. When that set of castings and all the other pieces of various metals have been turned into a model, neither another set of identical drawings or castings are needed. Tools will last and last, dont buy them every week like food supplies. Now we have a really awful price problem and inflation. Demography is now also taking effect with many baby boomers having finished their last model and if still alive, downsizing, flogging off that lathe, mill, etc. Huge costs of large premises, heat, light, staff wages, employers contribution to Nat. Insurance, all add to the commercial pressures. All the foregoing feeds into suppliers reduced sales and affects their rate of stock turn meaning that their bean counters say dont stock that item anymore. That's if the Proprietor hasn't dealt with that first. Don't want to be negative, but the future doesn't look great and is probably typified by one club in Sussex having many young members who appear to want to be (electric)engine drivers and not get their hands dirty with other members steamers. Now very few (older)  members bringing their steam locos to the track. Almost non of the youngsters are building anything, just buying already built electric. Things are changing, dramatically.

Edited By DMB on 09/11/2022 19:35:11

Hi Gray,

Dont forget the Bison in Kent!

John

I currently have an internet only supplier, so landline dead, no dodgy calls!

Genuine callers know my mob no and my email addresses.

System works fine for me but I'm always roamin', looking for a better deal.

Whew! I purchased a full 4 plate Myford unit many years ago for a lot less dosh and it came with the previous owners home made extra disc in brass, 28 holes, 1 ring. Wonder if there is a clock making connection? Thinking 28 days, February.

John