Member postings for JonBerk

Thanks fot the information and the offer from Martin..

Having looked at the prices for some of these inserts and the fact I have enough HSS to outlast me, I think I'll continue to use HSS tools.

Thanks again

Jon

The majority of my lathe tools are HSS so I don't have much experience with inserts.

I do have two inserts which are in the photo below, mostly used on aluminium. As can be seen, they are damaged and I would like to replace them. The only problem is I can't identify them from among all the illustrations on the web.

I would be grateful if somebody could identify them and also confirm that they are suitable for turning aluminium and free cutting steel.

Thanks

Jon

Thanks for all the answers.

I now have a better understanding of the subject.

As I said, this forum is the font of all knowledge!

Take care

Jon

As this forum is normally the font of all wisdom I wondered if someone can answer this non engineering question.

A friend who lives in New Zealand mentioned that the power transmitted by the electricity interconnector between Picton in the South Island and Wellington in the North Island was DC current. The power arrives at Picton as AC current, is converted to DC, transmitted to Wellington and then converted back to AC.

Recently I read about the Viking Link Interconnector http://viking-link.com/your-questions/ which states that high voltage DC is an efficient method of transmitting electricity.

With the power losses associated with converting the current twice, what are the other factors that make this an efficient system compared with transmitting AC current?

Thanks

Jon

If you can get hold of a copy of the May 2020 edition of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club's 'Vintage & Classic Motor Cycle' magazine you will find an article about Laser Welding. This appears to be a process which will solve your problems without causing further complications.

The article does say that it is expensive but worthwhile as result is like finding unobtainium!

The link to the welder in the magazine is http://www.e-m-p.biz/

One thing I would strongly advise against is using any form of adhesive as you will be asking a glue to have the same tensile strength as cast iron. If you use adhesive and it doesn't work you will have the devil of a job to remove it ready for any welding.

Good luck

Jon

Thanks for the comments.

The Cobalt and Locksmiths drills sound interesting. I'll look into getting a small set of one or the other to insure I don't have to this sort of thing again!

Thanks again.

The other day the bulb on the security floodlight blew.

I thought ‘no problem I’ve got a spare’, so up the ladder and attempt to remove the screw which holds the front of the light on.

No luck with a screwdriver because the body of the light is aluminium while the screw is steel and the two have grown together. Even a couple of days of soaking with Plus Gas had no effect.

So the next idea was to drill out the screw. The screw was hard so the HSS drill was being blunted with very little progress being made. In the end I ground a 5mm masonry drill to be reasonably sharp and that drilled out the head of the screw. The end result was not entirely satisfactory as I couldn’t drill out the threaded part of the screw.

I have done this type of thing before but would like to have a ‘less crude’ way of drilling hard steel.

As I have, over the years, inherited several hundred HSS twist drills I have never bothered to look into TiN coated twist drills which give the impression that they would solve this problem.

I would be interested to hear other peoples experience of TiN coated drills and whether they would be able to cope with a similar job.

Thanks

Jon

Has anybody successfully sharpened a Spotting Drill and if so how did they do it?

I have tried, using a Picador grinding jig, and although I set the angle correctly the resultant shape was not as good as the original.

Thanks

Jon

Edited By JonBerk on 01/10/2019 20:39:58

Thanks for all the responses.

I've no experience of 'commercial' auction houses. They appear to be worth investigating further as I understand the owner is not in the best of health.

As to where they are, suffice to say they are many miles from me. If they were nearer I might have offered practical help.

Thanks again

Jon

A friend has an elderly friend who owns a metal fabrication business. The owner has retired and wishes to dispose of the contents of the workshop. The workshop contents are in good condition and is good quality commercial equipment that includes a substantial lathe, a mill, bench grinder, polishing machine, rotary tables, dividing heads, numerous drills and milling cutters in roll cabinets, pipe benders, motoliner, hydraulic press. The majority of the equipment is imperial.

Disposing via e-bay or similar is not really an option as the owner is not computer literate.

My suggestion would be to approach the workshop clearance companies that advertise in MEW and elsewhere, but I have no experience of them.

Has anybody used any of these companies and with what results?

Thanks

Jon

Some 60 years ago my Father and I built a Stuart Turner 10H engine and ran it from a Stuart Turner 500 Babcock boiler, To fire the boiler we made a very crude spirit burner.

It is about thirty years since I last had it running and I would like to run it again. The engine and boiler have been carefully packed away and the engine spins over freely.

To replace that crude design I intend to make a new burner. Apart from the threads about spirit burners on this site I have looked at **LINK** which have given me ideas on how to construct a burner. I have also looked at **LINK** which has an interesting idea for a wick.

What I haven't been able to find is how to calculate the size of the burner(s) and how much spirit is burnt in a given period.

Can anybody give me pointers to how to size the burner and the reservoir to give a running time of, say, 15 minutes.

Another question relates to Meths; from what I have read shop bought meths is unreliable. I do have some 99% pure industrial alcohol which is highly flammable. Has anybody have experience of using alcohol as fuel?

Thanks for any help.

Jon

Hello Frank

If you have the time, trawl through the Photos section of the Yahoo Centec Forum and you will find several examples of home made raising blocks. Find it here https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/centec_milling_machines/info

The Centec Forum seems to have died since Yahoo made changes a year or so ago but the photos and other files are still there. It was/is a good resource for Centec info.

Good luck

Jon

I have an early Burnerd 3 inch lever scroll three jaw self centring chuck which I want to make a mount for so I can use it on my lathe. It is earlier than a Model 33 Lever Scroll Chuck for which I have a drawing. It is possibly a clock makers chuck.

To make the mount I would like to take the chuck apart so that I can transfer the positions of the mounting screw holes to the new mount.

I have had it apart in the past when I serviced it, but cannot remember how I did it. I don’t want to apply too much force, so can anybody assist in reminding me how to dismantle the chuck please.

Thanks

Jon

Neil

This is another bit of software that somebody has sold the NHS.

We have reguarly received these calls due to a series of ongoing appointments with the NHS. This system is not universal, I don't get them but my wife does!

It is important to listen to the message as at some point you will be asked to press a number to confirm you are going to attend the appointment.

Problems can occur if you speak to a real live person to change your appointment and they don't update the appointment system.

Jon

Here is my wiring diagram. It is a long time since I looked at it, so first of all is a warning, check out your switch with a meter before using this diagram.

Without the switch in front of me I'm going by my, unreliable, memory.

First off you need a box to put the switch in - Maplins do a range of plastic boxes which can be modified to suit. Get one that is deep enough to take the switch and the Terminal Block. The Terminal Block is just a piece of chocolate block connector. You will need some four wire cable going to the motor, preferably armoured if the motor is exposed.

If I remember, the switch came with wires connected, but all the wires were coloured black! The numbers in circles are the numbers on the terminals on the back of the switch. There seems to be some duplicates but why I can't tell you.

I've written in Biro on the diagram but I can't remember why, it looks like they may be wires from the NVR.

Good luck!

Jon

I've replaced two Dewhurst switches on my lathe and my mill with this item on ebay. 292412206423.

This is a replacement switch sold by Chester.

It has stop and start switches and a reversing switch and includes an NVR function.

I did these changes several years ago and they have worked with no trouble. I bought them from Chester as they were the only supplier with a switch that did all the functions I wanted.

The only thing was they didn't come with a wiring diagram so caused a bit of head scratching. I still have my wiring diagram, somewhere, if it is needed.

For your safety it is certainly worth putting an NVR switch in even if you keep the Dewhurst.

My home made power feed uses a 12 volt car seat motor which has plenty of torque but is too slow. It runs at 43 rpm which translates to a feed of 4 inches / 110mm a minute so I don't need a speed control. It does produce a a very good finish and as a friend said to me 'at least with a slow speed you can take deeper cuts'! I did build in a dog clutch so I can disengage the motor when I want manual operation.

I intend to change the motor to one something like this one on e-bay 272239799531, when I've got time!

Maintaining the torque when reducing the speed shouldn't be a problem if a PWM (Pulse Width Modulator) is used as the speed controller.

All BSW and BSF threads have a thread angle of 55deg. BSC threads should have a thread angle of 60deg. BA threads have a thread angle of 47.5deg. BSB threads have a thread angle of 55deg.

Most of the threads on a pre 1968/69 BSA/Triumph machines will be BSW or BSF with some BSC and some BA sizes which were mostly on the electrics and handlebar fittings. After that time you can get UNF/UNC, BSW/BSF, BSC and BA as original fitment on the same machine. No wonder the industry went to the dogs!

As you've probably found out the Whitworth spanner sizes stamped on the spanner no longer relate to the thread sizes of the bolt/nut. This is because during WWII, to reduce the amount of material used to make nuts and bolts, the hexagon sizes were reduced by one size. In other words a 5/16 Whit. spanner size is used to tighten a 3/8 bolt/nut. The original hexagon sizes were calculated so that the length of the spanner used would supply the correct amount of torque for the thread size. UNF/UNC spanner sizes have no relation to Whitworth spanner sizes apart from chance matching of some sizes.

I think this link will give you all the info you are likely to need on thread profiles **LINK**

Edited By JonBerk on 21/11/2015 22:45:30

I've asked this question before elsewhere and had a couple of answers but I still feel there must be more information out there.

I have several threading dies that I inherited that are not split, but they should be.

The 'new old stock' un-split die I've just started using is a 1/4" BSF but I do have other sizes. It works OK, but being able to adjust it could be useful.

They are 'normal' HSS round dies with dimples on the circumference where the die-holder adjusting screws fit and vee slots where they should have been split for the spreading screw.

I have an instruction from the manufacturer stating that the die should be split before use. No instructions were given on how to actually split the die and I'm reluctant to give it a whack with a cold chisel or similar. Other split dies I own have obviously been split after manufacture and not by cutting a slot but by splitting them.

Although I could split the die with a Dremel or a 1mm angle grinder blade, I would like to know how it was done properly.

Does anybody know how this was done?

Thanks in advance.

John

As usual, John is right; the only way to go if I was continue with the aluminium lever would be to turn the existing lever into a splined bush to be inserted in the lever.

Because of how close the gearchange shaft is to the kick start shaft and where the clamp bolt is the aluminium lever idea is not going to work.

I will have to weld the splined boss of the existing lever to a fabricated steel lever.

Thanks for all the suggestions - they made me think a bit deeper about how to proceed.

John H