Member postings for Dave Wootton

Well done, that's an amazing piece of craftsmanship,pleasure to see it, please keep us posted on any of your future projects.

Quite an array of different skills demonstrated there.

Dave

Looks like it may have been torpedoed!.

In defence of the GHT toolpost , it is designed for a relatively light lathe, and the ML7 version has three point fixing to the rear of the cross slide. I used mine for many years on an ML7 with great satisfaction. Not sure if I made one now if I would use two parting blades as the original design, I found most of the time the thicker of the two was used. I have made a slightly larger version for my 254+ from bar stock and used an Arc tipped parting tool, this does save the slightly awkward angled milling operation on the turret, there is only a slot to mill.

I've made many of GHT's tools over the years, and bearing in mind the fact they were designed for the smaller machines available at the time of their publication, they have all worked very well and earned their keep. These were written in the 1970's for the average model engineer. When most home workshops only contained a lathe of Myford size and milling machines were a rarity.

Dave

Probably not what you are after but the Geo Thomas rear toolpost with an extended base casting are entirely machineable on the ML7 with a vertical slide, I think Reeves still sell the correct casting. Full instructions are in GHT's invaluable book, along with much else. I made one on just a ML7 years ago and found it excellent.

The small parting toolholders in the book are great little tools too.

Dave

There's currently a Durham T.E part finished for sale on the Station Road Steam website under projects, a lot more done but might give a hint to value. Looking at the engine on there it looks like Jason is correct in his identification.

Dave

That engine room is absolutely stunning, this is the best thread for ages, a reminder of some of the fantastic models that have been seen at exhibitions over the years, and an opportunity to find out about some other masterpieces.

And not a moan in sight..........

Keep them coming.

Dave

There's a few I can think of

Barrie Hares Merlin engine, absolutely superb. Even a locomotive enthusiast like me loved it.

Dennis Evans Capriotti valve geared Duke of Gloucester in 3 1/2" gauge

Dr Bradbury Winters LB&SCR Como , a wonder today and even more so in its time of construction.

Chris Vines B1 , beautifully built and painted and it goes well too.

I look forward to other suggestions, there have been so many superb models over the years.

Dave

Had posted a suggestion for JB cutting tools, but on checking the website is unavailable, seems like they may have retired.

Dave

Edited By Dave Wootton on 15/08/2022 16:57:21

Hopefully a couple of pictures attached one is of the tender body mentioned above, cleaned with the Mirka abrasive, not yet to a painting standard but so as I could solder it all together. there is a piece of the brass sheet used behind to show the level of oxidisation, which was removed surprisingly easily.

The other shows my much neglected Simplex, painted with etch primer and followed by red oxide and black topcoat, both car aerosol cellulose, the paint has worn very badly, just wiped over with an oily and gritty rag after running, but the paint has not flaked or lost its hold on the brass underneath. As Clive says above it was just abraded with scotchbrite and thoroughly degreased. It's been on there over thirty years and was fairly thin coats applied in a hurry as I wanted to play with it!.

Edited By Dave Wootton on 14/08/2022 13:20:19

Edited By Dave Wootton on 14/08/2022 13:22:08

I used 3M scotchbrite pads to prepare the brass on my simplex before priming with PP etch primer, its been on thirty plus years and although the paint has suffered a lot of wear, none of it has peeled or fallen off. At that time the Upol spray primer was not readily available, but I've since found it excellent.

I've recently tried Mirka handy strips for brass preparing on a part built tender body I started 47 years ago! this was very tarnished having been left in a damp potting shed. Very impressed with how easily it dealt with the brown coating on the brass, I found the 120 grade followed by 180 seemed to work well, and used a fibreglass pencil for the very fiddly corners. A trial pack of assorted handy strips is available from ebay and amazon, I'm now going to just buy the grades I need.

If you are cosidering getting someone to vapour blast or bead plast parts emphasise the need for caution with fiddly fragile bits like lamp irons, I got an old B-L tender body and cab bead blasted and despite assurances the blaster managed to distort the very thin material slightly, fortunately recoverable. I used to get a lot of motorcycle parts vapour blasted and would estimate something like a tender body in 5" gauge would be around £ 50 -70 slightly less for bead blasting . A set of british motorcycle crankcases cost about £60 two years ago.

I'll try to get a picture of the cleaned up tender body sometime today and post it here, good luck and please let us know how you get on.

Dave

Just seen your reply I've found that firms that advertise for car and motorcycle work are much more accomodating than industrial concerns, i can recommend a couple I have used but they are both in Kent.

Edited By Dave Wootton on 14/08/2022 09:59:03

One of our club members bought a Clarke motor for a roundhead student, i think it was about 1HP, the vibration and noise was absolutely horrendous, exactly as you describe. The motor was returned to Machine Mart, the chap behind the counter admitted they were ok for air compressors and the like but no good for machine tools.

We managed to extract the star point from the original motor and fit a cheap inverter, all was peace and tranquillity!

Might be worth sorting out the original Brooke motor, worth a look inside might just be bearings or centrifugal switch/ capacitor.

Dave

Thank you Dave and Nick, I'll have a look around the internet and see what I can find, If I can't find the Tingey book I will PM you Dave, offer much appreciated.

Itching to make a start on the little lathe but have a couple of jobs to get out of the way first, I did convert it to a milling/drilling machine today and am impressed by what a clever design it is. Hopefully drive belts will be here next week and I'll make a start.

Dave

Really something I did yesterday, went and picked up this little Unimat that was advertised on the homeworkshop site, trip over to Essex to meet Robin who was selling it behalf of the previous owners widow. Had a great chat and a good look around his workshop, picking up a few more good ideas in the process. I've always wanted one of these, there was a hardware shop in our nearest town that sold them and had a display in the window, I must have been around 11 at the time and owning one was completely a non starter, anyway over fifty years later this has come along, in good condition just needing a good clean and service, and I will change the motor suppresion capacitors. Sent for some new belts and looking forward to playing with the little thing, one of those things I didn't really need, but I've just had a significant birthday so treated myself, can even take it indoors on really cold days. There must be lots of accessories to make for these that'll keep me out of mischief!

The motor platform on my version was tensioned both up and down by the adjustment knob behind the headstock, it sounds like some versions may rely on the weight of motor for tension. If yours is like this then Martin seems to have hit the nail on the head. I believe mine was a very early model, came from Air Ministry Cardington according to a brass plate on the base.

There are quite a few subtle differences over the production life of these machines, mine had Neco motors, but have seen another with SEM electrics that was very differently arranged, and another with a combination of SEM and BTH motors /generators. One I saw had a different tailstock casting although the rest of the tailstock was the same. Sorry anorak mode there!

Dave

Hi Andrew

Lathe looks to be in great condition, hope you get used to the "odd" controls, I did find it difficult probably just because I was using conventional machines at work. Perhaps I should have persevered, but after spoiling a couple of things that had a lot of time invested in them I did despair a little, a visitor to the workshop made an offer I couldn't refuse for it.

As regards the belt drive I'm assuming it still has the flat belt drive, can't see from the pictures, if so it is quite critical that the motor shaft and spindle are truly parallel to each other and in line with each other as if viewed from above. It's only the crowning of the pulleys that keep the belt on, the original motor bracket is a substantial affair as the DC drive motors are extremely heavy, so if everything is bolted up tight it should be ok, the plywood spacer looks quite rigid, you may have to experiment with shimming the motor to get the shaft and spindle parallel. I found the original aged leather belt that came with mine prone to slip and replaced it with a new green synthetic one supplied by Tony at Lathes UK it came cut to length and pre scarfed, and has to be joined on the machine using a heat setting glue (supplied). you can hire a heat joining tool but I just used some substantial chunks of heated steel and a digital non contact thermometer and it worked ok.

I got rid of all the old and very heavy motor and dynamo in the base, but don't scrap them the old generator on mine is on the front of a large scale showmans engine now disguised as a vintage generator! Good luck with it, doesn't sound like anything terribly wrong just needs the drive setting up carefully.

Dave

Edited By Dave Wootton on 22/07/2022 07:31:51

Edited By Dave Wootton on 22/07/2022 07:33:27

A friend of mine built the 2" scale fowler A7 from MJ Engineering, the drawings and castings were absolutely excellent and it turned out a lovely engine, his first build. He did however wish he'd buit the 3" version after running it for a while, for the reasons outlined by Jason above. It's a slippery slope he builds 6" scale ones now!

After the excellent castings and accurate drawings he couldn't believe how bad the drawings and castings for his next project a 5" gauge loco!

Dave

Just a heads up I got an email purporting to be from the DVLA telling me that my vehicle was no longer taxed because my debit card payment had failed. This caught me on the hop a little as we bought a new to us vehicle last week and the dealer taxed it online for us. On checking the email it was obviously a scam. it does not state the registration number or any other details. It appears to link to a new tax form and payment option, didn't open it. I did check online with the DVLA website just to make sure and our vehicle is taxed ok.

Theres always someone out to try and rob you!

Dave

As these are all quite a few years old there is a known problem with the suppression capacitor deteriorating, if you look on the Lathes.co.uk website there is a page devoted to the motor capacitor change with diagrams. I had a look ast one of these for someone a while ago and it was doing a similar thing, tripping after about thirty seconds,although the motor did not seem unduly warm after that short time, got a new capacitor as mentioned in the article from Maplins. I know Maplins have gone now but someone must sell an equivalent, the lathe is still working now I believe.

Dave

The replacement capacitor is larger and will not fit in the motor casing, it was put in a small plastic box with a toggle switch to replace the original inline switch.

Edited By Dave Wootton on 18/07/2022 06:17:12

I've made the small GHT boring bar holders and use them very frequently, but why in nearly 50 years in engineering have I never thought of using an old slot drill as a boring bar? ( please don't feel you have to answer that!)

Thanks Tug what a great idea, I'll make some tomorrow before the workshop gets too hot.

Learn something new every day!

Dave

Quite common years ago for steam ports to be cut by drilling and using a small cold chisel to remove the unwanted material, LBSC describes the process several times in various write up's. I've only seen it once on a Molly that we think was built in the 1940's. On this engine the slide valve recess and the flutes in the coupling rods had been cut the same way and a very good job indeed the builder had made of it, better than some I've seen milled!

I think there may be a how to do it in the Titch book by LBSC, certainly in one of his write ups he gives a sketch of a small chisel to make, helpful back in the days of a lathe only equipped workshop where milling facilities were limited.

Dave

Come to think of it , seen a Fayette as well with chisel cut ports, not as neat, but it had still run ok for about fifty years!