Member postings for Samsaranda

Brittany may be relatively pollution free but we in East Sussex are downwind when the prevailing wind is a southwesterly so where is our pollution coming from?

Dave

Pollution is all around us, even those of us who live in rural areas away from the diesel fumes of urban areas still encounter pollution, I live in East Sussex and we are served by electric railways, look at any house or building that is near the railway, the window frames are all tinged dirty brown with the rust from steel particles shed from the action of train wheels on the rails and their use of disc brakes. There is no escaping pollution, it is all around us, is inhaling sulphur particles more dangerous than microscopic steel particles?

Dave

Is the blade rotating in the correct direction? Surprising how easy to make that mistake, don't ask how I know.

Dave

Recently purchased an RDG quick change toolpost which is made to fit Myford , fitted it to my Warco BV 20 lathe, not strait forward as the mounting hole is 11.2 MM and needed to fit 12 MM on my lathe, to cut a long story short removing the 0.8 MM from the mounting location was a challenge as the mounting block is hardened ground alloy steel. Objective was achieved and the toolpost fits on my lathe a treat, to say I am pleased with it is an understatement, what a joy to use, all my 12 MM tooling fits the tool holders. I would endorse the RDG product and as usual no connection with company only a very satisfied customer.

Dave

My wife had a cochlear implant fitted nine years ago and recently had the external processor changed for an upgraded model which has the Bluetooth facility, not yet tried it but she is looking forward to listening to TV via Bluetooth when we have sourced an appropriate unit to connect to the TV. Wasn't aware that the cochlear implants were researched in NZ, the major companies that produce them now appear to be French and American.

Dave

I have a Warco lathe and ten years ago I purchased the dedicated bench that was made for it, the one that comes in three sections that bolt together, it was a pain to store anything in and I would suffer chronic back pain after any extended period of lathe work. I decided to bite the bullet and scrap it and mount the lathe on a bench, I trawled the net and found that Axminister were selling a really sturdy workbench with four steel drawers on one side and two steel shelves to the other side. I mounted the lathe on the very thick substantial ply top and since then no backache, the lathe is now much higher and easier to use. The bench is far more stable than the flimsy bench obtained with the lathe from Warco, I would certainly recommend researching ready built benches with built in drawers and shelves, they are so much easier to use and depending where purchased you don't need a second mortgage to purchase them, so pleased with mine I bought a second one for my small mill. Not sure if Axminster still sell the benches that I bought but they were certainly available at other outlets, the only downside was they came as a kit of parts and you definitely need to clear your mind before you attempt to assemble them!!!

Dave

Ian S C, New Zealand does build some cracking aeroplanes as witnessed by the articles featured in recent Aeroplane and Fly Past magazines, I refer to the Mosquito other recent projects. Keep em coming.

Dave

As stated different functions apply to faceplate and four jaw chucks. I am fortunate to have a four jaw independent, four jaw self centring and a faceplate as well as a three jaw self centring. Use the chucks far more frequently than the faceplate but there are jobs which you can only do with a faceplate, so I would say keep your options open and try to acquire both, a faceplate is usually substantially cheaper than a chuck so not a huge outlay required.

Dave

I can understand the reluctance to rely on electronic boards to control a lathe, when I bought my lathe ten years ago I tossed up which to get , electronic or gear head, I chose what I think was the only gear head lathe in the small lathe bracket, at that time, a Warco BV20. At the time there was a lot of discussion about the reliability of the electronic boards fitted to small lathes, now the boards appear to be far more reliable and therefore much less of an issue. My BV 20 lathe was a good choice, mechanically it has been very good, doing all the tasks that I have asked of it, I have taken some ferocious cuts with it when trying to avoid work hardening with stainless alloys, my only long standing criticism is the noise from the gear head, the gears are made to a price, the lathe was inexpensive and you cannot expect hardened ground gears in a budget machine. The only breakdown that I have suffered was strangely enough electrical, the NVR switch decided to expire, simple enough to fit a replacement. Knowing what I have learnt from my experience of a smallish Chinese lathe I wouldn't hesitate to buy another, although I do hanker after a Harrison or Boxford, pre owned of course, it is but a pipe dream as the financial controller would never sanction it.

Dave

Hi John, thanks for the tip of using Turmeric in Rustins Metal Lacquer it should give it a nice antiqued look.

Neil I have found that there are many sources for Acetone, it is even available online from Amazon, just to digress it's quite frightening what chemicals are available by mail order particularly from EBay, such substances as 98% Sulphuric Acid, I haven't found Hydroflouric Acid yet but it is probably available somewhere on line and that would be really scary in the light of the current fashion of criminal activity in our major cities.

Dave

Old iron, many thanks for your input, just what I was looking for, someone who has done exactly what I propose doing. So it looks like Acetone is the first solvent to try and then when repolished I will obtain some Rustins Metal Lacquer and give that a go, wish me luck.

Dave

Hi Ian, yes appears similar but the face on yours is much more readable than mine, the silvering on the face of mine is very tarnished and will need some restoration to render it legible. I am still of the opinion that the brass outer case does ned to be stripped and repolished then re-lacquered, it all depends how easily the old lacquer is to remove.

Dave

Hi John, thanks for the dragon's blood references, plenty to choose from but I think I will give mercury sulfide a miss, a bit too toxic methinks.

Dave

Hi All, have managed to transfer photos of the barometer to my albums folder so at least image is available, not yet mastered how to include it on a posting, will get there eventually.

Dave

Thanks all for your inputs, the item I will be restoring is fairly old, I think latter part of the 19th century so unsure about type of lacquer, possibly Dragon's Blood as suggested by Clive. I think that I will try various solvents first, perhaps cellulose thinners, acetone and possibly synthetic thinners but on an area on the back of the case which is always against the wall and therefore if I really screw it up then it will be hidden. Yes Clive it is circular so will be able to be rotated on the lathe if necessary, although I will need to fixture it because larger diameter than my chucks. I will post a photo of the barometer if I can master how to post photos on this website. Once the case is sorted I need to focus on the dial, it appears to be silvered, but is very tarnished, so maybe just needs a careful clean to remove the tarnish then treat with lacquer. In respect of lacquer I have had some success with the spray cans of lacquer that are used by car paint systems, the final topcoat of lacquer applied after paint has been applied, have used the Halfords brand in the past but mainly on wood, works well on oak, gives a nice durable finish, so maybe trial on the rear of the case to see how it comes up.

Dave

Hi Muzzer, bought mine from the Ironmongery Direct website, plenty of Euro lock compatible versions to choose from, good website to deal with, prompt despatch of goods. I have no association with the company other than a very satisfied customer.

Dave

Thanks Pete, obvious really, I must engage my brain more often, any suggestions for a brand of lacquer to recoat with that will give a good durable finish.

Dave

I am planning to refurbish an Antique Aneroid Barometer which is contained in a polished brass case. The case is lacquered but the lacquer is worn through in places and needs to be redone. What is the best media to remove the lacquer without damaging the brass and then what lacquer would be suitable to recoat it with? Any useful info gratefully received.

Dave

Muzzer we live in a marine type of environment on the Sussex coast and had powder coated door handles on our exterior doors, no better than the plated monkey metal versions. Had to bite the bullet and replaced them with stainless versions and so far still pristine.

Dave

If the round head screws are slot less and going into a blind hole, Phil h states no acces at the back, how are the screws driven into a tapped hole?

Dave