Member postings for Nicholas Farr

Hi Simon, IMO it's choices really, I don't really think there is a king at all. I think it's like anything else, that is it's best to shop around. However, you can get a free catalogue from Arc Euro Trade and then shop online with them, click on their ad at the top R/H column.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 17/11/2012 10:39:02

Hi, free cutting steels are weldable, but, in most cases they need heat treatment either before or after welding and in a lot of cases both. The heat treatment depends on the nature of what is being welded and the masses of the sections i.e. a comparatively thin section welded to a big block will in all likelihood need pre and post heating and the temperatures are likely to be a bit critical too.

Heat treatment of this nature is likely to be beyond the scoop of most home workshops, and as Harold suggests, get the best grades for the different jobs whenever possible.

Regards Nick.

Hi, I don't know about insurers will or will not insure ect.

In the event of a fire, any gas cylinders can explode and any unknown gas cylinders should be treated as acetylene cylinders. Acetylene has flammable limits between of 2 to 82 percent of air.

"Acetylene gas under pressure becomes unstable and is regarded as an explosive. Cylinders must never be subject to intense heat or severe physical impact as the rise in temperature and pressure may cause the Acetylene to thermally decompose."

"Despite the decomposition of the gas and the increase in temperature and pressure the cylinder may seem to be in a normal condition. If the cylinder it is moved it may detonate and anyone nearby may be fatally wounded by the blast." (Quotes taken from my notes in my Oxyfuel Gases Safety Awareness course)

There is a 200 meter exclusion zone around any Acetylene gas cylinder for 24 hours in a fire for the very reason of the potential thermal decomposition and detonation of these cylinders.

As far as I'm aware, the fire brigade will not enter a burning building with gas cylinders inside if they cannot be told exactly where the cylinders are located, unless there are persons inside. But other factors will also stop them going in.

Regards Nick.

P.S. Terry's idea about having acetylene (and any other flammable gases) in a lean-to or any other out side ventelated cover and the gas piped into the workshop, is the best and safest way of using these cylinders

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 10/11/2012 13:40:43

Hi John, was it advertised as an engineers chainsaw? Because I reckon it's a fake if it was. It must be about 99 feet to short, and that might be why it's not working properly.

If it is a surveyors one, then it's still about 65 feet to short.

Regards Nick.

Hi Sid, I also have the full access.

Regards Nick.

Hi Chris, if you continue to feel that you are inadequate (and I presume you mean in making models) then the feeling may always be with you. You should continue to do what you can and learn better skills. Often one can make things and gain experience and find a better way of doing the same job by different techniques the next time.

I've been in industry, mostly in maintenance all my working life, and have had to make all kinds of things, very often a copy of what has rusted away or of a replacement part that the company didn't want to pay the high price of a genuine replacement part. With this in mind, I doubt that I will ever achieve the same standard as some of the gold medal winners at the shows, but this does not make me feel inadequate, but I'm still learning.

Model Engineering is classed as a hobby for most people, so you should do what you enjoy doing and not worry about it being in the same league as those that you see in the shows.

Just keep cutting metal and you'll gain more experience and confidence, and who knows you may one day win a gold medal.

Regards Nick.

Hi Ziggar, have you tried The College Engineering Supply **LINK**

Regards Nick

Hi, a cog is a toothed wheel that will engage into a corresponding wheel or rack. Cogs don't generally engage into a chain or chain like mechanism.

The item that is being queried is without doubt a sprocket, whether it has a prefix name or not I don't know, that may be dependent on the manufacturers intended use, i.e. with one or two of the suggestions above it may well be known as a sync sprocket, or a traction sprocket etc.

Sprockets do not mesh or engage with other sprockets, they are usually driving a chain which in turn will drive another sprocket, however, in my previous employment there was a 20ft diameter suction drying table, driven by one sprocket which engaged into a continuous chain which was fixed onto a large tube that was part of the table. ( the chain and sprocket were several times larger than any bicycle chain and sprocket) It is not uncommen for spockets to drive flat plates with holes in them, as in shut off slides in powder, grain or any other granular management systems. It seems clear to me that the sprockets in the YouTube link, are engageing into holes in the box sections, it shouldn't be a to difficult task to achieve, as long as you can do the correct design or know someone else who can.

Regards Nick.

Hi, I also dislike any type of firearms, or any other types weapons that are the subject of conflict. It is however, ironic that they are in fact a most important invention to a lot of peoples lives as well as being fatal to many others. As an example, apart from all the battles and wars that have happened in the distant past, my own life and that of my siblings would in all probability not have happened if not for both of the two world wars. Firstly because if the first world war did not happen, it is unlikely that my mother would have been born, and secondly, if the second world war did not happen my parents would probably not have meet when they did or even maybe not at all. This kind of scenario is likely to be the same for many post war births.

I still would not put any weapons, no matter how sophisticated they are as the greatest invention. The first clock of good accuracy and repeatability must be a contender, as it was likely to be one of the things that have made the logistics of our lives so efficient as it has become.

Regards Nick.

Hi, well I already have a Nick-name (pun intended) I don't have any problem with anyone who likes to choose a nickname, alias, pen name, pet name or whatever. I've been in industry all my working life and have meet many contractors and work mates with various nicknames but didn't know their real name, some of which can't be mention here. We even had a guy in our department for over 25 years and I never knew his real name. Only ever knew him as Tiny, which was a bit ironic, because he was a bit over 6' tall as broad as two average blokes and easily as strong as two if not three, nicest guy you ever could know and had nothing to hide as far as I know. He was only ever referred to as Tiny, even by the management.

Regards Nick.

P.S. Oh and I live in England if thats any help to anyone.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 14/10/2012 18:39:09

Hi Michael, when as a young lad I asked my farther how someone thought how to make machines, he told me that it probably started from simple things, and others thought of ways to improve or adapt and often add other concepts and so end up with a complex piece of kit. So your number 2 point, I believe is correct. In fact very often when at work and a problem arises, descussions take place and a sloution develops which can only be described as a team effort.

Regards Nick.

Hi Terry and Neil, that must have been the mechanism they dubbed the 2000 year old computer on a Horizon programme I watched a couple of weeks or so ago. I think they said it was descoverd in in the first part of the 1900's. The Greeks won't let the remains out of their museum, so a spceial X-ray machine was built and shipped over to take internal images of it.

Regards Nick.

P.S. A chap who was building one (don't know if it was the same person in your link Terry) demonstrated how to mark out odd numbered gear teeth with a pair of divdiders and then file them all by hand, just like the Greeks had to do over 2000 years ago.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 12/10/2012 23:33:12

Hi Terry, Scullery! now thats a word I haven't heard in a long while, we used to have one in the house that I was born in, but alas, no such thing when we moved in the mid 60's, but one less room for mum to clean and keep tidy I suppose.

Regards Nick.

Hi Neil, I'd forgotten about the gas stoves had to be converted. From what I recall all the new burners were delivered a few days before change over day and several places around town had these burn off pipes fitted to the gas main, where they had to burn off the coal gas before the natural gas could be put through. I think I can remember that mum couldn't do any cooking from just after breakfast time untill about tea time in the afternoon.

Yes my mum had a pair of those wooden tongs. It was several years after before she had any kind of spinner though, one of those stand alone things, which you had to add water to your already wet clothes for some reason.

Regards Nick.

Hi Gray, exactly why I think my late mother would have said in your own recent thread, washing machine, sewing machine, vacuum cleaner and of course I should have added her gas stove. Both my parents grew up in times when all the these things you were telling your Grandson were common place, even the first washing machine that my mother had was nothing more than a metal tub with a simple agitator, but the Mangle was hand powered, even thought it was fun when I was old enough to be allowed to wind the Mangle for her.

I suppose the correct answer depends on what time period you live in, you own perspective of life and the values that are most important to oneself and family. After all what really is the next best thing since sliced bread?

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 12/10/2012 22:15:32

Hi I reckon it's the geometry set, so all the clever clogs could draw out the plans for all the inventions that all the other clever clogs could make and give jobs to the tractor drivers, turners, millwrightes, kettle and pizza makers, ect. ect. which then made all the bankers rich so we could have something to moan about.

But a bycycle was better than a first class walk to work. I think my mum (God rest her soul) would have said that the washing machine and sewing machine would have been top of the list. Oh and the vacuum cleaner.

Regards Nick.

Hi Beans, you could try this **LINK**

Regards Nick.

Hi Ashley, I don't know the identity of many traction engines myself, but just to let you know that no photos are showing up on my computer, just red crosses where you have tried to insert them. Don't know if it is the same for everyone.

Regards Nick.

Hi Neil, I had a couple of hours or so in the Science Museum back in July, I did post a few photos in my Science Museum album if you haven't already seen them. I did see the Rocket but there was no sign of the Castle. There are however lots of interesting things to look at including Martin's photo of the Corliss mill engine. There is a replica of the Moon landing craft, a big Robert's lathe c. 1816, some Charles Babbage machines, the list can go on.

Whatever you look at, you should find it interesting and enjoy yourself, even a couple of hours is worth it

Regards Nick.

Hi Gene, I will be going to the Midlands show as I normally do and find it whorth while. IMHO it dosn't quite match up to what it was at Donnington as far as the layout goes, but still think it is worth it. On the plus side I think the outdoor desplays have much more scoop and a better area to show traction engines etc. in operation.

Regards Nick.