Member postings for Simon Collier

When I started I bought mine by the box. Twelve years on a couple of the boxes are almost empty so it wasn't an extravagance at all. M4 mostly plus some M3 and M5, cap heads and countersunks.

This is a superheater for my G1 Eric made from a bit of 4 mm tube scrounged from a dead coffee machine. Stainless but no idea what grade, but good enough for the temperatures and pressures of an espresso machine. The inside radius is about 7/8". When I bend small tube I make a groove as wide as the diameter- a close fit- in a bit of bar with a parting tool, as deep as the diameter. I anneal the tube and bend. It can't flatten as it is constrained by the groove walls. Roundhouse use 1/8" stainless superheaters in their locos and kits.

I had the same problem and research pointed to fuel tank sealant kit. I bought it but have not yet done the job.

I have 3 R and one L hand. Makes me wonder why so many seem wedded to tipped tools.

G'day Mark,

I have a Hercus ARL. Happily, it is in excellent condition. There are some photos in my albums of dismantling the spindle to change the belt, and a T- slotted cross slide I fitted which was machined from a casting bought from the USA. It is a lovely little lathe.

My experience is the same as Pete’s. Wrong geometry and coarse finish. I consider it a failure. It is not Sealey branded.

It is traditional to use ME threads and BSB threads on boiler bushes. Typically I use 1/2 -26, 3/8 -32, 5/16 -32, 1/4 -40 and 3/16 -40. Bigger threads such as 9/16, 3/4 would be 26 also. Taper threads are not necessary, but ultimately you can use whatever you wish within reason.

I once heard that there are 10 to the 80 electrons in the universe. For anyone interested in quantum mechanics and general relativity, there is a series of YouTube videos called PBS Space Time and also lectures at the Royal Institution. Absolutely fascinating.

I used the threaded holes in the chuck body to fit studs and bolted it to the RT using round nuts with radial tommy bar holes to bolt to the slots. Clocked the chuck true and tightened. I have a 6" RT for non- chuck use.

Not so easy the way he did it. He made jigs for each ring size which both pegged them open and clamped them flat while heating to, I think 600, for a defined period.

These articles by Alan Beasley and John Dickinson describe very different methods. The former turns to size, breaks, pegs open and heat treats. The latter turns to slightly over size, cuts through, squeezes together and clamps, and turns to size; no heat treatment. Both are rings for steam engines, not i.c. engines. I would be very interested in opinions and comments on these different methods, especially from experienced builders. I need to make rings for "Doncaster" which has 1.75" pistons.

Yes, I read about that or perhaps it was on YouTube. Hair raising stuff and I am not a welder anyway. The races must be quality steel as, despite all the violence, the old ones look perfect with not a mark on them. Infuriatingly, the book says, " tap them out......"

I think this book is essential

https://www.teepublishing.co.uk/books/operation-valve-gears-injectors/miniature-injectors-inside-and-out/

Good choice, Juliet. Have a look for the build series online as I downloaded it from somewhere a couple of years ago. The book for Tich might be helpful too if you can pick up a copy.

I find the modern perversion of the Thomas books very distressing. Anything not written by the Rev should be banned, and heretical books burned.

Even hand made bread, properly shaped, will invariably (almost) end up asymmetrical. You might check the lid seal to see if anything is jacking it open a little at one end. Make sure water is not too warm and killing the yeast. Have the machine in a draft free place. Mine is in the laundry and I close the window and door when it is on. It will help to activate the yeast first in say, a couple of tablespoons of warm water, one of flour and perhaps a few grains of sugar. Stir, cover and wait till it froths up. Deduct starter ingredients from the total. I weigh everything including water. I keep yeast in the fridge for ages without any trouble, but I mostly only make pizzas these days.

I have done a lot of beer brewing and baking in the past, and made sourdough as our regular bread for a couple of years. Ultimately, with living cultures, there is a degree of variability you can't control.

Similar operations were used to get the rear cone, rear keyed spacer and rear bearing pushed into place. Bearing preload was a guess, but I had originally measured the space between the adjuster nut and the bearing cover before disassembly, using drill shanks (2.1 mm fitted best), so I used this gap when tightening.

This was all a tremendous, stressful, expensive ($250), distracting PITA. Yes, I now know a lot more about my lathe's headstock assembly, and of course, it was a satisfying achievement finally to succeed. But I wish to God that I had bought the Fenner link belt, which I could have got for about $160 for twice the length I needed.

Pushing the bull wheel on its key and interference up to the stop. Note new belt is on.

Pushing the rear cone in. this spacer was turned to size to the job.

The items needed for the job, not all of which worked, such as the puller.

Edited By Simon Collier on 18/09/2018 11:27:12