Member postings for oilcan

one advantage of being a lefty - I use a file a lot to break sharp corners when turning. with the handle in the left hand and the tip in the right you are not reaching over the chuck which you would have to do if you are a righty. did once try filing in the vice right handed, but it just feels all wrong.

very ingenious! i would never of thought of that in a month of Sundays!

I believe Christmas cards were originally invented to avoid having to write the same seasonal letter to people who you didn't see throughout the year. Now they are handed out to people you see on a daily basis. I am always bemuse when visiting friends to see such cards as 'to my dearest wife...' or 'to my darling husband...' You live in the same house why do you need to exchange cards!!! just wish each other a Merry Christmas and be done with it. 'Bah Humbug' moment over, Scrooge will now retire to his shed...

Another useful book that might be worth tracking down is 'A Manual of Machine Drawing and Design' by Low & Bevis. Perhaps not as good as MacGibbon's as it appears to be smaller in format, but it does contain fully dimensioned drawings of the components for a triple expansion engine HP 8", MP 13" & LP 21", with Bremme valve gear. The edition I have is 1906 but I doubt if it changed over the years. In the Model Engineer No. 3660 3rd. July 1981 there is a cutaway perspective drawing of the engine. It was done as a drawing exercise, in, I assume, the old fashioned way. it would make an interesting 3D CAD modelling exercise, but one that would definitely cause my brain to overheat!

One deserving of a mention is the 1/30 scale horizontal Corliss engine of Jerry Kieffer of the US. Deceptively simple looking, until you realise that everything is scale, including the 1/4 diameter bolts on the original. How you go about making taps and dies to produce a 0.009" diameter functional bolt I have no idea!

Clem Tomlinson's Deltic Engine deserves a mention. i would love to see it close up.

Plus one for the engines of Commander Barker. I always made a point of visiting the Merseyside Maritime Museum to view them, but I believe they are no longer on display. Even more impressive when you realise they were made with treadle operated machinery.

i know this isn't strictly related to the main topic and a bit late but for those interested in the Clifton suspension bridge there is a very good lecture on YouTube by Julia Elton titled 'who designed the Clifton suspension bridge: facts and fiction'

perhaps not the answer you want, but if you can wait until the shows restart, you should be able to buy individual pieces from one of the traders. I've bought some small step blocks and strap clamps (6mm) individually that way. Unfortunately no idea which of the traders it was. I just look at the goodys on display and hand over the cash!

isn't the number system in the french language base 20? I wonder if counting sheep is the reason. I believe in England medieval shepherds would have said 'a pimp plus a dick made a bumfit' - no sniggering at the back, it just means 5 + 10 = 15. they had different names for numbers between 1 and 20.

well, the post made me smile.
I remember reading an article many years ago - in a cycling magazine of all places - were the author questioned the wisdom of the car hating lobby as to what would replace all the lost tax revenue as well as the millions of jobs connected to the car trade, if the car was abolished.
but I am afraid the pedant in me has to point out that if a cyclist is paying tax in any form then he is actually paying for the upkeep of the road system.

funnily enough, when I wear my peaked cycling cap, I always think it makes me 5% smarter.......although I always have the feeling most car drivers think the opposite!

I've always worn nitrile gloves when in the 'cave.' For no other reason than the pleasure of taking them off last thing and having a clean pair of hands. No more getting shouted at for leaving oily fingerprints on the door handle when I re-enter the house. Occasionally on the milling machine, I will double glove with a pair of those tight fitting rubber faced gloves. Stops any swarf penetrating, and it doesn't matter if they get oily because of the nitrile gloves. The nitrile gloves really are that thin they will tear very easily. For polishing with emery on the lathe, I have a selection of different cross sections of dowel with various grades of wet and dry glued to them, and use them as you would a file on the lathe. Being left handed, their use is quite natural.

since I've run out of gloves, and haven't replaced them yet, I can't help notice just how much of a dirt magnet my hands are!

The first post on the site, 'Clarification request please', explains the 25 year rule that John Haine refers to. It's more complicated than you think.

Peter

You could try asking the question on the website copyrightaid.co.uk.

Peter

Been going to the Lakes for over 40 years. The fells might be feeling steeper, but fortunately I can still manage a good few pints of Sneck Lifter. I suppose when the day comes, I can always drop down to Jennings Bitter. I think that would qualify as one of Rod's great tasting 3.5 percenters

I wonder what type of gear box it will use? Didn't some Scottish engineers design an hydraulic system that can effectively increase the output by 50% over a standard one some time ago?

Still prefer nuclear power to wind tho. More compact and reliable.

or you could try the alternative route of wearing gloves. I like the nitrile disposable ones . I usually get a couple of days use out of a pair before they rip. Some talcum powder on the hands usually helps when refitting them. You can pick up a box from one of the stalls at the shows.

Don't get the cheaper latex type. I find they wrap themselves round the lathe handles in use!

Hi Simon,

I've only ever used a Proxxon (mains voltage model). Can't fault it. the reason I chose the Proxxon over the Dremel was the Proxxon had a machined collar whereas the Dremel hasn't. the machined collar makes it easier to design holders for it. think tool post holders etc.

Peter

I always try to wear nitrile disposable gloves in the workshop. Not perfect, they do tear, but with the use of talcum powder to put them on I can get a few uses out of one pair. If you do go this route, don't try to save money by getting latex ones. The first time you turn the cross slide handle they'll just wind themselves around it.

Quote from Andy B

noms de plume (hell I'm English - Pen Names!)

only slightly drifting off topic, but isn't 'noms de plume' a purely english expression anyway?

the French actualy don't use it.? I'm sure there is some posh linguistic word describing the invention of an expression by one language using words from another but can't recall it.

peter

I found the site quite interesting. Piqued my interest enough that i'll probably buy one of the books from the further reading list. Thank you for posting the link.

peter