Member postings for Clive B

An ultrasonic cleaner helps the derusting solution get into deeply pitted areas by dislodging the crud. It speeds things up significantly. I use Restore rust remover which is probably similar to Evaporust.

If you're a beginner with 2D CAD (like me) then QCAD 2D could suit you well. What I found difficult was finding an affordable 2D package that came with decent tutorials aimed at a beginner. I bought the excellent tutorial book available from QCAD which I worked through in a couple of days and was up and running very quickly. And yes you have to buy the book, but a version of the software is free (see post by SOD).

The emphasis on 3D seems to me to be fine for those with CNC or 3D printers but for many users of manual machine tools I would have thought that 2D is a simpler option?

Clive

If you're going to the time and trouble of making a number of your own cutting tools (like me) then you might as well use a proper quenching oil that's formulated for the purpose. There are a few brands available in small quantiites at reasonable cost. The one I have used is-

Quench oil

At £22 for 5 litres; doubtless you could find a cheaper one. This one doesn't smoke or flame up too much, or smell.

if it's just a one-off I guess there are other options, as detailed in some of the other posts.

Regards,

Clive

Pre-veneered MDF is available cut to size from many suppliers e.g. **LINK** up to at least 26mm thickness.

For the edges you can use iron-on edging or some suppliers will do it for you at extra cost e.g. **LINK**

I'd use a thicker lipping for the edges though.

Clive

If people aren't aware Araldite also supply a range (incl. fast and slow) of epoxies aimed at the professional end of the market under the brand "Araldite 2000". When I was still working I used Araldite 2000 on occasions and was very impressed with its performance which exceeded the normal consumer equivalent by a large margin. However, for dispensing small quantities an applicator gun is required which ensures that the two components are well mixed in the correct proportions. Of course, attention needs to be paid to temperature during curing.

These higher performance adhesives, unsurprisingly, come in a a higher cost. But then the OP said he is in a commercial setting.....

I am sure that other brands manufacture equivalent professional products but I have no experience of these. Having said that I am a happy user of Zap and JB Weld and get adequate results, for my amateur purposes, by mixing two dollops of resin with a spatula.

Clive

Rotagrip supply blank Tee nuts in various sizes at reasonable cost:-

Blank tee nuts

Clive

ATP-641 doesn't "wet" the surface of the (clean) steel all that well and I've found that adding a little drop of iso-propyl alcohol or meths to it helps a lot and provides better, more even coverage. Works for me anyway, although it's not in any of the instructions. Obviously let it dry before placing in the kiln.....

Clive

I have a Wabeco D6000E and before that I had a Warco WM-250. The fit and finish of the Wabeco is significantly better than the Warco and if you can afford a Wabeco you should be happy with it, notwithstanding some of the strangely negative posts that have appeared on this forum. It's a great machine.

The Warco machine was good value for money and performed well. I replaced it because the used Wabeco was available with many accessories for a reasonable price. If you can't afford a Wabeco then buy a Warco or similar clone. Both suppliers offer good backup and spares, but Wabeco spares cost more.

Clive

Jim,

Programming the kiln is actually pretty straightforward but it did get me scratching my head to start with. There are are a couple of youtube videos on the XMTG-7000 controller - XMTG-7000

The supplier sent me some useful tips on programming the unit too. I can email these to you if you don't have them together with the controller manual (unfortunately I can't seem to save pdfs to my album).

Clive

I have one of these small kilns - kiln. it has a stepped temperature controller and works well. The internal dimensions are 7" x 4" x 4", it is quite compact externally and sits out of the way on a top shelf when not in use. Cost about £300 at the time, Not quite as nice as a Paragon SC2 though.

I have used Brownell's ATP-641 anti-scale coating in the kiln with success, but it ain't cheap.

The kiln takes about 40 mins to reach hardening temperature for silver steel/gauge plate, with only a few degrees overshoot and maintains the temperature within 1 deg C for as long as necessary.

It is also useful for stress relief (of materials) and for dissolving the hard carbide inclusions often found in iron castings. The cooling rate can be controlled over many hours.

Often, however, I just use a propane torch for hardening and I can be done in a few minutes with good enough results.

Clive

Bob,

If you're lucky you might find an affordable copy of this book:-

"How to build your own flintlock rifle or pistol" by Georg Lauber, 1976, It contains detailed, dimensioned drawings.

Never tried to make one, but looks like it would be an ambitious project I would say. Usual legal caveats etc.

Clive

Thanks Dave,

Without wishing to go down an off-topic rabbit hole, Google throws up two separate links to different offers from Amazon as well as other options from competitors. A search from within Amazon does indeed provide a vastly overpriced option. Go figure..........

Clive

Curious. In that case, afraid I can't help; I can still see it and there is another used one on offer for £29.99.

Clive

Did you click on the link I provided? It still works for me.

Clive

I dunno where you got £875.99 from (Cold War Hot Science). There's a copy currently selling for £30.13 on Amazon

Perhaps that's still too much?

Clive

Here's one of my favourites:-

Cold War, Hot Science: Applied Research in Britain's Defence Laboratories, 1945-1990 by Robert Bud, Philip Gummett.

A fascinating history of British applied defence research carried out in the UK Govt. research establishments (e.g. RAE Farnborough, RSRE Malvern etc) during the Cold War period.

Clive

If you're based in Kent, try Maidstone Engineering. They cater for hobbyists with a good range of stock and sundries at acceptable prices.

Clive

Hi David, Thanks for your reply. After a little head scratching I'm now happy with the dimensions given in the original camshaft drawing, so that's good and now it's time to cut some more metal.

I mentioned the gears as I couldn't locate a 10T 32DP gear with 0.375" OD as specified. I could only find a 9T gear with this OD and corresponding PCD.

Looking forward to the next update on your build.

Regards,

Clive

Hi David,

I'd be interested to know where you found errors in the drawings. I believe I have found some errors in the camshaft drawing and am redrawing this part in CAD. Also don't buy 10T 32DP gears for parts 151/147 (as I did) without checking the dimensions first.

Regards,

Clive

Hi David,

Looks like you're making good progress. I have almost finished the crankcase on my own Gypsy Mk1 and am about to start on the crankshaft. Please keep the pictures coming.

Clive