Member postings for Clive Hartland

We had a brand new 27.5Kva generator delivered and the man in charge could not wait to start it up.

This genny is air start but of course it had no air in the tank until it had been started. It was started with the attached starting handle and the air pump engaged and then when 600lb was in the tank the engine was switched down. Later it was started up again using the air start motor which made a funny noise but no one took notice. At that point I started a service of the machine and found no oil in the air start motor. Decided to strip it and found one piston with a broken ring so decided to make another as there was no chance of spares.

I found one of those racking base stands and gave it a rub with a file and it seemed soft enough so turned up a new ring and split it and heated it up and then put it on the piston and re-assembled the motor. Remembering to put oil in as well ! Started up again with no funny noise and as far as I know still going strong.

clive

In the afternoon and evening I completed the fitting of the 'Z' axis digital scale to mty X3 mill, attached the cable to the display and switched on and there it was.

Everything worked as it should and I checked the run of the scale against the graduated cursor on the operating handle and it followed exactly the readings on the display.

I need now to exchange the one sent in error and obtain another scale to fit the 'Y' axis.

The workshop is a mess as I have had every thing out doing this job.

Clive

Edited By Clive Hartland on 23/10/2012 09:01:41

Will If you can get a piece of plate glass and use the 1000 abrasive powder and a thin oil and do figure of 8 on it with the surface you want to flatten .

This will give you a matt surface you are looking for, clean with solvent afterwards. The plate will retain the abrasive for later use.

The brazing, hammer flat a small piece of solder and place under the edge of the join and when the flux melts and the job reaches the temperature to melt the solder then it will run and no need to worry about when the flux is exhausted, something I have never had to worry about !

Looking forward to seeing these plans Will, hope youve got it right.

Its action time now and we want to see some results and photos.

Clive

How did they manipulate the wrought iron, a hammer and and anvil ! Every thing has a follow on as with the anvil then the trip hammer and the forge.

The Blacksmith, hence the name Smith etc. Horseshoes were important as were axles and wheel hubs leading to the Wheel Right and then onwards again up the ladder of development.

Clive

I had to laugh as my son and wife were plotting a course in the middle of the Atlantic using a blow up world ballon, she was showing him what a Rhumline was and how it affected navigation.

It is a path that follows the earths curvature as you dont navigate in straight lines.

The middle of the atlantic is full of life, birds and porpoise that came by the boat every morning and we were lucky to see a Right Whale.Flying fish plopped on deck as they were disturbed by the boat, also caught a 10kg Dorado which we ate the same day.

flotsam and wreckage abound as its carried around by the currents, we followed a line of empty wine bottles for ages but never saw the drinker and his boat. The Japanese trawlers were everywhere and a large mother ship.

Clive

With a ship/boat, if you make landfall within 10 miles then you are a good navigator. Having sailed across the Atlantic in a 15Mtr. yacht the first sight of land after three weeks is very moving emotionally and mentally after three weeks on the sea.

We used way points that we used as markers and the daughter in law was a navigator and set these points which we sailed to and then reset to another. The display showed the sillouhette of a yacht sailing down a 3 mile wide channel and as long as we stayed in that channel on the display we arrived at at said waypoint. Navigating on sight of land was then by sight and chart.

Clive

Inertial navigation using the principle of a Gyro and a light beam through an aperture to a reader system, they fitted one to Land Rovers via the speedo cable and it was quite good to about 10 - 20 meters after 20Kms. Used Grid Ref. settings, off OS maps. Set the parameters and drive until both readouts were '0'. You still had to map read anyway to get the best route.

Problems with the drive cables unravelling in their casings due to the small flywheel attached to the drive over running when the vehicle slowed down quickly.

Eventually withdrawn as too 'Iffy' and unreliable mechanically.

Clive

Just in the proces of fitting a 3 axis set to my new mill, total cost was approx £400 but I may have to go back with one of the scales. This an optical system as compared to a mag. tape system at over £590.

I have had to spend time machining the alu. brackets and plates true and square as they look like castings and are not square at all. Also had to machine a couple of extra slots to accomodate positions of existing screws on the mill being used.

Will also have to dismount the slides so that I can drill mounting holes on the rear of the 'Y' axis table base.

This is not a quick job and make sure you have enough M5 screws of the right length for the job. They dont supply those.

Clive

Spent a couple of hours fitting a 'Z' axis reader to the Sieg X3, found that the alu. brackets supplied are not square so spent time milling them true. The brackets not being square cause the bar to bow when the screws are tightened up and make it impossible to measure with a dti running up and down the bar. Left it with just a few 10ths to adjust.

Also modified the handles on the mill, the originals are just M8 threaded screws and are awful to use but now after making plain shank bolts it feels totally different when turning the handles. (details available if anyone interested)

Clive

I have to correct the opening times for the above Pumping Station.

The times of opening are from 11am till 3pm on the FIRST Sat urday of each month and then from June till September it is open every Saturday.

Clive

After a 2 to 3 year closure due to subsidence the Brook pumping statiion in Chatham is re-opening. About three years back the West facing wall and foundations shifted and it was closed to the public. It has now been repaired and is open to the public again on a Tuesday and later in the year on a saturday. I believe entrance is free. The last time I went they started and ran the big gas engine for me, there are other exhibits like pumps and a Road Roller and some winches. The building is situated towards the East end of the Pentagon Car Park which is the best place to visit from.

Clive

Edited By Clive Hartland on 19/10/2012 19:30:32

Edited By Clive Hartland on 19/10/2012 19:30:50

Neil, if you have a moment look in 'My Photos' and you will see a selection of 'Ifanger' boring tools and holders.

These are excellent tools though a bit expensive but are a well thought out system and have never failed me in work.

The split tool holder allows the tool bit to be rotated and moved to suit the depth of bore and the tools themselves are made in a variety of heads to again suit any occasion.

They are relieved so tha they do not foul the bore and they cut quite freely, usual case of come out to clear swarf etc.

Clive

Dave, its the length of time it stays at the red heat that matters and if you have an idea that you will have a size problem then allow for it but I dont think you will.

Perhaps two sessions will give you about 5 to 10thou. depth of hardness. The surfaces will be glass hard and almost untouchable by drills etc. You could perhaps lap out the holes.

I personally have never had size change yet !

Clive

A Dumpy Level is a level that has a bubble in tandem with the telescope,and when levelled over the three footscrews will determine a back to back level around a project. It usually has a circular bubble that allows coarse levelling of the instrument before critical levelling of the tubular bubble.

It is used in conjunction with a surveyors stave and needs two operatives. Accuracy will be about 2.5mm at a 100mtrs.

An Automatic level is quite a sophisticated Level, it has a damped pendulum that has about 15' of swing back to front and sometimes has a flag comes into view to show it is out of level. Again it has a circular bubble of 20" accuracy for course levelling for setting up.

These levels nominally are about 8" accuracy and some less than 1" and to 100ths with an attached plan Plate over the OG. EG. An N3(70) from Leica.

Theodolites are now being designed and built with so many functions that we workers who repair them have a job to keep up with the technology. The latest is fitted with a TV camera that allows realtime viewing of the target and has X hairs in the pic.

Laser measuring is now the Norm with reflectorless working and accuracy to sub 1mm.

Most are now automatic and can seek out a special target, the Theodolite is left in one position and the operator walks about with the target on a pole that also determines the height of the ground at that point. As stated variations exist with GPS which is used for larger surveys and you may see them used by Police at road accidents also.

Clive

With a very short lead screw it maybe a lathe for making bolt threads ?

Clive

So today it was announced that two cold war missile silos have been given British heritage status, and are now listed builings in the sense that they are important to our history !

So, lets propose the Rocket as it has lifted the human race into space and out of this world !

Clive

Dividers, used by Navigators to, 'Step' across a chart, or profiling the shape in a casting box. Useful for finding the center of something. Possibly scribing parallel lines down a piece of metal from one edge.

Charts are not linear and the scale down the side is used to set the dividers to step the distance at that latitude.

clive

Heres one last go at it, its the, 'Cantilever stick' that is put over a fire to hang stuff to cook or roast !

Clive

I think Crapper sticks in my mind as its so appropriate, strange how names seen to match the act !

Clive

It was 'Crapper 'who invented the toilet and manufactured them ? In fact a lot of the Victorian sewers are now crumbling and having to be remade. Big pumping engines were used to expidite the flow of the sewage. There is a big Gas engine in Chatham behind the Pentagon building, I have been to see it and they ran it for us to see.

Neil, I was referreing to the firemaking kit with a bow string wrapped around the stick and being rotated to make embers.More like a machine. Rubbing two sticks together is hard work !

Clive