Member postings for mick H

Trevor......no, but I will get onto them now.

Ian.......they won't give any fitting advice.

I have taken another look at website photos and I now have a feeling that watch glasses do not have a flange. Can anyone confirm?

Mick

Hallo all. I am building a model submarine and wish to fit two viewing domes into 35mm diameter apertures. I believe that high dome watch glasses would be suitable if siliconed in, but having no experience with watch glasses I have to ask the apparently stupid question......does a 35mm watch glass fit a 35mm aperture? I ask this because the watch glasses also seem to have a flange which is OK provided that it is the glass and not the flange which gives the 35 mm measurement.

I have tried contacting suppliers direct but they are so cagey and refuse to give advice on measurement. Why? So I have asked the question at the fount of common sense!

Mick

What a superb video as posted by Nick. No excess verbiage or ego that accompanies modern offerings.

Mick

I need a soldering iron to work on some simple electronic circuits but I am astonished at the numbers of models available. Some seem ridiculously expensive and some seem ridiculously cheap. I don't do much electronics work and ideally would like an adaptable iron for other small scale work. Your recommendations please.

Mick

Made a bit of a hash of the photo upload. Hope they are of some use.

Mick

Photos are now attached. They don't show a lot though because the circuit board has soldered tamperproofing by the look of it. (good thing when I am wielding a screwdriver).

Thanks Anthony. This meter is an old analogue type and whilst I also suspect a fuse problem I can't find a fuse.

Mick

My SA9083 model ex GPO test meter has developed a fault on the 5 amp DC current sector. The 500 mA and 50 mA sectors work OK. Can anyone with experience of this meter offer any advice on remedying this situation.

Mick

I managed to find a company (International Lamps Ltd), that actually assists with telephone enquiries as opposed to email enquiries which are never answered. Anyway, spoke to a knowledgeable chap who was able to tell me that the original ballast is no longer available and suggested an alternative based on the wattage of the bulb.(9 watts). Apparently the original ballast was rated at 18W and probably designed for 2x9W bulbs. He reckoned that this would not help with the longevity of the bulbs which seem to blow with monotonous frequency.

Is UV available from LED technology? Forgot to ask him that.

Mick

When the postie arrived with a replacement uv lamp for my pond I broke off what I was doing in the workshop to fit it....after all it would only take a minute or two. Wrong again. It did not work. The uv tube is new, I have replaced the starter, the wiring checks out for continuity which leaves the ballast. My knowledge of "ballasts" is even less than my knowledge of model engineering. The defective (?) one is a Tridonic EC18 LC501 K which do not seem to be available. How do I establish which alternative to fit. The uv bulb is 9W.

Mick

Mitutoyo used to offer a refurbishment service for their equipment. Not exactly cheap at £50-£60 for callipers last time I enquired but better than £115 as I am told the tool is returned "as new".

Mick

Three cheers for Captain Tolley and his Creeping Crack Cure. It works a treat if you follow the instructions (even if it does sound a bit like a rear end medicament). I left the boat to dry out and applied the cure to every minute crevice I could find. A few applications and a couple of days drying out and the boat is now sound. Thanks everyone for your interest.

Mick

Thank you for your advice gents. I did try creeping crack cure and failed. I now know why and Nigel has mentioned it above. Obviously there was water still trapped within the joint! If I had read Captain Tolley's advice it may well have been successful. I will have to leave it in the sun to dry out which it eventually must do, surely. Not sure how to apply a vacuum Duncan but will think about it. Perhaps a little high pressure air might force it out but again not as easy as it sounds.

Mick

Can anyone assist me with a penetrating sealant that will be effective in the following circumstance?

A model outline "submarine" where the 4inch diameter wooden bow section slots into a 4inch diameter drainage pipe. The joint is screwed and then sealed with a rubberised gasket sealant and was a sound waterproof joint when created. I then "plated" the hull with shim brass sections fixed with epoxy resin. I thought that this would result in a belt and braces waterproof seal. After further work on the boat a flotation test has revealed a small leak in the joint and from the amount of water entering I guess would probably amount to no more than a pinhole. An attempt at stopping the leak on the inside with more rubberised gasket predictably met with failure.

In conclusion, somewhere on the lower hemisphere of the joint mating surface circumference there is a tiny leak which has to be retro-sealed as dismantling the joint is no longer an option. The question is how? Any ideas on an effective penetrating sealant?

Mick

Edited By mick H on 12/05/2021 08:35:17

Sorry to be so effusive about the "thanks", not sure how that happened.

Mick

Thanks gents

Mick

Thanks gents

Mick

Thanks gents

Mick

Can anyone assist me with finding a brass or bronze epoxy type filler? I know that colour additives for resin are available .....has anyone tried them?

Mick

The price of meths has rocketed over the last few years and the usual reason trotted out is that it is carriage costs because of health and safety issues etc etc etc. Total baloney in my opinion but anyway, 95% denatured bio ethanol is sold in B&Q for patio heaters and currently retails at about £9+ for 2.5 litres. In my branch of B&Q they "keep it out the back" for whatever reason, so you may have to ask for it. I usually buy my meths from a little independent hardware shop in Horncastle whose proprietor has not inflated the prIce and agrees with my baloney assessment. I totally agree with Bazyle that draughting and wicking are more important in alcohol firing than the odd few percentage points of water but when you get it right, properly designed alcohol fired boilers steam beautifully and are my preference over say gas firing.

Mick