Member postings for Bazyle

Is there a model engineer in the house? 6in dia firetube boiler only 2 in long, maybe 30 3/8in tubes. Silver soldered of course but no need to bother the club inspector, as a big fill/-emptu spout needed anyway. Like a kellie on steroids.

Whatever you choose remember to have a thermos ready for any excess.

Since ofgem and a few other organisations must collect all the data for all suppliers and their regional variations is there anywhere that produces an interactive map like a weather radar plot to show the data?

After the gas engineer fitted a smart meter (outside) he then asked to see the electricity meter (in garage) to fit an interface not mentioned before. Then he decided for some reason he wasn't able to fit his electrical gizmo and had to undo his changes to the gas. He hasn't been back since about 3 years ago. So make sure your fitter explains what he is doing and checks it all out first.

You won't need 230v DC, probably only 2/3 that at most. Consider just designing a standard old fashioned DC psu with a big transistor to vary the output. It used to be a 3055 that was the workhorse for that sort of thing before everything went FET.

One of the awkward things is to make sure the workpiece doesn't turn in the holder when using a threaded one rather than a collet if said holder is not slit and pinched in the vice. In case anyone haven't thought of it one technique is to thread through a short holder and insert a screw from the rear to jam against and lock the workpiece.

It has been suggested that two men could lift this. NO. Even with bits removed you are looking at 100kg per person or 200lbs+. While two strong men might lift it an inch off the stand they cannot safely lower it to the ground, or even to a lower table. The maximum for most people to safely lift or lower to the ground is about 25kg ie 1/4 this thing. there is a huge difference between straight back lifting and bending to the ground. Your ladder idea and hoist is halfway there but it will only be designed for one big fat bloke of about 100kg - not 200kg. Two ladders and a beam is a possibility.

The way to tackle something this big in congested areas without a crane involves sliding it down a slope of several scaffold planks with a framework bolted to, not leaned against, the stand. It also needs a framework of outriggers to stop it toppling as it moves,.
We did this with a much smaller mill-drill last year as the crane hit the shed roof and could not lift but did add safety in case it fell a foot lower. It was very hairy and I don't think any of us would do it again without much more structural framework on the ramp.

It is worth thinking about the heat. Most motors will be happier at a higher speed when their fan can shift some air. Speed controllers are also prone to overheating at low speed/high current. On the other hand always using the gears introduces noise, wear, and sometimes less smooth drive (more noticed on a lathe than mill).

Now there's a need for an article. Difficult screw/nail/etc remover tools. Probably multiple options to make a series.

There are now loads of better pictures on out website under latest news 'picnic ....'
It also shows how dry everything is.

There is also a link to a video there.

Anyone in the UK who hasn't already looked at Peter's rates is advised to sit down first. Also warn your wife that after you have done crying you may be arranging to emigrate.
Interesting that the peak rate is in the middle of the day (office/industry demand?) so could be alleviated with a big push to solar, though at those prices little incentive to invest.

If you get a brake disc, bell housing or exhaust manifold whack it with a sledge hammer, If it bends rather than breaks or the fracture surface is not dull grey but shiny you have a ductile or spheroidal casting. Still potentially useable but will have different properties to grey iron. And yes, some special cast irons do bend - that's why they are called ductile.

I keep seeing this thread title, well twice today, and wondering what 'comps' are. I do wish people would think a bit about using titles that are meaningful and when appropriate easy for search engines to find as having relevant content.

Completely forget cans, nails, bits of bar, springs, anything that looks like it was once a round or rectangular bar as they will be steel that has a much higher melting point than cast iron. If you can't tell cast iron just by looking at it step back for a few months and learn the difference. There have been quite a few threads on this forum even in the last year about casting. Find the search engine and have a nice long read.

I believe a previous editor set up a workshop adjacent to his own workshop to be able to take pictures for articles under his nom-de plume that didn't give the game away. It was a good way to have a 'contributor' who provided the right kind of article.

BTW re shed roof. Practice making the pig's ear photo 8 so it folds inside, much neater, and I suggest avoiding plastic roofing. I had it in my dormer window when I moved in and it stank of plastic in hot weather. Once the plasticisers had evaporated it shrank opening the joints and when squirrels scratched it it split. I replaced myself with regular 3 layer felt 20 years ago.

Edited By Bazyle on 19/08/2022 18:46:57

St Albans MES has been building a 45mm and 32mm track for G1 and 16mm modellers. It sort of started planning some time back around lockdown and this year has quickly taken shape with a small team putting it together.

The track was officially opened on Sunday 14th August by our ex chairman Guy Ellerby cutting a ribbon during the club 'BBQ' (actually fire free for safety). A 16mm scale Lady Anne being gas fired was allowed to raise steam and set off, driven by a retired BR member, round the 45mm track with a couple of coaches while an electric chassis pulled a mixed freight around the 32mm track. Later a Jubilee was rostered to a few mixed wagons as we don't have any standard gauge coaches or a station for the passengers.

Hopefully we will see a few more trains as we add passing loops and sidings to the layout.

BTW if you ever diss-assemble the saddle there is a little hidden spring waiting to fly into a deep recess of your workshop. I can't remember exactly but detailed it on one of the other threads.

It is a RandA derivative. The design was badge engineered by half a dozen of the main players. The Lathes site give lot of detail.

There are several threads on the forum about this lathe.

Note the backgear has ever so slightly wider gears which are ever so lightly >20 DP. When the larger ones get broken people often substitute a Myford 60 tooth changewheel that doesn't quite mesh correctly but makes do.
Looks like you have quite a selection of changegears but if trawling ebay for missing ones don't be fooled by Drummond gears that also use a pin instead of a keyway but they are 14Dp and the pin is much bigger. One occasionally sees a mix indicating the seller got caught out at some time.

Off original topic but would someone like to give a 4 line explanation of the difference between Synchronous and Ordered. I've not heard of them before perhaps as I'm not much of a CAD user..

When you have the wedges in position and applying pressure also heat the exposed housing with a paint stripper while shielding the collet. This both softens the oil/varnish and expands the joint. Yes the insert also heats up but teh lag can be enough as the temperature difference when assembled, if that was part of the problem, would only be a few degrees.

Look for ventilation firms fitting out industrial buildings. There are probably a lot getting lots of orders for cooling upgrades and tend to use zinc sheet ductwork. Also look for industrial units being demolished which will be ripping out such ductwork.
Some washing machines have removable rear panels that are galvanised sheet.

I think the Warco stands use quite thick metal for the cabinet part so sturdier than they might appear. However the drip tray is thin unlike the old cast ones of 100 years ago. If I were going that route I might put in an additional plate, or perhaps a concrete slab to add mass.