Member postings for merlin

Quite right Oompa Lumpa, he does say Droylsden and my wife will tell you that that is the first mistake I have made this year.

Posters don't always give their area, though.

When reading calls for help such as this, I often think that it might be a help to know the county or area of the country that the enquirer is in.

Is there a forum, possibly a Yahoo one, that specialises in the making of clocks by amateurs?

I feel sure that there is one but I am not pressing the right buttons.

Thanks

It amazes me how you blokes can, and want to, go on and on disagreeing, aligning with others; introducing, inevitably these days, so-called 'rights', drawing attention to friend's and enemy's work, circling, circling on and on.

It may be that I am envious of the amount of time that you have available for such combats

Something to do with the average modern diet perhaps.

Don't mess with it - contact your local Council. Pack it very well when transporting it. Don't lift the bottle by its neck because they can crack around there.

One good habit when you are dealing with anything that you are not sure of, is to smell the cork or stopper - don't put your nose over the container. Waft the stopper in front of you and sniff the 'trail' that it leaves.

We are all real men who know the words, aren't we? We can all swear like troopers for an hour without repeating themselves and anyone showing restaint is a kill-joy and has no sense of humour. Never mind the kids.

Perhaps at 79 I am not typical of the members here but, to me, the same old dozen commonly-used words just become booooring and anything containing them takes longer to read.

Perhaps we should spare a thought not only for our Editor but also for the people who are trying to introduce young blood to the hobby and who might want to encourage them in the habit of using plain decent English.

In 1984 I wrote to Professor Chaddock for information about my Type 'A' (round bed) Drummond lathe.

The lathe has long since gone but I have his replying letter with bits of advice about them generally and three little photocopied Drummond booklets that he sent me.

Does anyone want these for free?

If so. please tell me how the forum's private message system works.

Yes, be careful where you park.

I went two years ago and parked on flat grass with a very slight rise in front of the front wheels up to the grity track between the cars. The 'flat grass' turned out to be on a thickness of squelchy mud and the car just slithered about. A couple of show-goers helped by towing me out and as I left I noticed two or three fwd vehicles pulling other cars.

Spy-ball definitely - it will save you wondering what the sudden noise outside is all about and whether the postman has brought your Premium Bond win. Cut a flap in the insulating curtain so as not to disturb the seal at the bottom.

I don't think that there can be a really convenient place for 13A sockets but I wouldn't have them on the front edge of the bench. I wouldn't feel happy leaning against them and a spill of white spirit or paraffin could run there, unless you put a back slope on the bench top. A socket with a plug inserted can rob the bench of about 4 inches in depth, with the lead probably lying on the bench surface ready to be cut by any heavy item. Anything heavy slid onto the bench will be stopped by the socket, possibly by the plastic switch. Mine are about 8 inches or more above or even higher and I have been pleased with this.

I, too, thought about the flickering fluor effect but I have never witnessed it.

In the vice area leave yourself plenty of headroom for leaning forward and for wielding a hammer.

I agree with T Pratt: power cuts will shock us all but the inabilty to communicate is already a problem. I really can't be bothered to stumble through badly written posts, trying to understand what people are wanting to convey and wondering whether what they have to say is worth the effort of straining to understand it.

We all are entitled to a silly mistake in a post but the constant 'loose' instead of 'lose' etc. is just irritating and, as T Pratt says, tells us something about the sloppy writer.

When breaking glass tubing or rod be sure to pull it apart as you snap it.

For flame-polishing, a laboratory Bunsen burner flame is about as large and as hot as you want to go because with more heat things will happen too quickly and over too large an area. The flame is soft and easily deflected by a draught eg if someone is walking about nearby. This would not be good for the glass or for your hand.

Rotate the tube end two or three inches above the top of the flame to warm it up slowly. There is a real possibility of a little bit of hot glass flying off, so wear eye protection. Make sure that you can see the end face that you want to melt.

Gradually lower the end - only the end - into the hot spot in the flame. As soon as you see the very end beginning to soften and smooth out return it to the hot air above the flame, still rotating, and let it sit there for half a minute or so then gradually lift it out of the hot air. The actual softening of the end will take only about 5seconds depending on the flame source. If you leave it 'cooking' for too long it will soften too much and melt back and develop a fat ring around the end, inside and out, which will somehow have to be ground off if you want a consistent o.d. Or perhaps you use forgiving O-rings?

Don't hurry the slow cooling: just letting it quench in air straight from the flame will introduce invisible strains in it and make it more sensitive to shock and liable to crack later.

This gentle heating and cooling are not quite so important if it is Pyrex-type glass, but then that wouldn't easily soften in a bunsen.

I agree absolutely with NJH and most others.

I am long retired and I don't have time, or I don't want to use the time, for more than a quick evening visit to about 6 forums.

There seems to be a nation-wide obsessional need for re-assurance by contacting other people over the most trivial things, as though we have unlimited time.

Newspapers must be desperate for readers because they invite them to write in or email to tell us their opinions. We are invited to 'like'.

Where are we going?

Perhaps the layout of this forum could be improved but it is good enough for me.

I don't know whether the glass supplied is the soft soda glass or harder Pyrex borosilicate glas but whatever, keep it cool ie don't give it the opportunity to crack and chip due to overheating.

Next weekend I will be visiting York Railway Museum, Leeds city centre and Bolton Steam Museum. The Dibnah Museum won't be open.

Does anyone know of any mod eng or clockie events in those areas that I could easily reach on foot or by bus?

Thanks.

Stub Mandrel - I would like to know more about the (possibly) Sir Charles Parsons story. Please do you have any more information?

Thanks

I will be going by train to the York, Leeds and Bolton area on the Sunday and Monday of the Bank Holiday, mainly to see the Nat Railway Museum on the Sunday and the Northern Mill Engine Society engines in steam on the Monday.

Staying overnights in Leeds.

Is there anything in the mod eng or clockie line that I can visit using public transport?

The Fred Dibnah house in Bolton won't be open on the Monday.

Thanks

I assumed that after 4 years it had reached the end of its life so didn't consider telling Sony.

Tried Set-up and France but still no channels.

What is the forum?

Thanks for this.

So has ours and I paid for a new Nat Pan one in Currys today.

It will not show the channel pictures and not record them.

Thanks for the reply.

About thirty years ago when I first got a lathe and began to take an interest in m.e., his writings were a revelation to me. So precise, so unsatisfied with anything but the best, as he saw it.

I spent the first year or more making his VDH etc and I have always been pleased that I did.