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I had a play around in the workshop today and one job was to mill some keyway slots on the mill , i chose the x2 as they were only 4mm and it has a higher speed capabillity than the HM46.
I had recently purchased a screwless vise off ebay and it was cheap but acceptable for what i want to do but when i sat a parrallel on the vice it immediately stuck to the fixed jaw , so the vise was magnetic or at least this jaw was .
Out with the degaussing wand i purchased to give it a go and i was not expecting a result as it was still clamped to the table but i had to give it a go.
I had to try without removing the vise as i had only trammed it a few days earlier so i had nothing to lose .
After 3 passes with this cheapo wand it was de magnetised and i couldn't believe my luck !

Thanks Ian sc for the links as it gives us southern hemispherians  an option or two !
 

Ian

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 13/07/2013 11:38:31

Hi all,

After switching to the digital version i have been mostly happy with the exception that if i wanted to print something i had to do it a page at a time .
I feel i should be able to download the whole issue to my PC and view at my liesure as i have payed for it .
I should not have pay as much as a hard copy subscriber as there are no printing or mailing costs and i also lose the subscription offer as i live outside the UK.

So there could be tiered system :
Basic digital - latest issue only for budget minded readers -no archives .
Basic hard copy - mailed issue no archives as above but a hard copy .
Intermediate digital - latest issue + archives
intermediate hard copy - as above but with printed version.
premium subs - both ME & MEW hard copy + full digital access.

I should be able to download the magazine as a PDF and keep it for future refrence as i wish as i have paid for it .

I found the Digial subs are excellent except i cannot 'click a copy and print the whole magazine .

Ian

Just for any Australian or New Zealand residents interested in making a swarf wand as described in MEW 172 or was it 174? anyhow you can get the required magnets fron AMF MAGNETICS in Botany Australia .
No connection etc but a very east transaction over the phone and you can buy online etc .
I got 10 of 12.5 mm OD countersunk magnets rated for 12 kg pull for around $18 AU - (prices may change in the future ) you could of course buy only one magnet at around $2.50 + GST .

Not sure why a could not remember this Article in MEW ?
I suppose that at the time i was not using a Vacuum cleaner in the Workshop and dismissed it as something i would never need !
Oh how things can change in such a short time !

Ian

Thanks Michael and Andy ,
Something so simple but why so expensive !
Looks like a simple project for the weekend !

Ian.

Hi all,
I picked up a degaussing wand that is used for fixing CRT in arcade machines .
Cost $16au on EBAY + a couple of bucks delivery ,I thought for that price i would give it a go !
Plugged it into the mains gave the calipers a wave over it then slowely moved them away before turning off and they are now de-magnetised .

Gave a magnetised screwdriver a go with one of those cheap magnetising/de- magnetising tools as described in this post but it would not work so i gave it a hit with the degaussing wand - instantly de magnetised , then run it thru the remagnetizing side of the magnetising tool and it was re magnetised .
Still have plans to make a bigger unit though as i don't know if this wand would be big enough to do a vise or the like .

Now i want one of those magnetic wand thingies to pick up the long curly swarf from my machines before i vacuum but they want $70 for one !
Does anyone have an idea of how to make one ?

Ian

Unreal !!!!!!!!!

I was watching the water surface and noticed that the prop spray ( rooster tail) was still settling as the boat came around for the next pass , I wonder if those water droplets are hitting the boat and creating more drag ?

Ian

You could use the transformer from an old battery charger as well and they are a reasonable physical size .
Ian p ,
Thank you for for your input into this thread and i hope that anyone who reads this thread in the future will heed your warnings in regards to using the transformer from a microwave ovens and they will use the information wisely if they choose to use microwave internals for what ever purpose they choose.

Ian

I hope they don't become allergic to those other latex products or we will be neck deep in babies !
I remember a hand cleaner from years a go but i can't remember its name- it looked like sour cream but had a funny chemical smell like kerosine and came in an orange drum.
Probably been banned by now or something !

That reminds me of a product i haven't seen for a while and i'm not sure if it was available outside Australia - Ajax .
This stuff took everything off and i liked to use it when i was binding the guides on fishing rods as it stopped any skin oil contamination on the threads - must have a look at the supermarket to see if it still exist !
Used to use this stuff at the Hardchrome shop to clean metal before plating especially cast iron etc .

Ian

Thanks Andy , it makes it much easier to understand how these work when you have a picture showing how they are made .

Ian

Hi John , im only new to the ipad and down loaded the app from the mew homepage , i still don't understand it as it wants new account details but normally to veiw my subs i just login to my normal account and veiw my subs there as i have one with my  pc

Ian

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 05/07/2013 09:41:26

Ian ,
I would much rather have a coil at 12v than at 230v as it is isolated from the mains supply by using a step down transformer .
True there is mains supply to the unit and the unit would be earthed accordingly but the degaussing coil could be something mounted seperately to this power supply .

I know capacitors cannot charge by themselves but one does not know what will happen down the line that is why the electronics magazine that i read suggested to tie the leads together and this was from a few articles they did for using a microwave housing to make an exposure cabinet for pcb's -short it out- make it dead-peg it in the bin !
The transformer cannot hold a charge and once isolated from any power supply is inert but a capacitor wil hold a charge that you cannot see and these can kill !

I'm not suggesting to use the secondary winding of a microwave transformer to be fed with more than 12v so one would remove or negate the primary winding and feed 12v to the secondary instead so it is just a coil with more windings .

Ian

Simple !
Don't get them dirty !
I had a boss a few years ago at a hardchrome place that got some chromic acid on his hands so he went to the caustic strip tank and dunked his hands in , he didin't know i had dumped a 100 kg of caustic crystals in there the day before !
By the time he got to the tap he was screaming !

All he was worried about was the stain from the chromic acid but losing several layers of skin solved this !

The only stuff i have found that will get the smell of diff oil off you is washing powder and yes i have had to have a shower using this - some one told me they had drained the gearbox oil but when the tailshaft was unplugged from the rear of the gearbox i discovered they had not !
I now mostly use diswashing liquid but if really dirty i use hand cleaner and here in Australia i found that the products from HI TEC to be best , i have used just about every product available here over 30 years and as usual no connection just a satisfied user .

There is a smell to diff oil and kidneys that nothing will kill even vinigar so these days if i do work on a gearbox i wear gloves and if i make steak and kidney pie i wear gloves!

Ian

Hi all,
Thanks Andy , if you are finding 80ma sufficient with no serious heating issues i will aim for that and experiment a little .
I only want something that will do small tools and my calipers, although the transformers from microwave ovens are plentiful and maybe a little larger in size so i may look into this .

Not being an electrical Engineer or the like although i do have a basic knowledge of how transformers work and what inductance is, i know that changing the structure of the laminated core will change the inductance and the amount of current that will flow in the circiut .

One thing with microwave ovens that has not been mentioned is the high voltage capacitor !
These must be approached with caution as they are probably ( read treat as they are ) still charged so need to be discharged and have thier terminals tied together with some wire so they cant build up another charge .

I think that the unit described by Ian sc has some merit in the fact that he is using a transformer to step down the voltage to a safe level but still achieving the same result - much safer in my opinion .
By doing this i would wonder if using the secondary winding of the microwave transformer would work better as it is a step up transformer and must have more turns on it than the primary so may provide a stronger magnetic field ?

I mentioned the use of an old welder because they are not much more than a big transformer with a sliding choke so maybe could be modified to make a big degaussing unit - if you had an old one laying around to strip that is .
I remember back when i used to weld for a living that the welding leads would arrange the grinding dust on the floor to follow the lead and it would stay there when you moved the leads .

I tried one of those square demagnetising tools and they do work -but there is a fascinating side effect !
If i stick the external jaws in this it works but the internal jaws stay magnetic , so i ran them thru and they worked but now the external ones are now magnetic again!
I feel the problem may be trying to degausse two pieces at once as the magnetic field seems to jump from one to the other !

Just as an aside i was playing with my calipers and noticed there was a little play in the moving jaw so i nipped up the adjustment srews and found that with the 3 sets i own that i could get no difference in readings but before there was a .005 discrepency .
This was between the old and now magnetic set and a relatively un- used set so i guess they wear also even though the newer set had a litle play also so it was nipped up as well .
By the way these are not brand name units as i would bet they are all made in CHINA and if i want total accuracy i use a Micrometer/snap gauge / inside micrometer etc .

Once agian thanks to those who have replied to this post .

Ian

Thanks all for the speedy replies and links .

I like the idea of using an old AC transformer then modifying the laminations and you get some usefull packers for the lathe as a by product !

I'm not sure if a degaussing wand for a tv would also work but they are only $40 and to build one from scratch would cost more unless one had the right parts in the junk box - i have everything here to make one .

Andy,
What sort of current have you limited the primary coil to ?
I have an old 230v/12v @ 1amp transformer and under load it draws about 150ma on the primary so i suppose if i stick close to this it would be ok.

Imagine the unit one could make from an old stick welder !

I'm not sure how they became magnetised all i know is it makes them unusable !

Ian

Hi all,

The jaws on my digital calipers have become Magnetic and they now pick up swarf that is annoying the heck out of me , Has anyone got a solution other than pegging them in the bin?

I was thinking of trying one of those De- Magnatizing tools used on screwdrivers.

Not sure if this has been asked before but I have such little confidence in searching the forum that I just can't bring myself to do it !

Ian.

I had a look around on the net and it seems as the tape could be a hot vulcanizing kevlar reinforced splicing tape .

Considering that a lot of the sanding/ linishing belt manufacturers also make tapes of various types it could be a proprietrary tape that is not for retail.

There are outlets for Tesa, 3M,Norton etc in the UK so i would try them .

Another was PPI that has listed two people in the UK you can contact for more info.

Ian

How much difference in length are they ?

Ian.

Hi Paul and welcome to the Forum.

I have the direct equivalent to the Warco universal and have fitted DRO 'S etc .
I went through the same sort of i suppose uncertainty as to which mill to buy as i wanted something with more capacity than the SEIG X2
I would have liked a Bridgeport but the funds were not available so i had to stick with an asian made machine - not that there is anything wrong with that !
Having a look at the Warco Website you will notice a few things that may be of importance to you and help you to make an educated decision as to which mill to buy .

The universal has a bigger table with 4 tee slots against the 3 of the vmc and it has more quill to table clearance than the vmc .
It is also has a geared head so no changing belts but that comes at a cost of less speeds .
As for tilting heads i usually set the work up on the required angle and leave the head alone as i detest having to re- tram it although not difficult it just annoys me !
The old Warco Major style of machine has been around for a million years and there must have been millions of models made on them !
They are a reliable unit but the problem is if you need to raise or lower the head it can rotate on the column and you lose your datum where as a dovetail column or turret mill will not .
R8 vs MT ?? I chose MT as i can use it on my lathe as well and if you don't tighten it too much it will come out with a decent tap on the drawbar and as my mill uses tapered roller bearings that i feel can handle the shock loading from tapping the drawbar with a hammer but i have an idea i my head for a cam actuated device to push on the drawbar but that's a little down the track !

There is no such thing as basic questions on this forum everyone has to start somewhere and here you will only find fellow Model Engineers who are more than happy to help if they can !

P.S i would still get a vertical slide for your lathe as there are many things that can be machined without upsetting your set up on the mill - just another option .

Ian.

Have a look in the slot that the jaws slip into and there will be a number that will correspond with one on the jaw , Start with number 1 first then number two then number 3 last.

you may also be winding the scroll too far for each jaw so it is picking it up next rotation and therefore one turn out.

Ian

The sets i have are not too soft but rather brittle and the 5.0mm split up the middle !
If you look at a project and order what you need before hand there should be no hold up but i understand where you are coming from as everyone wants to use some wierd size drill for no rerason !

Ian