What did you do today? (2013)

Made a simple mill vice stop 'outa my bits box.

George

Useful idea George - I really must get round to making one myself!

Neil and Nick - I find one of the best things about getting older, now that the family have flown the nest and calls on funds are not quite so demanding, is that I can divert any surplus cash into paying someone else to do my car maintenance!  Yes I've been there -  lying on my back an a gravel drive changing big end bearings, struggling with rusted exhaust pipes, applying super-human strength to pullers to remove flywheels etc. I was an expert at changing water pumps - less than 20 min in a lunch break ( I had lots of practice) and   I can honestly say I hated every moment of it ! All this was of necessity but enjoyable or fulfilling it certainly wasn't.. My mechanical interests are confined to a comfortable and friendly workshop.

Norman

Edited By NJH on 02/06/2013 14:20:54

I made and fitted a set of indexing buttons for my mill vice no more clocking it up everytime I use it. it seems to run true to within .0002" over 5.5" which seem quite good to me! Like the vice stop George I have been planning one of those for sometime but not got roundtuit.

Regards Mark P.

Hi Norman,

If you want to pay someone to fix my car, I have no objection whatsoever

Neil

Ah Neil

Much as I would like to help you out I'm afraid there is no chance of that.

So I suppose you will just have to wait and grow older - don't worry, it will happen!!

Norman

Mark P

I'm afraid I will have to show my ignorance and ask what are mill vice indexing buttons. I have had a bit of a thunk and a guess but I'd be grateful for a fuller description since they sound like a useful gadget and something that should be on my tuit list.

Jim

Today I fixed one of those annoying problems that kept getting ignored. The spoke arms onboth my mill and mill/drill were always too long I thought, the handles would often hit the vice or something else when going for a deep drilling job etc. So I made new ones.

The one on the mill I made much shorter, and it needed an offset so I had to do some blacksmithing on it to get those bends in. Ball handle was made with the tool I made a few weeks ago. Even though significantly shorter it is still easy to use.

The one for the mill/drill is similar but without the offset

Haven't done much for a couple of weeks. Life is strange. The balance of the PPI that was going top be central heating radiators is now going to be a heart op on the dog (look up PDA). Very fraught - daughter is in pieces with worry. At least I got a few goodies and booked the holiday in time (just!)

I have found time to glue the neck on that violin (PVA was a fail, undertension the neck just peeled away. So I got some titebond liquid hide glue, still frowned on by luthiers (who insist on the melty stuff) but the company tell me it will be fine).

I also wired up the inverter to the motor and made a temporary pulley for round belting (I'll go poly-v soon). I used small red crimp connectors and discovered the reason I have struggled with them in the past is using small wires in big blue connectors!

Neil

I filled my boiler full of water and then tried to pressure up the boiler. Now i have to take it to bits to try and get the regulator to seal so it will stay pressurised. No other leaks so it's not too bad.

Annoying!

Bri

Chris, what make your mill/drill, it looks similar to my Rexon 400, except for the colour, mines a dreary green. Ian S C

It's an elderly Warco A2S turret mill I converted to 3-phase. I don't think they sell them any more. It's been a reliable machine for me over the years.

Chris

Proberbly of similar lineage, Mine was made in Taiwan, had it about 27 years, bought on the spur of the moment, I was looking for a drill press, my hobby then was wood turning, but this thing was cheaper, so I took it. Gave up the wood soon after.

Yesterday had morning tea in town with a chap that has just discovered the marvel of a Bradley (NZ made)hot air pumping engine, they were built in Christchurch NZ for domestic water supply, it stands about 2ft tall, found when clearing out a garage, bit of heat and it worked straight off. One of his hobbies is making knives by forging laminates of high and low carbon steel. Ian S C

Hello Ian,

Does the Bradley hot air pumping engine you saw is the same referred in this place ***LINK*** ?
It's very elegant.

regards
Dias Costa

Edited By dcosta on 14/06/2013 14:50:29

Sorry Ian I mis-read you question - you asked about the mill/drill not the mill.

The mill/drill is an (even older) Naerok machine (cute - Korean spelled backwards).

Chris

Dias Costa, yes thats it, Peter is the local (about 80k away) stirling Engine gooroo. That little motor. connected to a pump similar to a drum pump for a 44gal(50 USgal) drum, was able to pump about 100gal per hour, the water was drawn up and pumped out via the water jacket. in the late 19th, early 20th century there were a lot of houses in the Christchurch area that were not on piped water supply, most relied on hand pumps to fill a bucket of water. Bradleys busines was right in one of those areas, and there must have been quite a number of the little motors, The gas works were also in that area, and houses would have gas long before electricity. Once heated to working temperature, they need very little heat from the burner. Ian S C

Apart from removing plaster from a wall for repair I made a batch of left and right hand torsion valve springs for the steamer.

Will now have to stress relieve them in the household oven for 1 hour at 260C perhaps cook some food at the same time so can do two things at once.

Paul

Dog back and in one piece, but essentailly now in similar condition to if she was hit by a car On the bright side the vet reckons she was only a whisker from complete heart failure.

Might even be relevant - replumbing a dog is not a long way off model engneering - is it?

Neil

A trip to the Vet put the dog in the pedigree class, price wise at least, even if it wasn't before. But a dog is one of the family, and it hurts when they suffer. Ian S C

Well Neil

I don't know if re-plumbing a dog is relevant but, if I had to choose between my dog and model engineering ( thankfully unlikely), then the dog would win by a long way! Don't worry they have the most amazing recuperative powers. Ours had a major op a couple of years ago and could hardly move afrerwards. We put her bed in the sitting room and my wife slept on the sofa in the sitting room with her for a week. You will be pleased to know that she ( the dog that is!) recovered quickly and was soon on patrol ensuring none of the neighbours 12 cats venture into our garden. Yes it can be very expensive - I recommend a dog insurance - expensive itself but if your dog is ill are you going to say I can't afford to take it to the vet?

Here is a pic of my best mate. What did I do today - I took her for a walk!

( So I guess this qualifies.)

Cheers

Norman

Edited By NJH on 15/06/2013 14:36:14

She slept in our bed last night - so I didn't

Not long ago carried her into the garden as it was clear she wouldn't use a puppy mat! She decided to bask in the sun, but rain was heading in fast. Following the vet's recommended technique we put her ona blanket to carry her in. Half way to teh back door, she wriggeld out, trrotted to the lawn and did all her business! She also managed to hobble back in, but she's sleeping most of the time.

I can't help thinking that despite our high opinion of humans, it's the pets that have won the evolutionary race - carefully training us to feed, house and care for their every need!

Neil