What Did You Do Today 2019

Trying to concentrate on editing an article about a computerised shaper. Trouble is the lab and the cat both think they should be fed early and the cat is getting bad tempered and has attacked the poor dog five times...

Neil

Carol's got a 1/4 size violin to teach the grandkids, and wanted a hook for the boxroom/cello room wall, so I made this outa Delrin, brass and alli offcuts I had lying about, all done on the WM250V.

Storage heater in the bedroom was cool yesterday, so I had it apart and assumed the internal trip had gone, but like all these things I wan't 100% sure.

This morning - ice cold!

Turned out the wall switch (which gets used twice a year, only when the E7 is off and is only about 10 years old) had gone intermittent.

One contact was over heating (dark blue) and the little peg on the switch that operates it had eroded by over a millimetre.

It would be the one switch that is in a gap about 8" wide between heater and chimney breast, still I managed to get it replaced.

That reminds me! Must go downstairs and switch on the E7 fuse box NOW!

Neil

I drove from Southampton to Helston in Cornwall and back to sliver a lathe.

Phil

Today I mostly froze in the workshop whilst I faced a small block of steel in preparation for butchering tomorrow

Out in the workshop last night, needed more light, switch on portable LED flood light, nothing happened. This morning Opened the lamp unit, and found the 36V LED driver was dead, hunted out a 32V power supply ex HP lap top, took out the dead power supply, wired in the new one and we have light once more.

Ian S C

Had a premolar out which had lost its cap and wasn't amenable to a root canal and pegging another cap on. Quite an exercise as it had two roots like a crab's claw so wouldn't come out without some bone damage.

Neil

I've been assembling my Burrell-Boydell boiler after the boiler inspectors gave their approval for work that will shortly be hidden.

I'll post some pictures when I've cleaned things up a bit.

Brian

My Boxer oscillating twin has been on the back burner for some time, lost interest in the project 'as one does at times' , decided to make a new flywheel as the original was too big on the OD & not correct width either, it was from another project I had made previously that I thought I could substitute... not!. I machined that up over a couple of sessions this week plus am looking at changing the crank / eccentric arrangement as not overly happy with the original assembly as per dwg, ho hum ....



George.

Neil, you have my sympathy re your dental work, I had a similar experience with a large molar with problem roots, the tooth would not budge no matter what the dentist did to it. He ended up using his drill to saw it into three pieces that he was then able to extract, I was in the chair for more than an hour, glad to escape but the misery wasn’t over the crater left in my jaw then became infected, plenty of high dose antibiotics but all was well eventually. I am always apprehensive of dental visits because you never know what horrors can await you down the line.

Dave W

This one took nearly half an hour, probably one of the worst because the root was pretty much healthy. Other extractions have been where over-enthusiastic filling in the 1970s lead to gradual tooth crumbling. Ironically my four wisdom teeth (that emerged when I was old enough to decide for myself not to go to the dentist) are all fine. Fortunately the dentists I have seen in my adult life have been far better.

Neil

Neil, why didn't you just print another one ?

I have changed the linear scale on my mill/drill table this morning, my old one died two years ago but I didnt find the same type and make until my recent visit to the London model engineering exhibition, I had to cut 26mm off of the dead end to make it fit my mounts which having looked at the old scale I had done the same to that. After a lunch/warm up break I decided to clean, service and adjust backlash on my lathe. The cross slide had backlash so I drove the slideway off the leadscrew then removed and cleaned the nut, I then gave the the adjusting screw a half turn on the split nut then replaced it and pulled the slide onto the leadscrew and checked the play to find my first attempt had been enough. I then got the garage vacuum up and running and deswarfed the lathe particularly between the coolant tray and the bed underside, I found drills, taps, centre drills, spanners, pieces of bar stock, allen keys all of which I have replaced as I thought I'd lost them all no micrometer spanners though.

My leadscrews run in bushes at the handle ends and the bushes are held in place with grub screws, which have a habit of undoing, this also includes the tailstock I want to use thread lock but need to clean the oil from the threads can anybody suggest a cleaner, preferably an aerosol with a tube to get into the threads.

I finished with a good oil up of all the leadscrews and slideways, indoors now watching the England six nations game.

Martin P

Edited By martin perman on 02/02/2019 17:52:07

As promised (or threatened! earlier) here are some pictures of the boiler for my Burrell-Boydell engine being assembled.

Edited By Brian H on 02/02/2019 19:51:30

Used the slotter for the first time this year. Put a keyway in to a part for a milling machine.

Finished my guitar rebuild. Actually In reversed the two pickups after the photo below - eagle eyed forum members will see the neck pickup has narrower pole pieces than the bridge one. This also put the pickup capable of being switched to single coil mode at the neck, its output was far to weedy in bridge position.

Just posted off a brazed aluminium switchbox for a client who wants an additional NINE lightswitches mounted on the dash of his Landrover !! It was my first time using this brazing process, and I must say I was mightily pleased with the ease of use and the results. The box is 205mm long, 65mm on the switch face, and approx. 50mm deep. Material is 2mm L.A. sheet. As you can see, one bend is acute, and one slightly obtuse ...

The switch holes were punched with a home-made screw type punch and die set before folding ( the above photo is of a trial piece ). Endplates were cut to fit neatly inside, and were then brazed internally ...

and externally too. External beads were dressed down and showed good penetration ....

Here are a couple of views of the finished box, complete with sample switch, safety cover up ......

Result !! I'll certainly be using this brazing process again.

Hi ken, can you give us a bit more info on Aluminium brazing, the filler, the torch and what thickness was the metal, did you use any bricks etc.
BobH

Just back from a short trip to our local Emmaus to check for anything interesting bookwise. Bought a book titled "British Steam Engines" and another on the history of Sywell aerodrome.

I could not help admiring the lovely German made grandfather clock they had which chimes beautifully on the quarter, half and the hour and has moving moons.

So I bought that as well.

Got home and realised we had forgotten the milk.

Rik