What's the strangest project you've ever seen in an old ME or MEW?

In MEW we occasionally cover 'domestic' repairs as these can involve interesting machining tasks.

Perhaps we should take a leaf out of ME's book and have a series on making a microwave or a nutri-ninja?

Many years ago on Tomorrow's World they had a hot dog maker that applied mains voltage across a frankfurter to heat it up. Definitely a candidate for a project I think.

Oh, and in that issue I see that they also have an article on a "small capacity milling machine" - presumably to make flour for small cakes in the electric mixer?

Edited By John Haine on 18/12/2017 14:40:23

Answering to the thread title:

An Edision cylinder phonograph ... cleverly converted into a sander !!

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 18/12/2017 14:41:36

I think there was a build your own fridge article at one point

As various home technology came on stream over the decades there were a few Heath Robinson attempts to get ahead of the neighbours

I seem to also recall a motorised lawn mower which could have been used in a Mad Max movie

Edited By Ady1 on 18/12/2017 14:57:17

From 'Model Engineer and Electrician' No 949:

Recommended for unsticking rusty pistons...

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 18/12/2017 15:45:54

How to start a tractor with a shotgun cartridge ?

**LINK**

David

How to start a tractor with a shotgun cartridge ?

Not particularly a project for a Field Marshall. It was an factory alternative to cranking when on your own (if very lightly - or weakly - built) or in the depths of winter when manual cranking was much more difficult. Making you own reloads might have been a project!

I seriously considered making a dough hook for my mill. Even expensive kitchen mixers aren't really man enough for the job.

When I worked in gas turbines we put in a proposal for a man portable generator for the army which we proposed to start with cartridges. I left before I found out whether they got the job, but I kept on asking what do you do when you run out of cartridges? A pull cord isn't a lot of use on even a small turbine.

Choose a NATO standard cartridge so that in an emergency you just hoik the bullet out of one?

Choose a NATO standard cartridge so that in an emergency you just hoik the bullet out of one?

They would need wads and a crimper - modern propellants only burn fast and clean under pressure. Not a real problem, I suppose - just use a far bigger case than required?

One problem with starting those Field Marshall engines was if that smouldering insert (of the size he was using) got trapped under the decompression valve. Didn't happen often, but was a bit of a b****r when it did, apparently. The starting handle supplied was long enough for two people to swing it. It is hard work on your own!

I had a 27.5 Kva generator on my sig. Starting was HP air at 600 psi which gave 3 attempts to start and there was a Balastite cartridge start device fitted also. If someone forgot to fill the air bottle again I used to kick them in the rump. Only thing was they would not issue cartridges unless it was a continuous minus 18 C. It also had a starting handle which was big enough for 2 men to use. On a cold morning I could hardly turn the engine over alone.Many a time in the cold on exercise i would leave it ticking over at night, it used to keep the sentries warm.

Ships engines always use air

If the old man was stopping/starting too much in port the engine room would let him know

"You've only got three starts left captain!"

From memory they were a lot bigger than a bullet, more like an overgrown shotgun cartridge.

Converted from milling machine to mixing machine

See this movie the plane is started up with Coffman combustion starter (cartridge starter with other word).

s

Edited By Jens Eirik Skogstad on 19/12/2017 02:15:14

An x-ray machine, about 1914 in M.E. X-ray your pets!

Geoff

Atomic energy lab for childrens

**LINK**

more like an overgrown shotgun cartridge.

Not 'overgrown' at all. A normal gauge cartridge. Admittedly rather bigger than a .410, but they just used the size for the job. It was an 8 gauge. Some wildfowling shotguns used a 4 gauge cartridge. I suppose most out there only think of the most common shotgun size - the 12 bore.

You can work out the diameter using the standard density for lead and 4/3 Pi r^3. Without checking, a 12 gauge is about 0.718".  More like a cannon shell case than a bullet, I suppose. 

Edited By not done it yet on 19/12/2017 07:33:51