Changes in heating equipment - and what else?

A recent poster was asking about Oxy Propane and It struck a chord with me as When I was a member of the Nottingham SMEE in the 1970's Martin Evans gave us a talk and one question was regarding the suitability of Oxy Propane for boiler work. Martin said he had no experience there and recommended Oxy Acetylene or Air Town Gas.

What has struck me is that while most workshop equipment has stayed more or less the same, with the exception of CNC and laser cutting, heating has changed considerably over the last 45 years or so. (not that I was a model engineer for all that time just the 1970s and resumed a couple of years ago)

When I was young there were still users of 5 pint paraffin blowlamps, most used air town gas and a few rich people used oxy acetylene. propane was available, but not yet used much.

Nowadays propane is used, air town gas has gone, as have fearsome paraffin blowlamps and oxy acetylene is just too expensive for many.

Unless anyone can suggest anything else I would suggest this is the biggest change in workshop equipment in model engineering in the last 50 years.

Do you think anything else has changed more?????

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 25/12/2018 20:23:04 to correct typo

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 25/12/2018 20:24:00

DROs. not sure when they were introduced but out of the question for amateurs until recently.
3 phase inverters are also a revolution due to advances in electronics. Over a bit longer time period even small electric motors are relatively new to the home workshop.

Don't think many home workshops had milling machines 50yrs ago.

I think everyone now has a digital caliper and the remarkable point must be how good even the very cheap end of the market is.

Mike

Digital angle gauge too...or digital dti...

Big changes in the last 50 years? TIG, MIG, tipped tooling - all more-or-less affordable. The demise of Myford and the popularity of oriental equipment of dubious quality. CAD/CAM/CNC. The internet, where information and mis-information compete for your attention and where fora like this enable idiots like myself to appear authoritative and reach an audience we don't deserve.

I may be missing something, but heating things with a flame is thousands-year-old tech, even if the fuel has changed. I still occasionally use a meths wick burner and a blow-pipe.

Predictions for the next 50 years?

Edited By Kiwi Bloke 1 on 26/12/2018 09:11:33

Predictions for the next 50 years???

Domestic laser cutting - we already have the CNC routers so it is only the cutter we need

A process combining metal spraying with 3D printing to enable metal products to be printed - will be essential if small scale castings become unavailable

Do you think anything else has changed more?

The ability to buy, sell and communicate because of the net

I can get stuff now I couldn't dream of getting hold of in the past, even in the 80s trying to get anything out of the ordinary took serious time and effort

The net has made the world available to all

Had to scrap a good bluebird in 1994 because no-one had the bit I wanted, I spend days phoning around and searching scrappies

25 years later I can find it in 5 minutes and search the world for a supplier

Lots of advances but we've also lost a fair bit too:

• The skills of a large body of men who spent their entire lives hands-on with basic equipment making things when most of the world was mechanical. What they did was much closer to my workshop than what goes on in a factory today, which is why 1950 - 1970 Model Engineer Magazine is still such a good read.
• In the Western world the demise of large numbers of the small engineering companies providing cheap services (like castings), second-hand tooling and cheap scrap metal.
• A move away from basic hobby-friendly materials to more exotic alloys and plastics, making it harder to recycle.
• The ability to easily buy basic chemicals has largely gone; Sulphuric & Nitric Acid, Mercury, Steam Coal, and even Coke.
• Simplicity! Technology is now hideously complicated, with many products beyond the ability of any individual to understand. As a result many modern textbooks are packed with theory rather than practical help.
• Large gardens
• The ability to run filthy, loud or otherwise annoying processes at home without the neighbours complaining and/or Homeland Security becoming involved!

Dave

Not me, I use micrometers

Many things have changed, CNC is a huge change, along with 3D printers. And the ability to buy ex-industrial equipment at sensible prices for items only dreamed of before, such as cylindrical grinders and power guillotines. Oh yes, and computers with 3D CAD with motion features and other software such as FEA, and CAM.

For heating I have oxy-acetylene, propane and an electric furnace.

The only good thing about the 1970s was punk rock.

Andrew

The effect of 'Health & Safety' on accessibility of scrap metal yards.

Now, before I go any further, I'm not against 'Health & Safety'. Several years ago, there was a nasty accident in a scrap yard some thirty miles from here and I wouldn't want anything like that to happen to anyone.

But still, I miss the sort of relationship I enjoyed with my local scrap metal yard when I lived in Essex. The first time I visited them they treated me as though, if they were to turn their backs, I'd put the whole yard in my pocket! However, after a few visits, I'd be greeted with 'What are you looking for?'. I'd answer and then be invited to browse among the skips. I'd move stuff out of the way to see what was in the nether layers but I ALWAYS replaced it tidily. The scrap yard guy came to realise that he didn't need to supervise my every movement and that I'd always buy something (for 'stock' ) even if I couldn't find anything that fitted my answer to his initial question.

As some say 'that was then and this is now!' .

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!