What are you doing

What's everyone doing in the lockdown? I'm assuming there are other pastimes as well as model engineering that you are not doing. Mine's playing in a brass band (or not). No rehearsals, no concerts. Gave my workshop a good clean. Thinking about changing the layout and building in a bit more bench space.

One thing I do have a problem with is damp in the winter months.Think I may have to put in some sort of permanent heater on a thermostat. Probably cost a fortune to run.

That should occupy for a couple of weeks at least!

I have a dehumidifier that is always on. My garage is pretty water tight but in winter there is always the condensation issue.

Been tidying up my workshop & looking at more tool cabinets to hold cutters etc. Drawing up a pergola for the rear garden, with hope of growing grape vines up it .Steve.

Does the dehumidifier cost much to run? I was considering an electric radiator but could end up costing £10 to £15 a week to run. Too much!

No not at all. I have pic somewhere of it. I bought it years ago for a boat we had, for the winter. It is the compressor type with a 1 litre catch tank . Or it can be piped outside. I never turn it off. The settings are for the humidity. I think mine is set for 65% so it only runs when needed. Some pics. This is in the main garage where my car & bikes are. So a big area & not really noticed any difference in leky bill.

Steve.

Edited By Steviegtr on 02/05/2020 00:33:30

I run several small dehumidifiers mostly overnight on the cheap rate but the workshop one is full time. They use about 180W when the compressor is running then drop to about half that on a roughly 50% duty cycle modified by the humidity setting. Once the temperature is up around 16c and they've got the humidity down they spend a lot of time off and test the air for a minute a few times an hour. I recon they collect about a litre a day when its damp and that is recovering the energy of vaporisation so I'm getting more heat than I pay for. Sometimes I will notice the workshop one come on a few minutes after I go in there as it senses me breathing out moisture.

I have been spending a lot of time moving wood around. In the fine weather I would have liked to do a lot of chainsawing and painting up a ladder but didn't like to do anything risky. Shifting a few 4ft logs 200 yds uphill over rough ground constitutes my daily exercise quota. I hardly seem to have achieved anything relative to the time I've had at home though.

I am making a wire drawing jig for a local jewelry maker and teacher.

David

That's an interesting set of "pliers" there David. Are they special wire drawing grippers ?

For me, I tidied the workshop and then trashed the whole place by planing down lots of walnut to make a cabinet for my grandaughter.

Hi Speedy Yes they are wire pulling pliers. The ring pulls the handles together the harder you pull the harder they grip.

David

Actually, despite the 'visitation of the Pestilence' I'm busier than ever.......loads of jobs in the house that I should have done before (according to herself!)....helping to set up zoom sessions for members of Epping Forest Horology Club.....then theres my ongoing current clock build in which I'm reworking a Wilding design for skeleton clock......also, nearly done on a couple of pneumatic engraving tools I have made from 16mm stainless bolts/nuts.......and finally, seriously near to changing the tool post set up on my WM 180...

Like OP Stephen I too used to be a 'bandie' playing in brass bands for over 50 years....I'm still on the edge of the movement and have a couple of close friends still 'serving' who have effectively lost their bands due to the emergency as bfrass bands don't really transcrive to 'zoom' very well, unfortunately.

Stephen, I run a dehumidifier in my workshop, it is a small unit mounted on the wall with a drain to outside, I have it on a time switch to coincide with the economy 7 off peak rate. I also run a small oil filled radiator, 750 watts, which is set to keep the temperature about 10 degrees C, the radiator is able to run 24 hours a day but the thermostat keeps the running costs down. I have found that this setup keeps humidity at bay and when you need to use the workshop it doesn’t take long to reach a reasonable working temp by switching up the radiator output. Running costs are quite reasonable, however we are large users of other power in our household as I run two large ponds with pumps and air pumps etc, 360 days a year, costs are a lot lower since I installed solar panels 18 months ago.
Dave W

finishing off Suffolk Punch overhaul its a 1987 98cc mower. Have a number of suffolk engines, to old to work on cars so these are a good substitute

Mick 🇫🇴

Here is another pic

Mick 🇫🇴

That's one clean mower. Reminds me I must tackle the cricket club Balmoral. It cuts well but the carb is a pain and keeps dribbling or cutting out despite fitting a filter. We have been told groundsmen can work as one person on a whole cricket pitch achieves adequate distancing. Trouble is we have already missed several fundraising events and will be lucky to get a match in before September when it starts raining (even harder).

Just about finnished the wire drawing jig. I had to bore some holes for the plate holding blocks.

A bit long but only Ally so no problem.

Tapped to mach blocks and first test.

Just clean up and Finnish debur channel.

David

Almost finished a Parting off tool for the Quick change toolpost. Just a height bolt to fit & a good clean up. Pictures shown. Managed to break 2 small 2.5mm milling cutters. 1 on the go the 2nd , setting up the job & snagged it. At that point I told myself off & said time to lock up for the night. When you start messing up it's time. Was 11:45p.m though. I realise the positive rake will need grinding back to a negative rake. I assume the cutter was not meant for a little Myford.

Steve.

Edited By Steviegtr on 04/05/2020 00:25:47

Edited By Steviegtr on 04/05/2020 00:26:35

Edited By Steviegtr on 04/05/2020 00:28:11

Forgot to say all made from mild steel EN1A. Would like to harden , but not got the facility to do.

steve.

That brings back some memories, Mick.

My Grandfather had one. It would have been around 1974/5, and I would have been seven or eight at the time.

Was the first powered vehicle I was allowed to 'drive'. Hours of fun being more or less dragged along behind it.

One thing I wasn't that keen on was, in order to stop it, one had to press a flap of steel onto the top of the spark plug. Gave me a healthy belt every time. From memory, it took me a worringly long time to discover that the employment of a piece of timber (dry), worked better.

Happy days.

ATB,

Daniel

Over the lock down I have built a Russian tether car kit from the 70s/80s it comes with a die cast chassis and the rest of the material to build it requires a lathe at least to build. The kits must have been produced in big numbers. They are still available on eBay.

The then eastern bloc had youth houses to encourage the youngsters to take up a hobby the one in Estonia still exists and has a nice workshop for the youngsters to use. They are fighting to save it at the moment they want to knock it down and build houses.

Managed to break 2 small 2.5mm milling cutters. 1 on the go the 2nd , setting up the job & snagged it.

Excuse me for asking, but why were you using cutters that small? I see nothing that requires small, fragile cutters on that piece.

Not sure about what appears to be some awkward angles. I have a parting tool holder which holds the blade at an angle - it is so much of a PITA that it never gets used. A holder where one can extend, or retract, the blade without needing to re-set the cutter height is so much more preferable, IMO.