Hi from Newport Pagnell

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

I made my first steam engine when I was at school, probably 45 years ago. This was a single cylinder machine with piston valves. All from brass stock, made on my fathers lathe. So the seed was there rather early. When I finished education I was allowed to call myself an engineer, graduated in 1983. I bought myself a lathe short after I started to work, and I still have it. It is an Emco Compact 5, which was at this time the proper machine for model engineers. And also it was a 'local' machine, as I am Austrian. And – I still have it, it is going strong, besides several drive belts I had to change the capacitor on the motor once and now a bearing needs replacement soon. I found a model shop in Vienna who sold Stuart & Turner casting sets, so I made of course (like many others) the 10V, and later also the 8H. Besides that I made 2 boilers and several machines from brass stock. I was even participating to a kind of steam rally in Austria, which was done near an almost derelict railway station, so we had also a full size steam locomotive on site. This Austrian show was no comparison to the British shows I have been to, there were a few stationary full size engines, 2 full size traction engines, and a few tables to show model steam engines. Some of the beatiful, but very little running, not even on compressed air. Mine of course were running, a pure display model doesn't show if it is built right…

So why am I here in the UK? Work moved me around, I was working in 3 countries, moved house 10 times, last proper job was here in the UK. Well – I am still working, but less hours and of course for less money, advantage is to have more time. People were asking why don't you go home? Well – I am tired of moving around, I am married a second time here, but also my first wife is here (she was born in Manchester), all my kids work in the UK, so home is for me actually where I am now.

Why going on the forum now? My father, who died 10 years ago, was also a keen model engineer, he had a life steam boat and a life steam G-scale locomotive. After he died my brother grabbed the lathe (which was an Emco unmat 3), and we split tools and models between us. So I have a damaged life steam loco in my workshop, which needs a new boiler. And I found an unfinished Stuart V10 which I am completing now. I think I found out where he had the problems, so I have to re-do a few parts. But I am sure it will run one day. Going on the forum probably gives me new ideas how to improve my techniques or my tools.

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

An old man blew the dust from his lathe and restarted…

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Welcome! (back? )

You already have at least one project to keep you busy., so go for it!

Howard

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Welcome Gerhard, If you have any questions at all then please come back and ask them, there will usually be someone on here with an answer.

Brian

[Jouke van der VeenParticipant @joukevanderveen72935]

Welcome Gerhard,

It appears that you worked much more and made nice models with your Emco Compact 5 than I did. I bought in 2009 an Emco C5 which was msnufactured in 1982. I read that you bought yours about mid 80’s. Was it manufactured before1985 or later?

The lathes from before 1985 have no adjustable and replaceable split nut in the saddle. I am still underway to solve the problem with a worn thread in the saddle. You can find some of my proposals elsewhere in this forum.

Regards,

Jouke

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Welcome to the party Gerhard. Noel

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

Jouke,

I definitely bought the machine before 1985. I suppose it was 1983.

But: the nut can be replaced!

I would show you a photo but for some reason everything in the album I created is upside down… Even I save the photo upside down, it stays upside down… frustrating.

Lets try over the …

 

Edited By Gerhard Novak on 04/02/2021 16:50:57

Edited By Gerhard Novak on 04/02/2021 17:03:15

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

Well – not working.

Any help in this forum how to publish photos?

Thanks!

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

Welcome to the forum. Try this >>> Post pics to forum

regards

[Jouke van der VeenParticipant @joukevanderveen72935]

Gerhard,

There is a topic in this forum about how to place photos in an album, etc.

As far as I know Emco changed the design from 1985 on. Earlier lathes had no replaceable nut. This is also explained that way in the manual. But I may be wrong. You can find year of manufacturing punched in the bed, just in front of where to attach the milling column.
Of course you could/can replace the old design saddle by a new design. That is what I did for my lathe.

My milling column is now on a second bed with the old design saddle with worn thread on it.

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Gerhard – welcome to the house of fun! I am not a million miles from you and know Newport Pagnell quite well.

Rik

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

So. Mastered the bloomin photos – need to copy every single photo, and the upside down is gone… A bit nerving.

Thanks for all the welcome, much appreciated.

Now for Jouke: number on the bed is 8205388. So I suppose machine is manufactured in 1982.

Here is a photo of the nut. If you open the hex screw the nut is free from the saddle.

And here the beauty when clean…

And the heart of my workshop

And finally what I am working on. The blue one is finished since 38 years – and still runs…

[Jouke van der VeenParticipant @joukevanderveen72935]

Gerhard,

Your equipment appears to be OK! And a nice and clean working area.

Your Emco C5 is from the same year as mine.

The nut you show in the first photo is not the nut I mean.

The cross slide is operated by the handwheel in front of the saddle. The short spindle of this wheel sticks in a thread in the saddle.

I expect that the saddle you show also has thread direct in the sadldle itself and is not fitted with an adjustable nut.

If there is an adjustable nut then you can observe this by looking from beneath behind the handwheel.

Does your cross slide have much backlash?

[Jouke van der VeenParticipant @joukevanderveen72935]

Gerhard,

I recognize the qctp on your lathe. I do not have one. Could you recommend the type shown for the Emco C5?

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

Found it on e-bay for little money, it is not especially made for the Emco, but as you adjust the tool height anyway it is fine. Especially on the angle slide the height is almost correct.

I think it was this one, but I paid about 40 £ in 2018. I had to machine one part- the guide for the screw- as it came only with adaptors for bigger screw sizes (and Emco uses M6 for the tool holder). But if you have a lathe – making the correct adaptor is done in 15 minutes.

I do not want to miss it, it is so much quicker, especially for my second hobby (model railway), I made my whole H0 catenary system from brass – and making hundreds of "isolators" I had to change at every piece between tools – no setup – just put it in and go.

H0 catenary pole – pole itself is milled conically, base is turned to M3. Isolators – serve also as a guide for soldering – are brass (turned) Interested? look at RMWEB under Donnersbachkogel. I am also at shows with this layout, but of course not now with covid….

 

Edited By Gerhard Novak on 04/02/2021 20:09:09

[Jouke van der VeenParticipant @joukevanderveen72935]

Gerhard,

Thank you for your information. I think this qctp set will be good enough for me. Some people find it to simple but it should work on a C5 I understand.

I had a quick look at Donnersbachkogel. Very impressive!

[Jouke van der VeenParticipant @joukevanderveen72935]

Just some additional info:

As a Dutch student in applied physics I spent half a year in Cranfield, almost in your backyard I now recognize.

This was almost 50 years ago (1972) when I was a trainee at BHRA located at the airfield. I lived on the campus of the Cranfield Institute of Technology. A long time ago.

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

Posted by Jouke van der Veen on 04/02/2021 21:58:23:

Gerhard,

Thank you for your information. I think this qctp set will be good enough for me. Some people find it to simple but it should work on a C5 I understand.

I had a quick look at Donnersbachkogel. Very impressive!

Thanks for that, I was working 4 years on it. Had also 2 show invitations for 2020, of course everything has been cancelled.

About the quick change tool post: don't be too euphoric – it is all made from aluminium alloy. The actual tool holders are having a black eloxal coating which makes them look like steel….

As I said, for normal work good enough.

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