Keeeping Machines Clean, New idea or Old?

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

Sign seen in a CEGB engineers office some 30 years ago:

"A Clear Desk is a Sure Sign of a Sick Mind".

Don't necessarily subscribe to that view totally, but it gets a sympathetic airing now and again!

Chris

[Jesse Hancock 1Participant @jessehancock1]

ChrisH : My desk was always clean and smelt of polish but then I hardly ever sat at the darn thing. The other one at school had quite a few scars which made interesting reading when in an RE lesson or some other boring nonsense.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign of? (A. Einstein)

Mike

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Einstein said something along the lines of 'if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what is an empty desk a sign of?'

Neil

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

Very origan there Neil, I wonder what made you think of that ??

Anyways, everyone knows that cleaning stuff is for Girls and Southerners! How do you think we would have faired down pit if we were constantly wipeing everything clean??

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 12/03/2015 12:08:06:

Einstein said something along the lines of 'if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what is an empty desk a sign of?'

Neil

Impending redundancy??

Russell.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Walk around the design offices at the McLaren Technical Centre in Woking and you wouldn't have a clue what they do there, or even if they do anything there at all. Their clean desk policy means nothing at all on the desks. And no drinks or food at the desk (you have to go to the canteen for that). Ron Dennis' obsession with cleanliness extends to every nook and cranny. Great for eating your dinner off the floor. An amazing high tech architectural experience but a soulless place to work.

Murray

[JonParticipant @jon]

Wouldn't have replied to this Murray, Saturday gone we had a designer from there that worked on the P1. Shows in social life too.

I'll clean the main swarf, reach over and grab arm fulls. When nothing better to do I might wipe the slides down or wash off with coolant.

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 12/03/2015 12:08:06:

Einstein said something along the lines of 'if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what is an empty desk a sign of?'

Many years ago (as is so often said around here) the high-tech company I was working for moved to a new location. About 6 months later we had an "open day" where members of the board and other brass could come and view the new offices.

We were instructed that we had to have clean desks … just the immediate notes we were working with and a pencil or two – to "create the right impression" (huh?). So there I was dutifully sitting with a notepad and pencil – and just for good measure a coffee cup – trying to look like I was doing something high tech. Not easy. I decided I needed a file (the paper kind) which, I believed was in the right-hand filing drawer. It wasn't. So (leaving that drawer open), I opened the left-hand filing drawer …… and the whole (old fashioned, heavy metal desk) tipped over, spilling coffee everywhere – not the least of which was on me and my 18th (I think) edition of machinery's handbook purchased a week before – and injuring me in a minor way (bruises). It took several people to get the desk off.

At least some of the visiting brass had the decency to point out the irony.

[BrevaParticipant @breva]

Under my Bantam I have used a sheet of the free rubber that Ian Parkin kindly provided some time back to line the tray.

Marvellous stuff and makes cleaning up a breeze. Everything comes away in one clean lift. Away better than cling film for that job.

Thanks Ian!

[brickyParticipant @bricky]

The use of cling film will be used on my machines when using cast iron, it will save me time on cleaning the dust off everything.Thanks Martin for the tip.

Frank

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

When turning cast iron, I fold a bit of news paper under the chuck, between the headstock, and the saddle, makes picking up the chips without having to handle them, although hands are usually fairly black at this stage.

Ian S C

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

When maching cast iron, I wear a mask and also have a vacuum cleaner in use to clear away as much as possible of swarf and dust as it arrives.

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

If I'm iron dust or using a grinder I may wrap a sheet of kitchen foil round the lathe bed, but mainly I abuse a trusty old henry hoover for the end of session clear up. Maybe once a week I wipe it all down and oil it.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

What used to amuse me was working in an Optical repair/service workshop and they allowed people to smoke in there. The anodised window frames were brown with nicotine I presume. When you see some of the videos of car assembly like Ferrari and Volkswagen the whole place is spotless. But then most of the items are made outside the assembly hall and under the, 'JIT' system.

Clive, PS. I have feet marks painted on the floor of my wksp/garage so I do not trip over anything!

[Nigel McBurney 1Participant @nigelmcburney1]

Perhaps if McLaren stopped being obsessed with cleanliness and tidyness and put their effort into their cars they might end up winning a race. When a company gets like that the employees are always looking over their shoulder, loose interest and only remain because the moneys good.,

[Author]

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