What did you do today? (2014)

[“Bill Hancox”Participant @billhancox]

Oompa Lumpa

A pugilist would recognize this bell in a heartbeat.

Cheers

WeeWillieWinkle

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

Graham,

That looks the bell from a boxing ring.

Graeme

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Posted by TomK on 27/04/2014 21:51:46:

Graham

Looks like a bell target for air rifle shooting

Tom

Spot on Tom. PM me your address and I will get the drills in the post to you.

This is indeed the back of a Bell Target, this is the front:

The paint on the front is a mixture of Titanium dioxide powder and Baby Oil so it doesn't set. To make the target bank again for the next shooter it is a simple matter of waving a brush at it.

Bell Target shooting was a very popular sport in the Black Country in the late nineteenth early twentieth centuries and is seeing a little bit of a resurgence. The man who did more for the sport than anyone else was a chap by the name of Frank Spittle. Frank is a legend, the man was unbelievable in his energy and some of his claims to fame were, he boxed Frank Warren and won, he formed a football team for "Crown Crisps" and was approached by Walkers butchers of Leicester to show them how to make crisps – the rest of that story is history.

Bell Target shooting was actually promoted by Queen Victoria and instructed another chap by the name of Baden Powell to "get organised". The catalyst for this was the pasting British Troops had taken at the hands of the Boers who were, by and large, farmers and smallholders, who had to hunt for food so every shot counted. Legend has it that the 3/8" hole in the centre of the Bell Target was the size of a man's head at 100 yards. A distance the Boers were particularly good at shooting.

Bell Target leagues sprang up around Birmingham and these were by far Pub Leagues and Clubs and the prize was usually a Leg of Mutton. Back in the day this could be the only meat a family would see. The history is fascinating and THIS LINK would be a good place to start. With the present "Political Climate" there has been a steady demise in the popularity of this sport but as I said above it is seeing a bit of a resurgence just lately and good targets are in demand. Fortunately many have survived, the one pictured above is an example, and they do come up now and again for sale.

I would like to just address the "over engineered" comment above. I am aware of a particular make of Bell Target where you shoot through the bullseye and the pellet strikes a big bell bolted behind the hole. There is an issue with this type of target, especially in competition. If the pellet strikes the edge of the hole a sliver of lead will strike the bell and this will cause the bell to ring. However, that is not a true, clear, bullseye. If the same thing happens with the type of target pictured above the bell will not ring as the sliver of pellett is not enough to actually trigger the device and cause it to ring. A full on 5.1 strike (clean bullseye) will trigger the device and you Ring the Bell. It is not perfect, if the pellet clips the edge of the hole on the way in it will trigger the Bell but it will also leaves a telltale mark on the paint around the hole scoring 5.

For the record the competition is shot at Six Yards and most of the leagues will insist on a "springer" – a spring powered airgun. I personally do not shoot any league where modern target rifles are permitted because it is just not in the spirit of the whole thing – in my opinion.

Here is a picture of the model of Air Rifle I use, made in 1909 mine and it is the BSA Improved Model D:

I have a copy of Frank's book "Ring my Bell" given to my by Frank's Widow and it is a very interesting read but here is a link to the abridged version if you feel like a bit of History today. Ring my Bell

This is a link to the definitive Bell Target website and there are plans at the back if you are crazy enough to want to make your own target.

graham.

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Hi Graham,

it was good to meet you yesterday and I'm glad the mill will be going to somebody who will use it more than me. Just to let you know I have borrowed a palette truck for a few weeks so that I will be able to transport my new mill from the roadside to the workshop so we should be able to move the Tom Senior without having to use rollers.

Bob Rodgerson

P.S. Just to keep things on topic, I do like the look of the air rifle, kind of elegant.

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

And just for the avoidance of doubt, I am not buying a new Mill

A friend of mine asked me to look out for one for him and here I am, Moving a Tom Senior Wednesday evening. Well what else do you do on Wednesdays?

Vintage rifles are terrific.

graham.

[D.A.GodleyParticipant @d-a-godley]

How strange : Though I do not do any shooting , I have one of those BSA underleaver air rifles, but I believe it is a somewhat earlier model, they are lovely , and it still works perfectly.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Clive,

I've been watching 'The Wonder of Bees' on iPlayer, and can now make sense of what you refer to when you catch swarming bees.

Fascinating creatures, without whome we would be in the doodoo.

I can see why you keep them.

Geoff – Back pain gone (fingers crossed) so drawer organising on the go again! USAF making a din overhead!!

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Posted by D.A.G. on 29/04/2014 08:08:03:

How strange : Though I do not do any shooting , I have one of those BSA underleaver air rifles, but I believe it is a somewhat earlier model, they are lovely , and it still works perfectly.

That will be a Lincoln Jeffries. These vintage rifles are much sought after by collectors and the "Junior" or Ladies model the most desirable as few survive. To keep the leather washer in pristine condition and prevent it drying out I would reccommend a couple of drops of oil into the loading port and then put the port in the loaded position and prop the rifle up against the wall butt down. The oil will run down into the chamber. I use Cenegar Oil but that is not something you find on every shelf so even 3in1 oil would do. Anything is better than nothing.

graham.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

When I was in the scouts we had a single little Webley target pistol, the type with the lift-up barrel over the top, probably .177? Of course all us teenagers had a 'Panther' (?) .177 pistol with a longer conventional barrel on the end – considerably less accurate IIRC. I remember I could shoot mine and watch the pellet droop as it flew once it was five or six years old!

Neil

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Had a bit of a disappointment from yesterday with the bees, I saw the swarm emerge from the hive and it took nearly a half hour to settle very conveniently on a branch at the top of a ladder in the Holly tree. I took it on the branch and placed it directly on top of a prepared hive and settled them in, covered them up and left them to it. This morning I came back with a feeder and sugar water and they had gone! What i should have done is put down a board and thrown the bees down on it and let them march in, I normally do this but I was in a hurry yesterday, so my fault. The other swarms are doing fine and taking sugar water but the weather is not being kind again, if it is not warm the Queens will not fly and mate, also the Drones will not fly if its chilly or windy! I am also busy making up frames with wax foundation so the bees can store the honey.

When I was a kid my earnest desire was to have an air pistol, I did get on, a Gat with half a dozen darts. It was not long before I was buying cat slugs and I became quite proficient with it. Able to hit a match box at about 20ft. Also had a Webley, and some good air rifles. I use one now, an Original mod 75 that is recoilless, it has a piston that moves back as the power piston goes forward. Being close to the fields we get rats and Squirrels. Had a rat the other day and later a Squirrel chewing up the peanut basket, yes, they bite through the wire!.

Clive

[GaryMParticipant @garym]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 29/04/2014 20:44:55:

When I was in the scouts we had a single little Webley target pistol, the type with the lift-up barrel over the top, probably .177? Of course all us teenagers had a 'Panther' (?) .177 pistol with a longer conventional barrel on the end – considerably less accurate IIRC. I remember I could shoot mine and watch the pellet droop as it flew once it was five or six years old!

Neil

I had a Gat air pistol in my early teens and it was absolutely rubbish but all I could afford. You had more chance of hitting a target by throwing the gun at it. When I got my first job at sixteen I treated myself to a Webley Senior pistol. Compared to the Gat it was a much more accurate and a thing of beauty (even though it was a weapon).

Gary

[StephParticipant @steph]

I collected my first swarm this year, from one of my hives from a nearby juniper tree. I dropped them into a prepared polystyrene NUC box, locked them up for 2 days, opened them up on day 3 and saw they had already started with comb and brood production. So opened them up, within 4 hours they were swarming again. Half of them left never to be seen again and the other half with a new queen cell were left behind. I introduced a few part made frames with extra brood and stores, these are now doing well and staying put.

Swarming is a good indication that either nectar or pollen flow in the area is drying up. or

The hive is over crowded, ie no space for further expansion of stores or and brood or

Queen is not performing 100% or

Something else, and a New Queen has been produced.

I have generally kept 1 decent size swarm every year and lost 3-5 other swarms, they only stay when everything is to there satisfaction.

Keeping bees is probably the only rewarding hobby I have every had, where I am not in control of it and I just care take.

I would recommend anyone who has a suitable area of garden or flat roof to keep bees.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Steph, I would be more inclined to think that swarming is basically propagation of the species! To me its a case of an old Queen taking part of the hive population and departing to spread the bee population and to increase the Gene pool. A sad fact is that static hives where the swarms are rehoused tend to be inbred and it is essential every other year to add an outsider swarm to that gene pool. Swarming is a natural instinct as originally Honey bees were migratory as the African bee still is! Honey bees have been found embedded in Amber dated to 200 million years ago. Enjoy the rigors of beekeeping and as long as your health will let you, try and pr-plan your actions so that you buy in wax and frames and other hardware well in advance of the need. I do supply a local bee shop with swarms that are sound, with eggs and brood. My bees are not aggressive as some I have been near. I can walk about my hives with no protective kit.

Clive

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I'm impressed that Clive could hit anything with a Gat, let alone a matchbox!

Neil

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I'v still got my Webley Premier .177, stripped it down a few months ago, washer is OK. Desided to use a plastic milk bottle full of water behind a target, and try it out (hadn't used it for a number of years), 25 yd first shot 1" high, through target and bottle, water every where, so it's still shooting about right, I put the other 4 pellets that I had with me with in reasonable area round the bull. It cost me $NZ 41–80, it lives in the original box. Ian S C

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Well, as planned we moved the Tom Senior Mill today. Pretty simple plan and to all our amazement worked flawlessly. Drive the pickup half into Bob's driveway so the rear wheels were in the gutter and as low as possible and approach from the rear with the Mill hanging off a 2 ton engine crane. Took maybe fifteen minutes. Bob's engine crane, bought to maneuver his new mill into place was just the business, he is quite justified looking happy with it.

Amazing really, normally things never go this smoothly. My pal Jeff (shown hugging his new toy) now has it down at his Fabrication Shop and plans to do a bit of a clean up, repaint and re-grease over the next couple of weeks. Anyone know the RAL code for a Tom Senior Mill perchance?

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Looks like RAL 6001 from the picture

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Not HAL 9000?

Seriously, from the picture I'd say that colour has a wavelength of approximately 539 nm

**LINK**

Visit that link and boggle that 'slightly bluish-green' can be so complex!

Neil

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Heretic.

Oh ye of little faith…………………..

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Using the Mac "Digital Color Meter" I get a reading of

R% = 20.6, B% = 32.9, G% = 26.5

That's from the front of the machine base, roughly central in the picture.

Obviously that's a wild approximation, based on digital camera, web colours, etc. but it may be interesting to see how it compares.

MichaelG.

.

P.S.  Just to see how unreliable web colour approximations can be; try putting RAL 6001 into Google image search.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 30/04/2014 22:05:19

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Graham

I just found this on ebay

… Claims to be the correct Tom Senior colour

MichaelG.

.

Edit: also found this, which might be of interest.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 30/04/2014 23:04:26

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Hi Air Gun buffs

This is a good book (Modern reprint) although there are original copies around
**LINK**

I have a Webley service rifle mark 2 got it when I was about 12… It is still very accurate….

Regards
John.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Don't have the beer vouchers to buy the ballscrews yet and even if I did, I haven't worked out the dimensions etc I need to convert my BP clone X and Y axes to ballscrews and servo steppers. I have initially modelled how the current X-axis setup looks. I think I've got it about right now, so the next step will be to design a replacement left hand end bracket to take a stepper motor and a suitably modified ballscrew to mate with that. It's clear that the dimensions of my clone differ from the original BP, so it's just as well I didn't just copy standard conversion parts from the drawings.

It's probably true that I could figure out the lengths etc quicker using a ruler and pencilCAD but converting those dimensions into a series of dimensioned 3D parts ready for machining is so quick and easy this way once you've got a finished assembly. If you change a part, the assembly and drawings update automatically and you don't get caught out. But this is also an opportunity to learn how to use 3D CAD – Solidworks in this case. I'm pleasantly surprised how easy it is to learn it to a useful level.

Murray

Edited By Muzzer on 02/05/2014 07:49:48

[David ColwillParticipant @davidcolwill19261]

Murray,

When I did my bridgeport clone I used 25mm ballscrews (the leadscrews were 32mm) and the ballnuts fitted straight in, I just had to tap a few holes. I drove the X and Y axis with 12nm steppers with mains steppermotor drivers from zapp automation (usual disclaimer). They drive the ballscrews 1:1 by toothed belt. I also did the Z axis by fitting a pulley directly onto the knee lift, in place of the existing handle but used a 2:1 reduction. The weight of the table eliminates any backlash. The machine has a DRO fitted and when you compare Mach 3 to the DRO there is very little error. I have limited the speed of the steppers to 3m / min on X and Y and 1m / min on Z. Going faster frightens me.

I didn't spend much time doing the conversion so it's a bit of a bodge but it has done some good work since and I'm glad I did it.

Good luck.

David

[Neal SwarbrickParticipant @nealswarbrick19322]

Today I cut my first Thread on the Myford MF74. A 3/8 x 20TPI thread to adapt a 7/16 tool-post stud to a replacement (original, mind) top-slide that I scored from THAT auction site . . . .

I did this without the aid of a TDI cos there ain't one. Luckily I found this vid' on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNajMA4I20A

and I was away. If'n I'm honest with myself the thread was a little rough and a tad under-size but it works for all that.

In the process I learnt several things:

1) Need a protractor to help set up the correct tool-post angle for screw-cutting.
2) Cross-slide backlash is still in need of adjustment – either a new feed-screw or bush or both – the thrust-washer thing hasn't worked like it did with the top-slide.
3) Different types of change-wheel configuration can change the orientation of the reverse tumbler . . . That was a surprise!!!!!!!
4) Need some general metal stock to further practice the screw-cutting.
5) Need chalk.

That, people, is what I did today.

Thank you

[Author]

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