What did you do today (2015)

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

My friend who I help with his Triumph TR6 sports car was having problems with setting the Lucas PI injection system running correctly after a rebuild due to a cracked block.

Looks like the problem might be solved probably while laid up an infestation of woodlice had got into the empty fuel tank apart from the fuel filter having remnants of wood lice on it the fuel line was full of them.

Paul

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Posted by Danny M2Z on 21/03/2015 05:42:13: I slid back 2 foot on the groundsheet with every shot and they do make largish holes in surplus Land Rover Series IIa cylinder blocks at 800m.

Danny, I can understand why they wanted a volunteer, little bit of recoil, yes? The .50BMG round tends to make large holes in everything it comes into contact with. The angle of the holes in muzzle brakes is crucial, can just as easily pull you 2 feet forward, not good if you are on a roof.

Dave.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

5 hours to do a 70 mile round trip. Locations in London look like they are on the doorstep but I could get to Nottingham faster. I got lured by a listing with a faceplate I wanted in it. Paid over the odds for the faceplate but it came with a whole extra lathe which has its own faceplates which are a different size anyway. Just need to find some Drummond topslides now.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Currently using 120mm Celotex to insulate a crawl space over our kitchen. Couldn't cut it straight for the life of me. I watched a YouTube of some young guy who made it look real easy. "Hold the saw upright and just saw" he says…

No, the saw still had a mind of it's own. Didn't work for me at all!

Finally decided I needed a more 'engineered' approach and clamped two strips of wood underneath the Celotex (with a 5mm gap between them) to keep the other end of the saw blade on track (and I kept the blade upright too). I could still feel the end of the blade trying to pull over but it worked and I can now cut the damned stuff reasonably straight.

This takes more time to set up but is still quicker (and much easier) than trying to trim wavy edges to fit between the joists whilst on all fours under the roofline. My knees and back just can't take that kind of strain for too long these days I'm afraid.

More to do today – not my favourite way to spend a day but the sooner it's done the sooner I can get back to something that I actually like doing. Keeps my Manager happy though…anything for a quiet life..

IanT

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

When we did the roof on the workshop/garage and bungalow there were over 45 sheets to cut but only 60mm thick, I used a piece of 5mm ply clamped to the Celotex and cut along it with a Tenon saw as it has a finer blade and is stiffer. Got reasonably straight lines which fitted the new build quite well, but the old section was not quite as well built or at least no two rafters had the same spacing and some were warped and/or twisted slightly, no bending or working under the roof though as it was all done from the top.

Bob

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by IanT on 22/03/2015 08:11:52:

…. Didn't work for me at all!

Finally decided I needed a more 'engineered' approach …

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Ian,

Sensible solution

But, if you ever have to do more to do, it might be worth rigging-up a hot wire cutter.

That said; I haven't tried it on the modern fire-retardant materials, so can't be sure it would work with these.

MichaelG.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

If I was going to have to do this very often Michael, then I might well consider some form of hotwire cutter.

I didn't think it would be so hard to cut this material before I actually tried it. The material is quite soft (crumbly even) and cuts very easily in fact. The problem is getting the cut straight (upright) as a snug fit is required.

I can maintain a pretty straight line on the top surface (with or without the guides) but the saw just seemed compelled to wander off sideways underneath when left to its own devices – I'm really not sure why. So you get a straight cut on the top and anything but straight on the bottom edge. Even with the guides, the blade is rubbing quite hard against one of them as it tries to wander off course.

This is the first time I've had to fit this stuff and (hopefully) it will also be my last too.

IanT

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Ian T, your saw is U/S it has a 'Set' to one side with the teeth. i am presuming it is a hard set saw so it is not possible to reset the equal set to the teeth, best go buy a new saw.

saws with a tooth 'Set' wrongly done will always pull to one side and I have found that the finer the teeth the worse it is.

Clive

[IanTParticipant @iant]

That hadn't occurred to me Clive – and yes, it is a hard-set saw.

I've just finished the current work (this PM) and cut everything using the method described. However, I have kept my Dad's old hand saws and I will try one of those when I start in on the stud walls (which I have still to insulate).

Thanks, that might well make life much easier..

IanT

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

Today (well, over the whole weekend, starting Friday evening really) I have made a start on my little Cracker (32mm gauge oscillating live steam locomotive). I have turned a couple of bits of steel into formers for little boiler ends. I have annealed and pressed some copper into said ends, trimmed and cleaned them up, and drilled/bored an off-centre flue hole in each using a very dodgy mdf faceplate setup. I have also made my first posting in this thread… I am underway!

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Nice looking endcaps, you are off to a good start.

I'll take the liberty of posting one of your photos here to save others going looking (More pics in Steven's album)

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

Thanks Jason. I’ve had a few goes at odd bits and bobs but mostly just mucking about witb the lathe to get a feel for it. If anyone does go looking at my album, be warned. I did not get a faceplate with my lathe and (at best “improvised,) set up is not at all pretty…

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Steven

No need for the warning! Improvisation is at the heart of model engineering – be it for lack of the "correct" equipment or "correct " accessory. That you are able to achieve the desired result is what matters – with the proviso that you are able to do so safely. What you do have as a "hobby" ( obsession?) engineer is time. Looks to me that your method works!

Good luck!

Norman

Edited By NJH on 22/03/2015 21:15:37

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

Thanks Norman… The boiler ends are very light (1mm copper, 33mm dia (about 1.5 inches?)). I wouldn’t have used the same setup for anything heavier. I just figured as long as I went slow and kept my fingers out of the way the worst that could happen would be a chewed up piece of copper. So I went slow and nibbled away at it.

[Anonymous]

Had a whole load more stuff delivered to go with my existing Pultra 1750:

Lots of useful parts, including a couple of cutoff slides hiding in the blue crate. I might even decide to run a second Pultra set up for 'production' rather than keep swapping accessories. Plenty of projects lurking in this lot to keep me busy!

I need a 'Miliband' style second kitchen, as the first one is being taken over by traction engines and machine tools.

Andrew

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 18/03/2015 12:56:47:

… Acquired yet another restoration project:

An early model Drummond Round Bed lathe

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and today, I finally got around to removing it from 'The Skip' [as the old Suzuki GV2000 is affectionately known] and into the workshop.

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the lathe seems to be in remarkably good condition for its age, and I think it should 'scrub-up nicely'

I have pictured the change-wheel train 'as found' for your amusement.

MichaelG.

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

Michael

I did spot this stuff **LINK** which may prove useful in cleaning things up, no idea if it is any good but seems to be if the blurb is anything to go by **LINK** .

Bob

[Keith LongParticipant @keithlong89920]

Micheal

Looks as though most of the "discolouration" is muck rather than rust, even the bed appears in pretty good nick and as it's cast iron should only have a very light surface rust that will come away easily. I've found my lathes in much the same condition have come up pretty well with a good soak in oil followed by wiping down shifting most of the grime. Please give the bearings a good soaking in oil before you try to turn the spindle over – you might need some penetrating oil if they are tight – remember Drummonds don't stock spares!!

The nut on the end of the mandrel looks decidely non-original, be interested to hear what thread you find on there, I've got two different threads among my machines – unfortunately so close together that you can't easily identify which is which just by looking but the end nuts are definitely NOT interchangeable.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Michael,

Big believer in Brick and patio cleaner from Toolstation.

Before.

After.

Both photo's untouched, this is just how they went into the solution and how they came out.

If you join the Drummond group on Yahoo and look in the files and photo section some of the owners converted theirs to a tumbler reverse, years since I have been on there so not sure what is there.

What I do know is that I made a batch of the gears for these 2 or 3, not sure but I'm certain I have some left if you are interested in using this as opposed to leaving it standard.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, Gentlemen

It will probably be next week before I can do any more to it; but today's preliminary investigations were very encouraging.

• When removing the lathe from the baseplate [drip tray], I found two of the bolts already sheared, but, with a few drops of PlusGas these were out within the hour.
• The only significant damage seems to be the handwheel on the slide, but that will be easy to fix by boring-out and fitting an insert.
• The headstock spindle rotates nicely, and the beaings feel good.

Not bad, considering it's about 100 years old.

More in due course.

MichaelG.

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P.S. [John] Thanks or mentioning the backgear, but I'm planning to keep it original [-ish].

[James BParticipant @jamesb]

John,

Out of interest, how long did you leave those gears in the brick / patio cleaner to get those results?

I feel a visit to toolstation coming on…!

James

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

James,

Half a day or overnight, something this size doesn't suffer if left in too long, I have often forgotten bits and 2 or 3 days later they come out just the same as 1/2 a day.

I have a plastic square 5 gallon container on it's side with ones side cut out and an old Ikea tub as a lid and this just stands outside all the while.

I set this up because I make division plates as probably many know from posts I have made. These are all different sizes and thickness's and are laser cut in bulk. The best material to use is pickled and oiled steel but I don't often have a choice of material depending on what deal the laser cutters have made, remember they buy in tonnage.

So mostly I get laser commercial quality which has a hard shiny black oxide surface as it good for the laser, splatter doesn't stick and it's not reflective and because they can run at higher feed rates it's cheaper.

My problem is the small drills I use 2mm to 1/8" depending on model of plate suffer and suffer badly, that oxide is hard to get thru and the drill web degrades at an alarming rate leading to broken drills and crooked holes so that oxide has to go.

Tried all things, many work but costly in either £££ or time, surface grinding is slow and clogs the wheel up and these are £90 a pop. Send them out for Lumsden grinding and it's expensive on cost and time.

So an overnight in this solution, mixed up 1:3 or 1:4 with water fetches the scale off and you get a pristine plate with, I won't say no drill problems because I could right an article on drill life but not everyone has to drill over 20,000 holes in a day, or rather thier CNC has to drill them

This plate has done about 2 hours in reasonable new solution but really needs a bit more but if pushed that scale that's left is loose and will scotchbrite off but a couple more hours and everything washes off with a hosepipe.

When the solution is used up you can empty it down the drain and before some H&S Nazi gets on my case it's sold for this exact purpose, brush on the patio and hose off. When I throw it away though it's just dead dirty water.

Last year when I was sorting an old shed out ready to pull it down I found a builders bucket with some tools in it full of water where the roof had been leaking. These had been in there for 8 or 10 years and I was going to skip them but decided to see how good they would clean up.

I think they are a bit far gone ?

Anyway a full day in the tank and got this.

The drill actually worked without any oil on it. It won't replace missing metal eaten away by the rust but it will remove the rust..

I have read that you can do the same by electrolysis and washing soda with good results but just a tank you drop stuff in works for me with no faffing about.

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Hi James,

Toolstation do free postage on orders over £10 and next day delivery – not even worth getting the car started IMHO

Jon

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

JS – is this the stuff? Cementone brand.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by John Stevenson on 24/03/2015 10:19:49:

I have a plastic square 5 gallon container on it's side with ones side cut out and an old Ikea tub as a lid and this just stands outside all the while.

… just a tank you drop stuff in works for me with no faffing about.

.

John,

Thanks

I think this will be an increasingly popular 'decorative feature' outside our workshops !!

MichaelG.

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P.S. for those interested; the solution apears to be just dilute hydrochloric acid

Here is the MSDS

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