What Did You Do Today 2021

[Terry KirkupParticipant @terrykirkup37827]

Today I got this far with my power feed conversion:

A simple problem solved and all is good. Power hungry devices mounted on a nice square yard's worth of aluminium heat sink.

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

Going back to the discussion about solder, I'm surprised our resident internet expert didn't dig this out.

[RobinParticipant @robin]

Posted by Anthony Knights on 16/07/2021 10:21:29:

I just cannot get on with the crappy lead free stuff.

I was changing a lot of optics. By some miracle I always seemed to guess correctly as to whether it was the photodiode or the LED that had failed.

Then I realised I wasn't changing the optic, I was changing the solder and always at the button cell end.

One leaky battery and the solder joint died. Still looked okay it just didn't conduct

[Adrian 2Participant @adrian2]

Iroko, also known as poor man's teak. The dust from this timber is an irritant , it's like pepper, catches in the throat and induces coughing.

MASK UP !!

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

Posted by Brian H on 17/07/2021 15:56:45:

I've been cutting some Iroko wood to turn some pulleys for the 1896 Ford model that I am making.

Brian

Just a caution here, many years ago my brother was severley ill with a massive allergic reaction after making a nest of Iroco coffee tables, admittedly in a less than desirable environment. He was VERY ill, and never had anything similar before or since when working with other timbers. Apparently the dust from sanding is a know bad allergen.

Just thought it would be worth a mention.

Take care. Mike

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Back in the workshop today after a week or so waiting for various deliveries of goodies for the electronic lead screw project to arrive. I haven't been idle in the interim, though. I've been sorting out the Gcode for the panels to fit on the metal enclosure which will contain the electronic wizardry.

Today, after a tentative trial with some old Perspex off-cuts, I did the engraving of the legends for the two panels, then changed to an end mill to cut out the holes. First one went OK, but I soon realised that the second wouldn't fit on the A5 piece of black Perspex that I'd bought. A quick re-do of the design to narrow it down by 10mm (luckily the engraving could stay in the same relative position) and we're off and running. Well, tomorrow I will be running the cutting out program.

Here's what the engraving looks like, still with its whiskers on. I'm hoping that the letters will be sufficiently readable without resorting to filling in with paint.

Sorry about the reflection of yours truly – I didn't realise it was there 'til now!

And then after the panel cut-outs were machined.

You can just see, top left, where the counterbore has been started, indicating that the panel won't fit as is.

As an aside, the trial run with an engraving tool on a piece of off-cut Perspex showed that the workpiece wasn't quite flat, so I prepared the sacrificial MDF board by facing it off first with a ¼" end mill and securing the Perspex to it with double-sided "jelly" tape. By golly, that stuff sticks like you-know-what to a blanket!

Anyone have any ideas how best to remove the engraving whiskers without damage to the surrounding surface?

John

[Frank GorseParticipant @frankgorse]

I’ve heard iroko called a lot of names,usually with an expletive attached,but never ironwood. Apart from the dust,which can be evil,it’s notoriously unstable-rip a straight piece and you may finish up with two banana- shaped ones.

There’s another African timber called Ekki or Red Ironwood (Lophira alata). Now that’s really hard and very heavy

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

Iroko is just one of the woods that can cause problems Yew is not good for you either. There are many more some will effect people quite badly and others to a lesser extent.

This is why I wear a fully enclosed positive pressure face shield which has battery power pack and filters it is also impact resistance

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

What I did today is a little understatement phoned Warco and now am on the road to starting this hobby in ernest. Lathe and mill ordered along with quite a bit of equipment that I will need just to do the basics from there I will buy as needed. I did go for a 3 axis DRO for the mill but not power feed. The only thing I still need to buy is a vice but first need the new workshop to turn up after I have moved the existing one further down the garden.

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

First run of my Senft engine

Edited By DiogenesII on 25/07/2021 18:55:16

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

Did some workshop improvement by making a new drill bits box.

This is the beast still empty. The size was given by the drawer of the cupboard under the mill.

And now a bit more populated and in the drawer it has been made for.

Even it was woodwork and not metal work I am pleased with it…

[Roger BestParticipant @rogerbest89007]

Posted by Derek Lane on 21/07/2021 22:50:41:

What I did today is a little understatement phoned Warco and now am on the road to starting this hobby in ernest. Lathe and mill ordered along with quite a bit of equipment that I will need just to do the basics from there I will buy as needed. I did go for a 3 axis DRO for the mill but not power feed. The only thing I still need to buy is a vice but first need the new workshop to turn up after I have moved the existing one further down the garden.

Hi Derek,

Have you come down yet?

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Another stage in turning the upper part of the venturi for my steam-wagon's chimney, out of cast-iron billet.

… Errr, step back a bit.

I'd set it in the 4-jaw on my Harrison L5 and gently turned a central band to take the fixed steady. Only found I could not move the steady back far enough to engage it as its clamp-plate was jamming on something under the ways.

Step back a bit further.

I'd acquired this much pre-loved lathe complete with a fixed steady for a diffwerent machibne and no clamp-plate. So by dint of some rather awkward setting-up I'd modified it to fit and made a simple clamp out of thick mild-steel flat. So why was it jamming?

Excrescences in the bed casting, so yesterday I filed them down a bit, and put some chamfers on the plate. Then found pushing the steady back enough for the work-piece put the clamp out into the gap. Only, if I put the gap-bl0ock in th eplate would not enter that.

So this afternoon's task was fettling the gap-block and putting bigger chamfers on the clamp. Now it fits!

Right, now I could turn the billet's end diameter and face it! Why do so many model-engineering tasks need so much workshop-engineering?

Finished in time to close up, unearth myself from the oil and graphite, have tea and settle down to…

The First Night Of The Proms!

With a proper audience too, socially-distanced BBC Symphony Orchestra (on an enlarged stage), and in the Royal Albert Hall's 150th year. The presenters told us this season will mark that with a goodly set of programmes for the RAH's magnificent 9999-pipe organ. (You'd think the organ builders, Willis I think, would have managed one extra note somewhere!)

The two main pieces were among my favourites too. Oh I am spoiled. Poulenc's Organ Concerto, and Sibelius' Second Symphony.

.A complete change of tone for tomorrow's Prom, with an evening devoted to the big Broadway musicals.

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

Alas, Poulenc's Organ concerto was too discordant for me. I had been looking forwad to hearing the Royal Albert Hall Willis and I was not disappointed but aside from hearing the range of pipes I could not enjoy the music.

John

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Oh, I am sorry to read that. I assume you were in the audience!

It can't be easy matching an orchestra to a huge instrument whose player cannot alter the volume of any but the Swell ranks, and (he explained in interview) cannot see the conductor except by a mirror above the console!

The festival also includes some organ recitals I believe. There is one tomorrow morning.

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

Yes Nigel, I noted the mention of other organ music.

John

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Why is this locomotive wearing a mask?

It's worried about the Deltic variant…

(Not my joke…)

Neil

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Obviously off to the testing station.

:O)

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

…..For a little injector attention…..

Oh Dear!

Time I went to my workshop….

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

My soft jaws have run out of space:

Spent the afternoon making some new tops

Ready for action

Cheers,

Rod

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

More toymaking – finished a hopping rabbit toy in brass for the grandkinds:-

…and tested it

Run Rabbit Run…

One day I'll make one that runs straight.

Edited By Mick B1 on 13/08/2021 19:36:18

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Posted by Roderick Jenkins on 11/08/2021 11:03:35:

My soft jaws have run out of space:

Spent the afternoon making some new tops

Ready for action

Cheers,

Rod

Hi Rod

Did you do the conversion on plain soft jaws ?
Well worth doing I believe.

Emgee

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

First meeting in person this evening of the Exeter and District MES for quite some time, though the track laying team have been in action for months.
A couple of evenings ago St Albans also had their first face to face meeting too with a good turn out of members and models made over the last 18 months. However the club is continuing with two zoom meetings a month to keep everyone in touch.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Mick B1 on 13/08/2021 19:34:20:

More toymaking – finished a hopping rabbit toy in brass for the grandkinds:-

.

…and tested it

Run Rabbit Run…

.

.

That’s brilliant, Mick

MichaelG.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Emgee,

The jaws were advertised in ME back in July 1987 together with a puff article in the editorial:

As you suggest, the chuck jaw would be easy to make from a standard soft jaw. The slots in my hexagons are 1/8" and the jaws fit a 4" Burnerd. The company still appears to exist but I made no enquiries about replacement hexes.

Regards,

Rod

[Author]

Posts