What did you do today? 2023

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Re previous…..

Searched and searched for the lost injector delivery-cone. No joy. All I gained were a well-swept patio, and a lot of upset woodlice.

In desperation I wondered if I'd inadvertently swept it up from the workshop floor and put it in the refuse bag, so went to retrieve that from the wheelie bin. Oh…. There's been a collection since.

Later found I was right all along. The steam cone was so loose it's barely even a light push fit; and yes, it dropped out but luckily not into infinity. So both cones were rattling good fits.

I am not sure from whom I bought the thing, or I'd ring tomorrow to see if I can buy a new cone. I have an unused horizontal injector but that means making new pipes and a rather messy installation where a vertical one would be more appropriate and tidier.

At least the poor little woodlice seemed to find new homes quite quickly.

Consoled myself by making some 5/16" and 3/8" union nipples to suit a length of 5mm o.d. pipe I happen to have. Err, aren't they all meant to be of 60º included angle? Measuring the commercial ones gave angles of 60º and 40º, as accurately as I could measure them.

[JellyParticipant @jelly]

Posted by Nigel Graham 2 on 04/06/2023 00:06:30:

Jelly –

I am intrigued. What is it?

A filing jig for jewellery work (I seem to be beset by jewlers).

There's a 45° and 90° jaw, the tongues are to align rectilinear wire, and the v notches hold hex, D and round wire, along with tubes.

The jaws are hardened so a file skates off them, so you can work right down to it without damaging it (although ideally will avoid doing so deliberately to preserve the file).

 

Got a tiny bit more done on it Friday evening:

If you look closely at the left hand side you can see where I slipped with the file whilst deburring the edges, which is aesthetically rather upsetting, but otherwise the fit is exactly as desired with about 0.01mm clearance between the tongue and the corresponding slot.

 

If you look closely at the angled face above you will see that I cocked up my measurements when band-sawing the blank apart, so the 6mm reamed hole doesn't quite reach through that part, which I will need to fix before I'm done.

 

Also got started with the 45° faces, using an angle block for setup and generous helpings of force to secure it, followed by lighter cuts than normal.

Set up like that I could only take about a 0.75mm DOC, whereas with the 90° face I was able to take a 5mm DOC roughing pass, with 1mm to clean up, all done with a 10mm Carbide 4-flute End-mill running @ 1440rpm (45m/min surface speed).

The 6mm slot was done in a 3 passes with 2mm DOC and a 6mm HSS-CO endmill @ 800 rpm (15m/min), and came out around 0.05mm oversized (which I had already tested and was accounting for to help give me the 0.01mm clearance for the fit). I am going to have to be *much* more gentle making its angled counterpart.

Either way, very happy with the mill's performance… Great MRR in a tough material with acceptable surface finish (what you can see, can't actually be felt, so should lap out quickly once the parts are hardened), ideal for my impatient temperament!

 

Saturday was fully committed to gardening, finally getting the roses I've been growing from cuttings taken from my late grandparents collection when we sold the house planted in the bed outside my kitchen window, and taking out a few overgrown shrubs in preparation for felling some small trees.

The previous owners of my house didn't really care for the rather narrow garden which had been (somewhat inadvisably) planted with a vast number of vigorous shrubs and trees. After 3 years trying to take a conservative approach, the conclusion unfortunately most of them are now irretrievably oversized for the available space and need to come out, which will leave two adolescent cherry trees, a mature birch, and a "Strawberry Fruit Tree".

 

Sunday was a walk round Spurn Head with a mate, the birds weren't particularly active, but the hairy caterpillars were in full swing, and we made up for the lack of bird activity by sitting at the point in glorious sunshine as high tide came in for a spot of ship-watching, marvelling at the Humber Pilots hopping back and forth between vessels whilst I tried to predict which Port the various vessels were destined for based on the cargo and if the Pilots guided them from their boat or actually boarded, whilst my mate looked them up online to judge how well I was doing (I did pretty well, but have also had a reasonable history of working with the various ports on the Humber, Trent and Ouse).

I also impulse-bought a chainsaw from a farmer whilst driving over to Spurn, because he had a sign up at the gate, and when I enquired the price was right. It's Sachs-Dolmar in great condition and running nicely, but for the need of a new chain…

Which will help with future gardening plans, but is mostly wanted for milling some big birch logs I've had seasoning for the last 4 years, it's over a decade since I last used an "Alaskan mill", so I might need to get one of my forester or arborist pals to give me a refresher before I jump straight in with that…

Even assuming my chainsaw trousers still fit, I have no desire to test their effectiveness!

Edited By Jelly on 05/06/2023 11:46:32

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

It's been on my to do list for 50 odd years now (and a couple of lathes) and that was to fit a dedicated earth from the workshop distribution box to the lathe. The existing earth comes from the same box, via a socket, emergency STOP switch, No Volt contactor box, FWD / Off / REV switch, and then to the motor. Its been a long time since I have had the tops off some of the switches and I can't remember where the first earthing point occurs.

Yesterday, I fitted a dedicated earth between the headstock and the distribution box – happy once again!

Bob

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

I took two dustbins full of weeds and grass cuttings to the recycling yard, along with a garden bin and small bag filled with the same stuff. Only 6 sq mtrs to go, then all the weeding is done. I then mowed a friends lawn. Got home and installed(?) a log from the side of the pond to below the water line to help creatures that fall in, get out again. Cleaned out the small solar fountain and filled the pond with water from a nearly empty water butt. I then made myself some dinner! A good day, but I really wish it would rain for a few hours to fill the water butts.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Jelly –

Thank you for explaining it!

Lee –

Yes, my water-butts and the two frog-ponds are becoming a bit low. I topped up the larger one a bit yesterday. I think a lot of the problem with it is too much vegetation, especially the irises, locking up water in themselves or transpiring it away. I'd built this pond in a place that becomes shaded around noon, to limit full sun exposure.#

This afternoon I saw a squirrel come over the neighbour's wall, run across my garden and disappear over the opposite wall. That's the first time I've seen one here, some distance from significant woodland.

Me –

Crossed two of our suppliers' palms with plastic. Made another inch or so of dreadfully slow progress on the steam-wagon.

A good two hours though was taken with a phone call and remote access from Microsoft's technical department trying to sort out problems with my PC. I hoped to restore the filing-system I'd developed but One Drive has grabbed it, won't let go and you can't turn OneDrive off. My two external hard-drives still won't work on this computer – I've gained enough access to one to find it apparently unformatted / initialised. At least I've regained access for up-dating my sat-nag.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Bob

I am not an electrician but if my memory serves me right there can be problems with Parallel earths just like you have created, there can be a build up of different potentials on the two earths. During my service in the Air Force I was aware of at least one tradesman who was killed by the potential that built up between two parallel earths, if my memory is right it was to do with ground power sets and aircraft supplies. Perhaps those who are more enlightened in respect of electronics could comment on this. Dave W

Edited By Samsaranda on 07/06/2023 09:44:03

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

I spent an evening printing off some useful charts and then laminating them to hang in the workshop, as I was fed up of having to go to the computer for some of them to find out certain measurements, as well as having them handy. I do own other reference material like a zeus book and the like.

At least this should help keep them clean from finger prints

So having them attached to a wall will make life easier, when I find a good location not hidden behind machines.

[John ATTLEEParticipant @johnattlee20632]

Surely a mains voltage system uses Earth Electrical Bonding and Automatic Disconnection of Supply. A critical feature of any installation is that ALL metalwork is electrically bonded and thus it is all at the same potential. Writing this has given me a horrible thought, my little Atlas lathe is plugged in via a three pin plug. Have I separately bonded it to the metalwork of the ISO container? If I have not, I certainly will in order to avoid precisely the problem that Samsaranda describes.

The danger is that a damaged electrical flex, say, could make a machine become live and then we grasp it firmly and good night. If it is permanently bonded to earth potential then the fuse, MCB or RCD will trip and all will be well.

John

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, after ordering a 12 to 90 Live Bull Nose Centre from Arceurotrade yesterday morning, it arrived this morning, and was put to work this afternoon.

More good service from them.

Regards Nick.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

It rained last night, Monday, enough to half fill each water butt and give all my lovely veg a good watering. I emptied a two gallon bucket of rainwater collected from the greenhouse roof into the pond. It should please the newt, if it's still there. I then used water from one of the butts to top the pond up to within 50mm of spilling. I went online to a local auction house and placed bids on 5 pewter tankards, to melt down! 20 small stacking trays and a hydraulic scissor jack. I had to take a friend out to the venue he sings at. Got back by 11.20 Tues eve. All three items sold to someone else. I was outbid! The scissor jack would have come in handy jacking up the Austin Seven I'm working on. I'm putting the car up on 2 large "skates" that go under each axle. The skates have very heavy duty castors, 4 on each skate. I should now be able to move the car by myself. Backards, fore'ads and side to side-ards. I am doing this to replace the hydraulic brake cylinders that are fitted to each car. When jacking the rear of the car up I whiffed the smell of very stale petrol. The car hasn't been used for at least six years. I will have drain the petrol tank and flush the system. I would like to get the car on the road this year!

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

I missed the earlier posts on earthing a lathe.
Generally there is no problem connecting the bodywork of a machine tool directly to the electrical protective ground"earth" circuit in addition to the connectionthrough the power feed.
What should not be done, without qualified advice, is to connect it to a separate "earth". That means a handy water pipe or other buried bit of metal. This is because for some mains supplies a neutral fault outide your property could result in all the load current from your house and other properties flowing through that earth connection. This can result in a fire and shock risk. Note that as long as the motor frame and any exposed metalwork that has mains components mounted on them or cables running through them are properly earthed there is no requirement to earth the body of the machine.

The connection and earthing of a ISO container or similar to a mains supply is a different matter. It needs a competent (not just someone who has a part P certificate) electrician to assess the individual installation ON SITE. This is bescause they have to determine the type and charateristics of the supply and how the container is situated.
This cannot be done without a physical inspection. Anyone giving advice without seeing the site is at best misguided.

Robert.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Samsaranda on 07/06/2023 09:43:06:

Bob

I am not an electrician but if my memory serves me right there can be problems with Parallel earths…

During my service in the Air Force … it was to do with ground power sets and aircraft supplies.

…

Bob's OK – all he's done is improve the bonding between his lathe and his workshop's common earth. The earth isn't parallel in the Air Force sense.

The Air Force had two or three, distribution systems in play. Generators on the aircraft, earthed to it's frame, which is safe for anyone inside the aircraft, but the airframe isn't connected to planet Earth. In the air the plane is completely isolated from Earth, and after landing the connection to Earth is indeterminate. Rubber wheels on a dry concrete apron are a good insulator.

A parallel earth problem occurs when an aircraft has its generators running and needs to sitch over to a ground supply without losing power. Very different to Bob's lathe! There are at least two distribution systems: the aircraft, a temporary mobile ground generator, and maybe a mains supply in a hanger being connected together. Each system has a different earth, making it essential to connect the wires up in the right order, and under no circumstances to assume that all the earths are at the same potential. Only after being bonded together are the earths safe, and there are a few ways of getting it wrong.

Another earth risk is from static electricity. Friction caused by travelling through air can charge an airframe up by many kilovolts, and a big aircraft body can store enough charge to deliver a nasty shock. The Hindenberg was a large dirigible with an Aluminised skin. Possibly it was destroyed by a static spark starting a fire or igniting a small Hydrogen leak. Once a fire started, the lift Hydrogen was stored in thin balloonets, with nothing to stop the whole lot igniting. It's suggested a static spark to earth occurred when a trailing rope at the rear hit the ground as the Hindenberg approached the landing mast.

Not unusual to get a small static shock getting in or out of a car. Petrol pumps are designed to discharge vehicle static before pumping petrol, but fires do occur, usually in hot dry countries.

A third possibility is natural. When two distant earths (miles apart) are connected by a wire, it's usual to find the two earths are at different voltages, with current flowing between. Usually small and not dangerous, but enough for telephone and telegraph systems to allow for it, and in rare circumstances, it upsets power distribution systems.

Connecting two different power distribution systems together is exciting. I worked with an ex-RN Engineer Commander who had disgraced himself by getting a ship-shore 3-phase connection wrong. He described the process thus:

• The ship's 3-phase system and dockside 3-phase are connected to a switch panel. Both systems are at the same voltage and nominal frequency, but the ship generator is either leading or lagging the shore side. Depending on what the ship is doing, could be megawatts involved.
• The two systems are connected phase to phase by lamps. These glow bright, glow dimly, or flash depending on how out-of- phase the two generators are.
• From memory, don't try this at home folks, the ship generator is speeded up or slowed down until the flash rate slows down, so the lights only glow dimly, if at all, at which point the big switch is quickly thrown to join the two systems. Has to be done quickly because the ship generator can over-shoot and get out-of-phase again
• It's impossible to get it absolutely right, but when the switch is thrown close-enough, the more powerful shore connection grabs the ship's generator and synchronises the two exactly. A mechanical and electrical jolt that has to kept as small as possible is caused.
• The two systems might run in parallel for some time, but more usual to disconnect the ship generator and let the ship run on shore power alone. Restarting the ship generator was the same procedure – running the generator up to speed, tweaking it for phase, and switching when the flashing stops

It went wrong! At the critical moment, he was interrupted and threw the switch too late. In his defence, my description is a simplification. Warships have multiple generators and their electrics are unusually complicated. Not simple.

Connecting two powerful out-of-phase systems caused a lot of damage. Shore-side fuses blew, the ship lost basic power at an embarrassing moment, fuses popped, all the wiring and switchgear had to be confirmed good, and a large generator had to be replaced. Serious stuff. A costly career ending mistake, and a warship off the active list whilst emergency repairs were done.

I wish I'd asked which ship it was. Perhaps one of Her Majesties older vessels. With hindsight, I'd have expected the switch-over to be automated. Relying on a distracted human being to judge flashing whilst twiddling a big generator feels unwise. On the other hand, flashing lights are delightfully cheap and simple. Maybe the manual system normally works well, and accidents are rare. Anyone done this sort of job?

Dave

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

If you see the full Hindenburg disaster newsreel – usually we see only the fire itself – it seems the leak was anything but "small".

It is pitching badly still some way away from the mooring-mast, with a lot of ballast water being discharged for'ard, suggesting developing loss of control; before the fire appeared.

The first, visible external flames are on the starboard side, near the stern. The spark, if that was the cause, would surely have been within the air-ship, not on the ground a hundred feet or more below a mass of hydrogen that would escape upwards. Since hydrogen is colourless, odourless and tasteless, it is feasible gas leaking astern would already have found its way to the bow without anyone realising, especially as the accommodation and control areas were mainly in the lowest sector, and below, the hull.

.

I don't know what power-stations now use but I think synchronising the alternators to each other and to the National Grid used to involve a null-meter as indicator, far more accurate than trying to judge the glow of a lamp.

.

There are anecdotes of people receiving shocks from static-electrical charges developed on traction-engines with rubber tyres, in dry conditions, by the flow of steam from the safety-valves.

.

Returning to more homely matters, I rely on all my workshop machines and power-tools using the normal 13A supply earth. They all run from 13A plugs.

The electrics on the Harrison lathe and BCA jig-borer are physically separate from the machine bodies. The BCA has by a thick PVC plate adaptor to fit the modern motor to the original mounting; and the fasteners are two set of set-screws in tapped holes in the plastic. The lathe's motor and VFD are all on the wall above the machine.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

When I worked on steam turbines we used to fit Woodward governors to those destined for generators. By some magic means these took care of synchronising both speed and phase. No idea how, we just provided a drive, the governor had a lever sticking out which connected to the balanced throttle valve. It is 50 years ago, so details have faded

 

Edited By duncan webster on 21/06/2023 15:46:51

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

I have a new (to me) push bike with a 5 speed Sturmey Archer hub gear (RX RD5). The lowest gear is a little too high for my poor old knees so I decided to change the rear sprocket from 20T to 22. The RX RD5 hub takes a gear with a 50mm centre hole and, guess what, you can't get that size in 50mm, just 35mm. So, to the workshop.

First I made a nest for a 22T gear with a 35 mm hole and turned out the middle until it was the diameter over the driving dogs:

Then transferred to the rotary table. A quick sketch in CAD showed that with a 4mm end mill I needed to cut for 102 degrees then jump over 18 degrees before cutting the next 102 degrees etc.

I printed a go/no go gauge because measuring the diameter was somewhat tricky

A bit of work with a file to bring the dogs to the correct profile and it worked

I can now climb the dual use bridge over the dual carriageway and get to a pub in the forest

Rod

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

After a successful bout of machine and accessory selling, I parted company with my lathe today. My goodness, the garage/workshop sure looks empty. I shan't be totally idle, though, I intend to concentrate my attention on CAD/CAM design and 3D printing the results.  I have a few ideas bouncing around inside my head. I only hope I can get them out.

Another batch of goodies coming up for sale in the not-too-distant future.

Just got to decide which side to place the 3D printer when it arrives.

John

 

Edited By John Hinkley on 22/06/2023 16:34:59

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

Not much doing but did get a new tool made as I had a insert sitting doing nothing but no tool holder. Photo not too good but gives an idea

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

My Austin Seven is now up on its axle skates, each with 4 heavy duty castors, and I can move it in any direction by myself. I can now start on replacing the hydraulic brake cylinders (Morris 1000), and draining the stale petrol from the fuel tank.

[Micky TParticipant @mickyt]

I got fed up with the lathe spindle slipping when I took a cut. It was ok when I could do a 25 thou cut but today it slipped at 15 thou. I bought a Brammer belt last year but life got in the way so I decided I’d do it today. I measured the old belt and removed the excess links. After trying it a couple of times and removing a few more links once it had settled in I was able to take a 100 thou cut. Not bad for an old Boxford lathe

[Rob McSweeneyParticipant @robmcsweeney81205]

Fitted a t-slotted extruded aluminium table, intended for building CNC routers l believe, as sub table to cover up 80+ years worth of 'arc of shame' on my pillar drill. Makes positioning of the vice very easy, and have just ordered some Bristol levers which will make it even easier.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

We fitted Woodward governors to C Range Rolls Royce oil engines intended for genertor work.

For the sets intended to be paralleled, the "Master" set had a PSG isochronous governor fitted ,and the "slave" set / s had SG units , which allowed some "droop" to parallel.

On the PSG, the droop could be adjusted, in some cases so that the arm went beyond the centreline (Beyond Isochronous ) so that the speed fell as the load was reduced!

The larger D range engines used Regulators Europa governors, as I recall.

Paralleing "With an infinite bus" (The mains ) involved trying to adjust the incoming alternator set until the phase lamps ceased flashing, or only did so very slowly, so that the reverse current relay did not open.

Electronic governors were just coming in and solved many of the problems seen with mechanical or mechanical/hydraulic governors..

At Souithdown, Central Works, during the winter months, the fluorescent lights were powered by Gardmer 5LWs, removed from old buses, driving 6 pole Maudslay alternators, at 1,000 rpm.

Because of the low speed, governor forces were low, so someone had extended the governor lever to increase sensitivity. Too far! The sets were never stable and an ex matelot from the battery shop spent every afternoon trying keep the three sets in parallel.

I never saw a time when the three lamps were not flashing, so there must have been circulating currents..

Howard

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

Dropped a 75mm long, 50mm dia. finned cylinder, hogged out of a M/S billet onto the corner of an angle-iron workshop dolly as I was giving it a last clean-down. How we laughed..

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

just to prove I occasionally make something, the grate for my test boiler, ands the trivet arrangement it sits on. I thought I'd give a pinhole/Rosebud grate a go

[JellyParticipant @jelly]

Bottled up a substantial quantity of Sloe Port, and started the last batch of Sloe Gin from last year's haul… That should mature in time to do one final batch of Sloe Port before we get started on the Crabapple Gin which will finish in time for starting the Plum wine before this year's Sloe harvest…

I am less clear when or how we're going consume the sheer volume of port, gin and wine being produced, but we can work on that.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Posted by Jelly on 25/06/2023 15:22:07:

I am less clear when or how we're going consume the sheer volume of port, gin and wine being produced

You do know, don't you, that you can always rely on help forthcoming on this forum…

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