Machined up a couple of cast iron piston rod glands for my latest engine today only to find when finished that the front end was running out with the back end. I needed to just flash two surfaces on each gland at one end to bring them back into true but the job was made easier with a new acquisition.

A little while ago I bid and won at a local auction a lovely example of a Japanese made RECORD ML-210 lathe with accessories. This very well made and almost unused (by the look of it) lathe had since lived in a cupboard in the workshop waiting for its first job. Today it made its debut.

The two castings needed to be held by a 1/16” wide ledge which was far too small for the 6” chuck on the big lathe to manage but ideal for the small and extremely accurate 3 jaw on the RECORD.

I skimmed the offending run outs on both castings and checked how well the “midget” had performed – spot on as it turned out.

Just to say thank you to my little blue friend I am going to make it a tiny auto feed gearbox but not before I have completed the two cylinder sets on the Tangye (I really do try to avoid being sidetracked but —- well you know what its like.)

Rik