im a beginner but i am in my 80s

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im a beginner but i am in my 80s

This topic has 20 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 13 March 2011 at 17:55 by Trevor White.

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7 March 2011 at 19:56 #65165
william wiggins
Participant
@williamwiggins12206
i would like to meet a fellow model engineer talented or not in the indian queens area,. i have gone in at the deep end and i have purchased a lathe which is a real bull from amadeal. i am now waiting for a vertical slide to come. so i can learn some simple milling.i am not at all efficient yet on the lathe.i am attempting to make a mill steam engine.and their are parts of the plans i am unable to u

nderstand. i would welcome any help that their might be out there.regard old bill p s. is their any good companies for buying metal in reasonable sizes
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7 March 2011 at 19:56 #5440
william wiggins
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@williamwiggins12206
i would like to meet a fellow model engineer in mid cornwall
7 March 2011 at 20:29 #65168
Colin Jacobs 1
Participant
@colinjacobs1
I hope u find someone I too am a (40 something) beginner and have found three local engineers who I intend to meet at one stage. Welcome along to the forum
7 March 2011 at 23:36 #65174
ady
Participant
@ady
You might be better off searching for a modelling club in your locality.
8 March 2011 at 13:29 #65189
william wiggins
Participant
@williamwiggins12206
thank you for your replies to my first post. i have looked for a club in my area but very little happens in cornwall. i needed some 1 iinch by 1 inch brass less than 2 “long. i have had to buy over £20.00 worth. to get it .i now have enough of that size brass for the rest of my life.i am supprised there is not a consortium within the model engineering community to club together to enable modelers to buy metals they need in smaller amounts.thank you once again colin and ady for your response regard bill
8 March 2011 at 14:11 #65190
Keith Long
Participant
@keithlong89920
Hi Bill

It might be worth going to have a look at South West Surplus Tools, on the Redruth – Portreath road. They do a lot of second hand tooling and I think also sell some materials, certainly do for wood turners anyway. When you go past the “Gold” place (old Tolgus tin-streaming mill) the business park is on the right-hand side of the road heading towards Portreath. One of my regular visits when I’m in Cornwall – also have a look in Trago Mills.

Keith

Edited By Keith Long on 08/03/2011 14:12:37
8 March 2011 at 14:15 #65191
David Clark 13
Participant
@davidclark13
Hi There

The best place for a small amount of metal is EBay.

Several suppliers on there would probably cut to your requirements.

regards David
8 March 2011 at 17:28 #65202
Keith Wardill 1
Participant
@keithwardill1
What’s wrong with Capital Letters and punctuation these days? – they were invented to make text more legible. The lack of these features just makes posts harder to read, so I just don’t bother now when I see the mass of small gray text – e.e. cummings (and probably phone texting) has a lot to answer for.
8 March 2011 at 17:45 #65205
mgj
Participant
@mgj
If you are stuck for materials, I’d try Live Steam Models and Blackgates. May not be absolutely the cheapest, but they do have everything, and you can buy small quantities of stuff. In fact they expect you to, because some materials are priced by the inch. I’ve regularly bought 6″ of this or that, and less sometimes.

Both are pretty quick.

Possibly others offer the same service as well.

Edited By mgj on 08/03/2011 17:47:42
8 March 2011 at 19:21 #65212
KWIL
Participant
@kwil
Folkestone Enginering Supplies has 1″ sq brass at £8.98 per 150mm, that’s £3 for your 2″

Edited By KWIL on 08/03/2011 19:26:09
8 March 2011 at 19:36 #65213
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
Or £2.50 from Noggin End and they will sell by the inch.

J
8 March 2011 at 21:39 #65218
Martin Cottrell
Participant
@martincottrell21329
Posted by Keith Wardill on 08/03/2011 17:28:12:

What’s wrong with Capital Letters and punctuation these days? – they were invented to make text more legible. The lack of these features just makes posts harder to read, so I just don’t bother now when I see the mass of small gray text – e.e. cummings (and probably phone texting) has a lot to answer for.

Hey Keith, cut the guy some slack! Not only is this guy in his eighties & just starting a new hobby as complex as ours but he has also embraced the computer age and used this forum to ask for help with his new found interest. I for one take my hat off to Bill and would hate to think that he is made to feel unwelcome because he hasn’t yet found the ‘shift’ key on his keyboard!

On the subject of correct punctuation and use of capitals, when I was at school we were taught that a question mark punctuated the end of a sentence. As such, your second sentence should omit the leading hyphen and the first word (they) should begin with a capital T.

Regards, Martin.
8 March 2011 at 21:49 #65221
Pat Bravery
Participant
@patbravery
And Keith, you have used the American spelling of grey, when in glass houses and so on. Regards Pat
8 March 2011 at 23:09 #65223
william wiggins
Participant
@williamwiggins12206
HI Guys Thank you all for your replies to my first thread.I will take note of advice offered,even the very critical one from Keith.Note the use of capital letters Regard Bill
8 March 2011 at 23:29 #65225
Martin Cottrell
Participant
@martincottrell21329
Nice one Bill, good luck with your mill engine!

Regards, Martin.
9 March 2011 at 08:02 #65232
Terryd
Participant
@terryd72465
hi Bill,

two other suppliers of small quantities of materials who cut to size are College Engineering Supplies and Macc Models. The latter often has stuff at excellent prices and both have online catalogues and do delivery order at cost (at least Macc Models do).

By the way, you could do what others do with your surplus if you’re you don’t need it and that is to sell it on eBay and make your money back.

Enjoy the hobby

Best regards

Terry
9 March 2011 at 09:10 #65235
Niloch
Participant
@niloch
Bill,

I suspect you will already be aware of the Perranporth & District M. E. Society which must be about a dozen miles away from you. It’s possible that one of their members lives much nearer to you.

I haven’t been able to find a web site, although, I did find a name, presumably an officer of the club: Keith Rolleston keith@kra.org.uk
9 March 2011 at 20:00 #65277
Keith Wardill 1
Participant
@keithwardill1
Posted by william wiggins on 08/03/2011 23:09:35:
HI Guys Thank you all for your replies to my first thread.I will take note of advice offered,even the very critical one from Keith.Note the use of capital letters Regard Bill

Hi, William,

Sorry that you took my comment as ‘very critical’, as did several other contributors – some very sensitive people around, it seems. Good luck with your lathe and the Mill engine.

To Martin: I too am in my eighties like WIlliam – why should that make computer use difficult?

To Patrick: How do you know what my nationality is?

Regards.

Keith.
9 March 2011 at 23:27 #65293
Martin Cottrell
Participant
@martincottrell21329
Hi Keith,

It seems I should be taking my hat off to you also. I have two male relatives in their eighties in my extended family, both of whom seem to spend more time sleeping during the day than my cat! Obviously an interest in model engineering keeps the mind and body active!

As for the computer comment, you are of course correct. Indeed I had to point out to my 10 year old grandson the other day that I was quite capable of operating a computer having been playing with them since a time when his mother was just a glint in my eye!

Regards, Martin.
10 March 2011 at 14:43 #65313
Keith Wardill 1
Participant
@keithwardill1
Hi, Martin,

Thanks for the comments – I have aways had an interest in computing, which maybe gave me a head start – I worked on mainframe computers long ago in the past. The first one I ever saw was Atlas at Manchester University, and the first one I worked on was a Elliott 805 (i think it was) back in the early 1960s – this was a serial machine, with a 1kiloword magnetic core store memory, wordlength of 18 bits. It had to be programmed using punched paper tape using Eliott Autocode and output was to a teletype machine. They consisted of a number of cabinets about 1.5 metres tall and a metre wide, and there were 4 or 5 cabinets, depending on the functionality. They were started up using the same type of batteries which were fitted in Concorde – PCs are eezy-peezy after those monsters.

So, I can understand the amount of time one can save if computers are used efficiently, hence what was intended to be a gentle dig at the use of only lower case. I guess everyone gets to a point where resolving fine details becomes harder, and in these days of texting mania, I just felt it was time to point out that text written in lower case can be more difficult than need be to understand, particularly when, as did William, trade names are used. Life is too short to waste

Best Regards,

Keith
13 March 2011 at 17:55 #65425
Trevor White
Participant
@trevorwhite34832
I have been asked by Jim Penaluna, who is the secretary of the Perranporth and District Model Engineering Society,to offer his email and phone number. This could help in your quest to find help with your project.

email james.penaluna@mypostoffice.co.uk

phone 01637 830 490

some dates that might be of use

The club will run its portable track 5″ guage at the following:-

Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Bodmin General Station:-

April 22 to 25, May 29 to 30, June 19 to 19, August 5 to 7 and August 28 to 29.

Trevithick Day Camborne April 30

Wheels at the Royal Cornwall Show Ground Wadebridge July 17

members of the club will be at these events if you would like to ask questions

hope this is of help and good luck with your project

trevor
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