Member postings for Cornish Jack

Apart from the need for extra ventilators, there is a constant and just as essential need for PPE for the front line staff. The present issue, in a number of cases, is demonstrably insufficient - particularly face masks. Maybe someone has considered the following, but I haven't seen it mentioned. ...

Scattered around UK airports are large (and increasing) numbers of out-of-service airliners. Each one has at least 2 HERO quick-don oxygen masks, plus further similar for the cabins, They are regularly serviced and should be easily disinfected, if required. I would think it would be very quick and relatively simple to 'harvest' well over a thousand such initially, with more and more becoming available (unfortunately), Additionally oxygen facilities may well be suitable for removal and use. The airliners would not be held up for eventual return to service because of the other required servicing constraints Thoughts?

rgds

Bill

Nothing unexpected in the responses. but, as a f'instance, Bazyle's concern re 'fleecing' would be avoided by ... what? His decision (not to be negotiated?) on the value of his various machines. 'Book value' (no such publication) ? Initial cost minus x years depreciation? Latest 'bidding war' similar item on Ebay? ... etc., etc. There are no useful guidelines for 'valuing' our machines - it's 'piece of string' territory, so how does the 'avoid being fleeced' idea work?

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Bill

Presumably the cryptic Mnnnnn is in place of an "I am bored emoji" ?

Possibly the answer to threads to which you have no useful input is ... don't make an input!

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Bill

JA and Bazyle - your memories of salt shortage etc. are probably correct.

The point I was making was that, as a nation, we Brits are, and always have been, greedier and more selfish than we care to admit. The starkest indication came from the clip in yesterday's TV news of the exhausted care worker going home unable to find BASIC necessities in her local shops. It was followed by a shot of a supermarket in the much denigrated Italy where supplies were practically normal.

Presumably 'Gordon Geckos' find the UK a more attractive proposition than the Mediterranean!

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Bill

If I had managed to produce something of that quality, not only would I be feeling pleased, I would have them mounted on a display frame and hang it in a prominent place in the house!!! Super work, congratulations!

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Bill

I may well be alone in this, but I find the recurrent concern about workshop 'values' puzzling. For one thing, values will be in the 'length of string' category - there's no Glass's Guide to workshop tools. Secondly, I class workshop 'stuff' as equivalent to (say) holiday expenditure, both in amount and residual value. You buy it and (even better than holiday costs) write off the expenditure but have continuing future value in useability!! If you subsequently sell it, the amount is irrelevant ... its all bonus. Doesn't seem to work like that in most of the forum posts. "What's it worth, was it a bargain?" Can't ever recall a "got xxx years use out of ***** , worth every penny I paid for it! Anything more than scrap value is a bonus!" I'm probably being too simplistic!

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Bill

For me, reading is mainly for bedtime. Wolf Hall was quite magical - unlike any other historical novel - still got the other two to come ... via the 'bay' used route as usual. Taste is, otherwise, non-fiction, particularly political biographies. Present sleep-maker is 'Events, Dear boy, Events', Ruth Winstone's fascinating collection of H of C and general political quotes.

N.B. Must be hardbacks!

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Bill

There's no shortage of self-centred, greedy people in the UK as demonstrated. Nothing partcularly new - it happened with the 'salt shortage' in the 60s (?) and the potato similar in the 70s (?). A nation encouraged to believe that " there is no such thing as society" is reacting exactly as one would expect.

I understand that, so far, just one supermarket chain (Morrisons) are showing some appropriate initiative. Apparently, they will pack up a standard selection of 'dry goods' ready for instant collection, to restrict the greed merchants and ensure that everyone gets fair play. Not perfect, perhaps, a vast improvement on the present free-for-all!

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Bill

"because of fears"

Says it all, really

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Bill

Welcome.

Became an 'incomer' 12 years ago ... NR12. LOTS of tools, no skills, happy doing very little!!

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Bill

"I made myself Welsh Cakes today. "

Neil, ... on top of the range on a bakestone ? or pretend ones in the oven ... typed with saliva making the keyboard sticky!!

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Bill

There are few problems which cannot be made worse by uninformed (i.e. "my friend" (unattributed, of course), or " I heard on *** or any other of the rumour-mongers' stock-in-trade. The Internet can be a most useful tool but it is so often abused by enthusiastic claptrap! To paraphrase a common aphorism - " It's better to refrain from posting and be thought to have no useful input than to type a post and prove it!

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Bill

Could be rubbish

Well at least that bit was right! Other than a need to exercise your keyboard, what particular value do you think that added to the forum?

JD

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Bill

Experience, even long distant, is a useful tool. For the few of us who lived through the 14 or so years of wartime and post-war rationing, the supply availability side of the present mess is, probably, less concerning. The differences in the State services between then and now are so extreme as to boggle the mind. Population resilience is such as to deal (ultimately) with whatever is thrown at it. In the meantime we just have to deal with the spivs, profiteers and general slime-ball profit chasers who will make the most of other people's difficulties. They were as present in the 40s/50s as today and, short of shooting each and everyone of them, we can only offer general loathing. The rest of us, as ever, will keep on going and 'muddle through' ... nothing precision required there!

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Bill

Dave - Spot on!!

I would set up in competition but for one major problem - failure to complete any meaningful projects! However I can plead mitigation m'lord, in that I indulge in 'Model Engineering' as a hobby, a pastime, an intentionally non-productive 'playtime' exploring areas which were denied to me earlier in life. Pleasure for me in this area is the very occasional accurately spotted hole or retrievable error. Enjoyment comes in many forms!

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Bill

Jason - the point I was making concerned the method - not the maker. I suspect that you could produce one of your almost weekly showpieces with half a used Weetabix packet, two match sticks and a bit of string. My question was whether the EEF was either more accurate or, indeed, faster than fag paper. I remain to be convinced - but it's irrelevant in my case, anyway! I continue to 'bodge' and admire and envy!

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Bill

Nigel B - Many thanks! Quite correct, of course! 'Senior moments' are becoming routine - unfortunately!

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Bill

Possibly a somewhat contentious thought, but during my very limited 'engineering evening classes' positional accuracy was derived from feeler gauges, mics and cigarette papers. Bill L a multiple ME silver winner and a toolmaker of some 40+ years standing used and recommended same. Do these devices produce such an advanced quality?

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Bill

From memory, the Bridgeport was the second of his exquisite creations, the first being the !/5th(?) scale Merlin. That model I first saw as a large aluminium billet at the ME show and finally saw (and heard) it running at the similar some years later. I remember he had a display board of rejected parts including the valve collets, each about little fingernail size - 96 required! For me the most striking aspect was the working constant speed prop - truly a work of art!

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Bill

S O D -

Couldn't have put it better myself! So, why do we do it? For me it's the mental exercise (often unresolved). plus an unending delight in, and lust for, tools! ... at one time 12 (!!!) lathes (now down to 5 or 6, drills, mills (even 6 Stanley 'pumper' screwdrivers!) - it's a form of madness undoubtedly, (not helped by Lidls' tools range) , but .... mainly enjoyable, especially when the very occasional project turns out to be useable or, even, useful!

Keep up the mediocre work - it makes the others look better!

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Bill

Edited By Cornish Jack on 15/03/2020 10:31:32