Member postings for Metalhacker

1 insulate the socks off everything. I used 4” celotex everywhere……..the factory is quite close and I had a contact who got me seconds v cheap.

2 I have 2 greenhouse heaters attached to the lathe and the mill. Total of 380W and the machines act as low temp radiators to avoid dew and do some heating. I have a thermostat on an oil filled radiator. I have never actually seen it come on when set at 15 degrees but it is occasionally warm in the mornings

3 double glazed door and windows, latest 28 mm gap. Very effective

4 soft insulating ‘anti fatigue tiles’ on the floor from Machine mart. Stops all the cold coming from the concrete floor.

Seems to work quite well!

Andries

As Mike Hurley says above, it is the medical department which s useless. I applied for my over 7p licence online. Got a questionnaire back saying if I didn’t reply within 2 weeks my application would be void. Sent it back within 5 minutes. Got another questionnaire about my visual fields 2 weeks later. Nthing since and that was 8 months ago. Tried rining, the medical departments answering device, on all options effectively says eff off and die! We are too busy to do any work! I wrote to my MP about it yesterday. Got a reply by that evening and will send him all the relevant details. I hope it works, but am not holding my breath!

What a bunch of incompetents!

Andries

Iwould have quite liked to do it, but never have. Benn a witness for the prosecution a few times but was not a lot of help to them as the barristers asked the wrong, and leading questions. Thus they did not get the answers they wanted. My best summons was delivered to me at 10 am in aWestern Australia, to appear in court at 10 am the same day in NSW, which was therefore 2 hours previous to the summons. I thought lawyers were supposed to be clever!

Andries

After reading the article by Gary Wooding in MEW 309 on making an ‘Elephant’s Foot’ for a DTI, I decided to make one for my 3 dti’s. But what thread to use? Gary’s was 6BA but he suggests the majority would be Metric. Far from it! I have a British built long travel DTI……. 3/32 x 48 whit. Small Mitutoyo…… 3-48 UNC. Larger Mitutoyo……4-40 UNC. What diversity of threads; have others found this to be the case ? It would be interesting to know the extent of this diversity!

What have others found?

Andries

Thanks guys. My first cylinder end was about 4.5, so I will continue with that throughout. Is there some formula which gives a ratio of depth to thread diameter, ie twice or three times depth?

I am just doing the cylinders on my Twin Victoria, my first steam engine project, and I wonder how deep the 7BA tapping holes should be. I don’t want to drill through into some thing vital! Especially in the cylinder face of the steam chest.

Any advice gratefully received!

Andries

My VSL has a 1 1/2 hp motor. Originally had a Siemens inverter but it died quite quickly. Now have a Jaguar cub with pendant, which is excellent. Very powerful but the belt slips on large drill use. Anyone know how long the lunk belt for a 500 vsl should be?

60 degree seems fine for most use. Tracy tools sell good ones!.......no connection but satisfied customer.

I have been trying to decipher the the diagrams of indexing and the worm module in this article. Is it a printing error or am I the only one who cannot decipher them as they are both tiny and indistinct? Could they be reprinted or found on this forum so those of of us with failing eyesight can actually see them?

myopically

Andries

You can buy 1 litre bottles of acetone in any french supermarket or diy store. Freely available there!

I have Machine DRO on my mill and Newall were on my lathe when I bought it. The Machine dro nes are, I think, basically Sino ones, but Machine DRO have an ace in the hole, their manual, which is quite frankly the best technical doc I have ever read. So very highly recommended, and no battery issues. As they say, the pleasure of quality remains long after the sting of the price is gone!

Andries

Sad Day. He will be much missed for his sensible advice and practical solutions. RIP

There is a good photo blog somewhere on the web about reassembling a Hercus, the aussie South Bend clone. That might be helpful too.

slightly off topic, I want to replace the link belt on my 500 VSL. Anyone know how long it is?

Andries

just tried that website Brian, it doesn't work. it is actually : hrs-ccl.co.uk a minor difference but could be frustrating

Andries

If you want kids fainting in the boiling heat, try the first month of term in February in WA.. 40 degrees plus for weeks and no aircon. No wonder they can't spell!

Nice website Roy. Can't say I'm into the gun stuff though. Your chuck key article demonstrates the power of metal flung out at high speed quite enough for me!

welcome all the same.

andries

I was thinking of an arrangement the allows one to bolt on various accessories, like dividing gears and worm wheel, handle and watchmakers dividing plates. Will do some sketches when I get time but the hollow mandrel idea is good. I have an R8 adaptor for the spindle nose which will hold my ER40 collets so i could use the collets and divide at the same time!

Thanks Steve,

I do have the book, so I will have a look

Andries

Hi,

I have checked out that article and the subsequent one on the divider, and it looks as if it could be the right idea for the VSL, if a little bigger. I will sit down with my thinking cap on and see how I can incorporate gear dividing as well as division plates which I bought years ago for my Unimat. It may be a multi function spindle attachment in the end!

BW

Andries

Thanks Neil,

that looks a real possibility. Is that ME Edition in the electronic archive?

Andries