Member postings for Adam Mara

I'm retired, but have access to a commercial Trotec Speedy 400 laser cutter (capacity 1000mm x 600mm and 300mm in height, which I have used to cut up to 16mm Perspex. South Lincs if that helps, please PM if interested.

For day to day use on 'unimportant' sites, I use a combination of my late dads 'Ham' radio call sign, and my grandfathers telephone number which I inherited when I married in 1965, Easily remembered, until BT in their wisdom issued us with a new phone number in one of their 'upgrades'.

Very likely an Aven Trimmatool blade, a Surform rival from the 50's and 60's, as far as I can remember!, sold a few in my time.

Now where did I leave the chuck key?

Nothing new in using American aircraft! My father in law was an upper gunner in a RAF B17 involved in early electronic counter measures in 1944/45. Like many, he would say little about his experiences, the only thing he ever told us that afrer one mission all they found of the rear gunner were his boots. Very brave young men, FIL was only 18, sadly he died quite young, before what they did became public knowledge.

This thread made me get out my licence to see my 'codes', and they are exactly the same as yours. I did opt out of the 7.5 tonne class on one of the previous renewals, not having driven one for 20 years!

I am up for my 82 year old renewal next year, and it really surprises me there are no mandated tests to renew your licence. My eldest son and one of my son in law's both in their early 50's have health and eyesight checks every 3 years before they can renew their HGV licences, neither of them actually drive HGV's for a living, but hang on to them 'just in case!

I have had one several years, works well within its specified capabilies. Seldom use the roller, but the shear and folder get a lot of use.

In the good old days a Eclipse no. 45 Back Saw would be ideal, with 3 interchangeable blades for metal, 32, 44 and 60 tpi, cost in in 1964 5/- (25p). One recently sold on the internet for £22!

And another warning! Be very carefull cutting unknown plastics, many give of poisonous gases. The works laser engraver with a 900mm x 600mm bed has a very powerful 150mm extraction system, with 95% of the work carried out on acrylics. There is some technical information on the Trotec Laser UK website

I might be able to help if your are unsuccesful in obtaining elsewhere. My son is an engraver and uses 600mm x 1200mm engraving brass sheets for solicitors signs and similar. I know he uses 1.5mm or thicker normally, but I think there may be 1.0mm or 0.9mm. PM me if you are interested, I'm on holiday in deepest Dorset at the moment, and won't be in touch with him until the weekend!

My grandfather purchased an existing Ironmongers shop in 1900. I have the stocklist from February 1900 lisiting all the rooms and their contents, and every room from cellars to attics were packed with goods! These including the blacksmiths shop, the tinsmiths shop and a whitesmiths shop, something I had never heard off. It appears it was a like a tinsmiths shop but doing finer work.

The company moved in 1905, but there was still a tinsmiths shop in the late 40s, I remember there being a forge, and patterns for pans hanging on the walls, and I have memories of hectic times at Christmas of the tinsmith making roasting tins. When the tinsmith retired the equipment fell into disuse, and was eventually sold off, apart from the guillotine, which is still used daily in the current business now run by his great grandsons.

A bit off thread, but my wife was a GPO telophonist in the early 60's, she was having her hair done yesterday when the young hairdresser asked what she did before she was married. My wife replied ' a telephonist' .... whats that? asked the hairdresser! How times have changed.

Well, it looks like what I have always called a stilson pipe wrench in my years as an ironmonger! I found a '450mm heavy duty pipe wrench' on Banggood for GBP £20,54 including postage, maybe worth a look?

One option is ti use Ebay Classified adverts, it operates outside the normal Ebay system. I used it very succesfuly to sell my deceased cousins expensive ride on mower . It only cost £10 to place the advert and no further fees were involved, we insisted on cash payment to be really safe! Might be worth having a look.

The Enviroment Agency have some massive pumps, used locally at the recent flooding in Wainfleet. Pretty sure it was reported they had 6 running, and 6 in reserve, and they were brought in from all around the country. Trouble is it takes a few days get pumps in and running. A search on Google Images for 'Wainfleet Pumps' gives some idea of the size of them!

Have a look here!

**LINK**

I came across it while researching repainting our workshop floor, the existing paint (make unknown!) has worn well, but it is a tamped finish concrete, not floated.

Couple of Ospreys flew over South Lincs, heading north west, noisy blighters! More used to the BBMF planes and Typhoons disturbing my afternoon snooze!

Plenty in Lincolnshire at the moment, at home we had 108mm last week.

I had whooping cough in the 70's when I was in my forties, took the doctors ages to sort it out, and I was off work for 2 or 3 months, and I agree, not a pleasant experience. Took me 2 or 3 years to get my health back to normal.

Some idea of the machinery would help, locally we can hire 'Man and Van'. If you drive you can hire pickups or flatbeds with cranes to make lifting easier. When my son bought a clapped out TR6 we just hired a car trailer with winch and towed it behind my car as I had a towball on it.