What did you do today? (2014)

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Hi John,
A very nicely made attachment. Much more rigid than the one I made from an old cordless drill.

Les.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

That's a nice compact unit, John.

> new parrot

Is it a Norwegian Blue? It appears to have fallen off of its perch.

Neil

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

The Parrot will soon make short work of that stand when it exercises its beak on it! Have you ever held an intelligent conversation with a Parrot?

Clive

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

"Have you ever held an intelligent conversation with a Parrot? "

No Clive but I once heard a mynah bird give a speech in a seaside café many years ago using the foulest of language whilst backfooting showers of dung from the bottom of its cage over nearby customers. Absolutely hilarious provided you were sitting at the opposite end of the café and almost as funny as the hippo at Whipsnade zoo who turns his back on the punters and lets them have it both barrels.

Critters – don't you just luv'em!

Rik

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Today started out interesting and became more challenging as the day went on. First off, just in case people think it is on the back burner, I picked up all the castings for thew new bench drill from the shot blaster. Primer tomorrow!

Then a bit of on the hoof design and development. Don't bother looking for a drawing, there isn't one. This is for a "well known soap manufacturer" to dispense air freshener into. The pots go into (well they will when it is done) this device and through pneumatic action it separates the stack of tubs – one a second we hope – onto the conveyor running underneath. They are caught further down the line and air freshener gel is squirted into them and then a foil cap put on. You know the sort of thing, you peel off the plastic and prop them up in the netty.

Whole thing has been designed and developed as we go along. Even the springs – although a stock item – have been trial and error. And here you were thinking there was some sort of design department!

The same place does those "loo blue" things but we never go down there when they are making those. Learned our lesson. You come back looking like a Smurf and it just WILL NOT wash off! Everyone wears disposable overalls on those days.

graham.

[FMESParticipant @fmes]

Spent a very informative couple of hours with Ketan and 'Family' at Arceurotrade, who took the time to set up a machine for a demonstration for us. We got some excellent advice, a full tour, and a very welcome cup of tea. Very many thanks

[colin hawesParticipant @colinhawes85982]

Tidied up my workshop after making a gearwheel to repair the backgear on one of the club's milling machines. Then did some work on my series 2A landrover. Colin

[jason udallParticipant @jasonudall57142]

Ever had an intelligent conversation with aparrot…?.
Well if you have ever had a chance then those greys are the best bet….patience

I had a friend who was kicked out of a bar in Buenos Aires ( dock bar..normally a very hard task)..for trying to teach the bar parrot to bark

Another friend was kicked out of a ” bar” in Plymouth. .for applying his zippo to a stack of pound coins stacked in front of him…..
I will leave just why to your imagination.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Posted by Bogstandard2 on 31/07/2014 17:22:42:

Rik,

If you read my wording correctly, unless my lady friend has changed gender, 'HE loved it'.

No Neil, a 14 week old African grey, who won't normally start to talk until 6 months old, but he is already muttering and whistling certain sounds, he seems to be very intelligent, and should attain the intelligence of a four year old child very quickly, so more intelligent than me now that my mind is slowly disappearing..

John

.

Not only that John but it's better looking than you.

[Pete Gilbert 1Participant @petegilbert1]

Posted by Bogstandard2 on 31/07/2014 17:22:42:

No Neil, a 14 week old African grey, who won't normally start to talk until 6 months old, but he is already muttering and whistling certain sounds, he seems to be very intelligent, and should attain the intelligence of a four year old child very quickly, so more intelligent than me now that my mind is slowly disappearing..

John

Bless 'im, he's awesome! And very cute at 14 weeks. I love the enquiring eye of a parrot, you can see their smart mind sizing stuff up and looking for something to eat or play with. They love interaction too and learn from it so much more quickly than a dog/cat/your mate down the pub.

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Bit more with the Drill Press today. Shot Blasted and now in primer:

The actual Drill head is now in a five gallon drum with a load of paint thinner. The old grease would just make a mess of the shot and it wouldn't shift the grease anyway so it is far better to try to dissolve it. Just takes longer.

graham.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Don't underestimate bird intelligence. They even set up an experiment that proved a crow can figure out to put stones in a half-full jar to raise the water level, just like in Aesop's fable. This morning my dad told me he'd been watching a magpie dipping dog biscuits in water before eating them

A colleague told me he had once seen two crows taking it in turns sliding down an angled glass roof. His only explanation was that they were enjoying it. If you've ever watched choughs or ravens flying, you'll be sure crows can do things just for the enjoyment.

The best crow story I heard was a man who used to take his pet raven for walks, and fed it with scraps of meat he kept in his pocket. One day he was caught short and had to visit the hedge…

Konrad Lorenz's King Solomon's Ring is a good read, although some of his ideas have been superceded (e.g. the idea of different origins of types of dog – wolves & African hunting dogs (IIRC), thanks to DNA analysis domestic dogs are all considered to be a subspecies of wolf these days).

Another excellent book, although all about natural behaviour, is Ravens in Winter by Bernd Heinrich, as much for what the author goes through to get his data,as anything else.

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Blimey!

A huge rainstorm just went over the workshop. I was already up on top with a tin of underseal as I feared a leak due to a dripping noise somewhere…(wrongly, thank goodness) when it let go, and boy did it let go. I once spent two days in a tent as 4" of rain fell, and at no time was it as heavy as what just hit us, I'm sure.

The upper magenta blob on this map is 16-32mm/hour, and it was right over my head 15 minutes ago! I think the downpour lasted about 15 minutes or more. Hopefully the blobs lower down are going east of us.

Neil

Edit: We have a weather warning for rain tomorrow! So worse to come?

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 01/08/2014 18:07:29

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

Did you know that nothing succeeds like a parrot?

Re-engineering the lubrication for the saddle on my lathe. When I bought it 30+ years ago I stripped and cleaned the inside of the saddle and noticed the greasing system had been butchered, so excited as I was, I just slathered everything important looking in grease and pressed it into service. now I am retired I am about to correct my guilty feeling and on strip down it looks just like when I reassembled it

I have decide to go an oil based system as the pumped grease only went to two out of 12 bearings To find out how wicking oil systems could work I have assembled a little test. The oil used was "Myfords slideway oil" *, the three wicks were, 4 " of 3mm nylon cord, its inner (slightly twisted stands) and its outer "tube" (woven strands). Pinned them to a block of wood dangled their ends in the oil at 10 o'clock, and by lunchtime the oil had crept up at least 1 1/2" above the oil level, the twisted fibres a bit lower. At close of play 1800 Hrs the oil level in the wicks was almost 3 " higher then the oil in the container. Looks an interesting result

Frank

* Other oil is available

Edited By frank brown on 01/08/2014 20:16:18

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Neil,

I had just driven down A38 from Pudsey to Lichfield and got caught in it. Got home to just outside Lichfield, all bone dry. Went to Cannock and heavens opened. Perhaps that tells you something about Cannock

Where abouts are you located?

Colin

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Hi Colin,

Jut in front of the computer screen… which is just outside Branston, former home of the Pickle and still a haven for Marmite.

> Did you know that nothing succeeds like a parrot?

Neil

**Other parrot jokes are available.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

The Magpies around here in the North Downs in Kent throw everything into the bird bath, bread, apples and even potato skins. I watched a Blackbird carefully pick up every leaf out of a water bowl before it bathed. The Jays pick up acorns and stick them into the rotten wood and bark of the Oak tree. The Magpies again, they take food and shove it up under the tiles on the roof opposite us.

Clive

[Martin WParticipant @martinw]

Hi

I thought it was a parrot without a beak that succeeds .

Marttin

[Raymond Sanderson 2Participant @raymondsanderson2]

# days of glorious spring weather 21C+ then back to reality Snow season doesn't end till October although spring is officially here 1st August.

 

Still some time in the workshop roughing down some Oregon to make a Hat Block for LOML its at glue up stage for a few days.

Just for fun a Jacaranda winged bowl 3mm wall more work to be done yet.

Edited By Raymond Sanderson 2 on 02/08/2014 01:03:37

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Snow season doesn't end till October although spring is officially here 1st August

I always thought your seasons were six months out with ours, but taht's a five-month (or seven month) difference.

Our seasons used to be set by the solstices about the 22 of March, June, September and December, but these days it's been simplified to the first day of those months, which given the way the seasons appear to have got earlier makes sense, although summer can seem to stretch until October these days with autumn (as in leaves fall off) becomes very short.

What are the official Aussie seasons?

Neil

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Neil

Well officially it's winter in Australia but I guess the UK concept of the seasons is pretty irrelevant. I was just speaking with my son in Melbourne who says it is freezing there – whereas the forecast tomorrow for Darwin is 33 deg.

Norman

Edited By NJH on 02/08/2014 12:14:15

[Raymond Sanderson 2Participant @raymondsanderson2]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 02/08/2014 10:54:11:

> Snow season doesn't end till October although spring is officially here 1st August

I always thought your seasons were six months out with ours, but taht's a five-month (or seven month) difference.

Our seasons used to be set by the solstices about the 22 of March, June, September and December, but these days it's been simplified to the first day of those months, which given the way the seasons appear to have got earlier makes sense, although summer can seem to stretch until October these days with autumn (as in leaves fall off) becomes very short.

What are the official Aussie seasons?

Neil

Neil it depends on where in Australia you live. This will help greatly as its the best available

Then depend on who you speak to, vary in length and date/period as well as the state you live in or even the region of a state as the 1st link shows.

LOML and I still use the solstice system mother nature knows best.

Lower west coast Perth South Australia ,East coast Tasmania, Victoria, NSW, and as far north as mid north coast of Queensland has 4 seasons spring summer autumn and winter. The further north you go the less winter it is.

Northern territory, far north QLD ad Far north Western Australia have 2 seasons wet and dry generally.

In winter June to August along the east coast including Tasmania, Victoria, parts of NSW not just the snow fields and as far north as Townsville it snows.
Commercially the snow season or winter is classified as June long weekend to October Long weekend

This year its snowed in Perth in WA first time in many years.

Tasmanian how ever you can have 4 seasons in one day or even in one hour yes I have experienced it 25C one minute down to snowing the next. 20 ks' down the road pourng rain.

[Raymond Sanderson 2Participant @raymondsanderson2]

Posted by NJH on 02/08/2014 12:13:36:

Neil

Well officially it's winter in Australia but I guess the UK concept of the seasons is pretty irrelevant. I was just speaking with my son in Melbourne who says it is freezing there – whereas the forecast tomorrow for Darwin is 33 deg.

Norman

Edited By NJH on 02/08/2014 12:14:15

Norman have a look at my post above to Neil and the links offically its now spring as of the 1st of August yet all weather media to build hopes for snow skiers praise it as winter because there is still to beginning of October to go for the snow season.
Hw do i know as an ex-coach driver as of August I could be doing snow tours and with in the same week flower festivals for spring in the Blue Mnts. Sept and Oct as well.

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Thanks Raymond

I find the concept of the distances hard to grasp. My son lives in Melbourne and his partner works between there and Sidney – just nipping on a plane when required. (It's like going from here to Italy for a meeting !)

We have been watching a superb series on TV of a UK comic, John Bishop, cycling from Sydney to Cairns. It looks like a great country and these programs give us a bit of an insight – sadly I'm never likely to go there. Sitting in my armchair for any length of time is bad enough – the prospect of hours and hours cramped up on a plane doesn't bear thinking about!

Regards

Norman

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Get that weather sorted in Oz. Only 4 weeks 'til I'm at my nephew's wedding in Melbourne.
Now – must get back to shed base concreting.

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