What did you do today (2015)

[capnahabParticipant @capnahab]

Lathejack, I see I can get nothing past you. It is a micrometer carriage stop, but not Smart and Brown, or Hardinge. It is though a tool room lathe.

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Today Me an my better half visited Mount Palomar Observatory. The drive up to the top was over a twisting mountainous route with lots of hairpin bends, just the sort of road that made me wish I was on my Motor Bike.

The building that houses the 200" mirror is very impressive.

I think that this is used when final polishing the mirror or aligning it , perhaps Neil can enlighten us.

Mind you it was a sight cooler today than yesterday which had us seeing 110 degrees F.

I will be looking over the San Diego Maritime museum and the motor museum in Balboa Park and various other attractions before heading back to Las Vegas For our flight home on Sunday

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

As I understand it:-

The hartmann screen is used for testing the radius of curvature of the mirror. For a perfectly parabolic mirror parallel light striking all points of the mirror surface will be reflected to pass through the focus. Inaccuracy in the mirror surface shape will mean that some points will reflect to pass in front of or behind the focal point. The screen is placed directly in front of the mirror. Multiple photographic plates placed at and around the focus will record the light from the different spots in the screen and by correlating the spots on the plates the shape of the mirror can be monitored whilst final polishing to finished shape takes place.

Martin

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

"pop-up advert for a trial subscription."

I Have recently cancelled my print and digital subs to both ME and MEW and am pleased to report that I am not experiencing any such popup.

Now there's a thought for you!!!

Rik

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

If anyone wants it for experimentation purposes or fancies making a new gear for it they are welcome to have it.!

That's how I got into lathework at the very start,

I wanted to make a gear for my Abu multiplier and bought a unimat SL

…still not made the gear yet…

[Bruce EdneyParticipant @bruceedney59949]

I have been building the power supply & Driver case up for my Mill CNC conversion Project. It is an old IBM Server Tower Case. I am using an old ATX power supply to supply 5 & 12 Volt for auxiliary power. Need to save for a 48 Volt supply now.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Lathejack on 15/06/2015 19:09:02:

I've been fiddling with my newly acquired BSA again, changed the oil and thoroughly cleaned out the oil tank as there was a bit of oily sludge in the bottom. Sent a small camera into the engine internals where I could get it and it is as clean as a whistle.

So I popped it in the van and took it for an MOT, which it passed. Not bad for an old rattler bought from an Autojumble.

Luvly old bike. Is it a Shooting Star or a Starfire? It looks like a well-preserved original bike. Very nice indeed.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Hartman screen is primarily for focusing – at focus all the spots become one, but as Martin describes this effect can also be used to test the mirror.

Thanks to digital cameras and image processing software I've seen it claimed that today's amateurs can equal the photos Palomar could take in the 50s.

Neil

[LathejackParticipant @lathejack]

Hopper.

It is a Starfire 250, the identical looking 441 Shooting Star would have been even nicer to find.

Back in 1982 I did have a Shooting Star, but it was tired and didn't run well and was also extremely hard to start. One day while I was trying to get it to start up it caught fire, two fire engines and an ambulance turned up. That was it, I had had enough of it and I sold it a while later, I never did get a single ride on it.

I now work about twenty miles from home, and a few years ago a customer came in to the workshop and on hearing my name he told me that he now owned my old Shooting Star, as my name was still on the log book. So I may finally get a ride on it after all these years.

I have just noticed the earlier post by Phil Whitley. It's a 1969 Stafire, thankfully with the steel fuel and oil tanks instead of the similar looking glass fibre version which I have heard don't stand up to modern fuel too well. But old age must cause some of the trouble I think. The 441 Shooting Star I once owned all those years ago did have the glass fibre fuel tank and oil tank.

 

Edited By Lathejack on 16/06/2015 20:45:40

Edited By Lathejack on 16/06/2015 20:47:40

Edited By Lathejack on 16/06/2015 20:49:27

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

When in the Deep-Doo-Doo, only a Roller Box will do!

I have "lost" a part, belonging to someone else – so need to make a replacement really quick!

Still not finished it, so back to the Bat Cave!

graham.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

You know the lost bit will turn up the day after you hand it back. The score is now 6 tree rats, 3 Pigeons.

Clive

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

1. Received some 2MT collets [won on ebay]: I'm not a fan of Morse Taper collets, but these should be useful … four of the five are real Crawford ones, and the fifth looks fine.
2. Went for a [passenger] ride in a Trabant !!

MichaelG.

[Jesse Hancock 1Participant @jessehancock1]

Well it's just amazing how many different names BSA managed to call the C15. If in doubt add derivative at the end of C15 to be sure you cover all possibilities.

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 16/06/2015 23:34:54

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Not all exactly today, I have decided to re-learn how to fly a control-line stunt model. Found a nice freebie plan in Feb 1991 Aeromodeller, it's called Big Tiger.

The workshop machinery comes in useful for making models and so just turned a new venturi to adapt a r/c engine for control-line stunt use.

Finally found a nice use for the paxolin that I discovered at the local market, it made up into a bellcrank with a ball bearing hub rescued from a pre-loved hard disk drive.

More photos in my album under 'aeromodelling'.

* Danny M *

[Bill PudneyParticipant @billpudney37759]

This morning I finally finished lapping the piston and contra piston for #1 Sugden Special. Then flushed with success started on the piston and contra for #2. Number 2 was finished far quicker than #1, partly because the parts had been turned slightly smaller than #1, so there was less material to remove, secondly I had developed a bit of a process so there was less pratting about.

Once again all I have to do now is to remove all the black grunge.

Next job are the pistons for two Nalon Vipers, four needle valve assemblies, four comp. screws, rear discs for the Vipers….will it never end?

cheers

Bill

[Dave MartinParticipant @davemartin29320]

Posted by Bob Rodgerson on 15/06/2015 23:42:54:

I will be looking over the San Diego Maritime museum and the motor museum in Balboa Park and various other attractions before heading back to Las Vegas For our flight home on Sunday

Bob – I hope you get to see the "Star of India" moored at the SD Maritime Museum, she's the oldest iron-hulled ship still afloat & in commission. Some of her history here from the BBC on the 150th anniversary of her launching in 1863, as the "Euterpe". She was built in Ramsey, here on the Isle of Man – and my great-Grandfather was the chief shipwright!

Dave

 

Edited By Dave Martin on 17/06/2015 08:49:48

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Amazing service from Tractorsparesuk an ebay shop. Ordered bearings for the Fergie about 3pm yesterday hoping they would arrive before Saturday and blow me they are here at 9 am this morning. Should give us time to fit and mow the outfield in time for the rain to cme down and cancel the match.

Edited By Bazyle on 17/06/2015 10:22:18

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Jesse Hancock 1 on 16/06/2015 23:34:12:

Well it's just amazing how many different names BSA managed to call the C15. If in doubt add derivative at the end of C15 to be sure you cover all possibilities.

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 16/06/2015 23:34:54

they upgraded it to the C25 in the end didn't they?

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Lathejack on 16/06/2015 20:27:18:

Hopper.

It is a Starfire 250, the identical looking 441 Shooting Star would have been even nicer to find.

Back in 1982 I did have a Shooting Star, but it was tired and didn't run well and was also extremely hard to start. One day while I was trying to get it to start up it caught fire, two fire engines and an ambulance turned up. That was it, I had had enough of it and I sold it a while later, I never did get a single ride on it.

I n

LOL, and they could not work out why everyone started buying the Japanese bikes.

I remember drooling over the Starfires on the showroom floor in 1969 as a 12 year old lad. Every boy racer's dream bike with that still-stunning looking tank and seat. All I got were a Bantam though.

Did eventually get a 69 Thunderbolt ex-police bike which was not much better than your first Starfire. Sold after much gnashing of teeth etc. Found out years later the oil leak (more like deluge) I could never fix was due to a batch of porous cylinder heads that year.

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

.

For all you lovers of old British motorbikes this one **LINK** belongs to a friend of mine who spent much time restoring it after it had been involved in a crash and had spent 12 years exposed to the elements in someones back yard.

Nick

[Capstan SpeakingParticipant @capstanspeaking95294]

I've been a busy bee today.

I made an adapter to allow me to put my lathe chuck on my indexer. It came without any fittings.
It's not great but I have to work with what I have. I'll improve it later.
I used a soft blank arbour and a blank chuck back plate.

Also I used my lathe to set the tool bits in my face mill. It conveniently fits up the snout.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Clive & all other bee lovers,

Forgive the post, but I think it's important.

The government’s about to decide whether to let bee-killing pesticides back into the UK.

Environment Secretary Liz Truss Makes a decision tomorrow but still time to sign the petition

**LINK**

Geoff – Kill the bees and we starve.

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Hi Dave,

I have replied to your posting privately but forgot to mention how much I like the lines of the "Star Of The Sea" she is very sleek and must have been able to maintain good speeds under most conditions. Your Great Grandfather would have ben well looked up to by his Peers, being Chief Shipwright in those days was a prestige job.

In the days of my apprenticeship I sometimes had the opportunity to visit the "Loft" where the shipwrights drew the lines of the ship on the floor full size then made templates for frames to be made. It was avery skilled job, alas, all gone now along with masses of other skills involved in making ships.

[60019Participant @60019]

Today was a big day in my model engineering progress. I finally decided I'd got enough experience with my lathe to risk putting the Metro cylinder castings in the 4 jaw and pressing the start button. The operations were nothing special, but this is the biggest chance I've taken so far that could result in an expensive door stop.

All ok for now… two cylinders bored, faced and identical. Plenty of opportunity to mess up remain, but I'm happy with my start.

Mike

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

.

Turned the heads of some M12 bolts to adapt them to fit some ant-vibration bases that I had. These will be going under the milling machine.

Nick

[Author]

Posts