What did you do today (2015)

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Got well baked in Pompey today, sun pretty much all day long.

Edited By V8Eng on 25/06/2015 21:49:41

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Hi Clive,

Thanks for that. I'll be interested to watch them tomorrow to see what happens. Always pleased to see bees in the garden. They usually love the marjoram which is just about to bloom.

The bee house for solitary bees hasn't been so successful so far this year, we don't seem to have had a sustained warm spell, only about a third of the spaces have been walled up. However, loads of visits by Hummingbird Hawk Moths to the valerian, more than I've ever seen before. Quite chuffed with this picture

Cheers,

Rod

 

 

Edited By Roderick Jenkins on 25/06/2015 23:00:25

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

We have had a large Photinia tree in our garden. It was about 20ft high and 20ft across, mostly where we want to put a conservatory. The conservatory is going in in August, but we need to clear the area first. Looking back to past experience we decided to cut most of the thing down last month – just as well as the remains are now buzzing. It is covered in bees from almost dawn to dusk, and would have been lethal to cut down in the next 2-3 weeks (by which time it would have been too late to do the rest of the prep work). Wish we could have left it alone, but that's not possible.

We will have to take out a 25ft x 25ft Cornus next, and that should give the Photinia somewhere to grow into for the bees in the next few years. The base of the Photinia is sprouting, so in a few years it will be back. Fortunately.

Regards,

Richard.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Bee update: Still in the tree at lunchtime. Found one in the house – shooed it outside and noticed several others prospecting round the windows. Shut them all. Just been to look in the tree:

I wonder where they've gone.

Fascinating

Rod

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

I have a small leaf cutter bee making a home in one of my uPVC window frames. It's a small vent hole that used to have a set of spider legs hanging out. Not sure how they get on.

More self-learning of Fusion 360 CAD. Started designs for a box/pan folder and rotary broach. It's great to be able to visualise and check dimensions and motion before going into the shed.

Ed.

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

Spent part of the day watching the yearly spectacle of round the Island race, Sir Ben Ainslie's record still stands.

Bob

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Rod, it looks like a feral swarm, (Wild bees) Making free comb is unusual, but I have seen it before. The absence of bees is that fact that they are out foraging for nectar as it takes approx. 2 lb of nectar to draw out the comb like that.. One thing, they would not survive the winter out in the open. You can then retrieve about 4 to 5 lb of wax. for other purposes.

Clive

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

So, that bunch that are left on the comb, are they surrounding the queen?

cheers,

Rod

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Like Ed, I spent some time today learning how to use Fusion 360 to create models and assemblies, Woke up this morning determined to accomplish something – and due to my current state of complete workshoplessness, this was the best I could manage. Things have come to a pretty pass.

Drew up a valve assembly using exam practice examples from "Manual Of Engineering Drawing" by Simmons, Phelps and Maguire. Turned out OK. It's not as powerful as the full Inventor program but has got most stuff you need.

Like most CAD programs, it has its own infuriating features although in this case the documentation is particular;y crap. It's that old chestnut again – the people who developed it and created the help files knew how to use it so the documentation is chocolate teapot quality in (most) places.

It seems to require you to make a bizarre (and irreversible?) transition from "bodies" to "components" before you can assemble parts into assemblies. The lack of any remotely intelligible documentation doesn't help at this point. I sort of got there but I'm still perplexed and a more than a little irritated on several fronts, not least at my own apparent stupidity.

Finished off trying to generate a pukka 2D drawing from the final assembly. This wasn't straightforward, so will need to read up on it – or more accurately watch some Youtube videos by non-Autodesk users who are actually capable of explaining what to do.

Murray

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Rod, the Queen is a free roving bee, all she does is seek empty cells and depending on the size, lays an egg of Drone or worker bee. Meanwhile she is fed and cleaned on the go as you might say. The worker bees vibrate and produce heat this way, and if its cold will cluster and create a temp. of about 37.5 C. When combs of eggs hatch they need feeding and also to be kept warm, so bees cover the combs giving off heat. The outer combs are storage combs and all eggs and brood are in the inner combs.If it rains the bees can cluster and the rain just rolls off them. Unfortunately the feral bees are a source and vector for bee viruses which are carried by the Varroa parasite which uses the combs to breed 10 x faster than the bees, also sucking the bees fluids. In a short time the bees can no longer support themselves and the swarm will die out!

Clive

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Went and visited my mate with the little museum just down the street today, he's been finding things, first a Mamod steam lorry, and second, a Stuart Turner 10H, a poor replacement for the stolen S 9, It seems to be free running. It's an old one, could be pre WW2.

Ian S C

[Capstan SpeakingParticipant @capstanspeaking95294]

Posted by Muzzer on 27/06/2015 20:59:07:

It seems to require you to make a bizarre (and irreversible?) transition from "bodies" to "components" before you can assemble parts into assemblies. The lack of any remotely intelligible documentation doesn't help at this point. I sort of got there but I'm still perplexed and a more than a little irritated on several fronts, not least at my own apparent stupidity.

Murray

It does seem to be a bit different to the approach that Inventor takes.

A "body" would refer to a dumb 3D object that has no geometric history to it. Imported files would exist this way. Inventor Parts could then be "derived" from such items.

It seems that many of the players in the CAD market have gone for a complete range from low end to top end products.

Parametric modelling is so different to the old ways. It used to be that geometry drove the dimensions but now the dimensions drive the geometry.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

The bizarre thing is that in Fusion, what you are creating with all the sketches / extrusions / cuts etc is known as a "body", even though it was created within Fusion's "modelling" environment. Unlike the other products, Fusion needs these "bodies" to converted into "components" before they can be assembled together.

In Inventor, you can import a body (as STEP or IGES) and make it an Inventor part, much as you can in SW, SE etc. I suspect Fusion is a collection of different applications that aren't really very mutually compatible and this is the kind of bodge required to make them work together.

Fusion seems to be the "low end" of your scale not surprisingly, along with Cubify and Designspark Mechanical. Inventor, SW, SE, Alibre/Geomagic etc are the midrange. However, Fusion has the full 3-axis version of HSM Works, rather than the free 2.5D (Solidworks add-in) that you can get for free anyway.

Murray

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I made a laser telescope collimator!

Well, I've got as far as it working…

At right is a holder for a nice laser module (thanks Clive!) The holder is a free fit in the outer tube. It is supported by an o-ring and the adjusting three screws. A better fitting plug, cut across at 45 degrees has a number 50 hole in it. You sit the thing on the v-blocks and adjust until the spot (projected several feet) doesn't move when the body is rotated.

The beam is now concentric and parallel with the outer tube.

Fit to the eyepiece holder of the (newtownian reflector) scope and adjust the secondary mirror until the red dot is bang in the centre of the little black ring stuck to the mirror. Now cover the end of the scope and adjust the main mirror until the red dot disappears back down the hole it came out of. The eyepiece holder, secondary and main mirrors are now all aligned along a single straight line and the scope should give its best performance.

I need to get/cut down some nice 6BA grub screws for a start and make a a switch holder/cover to screw into the 2032 battery compartment at the end. I might try anodising it as well, but the angle face will need painting white.

Neil

<edit – I forgot the picture!>

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 28/06/2015 14:15:44

[Capstan SpeakingParticipant @capstanspeaking95294]

Posted by Muzzer on 28/06/2015 14:08:09:

The bizarre thing is that in Fusion, what you are creating with all the sketches / extrusions / cuts etc is known as a "body", even though it was created within Fusion's "modelling" environment. Unlike the other products, Fusion needs these "bodies" to converted into "components" before they can be assembled together.

Murray

OK that's just weird.

Perhaps Autodesk have bought up a separate product rather than write one from scratch. Perhaps the extra step is a conversion to make them compatible.

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Nice job on the collimator Neil, That reminds me I have to make an adapter for the one I have. It currently uses rubber expandable O-rings to secure it in the focusing tube and I've never been 100% assured that it's a good idea. I must admit I tend to use the defocus method on a single bright star to make the visible rings concentric.

Ed.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Hi Ed,

My thought is that it needs to be fixed in the same way as an eyepieces – pushed against the side of the tube, by two screws in the case of my scope.

What it immediately showed me was how far out my secondary mirror was, defocusing hadn't shown me that error – but I am quite inexperienced.

Just watched the space-x go up – literally "… however, it does appear something did occur during first stage operations…"

Neil

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

Collimation, now there's a minefield

I agree with Neil, the collimator should be of a similar fit in the drawtube as the eyepieces. And yes, all the tools in the world will only get you close, the star image is the final arbiter.
I tested my Barlowed set up in the lathe and found a massive pointing error in the lens stack so take nothing for granted. I also turned the collar off the comercially made collimator as it didn't sitting true with the draw tube axis.

Had to do the diagonal on the 28" refractor at Greenwich some years back. Over 28 feet the beam was initially 4" off centre

[Gas_mantle.Participant @gas_mantle]

Nah, get yourself a refractor. None of this collimating palaver

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Nah, get yourself a refractor. None of this collimating palaver

Compare the cost (and size and weight) of a 6" reflector and a 6" refractor!

I've got a wee 700 x 63mm 'frac, and a 500mm mirror lens I can pretend is a Maksutov

Weirdly they are all f8…

Neil

[Gas_mantle.Participant @gas_mantle]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 28/06/2015 19:17:35:

Compare the cost (and size and weight) of a 6" reflector and a 6" refractor!

I've got a wee 700 x 63mm 'frac, and a 500mm mirror lens I can pretend is a Maksutov

Weirdly they are all f8…

Neil

Yea, point taken, I keep looking at going from a 5" refractor to a 6" but there's one hell of a jump in size and weight !

Nice photos of Jupiter in your album by the way

Peter.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Picked-up a rather interesting 'construction' Toy at the Charity Shop.

Zoob

I plan to try using it as a positioning device for subjects [such as flowers] and small LED lights, for close-up photography.

The dimpled balls allow each piece to be indexed to multiple positions. … A very clever use of material.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 28/06/2015 20:18:24

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Michael

That's one of the weakest excuses for buying a new "toy" that I've ever heard!

Norman

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

Pulled my finger out over the last few days and finally made some little locomotive wheels:

Originally I intended to have them as a press-fit on the axles but the plan has the axles as a continuous piece of 3mm rod – there is no shoulder, AND as it is an outside-framed locomotime adapting the plan to turn a shoulder would thin the axle somewhat. So I drilled the blanks to 2.9mm and made a toolmakers reamer of (very) roughly 2.95mm (from the axle-rod), and ran that through turning the lathe by hand. Then I mounted them on a turning fixture with an M3 caphead screw – these were quite snug and each wheel kept it's own screw for each stage of turning. There are no photo's of this as I was concentrating. Alot. Likewise I've not added any decorative holes, or recess to the front, it was all about getting the dimensions correct, and the same.

So, to mount, I thought about, and tried, heating the wheel to get it to expand and shrink on the axle; It didn't work (I was probably much to far away in terms of fit) and only suceeded in dropping two of my wheels and putting a liitle ding in the flanges. Oh fluff. A little bit of gentle filing rectified that, and wire brushing the wheels removed most of the blacking where they had been heated, while leaving them duller than when first machined..

In the end I made another toolmakers reamer from the 3mm silver steel I was using for the axle, at full size. I mounted the wheels backwards with the tread in the three-jaw and the flange pushed up hard against the jaws, and just hoped that any runout would not result in an overly-enlarged hole. It seemed to work fine with the wheels sliding onto the axle with an almost imperceptable degree of wobble. So with the adition of some retaining compound (not forgetting to slide a (shop-bought) gearwheel on before the wheels) and a bit of measuring and jiggling we ended up with these:

22mm tread, 26mm flange. 2 degree taper on tread and 10 (or is it 80?) on the flange, this angle is less than on the plan, but more than on the guide I followed which reccomends a square flange for 16mm narrow gauge. I suppose I could have rounded the flange off a bit more, but… Quite please if I'm honest, they run smooth, straight and true when let free on a bit of inclined Peco SM32 track.

Apologies if this is teaching anyone to 'suck eggs'…

[Author]

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