What did you do today (2015)

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Nice photos of Jupiter in your album by the way

Thanks, hoping for even better next time round! Still a few chances to improve on saturn this year but tonight I'm hoping for M13 as my first DSO in close up.

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

Me likewise!

Neil

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The NASA B 747 flying telescope at present based in Christchurch is watching Pluto, Pluto is due to pass in front of a star, last time(10 yrs ago) it did this two new moons were discovered. I think it will take about 40 seconds to cross the star's face.

Ian S C

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

When ever I am in Mumbai, I would use this station in town almost every other day. Have a look at what happened there yesterday: **LINK**

Its a big station and no doubt other platforms were still in use, regardless, as locals go about their business as normal, as if nothing has happened.

Ketan at ARC

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

What did I do today? Went to work without my reading glasses. I keep a pair at work, but brought them home by accident last Friday.

Fortunately, I drove today, as the bicycle trip is fairly long, and to do two round trips would mean about 4 hours cycling. If I'd taken the bus, I'd have been stuck at work until the end of the day, as the bus service is almost non-existent.

Oh well! Live and learn! This getting older thing has it's "moments", doesn't it? (Never needed glasses until a couple of years ago)

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Bees again, The Queen i bought on Wednesday last was put in the hive the same morning. As I put her and the cage she was into the hive the bees could pick up her pheromone and were all over may hands as I fixed the cage in between two combs. It is best to leave them to it for a few days as it takes that long for the bees to chew through the candy plug to let the Queen out of her cage, by this time the Queen pheromone has been passed from bee to bee and as she comes out she is accepted as their Queen.

This morning early I lifted the lid and there was an empty cage! I did not go further but will in another few days go in and see if she has laid eggs. That is the only test and I hope its all gone well.

I also today transferred a 5 comb nucleus into a National hive with 12 combs as the bees were hanging outside the front of the Nuc. It was bunged full of honey and brood so better to give more comb to expand on.

At long last the gees were foraging the Blackberry flowers which is a main crop for me. so there is a lot of activity around the Apiary.

Clive

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

You ought to do a little book Clive, "A Beekeeper's Year".

Neil

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

Been doing a Jupiter and making some wheels. I turned the back and the main diameter, then drilled and reamed the bores. 6mm, they are for a 16mm wagon.

I made a dolly to carry them in the collect chuck to turn the treads and that's where it all went wrong. The first wheel I mounted was out of true. The collet chuck was out of tru by 5thou. I hate having to correct tooling, however I had to skim the back plate, cast iron, tough and now all I can smell is cast iron dust. 😫

I shall return to turning them tomorrow evening.

On a brighter note on Saturday our new track was officially opened by the mayors of both Llandudno and Conwy, a most enjoyable day.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Hi Neil, there are so many bee books out there going back many many years. I do buy them when I find them and what i find is that they seem to copy from each other and in some cases completely rubbish. I also buy cookery books about cooking with honey and preserving things in honey. In the last decade or so, so many things have changed in bee keeping with the advent of Varroa crossing the channel and starting in Buckfast abbey, the home of Bro. Adam who thought he was the father of bee keeping.

The bee year is simple enough, but when people start to try and modify what the bees do, it becomes quite complicated. So, after some 40 years of bee keeping I decided to follow a policy of. 'Leave alone bee keeping' that is not manipulating bees too much and only applying safe treatments for Varroa and really letting them get on with it. Taking swarms of course is a must as I can get increase in the number of hives and also pass on or sell swarms I dont want.

I go about this in a quiet way and try not to disturb the bees too much when taking honey combs and have developed a method of doing that simply and quickly which works very well. Normally I take 2 boxes of honey at a time as that is about the most I can deal with in 1 day and evening from collecting, de-capping and spinning out and bottling. I have a small local clientele and a farm shop I supply to and that just about gives me back what I pay out so its a Philanthropic hobby unlike some who plunder the hives and wonder why they die out over winter due to starvation.

Clive

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Assembled my latest project today & gave it a trial run… it works… , just need to titivate it up now, sort out the flywheel wobble polish up some bits 'n' bobs, make a proper base for it …

Tried uploading video image but can only link to You tube…

**LINK**

There was a post on how to do it a while back, can someone point me in the right direction…… tried using the image icon above but it doesn't seem to want to upload from Dropbox…?

George

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

New sc3 lathe is mostly ready for action; slides rubbed up and brass gibs fitted, new Timken TR bearings, all set up straight level and square. Sharp edges on the castings lightly broken with a fine stone, feed screw collars skimmed to reduce end float, lead screw bearings bushed with bronze and oil ways attended to.
Just needs a TDI and the other half nut. I will get a milling slide for it once a carriage lock has been fitted.
Made a few experimental threads and all seems well

Now waiting for a small casting kit.

Edited By john carruthers on 30/06/2015 07:45:04

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Boiler Bri

That picture looks like 1950s Kodachrome! You just need to boost the red saturation a bit

Mechman

Go to 'All Topics' the top topic is 'Website FAQS'

Click that and the top thread is 'How to post pictures and create albums'

**LINK**

Neil

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Not too bad for a Box Brownie, it's just that the film is about 30 yrs old.

Ian S C

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Neil,

Thanks for the link, followed instructions… here goes …

 

Yippee! the old grey matter still absorbs something after all…

Edited By mechman48 on 30/06/2015 11:49:11

Edited By mechman48 on 30/06/2015 11:53:40

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Today made a piston ring final outside diameter holder to fit the ER collet chuck after rings being split and heat treated also a more rigid slotting tool for ring retaining peg slot.

Parting a collection of Dykes piston rings

A more rigid locating peg slotting tool.

Final machining to size after being split and heat treated.

Paul

Edited By Windy on 30/06/2015 12:46:16

Edited By Windy on 30/06/2015 12:55:25

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Yesterday evening actually, it may not look much, but anyone familiar with an EQ3 tripod and the much smaller EQ1/2 mounts for small telescopes will see this is a small tripod head/mount grafted on to the EQ3 legs. Only 15 minutes work to open the holes out to 8mm, turn up six thick nylon washers and find a short M8 screw to replace the too-long latitude locking screw. Also took a lick off one of the legs on the sanding machine.

The EQ3 mount is now on a much more rigid EQ5 tripod and the one below is rock solid with the small scope. Now I have a big setup that needs a wheelbarrow for transport and a 'grab and go'.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

yer grass wants watering………………….

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Having a stomach upset when I'd actually like to be at work (doing a fun task in OpenCL, and it's going well) is a drag, so what does one do?

Create gaskets via CNC and an engraving cutter from "Hallite" material for my Shay locomotive.

More on my blog, for anyone interested, as usual…

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by John Stevenson on 30/06/2015 18:54:44:

yer grass wants watering………………….

No, the dogs want dehydrating

Neil

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Strange how the weeds continue to grow but the grass dies! Mine is the same.

Clive

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The NASA flying telescope picked up Pluto during the stellar occultation at 4.53 am south of Christchurch, the Mount John Observatory, also south of Christchurch also saw it. The full information will be available in about a years time.

Ian S C

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Last night I got a couple of pics of the Jupiter Venus conjunction. Look how big the planets appear when over-exposed to Jupiter's satellites are clear.

Neil

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

My daughter now lives within walking distance of Kempton steam museum, and her partner has taken up home brewing; so all is right with my world

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

A Bee Question for Clive.

My garden has plenty of flowering shrubs and roses, my lawn has the odd bit of clover and the grass outside the front of the house is scattered with lots of clover and a few dandelions. Whilst walking to the post box down my street this afternoon I walked on the grass. Seeing they clover flowers bought back childhood memories of sitting/playing on similar grass and seeing lots of bees going from flower to flower. Today I noticed not one.

It was the same story when I walked back through my garden, not a single bee in sight.

My question is, does the hot weather keep them in the hive or have their numbers declined so radically there are none left in my local area?

Bob

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Hello Bob, a question that has an answer, flowers like clover and Buddlia and basically all plant flowers need 72 hours of heat above 68 F to produce nectar, This is I believe due to the Stapels maturing and the pollen ripening. The bees do not stay at home in the heat but will forage another plant specie like Black berry or another plant in flower at the moment which I cannot remember the name. Due to the poor weather they missed the fruit blossom and Hawthorn and just at this time the Lavender is about to flower, that always attracts the bees. Bees do not like monoculture blossom, but like a variety to forage. That is one reason the US suffered the loss of thousands of hives due to bees doing migratory bee pollination on one type of crop, like Almonds or Orange orchards. Whatever, there is honey coming in as I have had to cut out some brace comb and it was all full of honey,,clear, Piquant and a lovely aroma. Hope that answers your question.

Clive

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 01/07/2015 12:43:49:

Last night I got a couple of pics of the Jupiter Venus conjunction. Look how big the planets appear when over-exposed to Jupiter's satellites are clear.

Neil

I was going to have a go at that but we had a thunderstorm instead. Anyway, well done. I'm always impressed how what appears to be a very bright Venusian disc turns out on closer inspection to be quite a slim crescent.

While I was outside at dusk watching the clouds form a stag beetle flew over head at about 10 feet altitude. I've never seen a live one before – most impressive, a thing the size of your fist cruising across the garden at a brisk walking pace!

Cheers,

Rod

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