What did you do today (2015)

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

We get woodpeckers feeding on the ants in our lawn, mainly the green woodpecker.

John

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I found a dazed green woodpecker once (about 30 years ago!) I managed to attach it to a tree by presenting it to the bark feet-first, and it appeared to have recovered and flown when I returned. you can see by the pic he looked a bit hung-over.

Neil

LOL! It seems that some time over the last three decades (probably the last one) I did a bit of photoshopping of his bleary eye

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

What I did today was re-read some of the facts about NASA's Gravity B mission. Two of the facts that really stand out are,

The GP-B instrument is designed to measure changes in gyroscope spin axis orientation to better than 0.5 milliarcseconds (1.4×10-7 degrees) over a one-year period. This minuscule angle is approximately the width of a human hair as viewed from 32 kilometers (20 miles) away.

The gyroscope rotors are perhaps the most spherical objects ever made. If the gyroscope rotors were enlarged to the size of the Earth, the tallest mountain or the deepest ocean ravine would be only 2.4 meters (8.0 feet) in height

A brief description of the projects is on the NASA website on this link

**LINK**

Ian P

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

That looks like a juvenile Wood Pecker. Theres one here as well as they fly about following each other. This is the same wood Pecker that attacks my beehives in the winter so I have to clad them in that red coloured plastic they use on road works. It seems to deter them. This last winter one of them pecked away all the entrance to a hive and ate enough bees to cause it to die off. The bees come to investigate the tapping of the birds beak and get snaffled for breakfast. I have a friend, beekeeper who lives near Faversham and he has to keep his hives permanently covered in wire mesh because they attack all the year round.

Clive

[Raymond Sanderson 2Participant @raymondsanderson2]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 07/07/2015 11:22:27:

Nice job, Ray. What's your choice of rust remover?

Neil

Neil I use a citric solution but on this I only used WD40 and steel wool but the face was machined to take out a run out. I got it down to .0005 for my wood use that will be fine.

The product I do use http://www.rustedsolutions.com.au/

[Simon CollierParticipant @simoncollier74340]

I just saw the space station pass between Jupiter and Venus in the NW sky in Sydney, 12 minutes ago. Fantastic.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Simon Collier 1 on 08/07/2015 08:43:39:

I just saw the space station pass between Jupiter and Venus in the NW sky in Sydney, 12 minutes ago. Fantastic.

As its only about 400km up, the parallax means that it appears in very different places for people not too far apart, so you were pretty lucky!

Not long ago it went near jupiter for me but passed the other side for someone in Newmarket. Unfortunately it didn't actually 'appear' until nearly overhead – big shame as I had two cameras set up

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

At the risk of talking to myself again, I just had a plastic box 'grabbed' by a drill. It made a crack so i thought I'd just throw a bit of random epoxy on it.

Without paying attention I grabbed two tubes that looked similar off the shelf but when I squeezed the second out I saw it wasn't the metal-loaded adhesive to go with the Araldite hardener. it was Asda hardener(!) Oh well i thought, this is really just cosmetic, if I have two hardeners, I'll just add the same amount of adhesive. Couldn't find the Asda clear adhesive but I found the metal loaded Araldite adhesive.

So I mixed the three together in the ratio hardener A:hardener B:adhesive 1:1:2

What do you think happened next?

Neil

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

It got hot and blew up !

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

It got hot and made a molten mess of the plastic job you were trying to save?

Either that, or mermaids.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

No, it barely got warm.

But in less than a couple of seconds from me stopping stirring to trying to apply it, it had set. Virtually instantaneous!

Not hard, more like firm, slightly friable rubber.

Neil

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

So it didn’t get hot nor did it produce any mythical creatures?

Really, it beggars belief. Perhaps the tubes had been sat for too long?

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

Posted by Steven Greenhough on 08/07/2015 21:21:23:
So it didn't get hot nor did it produce any mythical creatures?

.

He made 'Green' **LINK**

Nick

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

Ahh pure (in the literall sense not the scally Mancunian sense) comedy gold 😂 … or maybe green 😊

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Today I finished an engine mounting frame for my 200cc Flat twin engine and mounted the engine in it. I also received a second hand starter motor from an ebay supplier and removed the starter pinion. I was then left with a splined shaft that I didn't think would be easy to make an adaptor to make it into a Hucks type starter for the engine.

After thinking about it I decided, why not just drill a hole through the shaft and Loctite a small cross shaft in place instead of making a cross drilled adapter. I tried initially using a H.S.S. drill and it wouldn't even mark the shaft, however, I remembered I had some carbide ball nosed end mills for the CNC mill so I decided to try one of them. It cut through the shaft easily so I have just got to fit a cross shaft, which I will do tomorrow.

I also found a couple of battery packs which are now on charge, these are 6 volt NiCad packs suitable for the ignition system. I have a tank that I use for my motor cycle engine testing and set up that I can hang off the test frame so it should be all systems go if I can charge up my spare 12 volt battery and fit the new propellor and drive nut.

I will drag the engine and frame outide tomorrow and get some pictures to post here.

[LathejackParticipant @lathejack]

………………………..Well I have just had a major tidy up of the workshop as everything ground to a halt when it became impossible to work in there or find anything. I finally assembled the two large shelving units I bought from Aldi several weeks ago.

Since setting up my workshop just after abandoning motorcycles about 25 years ago, this is the first time I have a bike to work on in my shop. My recently acquired BSA obliged by breaking slightly, so quick as a flash off came all the engine covers for a repair and check over for other damage and bodges. Great fun and like stepping back in time to my motorcycling past, just as I imagined.

The top shelves are now almost full of engine spares for BSA and Villiers, acquired from last Sunday's Newark Autojumble. I had a great time there and the first thing I picked up on the first stall I started with was the two conrods, one of which is the much sought after beefier and stronger rod fitted to the last of the BSA 250's, what are the chances of that?

[Four stroke FredParticipant @fourstrokefred]

I had a visitor to the workshop yesterday who brought along a piece of his work for show and tell. No it's not made from metal but is marvellous model made from wood and it actually works. The quality of his work is excellent and I can appreciate the time and effort that he had made with it. I asked if he had an engineering or woodwork background but no he was a farmer with a back shed! A talented man to say the least. Makes you wonder what else is being made back sheds! George, Bundaberg.

[Raymond Sanderson 2Participant @raymondsanderson2]

Posted by Four stroke Fred on 08/07/2015 22:31:21:

I had a visitor to the workshop yesterday who brought along a piece of his work for show and tell. No it's not made from metal but is marvellous model made from wood and it actually works. The quality of his work is excellent and I can appreciate the time and effort that he had made with it. I asked if he had an engineering or woodwork background but no he was a farmer with a back shed! A talented man to say the least. Makes you wonder what else is being made back sheds! George, Bundaberg.

I admire anyones work like this true craftsmanship I would never even have considered making it in wood.

[“Bill Hancox”Participant @billhancox]

Posted by Four stroke Fred on 08/07/2015 22:31:21:

I had a visitor to the workshop yesterday who brought along a piece of his work for show and tell. No it's not made from metal but is marvellous model made from wood and it actually works. The quality of his work is excellent and I can appreciate the time and effort that he had made with it. I asked if he had an engineering or woodwork background but no he was a farmer with a back shed! A talented man to say the least. Makes you wonder what else is being made back sheds! George, Bundaberg.

Farmers and commercial inshore fishermen are the most innovative and multi-skilled people on earth. Out of necessity I suppose.

WIllie

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

Posted by Bob Rodgerson on 08/07/2015 22:05:15:

Today I finished an engine mounting frame for my 200cc Flat twin engine and mounted the engine in it. I also received a second hand starter motor from an ebay supplier and removed the starter pinion. I was then left with a splined shaft that I didn't think would be easy to make an adaptor to make it into a Hucks type starter for the engine.

After thinking about it I decided, why not just drill a hole through the shaft and Loctite a small cross shaft in place instead of making a cross drilled adapter. I tried initially using a H.S.S. drill and it wouldn't even mark the shaft, however, I remembered I had some carbide ball nosed end mills for the CNC mill so I decided to try one of them. It cut through the shaft easily so I have just got to fit a cross shaft, which I will do tomorrow.

I also found a couple of battery packs which are now on charge, these are 6 volt NiCad packs suitable for the ignition system. I have a tank that I use for my motor cycle engine testing and set up that I can hang off the test frame so it should be all systems go if I can charge up my spare 12 volt battery and fit the new propellor and drive nut.

I will drag the engine and frame outide tomorrow and get some pictures to post here.

On my 602cc flat twin I've been known to use a starting handle to get it going – it works quite well. You already have a lever permanently attached (the prop), could you not use it? As a brat I often watched my father start his motor falk (well the one the gliding club loaned him) that way.

Oh, my 602cc flat twin? That's in the front of my 2CV, and if the battery has enough life for a sidelight, but not the starter, then the starting handle needs two flicks to get the engine going. Never more, never less.

Regards,

Richard.

[Capstan SpeakingParticipant @capstanspeaking95294]

Posted by richardandtracy on 09/07/2015 08:58:56:

On my 602cc flat twin I've been known to use a starting handle to get it going – it works quite well. You already have a lever permanently attached (the prop), could you not use it? As a brat I often watched my father start his motor falk (well the one the gliding club loaned him) that way.

Oh, my 602cc flat twin? That's in the front of my 2CV, and if the battery has enough life for a sidelight, but not the starter, then the starting handle needs two flicks to get the engine going. Never more, never less.

Regards,

Richard.

Over the years many people have lost hands or died from hand swinging props. It is a serious business.

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

"No it's not made from metal but is marvellous model made from wood and it actually works…. Makes you wonder what else is being made back sheds!"

Some very clever people about. Some months back, on the Beeb Sunday night Avarice Road Show, there was a model loco (King George V??), again made in wood, exquisite detailing, even down to fully working brakes!! Most surprising was the estimated guide price – £300-ish, IIRC. Manual skills not really valued??

rgds

Bill

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

Posted by Capstan Speaking on 09/07/2015 09:25:51:

Over the years many people have lost hands or died from hand swinging props. It is a serious business.

True.

However, with care and attention, and a full appreciation that something is potentially dangerous, the user can make it very safe. Not sure about you, but I have never had an injury on my lathe. I know it's dangerous, so I'm careful. Screwdrivers, on the other hand, cause me quite a few injuries, and everyone knows they're not dangerous.

Regards,

Richard

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Hi Capstan,

tjhis engine is fitted with an electronic auto advance retard module. Unfortunately the design go this module is such that unless the prop is swung at over 200 RPM the retard re-set doesn't work and it will fire on full advance. If you exceed 2-300 rpm the ignition switches back to full retard and allows start up easily.

It is too difficult to attain this sort of speed by hand flicking the prop so a starter is used to get it more or less instantly on full retard before it reaches anywhere near T.D.C. when attempts are made to start it.

I have tried hand starting it and it kicks back heavily and can give you a nasty wrap on the knuckles if you are not ready for it doing so. I learnt the hard way with this very same engine when I first built it, very nearly loosing my left thumb and severely damaging my index finger on the same hand. I had started it using an electric starter but had not anchored the test stand. The engine fired up instantly and even though the throttle was set to a little over tick over speed it still had enough thrust to pull the test stand over towards me. I had just put the starter down when I noticed the engine was travelling toward me and I instinctively put out my left hand and right leg to protect my face and upper body from the rotating prop.

It struck me and knocked my hand out of the way and the prop blades broke off. The engine never missed a beat as it screwed its way into the garden. I knew immediately that I was going to suffer and I did, I had broken the knuckle joint of my thumb and cut right to the bone up one side of my index finger. Luckily I had a snap on spanner in my overall pocket which protected the leg muscle from damage but it did leave me with a spanner shaped bruise on my thigh.

This taught me thereafter to treat all model engines irrespective of their size with the utmost respect. Even a little .1CC model aero engine can cut rour hands to shreds if you make contact with the prop. Cuts from them can result in severe damage to tendons and bones.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Even a little .1CC model aero engine can cut rour hands to shreds

The little parallel cuts all along your finger…

I have a hefty rubber finger-guard somewhere!

Neil

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