What Did You Do Today (2016)

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Why does this bl00dy stupid website tell me my post is 80,000 characters too long when I have simply pasted 274 words of plain text into it? I've even reopened the browser and logged in again.

After 10 minutes of pratting about I've given up the will to live. I'll post the useful information about welding gases when the forum software has grown up a bit. WTF?

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Andrew Johnston on 03/01/2016 11:03:42:

Actually no. We had a chart on the wall at primary school with coloured stars representing recital of the 2 to 12 times tables. Muggins was last; stuck on the 2 times table, and was written off by the teachers. On the other hand I did end up getting a 1st class honours degree in engineering and did a PhD and several years post-doc research. So while it is important to know the basics one needs to be careful when making decisions based on arbitrary standards. I don't subscribe to the 'teacher knows the child best' mantra; I was just glad to leave school and start learning.

Andrew

Sounds about right. Guess whose report cards said he had no interest in geography and no aptitude for metalwork, then went on to do an engineering apprenticeship and spend decades traveling around the world?

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Yeah I managed to crash a nice new 5/8 cutter into the work wrecking it. serves me right I changed it for a slightly shorter one and did not notice. I was good at my times tables.

LOL

Regards
John

[Anonymous]

Posted by Hopper on 02/06/2016 06:49:24

Sounds about right. Guess whose report cards said he had no interest in geography and no aptitude for metalwork, then went on to do an engineering apprenticeship and spend decades traveling around the world?

Oddly enough I enjoyed physical geography; I still know most of the symbols on OS maps, and the number of inches in a mile. The only other subject of interest was metalwork, although I don't think our metalwork teacher liked kids, and he certainly wasn't interested in engineering. He was more into enamelling and the arty side of things. Being a grammer school I suspect that metalwork was seen as vocational, and only tolerated because the local education authority said you had to have the facilities.

Andrew

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

In my O level year I failed the English language mock exam and so did my (eventual) brother in law at the next desk. Come the actual external exams, only 3 people got A grades. Yep, me and my B-I-L were 2 of them. Quite a few of the teacher's pets had chosen English A-levels the following year on the basis of predicted grades. I had no respect for the woman but it shows how the poor attitudes of a minority of teachers can adversely affect their pupils' prospects.

Conversely, my A level maths and physics teachers were outstanding, which was handy as they were my preferred subjects.

I wasn't allowed to take any form of craft classes at school, as they were reserved for the "remedial" classes. So I used to stare longingly at the Boxfords through the window. Mind you, this was the same headmaster who tried his damnedest to prevent one of my sisters applying for Engineering because it wasn't suitable for girls (she did – and got in to study it at Cambridge).

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Another bee swarm this morning as I went to feed the first one, I was already set up and I was up the ladder and had it in the catch box and had them into the Nucleus box in about a half hour. I was surprised to see them as the temperature was only just above 12 C. But then they have to propagate themselves so out they come. I am glad they waited for me to arrive. Now I will go back with a sugar water feed to help them along and build up their frames.

Clive

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

As for me, I went to a comp and caused confusion by asking to study engineering drawing (as the only real engineering related subject) which was a 'secondary modern' subject for the B-stream. I didn't give a toss as (1) it meant I could escape history or geography and (2) I was interested in it and (3) I made a few new mates and it helped my cred. I went on to upset by insisting on choosing to go on to Biology when the school wanted me to go chemistry or physics or if I had to be biological, at least study to be a vet…

Neil

[Clive HaynesParticipant @clivehaynes74488]

I made a load of precision swarf today.

Clive

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

My series 2a landrover wouldn't start , been a problem for a while getting progressivly worse, took carb off and looks like needle valve to float chamber is stuck shut, put another catb on and all is well, just have to strip original and see what the snag is

Mick

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

My 1931 Austin Seven RN has been adjusted so that I now have brakes and an engine that doesn't stall at every traffic light . It's also got a new 6volt battery so that it starts instantly on the electric starter on the rare occasions that it does stall.

This is so that I can take it to Autokarna at Wollaton Hall near Nottingham this weekend.

[James AParticipant @jamesalford67616]

A while back, I bought a collet chuck on a 12mm shaft to convert into a collet chuck for my Flexispeed. I made a threaded sleeve and screwed it onto the headstock instead of the chuck. I then bored it out to the diameter of the shaft, checked the fit and… hole too big. So, I bored it out further, turned another piece of metal and pressed it into the original sleeve and bored it out again. This time it fitted, so I trimmed the collet chuck to length and pressed it in.

Finally, I screwed it back onto the headstock, fitted an end-mill and tested it with a dial gauge.

And…. as wobbly as can be, with a 20 thou run-out.

Oh, well, try again.

James,

[Bruce EdneyParticipant @bruceedney59949]

Posted by Clive Haynes on 02/06/2016 19:41:38:

I made a load of precision swarf today.

Clive

I love this.

I have made a lot of this recently. Seems to be more swarf than finished parts

Bruce

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

My wife off to have her 2nd cataract sorted today so looking forward to putting her eye drops in 4 times a day for the next 4 weeks, she always manages to shut her eyelid at the exact time the drop goes in so will have to come up witha special tool, tee hee

Mick

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Indulging in a little silver surfing I found this for which I take no credit.

A Little Engineer Humor
Author Unkown

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts: :Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man below says: "Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees N. latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees W. longitude."

"You must be an engineer" says the balloonist.

"I am" replies the man. "How did you know?"

"Well" says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."

The man below says "You must be a manager."

"I am" replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well", says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."

Rik

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Had to evict a workshop visitor… yep, at least 1 1/2" long!

[kevin beeversParticipant @kevinbeevers61752]

nasty little things it even looks evil

[Roger Provins 2Participant @rogerprovins2]

It's a queen Vespa crabro – European Hornet. Only they survive the winter and then establish a new colony each year. Powerful sting but they are not usually aggressive unless provoked.

Edited By Roger Provins 2 on 04/06/2016 21:16:37

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Neil, if you have any doubt of the insects identity then give this place a call:- [email protected] This is the only address I know as all beekeepers have been informed now.The Asian Hornet is now in France and is expected to arrive here in the UK anytime.

Also today i took another swarm, my third so far. This was an easy one in a Pear tree, they seemed quite happy to go into the Nucleus box as they may have been out all day.

Clive

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Lovely mild evening, no wind, stayed outside cleaning smelly petrol thingy – bitten to death by midges.

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Getting the model steamer ready for a blast next weekend at Kingsbury but found steam inlet valve seat cracked maybe caused when it crashed in July 2015 and the instant cooling from red heat affected it.

At the last meeting it still did 127mph despite that and new prop but had noticed a drop in pressurising the generator.

Having to weld the generator when it burst on the next run possibly because of pressure drop and tube overheating.

Fingers crossed am trying another set up to stop it taking off but if it goes over 130mph it’s new aerodynamic territory.

All the fun of experimental work but want to get back to the steam bike which is a new adventure for me.

It keeps the brain (what’s left of it) thinking of the problems to overcome.

Windy

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Posted by Windy on 05/06/2016 00:43:06:

Fingers crossed am trying another set up to stop it taking off but if it goes over 130mph it’s new aerodynamic territory.

Windy

Windy, I love following your racing adventures and experiments.

Has anybody fitted a wing to the stern of the hydro's like the F1 car people?

* Danny M *

[Tim ChambersParticipant @timchambers76147]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 04/06/2016 19:12:32:

Had to evict a workshop visitor… yep, at least 1 1/2" long!

Found one of those in my bed last night!

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Hi Danny M

On the hydro there are wings at the rear that are fully adjustable for angles plus canards at the front also the propeller skeg angle can be adjusted.

The design of the propeller can also affect how the hull rides there are so many variables at around 114mph aerodynamics can alter things.

Then when I reach 130mph that alters again in an ideal world a wind tunnel would be helpful but to dial in all the variables when it's on the water and conditions could be a minefield.

On the full size racing scene with all the technology they take off regularly.

The valve seat is a part of the en24t head and am having to make it an insert to sort the cracking.

It was an insert a few years ago but that eventually caused problems through the very hot conditions the head goes through.

If weight was not an issue it could all be a lot bulkier that might help the problem but when fractions of an ounce are at stake it's difficult.

Edited By Windy on 05/06/2016 09:51:25

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Here is a picture of the cracked valve seat maybe hard to see but there are many you notice them more after using cleaning fluid and then dry it the fluid oozes out of them.

 

Edited By JasonB on 05/06/2016 13:39:18

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, more of what happened yesterday with an almost finish mug of tea. I was silly enough to stand my mug on the floor with about 8mm or so of tea in the bottom, it was happy standing there for quite a while, but then I'd forgotten about it. Nearby was my copy of ME 4499 that I'd been looking at earlier, next thing I went and knocked the mug over and yes you've probably guessed that the majority of what was left in the mug went over the mag and missed the carpet, The top part of the mag was soaked on all the pages. After a bit of unmentionable vocabulary, I immediately mopped the worst up with kitchen towel as best that I could, but they were too wet to leave them like that, so I removed the staples and carefully parted all the pages and hung them on a cloths horse. Then looking at them, it was clear that they would be staining and crinkly pages.

Today I've put them back together and there is some staining and crinkly pages and some slight damage where one or two pages were really wet and stuck a little bit. The mag is still readable, although there is some slight damage to at least one part of text on two adjacent pages, shown in the photo below.

Good news is that the back issues dept. has them in stock, so I ordered a copy yesterday.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 05/06/2016 20:12:21

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