What Did You Do Today (2016)

[NJHParticipant @njh]

I had a dread of dentists brought on by some dreadful experiences when I was young , in the '50 s, when the slow speed drill and gas for extractions were the order of the day. I still have memories of lying in bed and being sick, sick, sick after extractions. In later life I retained the fear of a visit to the dentist and can remember as an adult turning up early for my appointment and walking past the door whilst trying to get the courage to enter!

How different today! I have a great dentist and, although a visit is quite bearable, I don't exactly look forward to it ! She is a " one girl band" and she and her assistant keep up a constant ( amusing) chatter between them whilst carrying out "workshop operations" on my teeth. ( I have pointed out that making me laugh whilst she has her fingers down my throat may be a bit unwise!)

The only downside to her practice is that , such is her popularity, getting an appointment is difficult. ( I am booked in next week ….)

Norman

Edited By NJH on 09/07/2016 15:04:00

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

My best dentist was Dr Wu in Coventry, who also taught paediatric dentistry in Birmingham. Clearly his ability to work with children made him very good with terrified adults.

Neil

[hthParticipant @hth]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 08/07/2016 20:51:33:

Posted by hth on 08/07/2016 11:13:52:

I discovered that my great great great grandfather was from Essex , his occupation was' Gentleman' and he was worth 16,000 quid . What did a Gentleman do ? Mike in Australia

In pre-industrial days the 'gentry' are/were those of elevated class – landholders, senior cleric and some of the well-educated etc. who still were a rung below the titled classes (lords & ladies etc.) Technically a 'gentleman' was the lowest rank of the gentry in a society that was obessed with social position and a good example might be the 'gentleman farmer' who owned his own estate and owed his status and much of his worth to that.

Neil

The latest fad here is the ancestory.com search. Sometimes these searches can unearth the less than perfect past – better left alone. The chance you might discover all types of family secrets – previously unknown of half brothers and sisters ! This happened to somebody I know .

[hthParticipant @hth]

Posted by Four stroke Fred on 09/07/2016 09:02:03:

Winter is here ,the west winds are blowing and it's time to make some castings and keep warm at the same time. The above picture shows today's efforts. These are the cam gear drive cases for my 67 cc V 8. The back of the castings are recessed for the train of gears. I will make 2 more tomorrow as spares and will add photographs of the crankcase later.

George.

Bundaberg.

Cold in Bundaberg, the home of Bert Hinkler . And rum !

[Four stroke FredParticipant @fourstrokefred]

This is a photograph of the partly machined crankcase for the V8. Today I made two more castings of the cam gear cases using a slightly different technique and both came out well. I will have to tidy up the workshop tomorrow as I have a motorcycle group coming later in the week to look around the workshop and see a few IC engines running.

It sounds as though a drop of Bundy rum may be needed to help with the sore throats! The sugar cane cutting has just started for this season but there is less cane grown now than in 1974 when we first arrived and more small crops ( vegetables) and macadamia nuts. Bundaberg is also known for its ginger beer and exports it to many countries.

George

[mick70Participant @mick70]

Posted by hth on 10/07/2016 03:26:43:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 08/07/2016 20:51:33:

Posted by hth on 08/07/2016 11:13:52:

I discovered that my great great great grandfather was from Essex , his occupation was' Gentleman' and he was worth 16,000 quid . What did a Gentleman do ? Mike in Australia

In pre-industrial days the 'gentry' are/were those of elevated class – landholders, senior cleric and some of the well-educated etc. who still were a rung below the titled classes (lords & ladies etc.) Technically a 'gentleman' was the lowest rank of the gentry in a society that was obessed with social position and a good example might be the 'gentleman farmer' who owned his own estate and owed his status and much of his worth to that.

Neil

The latest fad here is the ancestory.com search. Sometimes these searches can unearth the less than perfect past – better left alone. The chance you might discover all types of family secrets – previously unknown of half brothers and sisters ! This happened to somebody I know .

happened here my ex wife's mum was into family trees.

she looked up my real dads family who he reckoned had been killed in car crash when he was a boy in the 40s.

found out there were still alive and living in birmhingham.

[mick70Participant @mick70]

Posted by hth on 10/07/2016 03:26:43:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 08/07/2016 20:51:33:

Posted by hth on 08/07/2016 11:13:52:

I discovered that my great great great grandfather was from Essex , his occupation was' Gentleman' and he was worth 16,000 quid . What did a Gentleman do ? Mike in Australia

In pre-industrial days the 'gentry' are/were those of elevated class – landholders, senior cleric and some of the well-educated etc. who still were a rung below the titled classes (lords & ladies etc.) Technically a 'gentleman' was the lowest rank of the gentry in a society that was obessed with social position and a good example might be the 'gentleman farmer' who owned his own estate and owed his status and much of his worth to that.

Neil

The latest fad here is the ancestory.com search. Sometimes these searches can unearth the less than perfect past – better left alone. The chance you might discover all types of family secrets – previously unknown of half brothers and sisters ! This happened to somebody I know .

happened here my ex wife's mum was into family trees.

she looked up my real dads family who he reckoned had been killed in car crash when he was a boy in the 40s.

found out there were still alive and living in birmhingham.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

My great grandfather ('Darkie Davies' of uncertain ancestry, but probably north-east Africa/Middle East) shot his uncle in London, stole his identity and fled to Wales and settled down. His son married an Irish seamstress of Italian descent who had come to Pembroke as a barmaid at age 14.

My grandparents unearthed the truth when they tried to register his death and found he was 'already dead'; a police search found documents confirming his real identity under the bedroom floorboards.

You couldn't make it up, could you?

Neil

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Nice work on the Vee – 8Fred.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, talking about family trees, my pedigree is all above board at least back to the end-ish of the 1700's. This is where a little diversion seems to be in order, where my great, great nana Farr's father was born out of wedlock, as he was born several years before his parents were married and his father was married to someone else at the time of his birth. He had at least two late half siblings before he was born. His father's first wife died in the first quarter of the year his parents were married which took place in the last quarter of that year. This is the only skeleton that I've found in myself and my siblings pedigree, but there are one or two in at least one of my great grand-father's cousins. I've yet to find any skeletons on my mothers side, but I've yet to get back very far on my mothers mother side of the family. I find it fascinating research and I have over 300 people in my ancestry tree so far.

Regards Nick.

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Not the best of days at Kingsbury Water Park the water was high which makes for difficulty launching my hydro.
My main flash steam opposition Bob his crankshaft broke and caused a steam generator burst.
My first run looked promising and the valve modifications worked but disaster raised its head and my generator popped.
A spare was fitted but maybe damage had been done to engine or pumps and it was difficult to keep the burners alight.
It's last attempt managed an average speed over five 100 metre laps was 116 mph and one lap at 118 mph.
I had my friend John shoot the video at close quarters in the water and it looks very fast close up but have lost over 11 mph.
Strip down today to see what's up.

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 11/07/2016 11:33:39

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Autopsy

A few pictures of my usual bits and pieces I take to a model tethered hydroplane meeting most competitors just have a few propellers, glow plugs and little else.

I take boxes of fasteners, pistons, rings, cylinders, cam bits etc. the list seem endless also have a large tool box and a vice if any one needs help you oblige just like the motorcycle speed attempt Lads and Lasses do for each over.

Stripped the steamer to main components have found all clearances correct there was a slight leak on steam manifold but not enough to worry about.

New valve seat seems ok no leakage on outside yet like on the record breaking head it has been getting very hot and will check piston etc next.

Have found solid lubricants very effective as it’s a two stroke most oils are discharged through the exhaust ports like my old sprint bikes there’s more oil on the outside after a run than in the engine.

A possible cause of the steam generator burst as this one was new tubing but popped twice it could be a batch of faulty materials as I have found in the past despite a materials test certificate it had developed cracks and pressure tested to 2500lb squ inch before leakage when burner heat applied it opened up.

The supplier needed temperature and pressures etc to claim a refund but did not have the necessary information.

Oh the joys of speed attempts whether model or full size but it keeps the grey matter working to improve performance.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Windy.

I really enjoy watching your videos and info on sorting out the problems.

I will not pretend to understand all of it, but the best of luck with your next runs.

 

Edited By V8Eng on 11/07/2016 23:01:43

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Made a few flight controller adjustments to my Tarot 680 hexacopter. Too lazy to drive to my usual test paddock I tried a test drive from the garden. Told it to rise to 5m and hover (to test the GoPro camera gyros).

Lo and behold, TIM rose to 221M (according to the telemetry system) so I was a bit worried and hit the 'home switch' and just hoped. TIM landed within 25 cm of the take-off point, descending gently and lowered the legs at 5m altitude. At least the fail safe worked. GPS locked onto 21 Sats.

Lessons learned!

Last week I took TIM to the Australian snowfields and calibrated the gyros, compass and altimeter before flights.

I downloaded the black box flight recorder and noted that the altimeter had not been re-calibrated so when I told TIM to fly to 5m it thought that it was still in the mountains.

* Danny M* Here a a few photos of TIM

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 12/07/2016 10:09:55

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, yesterday evening while using my Boxford lathe I had on occasions, moved the backgear lever into a neutral position to enable me to turn the mandrel by hand. I had no problem with doing this, but several times I restarted the lathe and forgetting to re-engage the gear beforehand. Ever since I've had this lathe the motor would start with the lever in the neutral position, but I normally re-engage the gear before starting the motor. In the "Know Your Lathe" manual it clearly states that undoing the socket head screw that locks the backgear lever in position, cuts the power to the motor and the delay caused by undoing the screw completely, ensures the lathe comes to rest before the lever can be moved, thus preventing damage to the gears, so given the amount of times that I restarted the motor without putting it back into gear, prompted me to investigate the problem. Removing the micro-switch which is housed on a cover plate in a hollow just below the backgear lever, it was found that the button of the switch was jammed in. Disconnecting the switch to get a better look, it was found the cause of the button being jammed in was due to the hole in the plastic cover being depressed and burred over the top edge of the button. I cut the offending plastic burr away with a Swan Morton Unitool knife and filed the depression off around the button hole on the plastic cover and then washed all the debris out with switch cleaner to get the button moving freely again.

This evening I refitted the micro-switch to the lathe and screwed in one of the socket head screws that hold the backgear lever in position until I heard it click, screwing it in a little further, I could feel it bottom out, but the lever itself was not quite nipped fully home, however the motor started and stopped as it should, so I tried the other screw in and this one nipped the lever fully home, but the motor would not start. Removing the screws revelled that one screw was longer than the other and I further concluded that the longer one was to long and caused the button to be jammed in, in the fist place.

I decided to replace both screws with new ones, but I didn't like the idea of the plain part which allows the screws to hang loose in their holes. This I've always found a nuisance, as you have to lift them up to get the lever across each way. I found a couple of long screws with knurled heads that I'd salvaged from some scrapped electronic motor control gear years ago.

I made an accurate measurement of exactly how long the screws with a fully depressed spring and a washer needed to be and cut them off and fitted them into the lever.

Happy to say that both the screws are now working correctly and I shouldn't be able to start the motor anymore while the lever is in the neutral position and thus avoiding any damage to the gears. The idea of the springs is to stop the screws from vibrating in or out when they are not holding the lever down, time will tell if it works. In the photo above, can be seen the plate that holds the micro-switch in the hollow below the lever.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 12/07/2016 23:18:35

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Just got I.D'd today for trying to buy a 4 pack of special brew, "i'm 24!" i protested. 6 Years over the age limit for goodness sake! So i calmly left "rules are rules" and came back in with my passport. Not essential to the workshop but essential good for me!

Michael W

 

Edited By JasonB on 16/07/2016 20:41:09

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Michael Walters on 16/07/2016 15:01:37:

Just got I.D'd today for trying to buy a 4 pack of special brew, "i'm 24!" i protested. 6 Years over the age limit for goodness sake! So i calmly left "rules are rules" and came back in with my passport. Not essential to the workshop but essential good for me!

Michael W

It won't last Michael! The next stage, very soon, is that people don't ask your age because there's obviously no doubt just how ancient you are. Very hurtful. Then you notice that policemen and doctors are about 12 years old and realise that boys of 40 are far too inexperienced to make grown up decisions.

Poor old me. I've reached the time of life where young people help me cross over the road. This is whether I want to go or not…

Dave

Edited By JasonB on 16/07/2016 20:38:23

[neville rigg 2Participant @nevillerigg2]

Get used to it if you can, I get asked for I.D. in the local store in the U.S. and I'm 76.

Edited By JasonB on 16/07/2016 20:38:53

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Well at least when you get a bit older you will just be able to flash your bus pass when asked for ID.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Michael Walters on 16/07/2016 15:01:37:

Just got I.D'd today for trying to buy a 4 pack of special brew, "i'm 24!" i protested. 6 Years over the age limit for goodness sake! So i calmly left "rules are rules" and came back in with my passport. Not essential to the workshop but essential good for me!

They are supposed to 'challenge 25' i.e. ask anyone under 25.

Make me laugh,. My steplad is 30 and still occasionally gets challenged. I tell him you wont complain if people think you are 35 when you are 50.

Neil

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

The Challenge 25 thing has always puzzled me, after all it is legal to purchase alcohol from 18.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by V8Eng on 16/07/2016 21:38:00:

The Challenge 25 thing has always puzzled me, after all it is legal to purchase alcohol from 18.

.

There is an explanation, of sorts, here.

MichaelG.

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by V8Eng on 16/07/2016 21:38:00:

The Challenge 25 thing has always puzzled me, after all it is legal to purchase alcohol from 18.

It's so retailers can prove they are taking the age restrictions seriously, and not making alcohol readily available to 15year olds

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Michael / Nicolas.

Thanks for the link and explanation.

V8.

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

It's taking the mick, people must think i'm at playgroup, i was I.D'd earlier this year for a can of paint, went on a trip to poland where my entire cohort were drinking in a bar and i was the only one to be I.D'd(This is also a country where i can smoke indoors without anyone batting an eyelid), i seriously am not the one you should be going for, people are seriously overestimating the damage i could cause with alcohol. I'd probably have an easier ride getting hold of plutonium. 

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 16/07/2016 22:25:24

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