What Did You Do Today (2017)

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Went down to the Men's Shed to fit the consumer unit but didn't have just the right bit of wood for mounting it so met up with a friend to look at a bit of machinery I found in the brambles,

Turned out to be an Edlington potato sorter maybe Mk3 or Mk12 as the label is new style screen printed not cast iron. There are no pictures on the web and precious few of any old ones. It is old enough to be fitted with a fast and loose pulley set and probably intended to be run from a Lister D or something like it.
Anyone got farming friends or relatives with one in the barn? I'd like some pictures of a known model to clarify the identification Would make an easy model in 3" for a scale stationary engine to drive.

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Spent a couple of hrs in my man cave, finished off some of the valve components, small stuff compared to other members contributions but…

machining hand wheel recess…

Pipe flanges, hand wheel & gland follower…

​Slowly, slowly, catchee monkey …

George.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Spent the day wiring additional circuits into the distribution board in the shed. I've now got dedicated circuits for the computer cupboard, the inverter that makes the three phase, the 13A sockets, the Commando sockets for the welders and the lights. The aim is to have residual current/earth leakage protection everywhere that it's practical (e.g. not the welders or the 3ph) and have things segregated so that a fault or trip on one circuit doesn't take out something else.

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

I have just had an interesting experience with my 1932 Wolseley Hornet Special. The Diff was showing signs of slackness, so I took it apart only to discover that everything inside was slack. All duly split-pinned, etc, by the previous owner, but now slack. So, new bearings all round, and rebuild with a few alternative bits and some new home-made castle nuts, but I could not get it together again. I had rebuilt the diff, crown-wheel, and pinion all together in the big casting, all carefully blued and adjusted, but no way was it going to go back into the axle. I admit I had found it all a bit awkward when I took it apart, but I put this down to the general looseness of everything. Nothing at all to do with my 75 years of inexperience. Comparing my bits with some 'useful spares' that came with the car, I noted that my big casting was steel, not light alloy, and the bearings were held with 7/16" studs instead of 3/8", but this was not causing the problem. It was the adjusting nuts each side of the diff bearings themselves, which are 2.05" hexagons, locked by a screw and notched washer, which could not be persuaded past the axle flange. The 'spare' version had castellated nuts and bent-up tab washers, so they were smaller, and would go in. I solved the problem by taking the nuts off the 7/16 studs, separating the diff from its housing, and fitting the diff assembly within the axle first, loosely held in position by engaging the half shafts. Then the big casting with pinion etc was fitted around it, the clamps repositioned and nuts etc, and I hoped not to disturb the adjustment (who knows?) and so far, all seems to be well. Is there something I need to know about these bits, I wonder – have I, for example, got a late diff in my early axle case? It certainly was not built like that by Wolseley, it would take too long.

Will it work OK with the diff assembly assembled within the axle – a process which makes it impossible to check properly that the clearances etc are OK? Time, as they say, will tell …

Seasonal wossnames to everyone

Tim

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Had a bit more time in the garage; machined up the valve body valve spindle & assembled, still have to drill bottom flange, used shcs at the moment to lock top flange & spot through for location, will replace with hex head screws, still have to thread spindle M3 & fit stem nut, spacers, looks tidy so far…

George.

Edited By mechman48 on 29/12/2017 22:04:34

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Some more Bee stuff, The bees are flying on a sunny day like yesterday. I was worried about two Nuc's and went down today to put candy on them incase they were short on stores. One I found dead, I fully expected this as it was a very late swarm and I never expected to survive. It died out because there were not enough bees to keep the cluster warm. Plenty of store though. The more mature one also had plenty of stores but i gave them candy anyway.

The Asian Hornet is now in Gurnsey but the local beekeepers are on the job, further bad news is that it has penetrated into all areas in Spain. It is also up into Normandy. French bee keepers are using traps baited with sugar and flesh. Basically a lemonade bottle with the top third cut off and reversed into the base of the bottle and taped together. (Good for Wasps too) sugar water, jam or beer as a bait. In the UK they reckon they got all the nests that appeared, Spring will see if any Queens overwintered.

The mild weather is not good for bees as they need long spells of colder weather to make a good cluster. As they are active they eat stores so end up in the Spring short of stores to develop.

Clive

[Anonymous]

Spent a couple of hours drilling and tapping M6 holes in my traction engine rear wheel hubs for the spokes, that's 64 holes. I've no idea why I didn't do this when I machined the spoke slots some while ago. Machine tapping at 600rpm was way quicker than drilling the pilot holes:

The tap is brand new. I noticed that my old trusty Dormer spiral flute tap had a couple of chipped teeth. Still the tap must have done over a 1000 threads – RIP. Fortunately I had a spare (OSG) in stock.

As for the setup, look mum no hands. Or at least no clamps. They're not needed; the hub is pretty heavy and we're only drilling and tapping. Not visible is an accurate T-nut that locates the hub radially via one of the slots in table and one of the spoke slots. The rotary table is a red herring. The holes were done using the PCD function on the DRO. However, the 1" slots for the spokes were machined using the rotary table, so I have the fixtures needed to locate the hub on the rotary table anyway..

This is the first in a set of sequential operations:

1. Get rear hubs finished

2. Get wheels for traction engines built

3. Get traction engines on said wheels

4. Remove part built traction engines from kitchen

5. Get kitchen stripped out and updated – and get rid of the really dumb tiled work surfaces

6. End of whinging about scruffy health hazard kitchen – I hope

Happy New Year!

Andrew

[Raymond Sanderson 2Participant @raymondsanderson2]

Happy New Year all.

So long since I posted I have been busy here's one commission job for a friend.
The hiking pole was made in UK and purchased on his recent trip the Cockatoo is just one of the removable carved heads. Pole is made as one piece but had to be cut in 1/2 to bring back to Australia.

Brass Ferrule and handles for coping saws.

Delryn Hiking pole adaptors to go on top of pole to fit a camera monopod style.

Hiking pole brass joiners a 2nd set made to send back to pole maker in UK.

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

Found a ImperMetricChinesium universal fit key in a machine I was rebuilding. Someone should be spanked and have their tools taken away.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Needed 12mm of ~65mm dia steel to make a backplate, had a bar end of 72 mm black steel that was 13mm too long, so spent 2 or 3 hours boring/facing off the excess on the CNC lathe. Just had to make sure nothing went wrong and dab on some cutting oil every so often. Didn't fancy hacksawing and couldn't get a parting tool at it. Large pile of steel swarf but job done. Now I need to bore and thread the hole!

Who will post last in 2017? When will What Did You Do Today 2018 be started?

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Posted by Clive Hartland on 29/12/2017 23:17:16:

French bee keepers are using traps baited with sugar and flesh.

Clive

Did you really mean they are putting meat in their traps? These hornets sound pretty scary!

I've been trying to understand the various stories about what is killing off our bees. It seems that neonicotinoids are not helping matters but it's not as simple as that. I was reading that some of the current agricultural fungicides are also suspected of being part of the problem – something to do with helping some of the key bee parasites to thrive. I hope we can get past all of the politics and vested interests before too many of the bees get wiped out….

Murray

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Posted by John Haine on 31/12/2017 14:53:49:

Needed 12mm of ~65mm dia steel to make a backplate, had a bar end of 72 mm black steel that was 13mm too long, so spent 2 or 3 hours boring/facing off the excess on the CNC lathe. Just had to make sure nothing went wrong and dab on some cutting oil every so often. Didn't fancy hacksawing and couldn't get a parting tool at it. Large pile of steel swarf but job done. Now I need to bore and thread the hole!

Who will post last in 2017? When will What Did You Do Today 2018 be started?

Sounds like the ideal justification for a bandsaw or even a steel cutting circular / mitre saw. The latter are available for £150 these days….

Murray

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Re: the bees. I was referring to this report from the Royal Society which came up in the Grauniad recently. The parasite is the Nosema, although beeing(!) an ignoramus in these matters I had never heard of it before myself.

Murray

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

I spent a while, unsuccessfully, trying to decide what rotary table to buy. I don't have a use for one, but having built the arduino indexer I think I need one. A small one so I can pretend I will use it for clock stuff on my cowells. Even the 3" looks large https://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/info-40066201.html

So I gave up and bashed this 4.5 inch kitchen knife blank out instead.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

The problem with rotary tables is fixing the work to the table – it requires use of the tee slots, so you need to ensure the table is bigger than the largest work you will need to hold down, by enough to fit said clamps.

Also consider if there is any advantage having 3 slots rather than 4 – depends what you plan to fix to it. So if you are thinking about bolting a 3-jaw chuck to it at some point, it may be sensible to get a 3-slot table etc.

Murray

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Hi Murray. I have just read the two reports you offer and it is mainly concerned with Bumble bee demise, that is happening now in this country and is of some concern. Going on to neonicotiniods, the research as such has found that it disorients Bumble bees and they will fly out but forget their way home, much like dementia?

Further research world wide is finding that up to 24 chemical compounds are affecting bees in general. All man made! Fungicides, pesticides and herbicides make a potent mixture even though the makers deny that they do. There is a lot of money in treating seed with them and tying in the farmers to contracts.

The makers said that the herbicides are reduced in strength and fail within weeks of hitting the ground/soil but tests show them still active up to two years later. Further to this is that Nicotinoids would not get into the plants and seed, but, tests show it is coming through the pollen! Another lie from the makers, Bayer.

Governments are slow to react but lately our Parliament has started to wake up to the threats from these compounds. The EU has already passed legislation banning there use in certain situations. The amount of spraying I see in the fields above my house going into and on the Spring corn is amazing. Luckily my bees are far away. My bees are not subject yet to any dressing as I am in the middle of derelict orchards as there is no money in fruit for farmers, too labour intensive I believe.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Finally got the cylinder/valve chest etc ready for silver soldering. Now I need a windless day as the workshop ceiling is quite low and there is a danger of setting the roof on fire!

Brian

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Well, engineering related. No New Years steamup, high of -23 forecast, and with the "wind chill" it'll be minus 37. We decided just to stay inside and drink champagne, or something.

Somewhere on Youtube, **LINK** I have a -18 new years day video up, with a Conway steaming on a portable track, and the steam leaks are quite visible. Fortunately, we have warm water from the nearby kitchen, to keep the pipes to the axle pump from freezing.

One year (Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, yours truly was on "steam train duty&quot one of the non-lifting injectors froze, which called for a nice heating with the oxy-acet set, with rosebud tip on the end. (not by me, fortunately).

Oh well – a few months from now we'll be complaining about the heat and the mosquitoes….

JohnS.

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