What Did You Do Today (2017)

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

That Drummond trip is such a good idea. It's a wonder it didn't become a standard feature, even though half nuts made it non-essential.

Road salt is a problem in some rivers I believe. I wonder how well ex onion pickle solution will work after I have used it for derusting. The residual iron salts might be beneficial and have the reverse effect.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Bazyle on 22/08/2017 21:23:39:

That Drummond trip is such a good idea. It's a wonder it didn't become a standard feature, even though half nuts made it non-essential.

Yes, it's one of a number of advantages the old Drummond has over the later Myfords etc. No panicking about getting the half nuts disengaged in that two seconds before the tool hits the chuck etc. It's all automatic. CNC 1937 style! Handy too when turning long jobs etc, I can set the cut going and then go do something else in the shed while the lathe takes its cut and stops feeding when it's done.

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Finished my Harold Hall Advanced grinding rest last night.

Just some fettling left to do and then it's on with the accessories.

I have a cheap grinder to convert but it also needs some work. So, it'll be a while before I'm sharpening end-mills.

Jon

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Fairy nuff.

Martin

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Very nice one Jon. Please let us know how you get on with using it, it looks a very useful piece of kit.

Brian

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Posted by Brian Hutchings on 23/08/2017 10:09:56:

Very nice one Jon. Please let us know how you get on with using it, it looks a very useful piece of kit.

Brian

Thanks Brian, will do.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Mike on 22/08/2017 20:40:16:

Surely the five litres of vinegar proposed by Chris is going to be so diluted by rain so quickly that the danger of seriously altering the ph of the soil is unlikely to be a long-term problem. Ditto the salt, which local councils spread on the roads in such huge volumes. I often wonder what this does to the ground water. The amount proposed by Chris pales into insignificance when compared…………..

As someone else commented, road salt is a pollution issue, although since they went back to real salt for de-icing the effects have reduced. If you look on road verges across the UK you will see the tiny white flowers of Danish Scurvy Grass – a seaside plant that has colonised the edges of our trunk roads tolerating salt levels that kill native plants.

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

I believe common salt is Sodium Chloride whereas Sodium Chlorate is a weed killer

Roy

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Took my daughter to Ikea yesterday to stock up on university essentials. Mom has met another lady who told how her son didn't even bother unpacking his toastie machine when he saw his flatmates had six lined up already… but I'm still despairing how we will fit everything into the car. I seem to remember I had two large bags plus my homemade hifi…

Anyway, I had to do the 'model engineer' thing and walked out grasping a Jansjo work light plus a tidgy one that fits in a USB socket (only £2). I also saw that the little tables often use din pairs as 3D printer stands and boxes were only £5 so I bought one despite not needing it…

I hate walking a round Ikea though, their hard flat floor gives me backache in 20 minutes, although I can wander around on a 'real' surface for hours on end with no issues.I cheered myself up by thinking of new names for various products. Perhaps they could call their loo-brushes Türdstjïk…

Neil

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

When I recovered my Grandson from Uni last year, we completely filled the whole of my estate car (large size), just room for driver and GS. I do not think some of it had been used. Beware mothers kitting out offspring for Uni!!

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Agreed, KWIL. when I picked up my step-daughter from uni in Edinburgh at the end of her course the car was so crammed with stuff you couldn't have squeezed in a cigarette paper. When we stopped for a coffee at services near Newcastle there was a sort of avalanche of stuff all over the car park when we got out. Took nearly half an hour to re-pack.

[egaParticipant @ega]

"but I'm still despairing how we will fit everything into the car"

Neil Wyatt: take heart! If my experience is anything to go by then, over time, the student will realize she doesn't need half that stuff. KWIL's post tends to confirm this.

During the three year period I managed to avoid mentioning that in my case it never occurred to me or my parents that I should get to university other than by my own efforts! She made it all worth while by loving her time there and taking a good degree.

Edited By ega on 23/08/2017 16:54:19

[Tony JeffreeParticipant @tonyjeffree56510]

Posted by roy entwistle on 23/08/2017 14:36:51:

I believe common salt is Sodium Chloride whereas Sodium Chlorate is a weed killer

Roy

That is indeed correct – sodium chlorate is also a poison. So don't put sodium chlorate on yer fish & chips – or you will likely find that you have had your chips.

Edited By Tony Jeffree on 23/08/2017 17:21:39

[Tony JeffreeParticipant @tonyjeffree56510]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 23/08/2017 14:37:53:

Took my daughter to Ikea yesterday to stock up on university essentials. Mom has met another lady who told how her son didn't even bother unpacking his toastie machine when he saw his flatmates had six lined up already… but I'm still despairing how we will fit everything into the car. I seem to remember I had two large bags plus my homemade hifi…

When I went to Uni, I was driving a Heinkel bubblecar, and all of my worldly goods, including the hi fi, fitted in it with room to spare. I think the largest load it ever carried was myself, 3 (student) passengers, and a guitar. I have to say that the oversteer, which was always present on these machines but was normally manageable, became somewhat alarming!

Engineering note: the primary cause of the oversteer on the Heinkel and its RHD variant, the Trojan, was the rubber mountings for the engine/trailing arm/rear wheel assembly. There were 3 mounting points in a triangle – one at the top and one either side at the bottom. These were designed to be flexible to absorb some of the vibration from the 200cc single pot engine, but also allowed the back wheel to be flexed off-line when cornering. Normally you corrected for this automatically, so while hacking round a left-hander (for example), the steering wheel ended up being rotated significantly right of centre, and you didn't notice. A bit like the way speedway motorbike riders take a left hand corner with the back wheel hung out and the handlebars turned approx. at right angles to the right. All good fun!

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 23/08/2017 14:37:53:

I hate walking a round Ikea though, their hard flat floor gives me backache in 20 minutes, although I can wander around on a 'real' surface for hours on end with no issues.I cheered myself up by thinking of new names for various products. Perhaps they could call their loo-brushes Türdstjïk…

Neil

Good idea, and then we could call the company Turdhaus

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Great to hear the tales, but what is this concept of 'fetching them back when they finish their course'?

Looking back I wonder if my parents were a little disappointed when I came home for my first Christmas break but headed off to London for New Year…

Neil

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

LOL, you guys have it easy. When I finished uni (as a mature age student of 32 admittedly) I had accumulated a wife, a child, a houseful of furniture and stuff, plus a 20 foot shipping container of old motorbikes, all of which had to be shipped home to the other side of the world. And good old Dad paid for the shipping container and stored the motorbikes in his shed for the next 10 years or so. An estate car full of stuff? he used to lie in bed at night and dream about that…

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Oh dear, It seems the grade 1 I got at O-level are the lowest grade now. Perhaps I will have to retake my degree – that would be ok as there are girls in my college now.

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

Some long time ago I was told that the bottom grade in GCSE is equivalent to the average P7 standard. Anyone confirm this?

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Don't know about that, JimmieS, but when I took my GCEs you either passed or you failed – none of this grades rubbish!

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

Ah GCE! From memory it was GCE, then when the leaving age was raised the CSE was added. An excellent system which served both the academic and more practical pupil. The pc brigade got involved and the two examinations were amalgamated to form the GCSE which served neither set of pupils well.

Then the GNVQ was added – a waste of time as most employers knew or wanted to know anything about it.

From memory the 'metalwork' GCE was known as Engineering Workshop and Practice.' I believe the latest incarnation is 'Resistant Materials' aka Cardboard Engineering.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Never heard of this 'resistant materials' thing so looked up an exam. Obviously the only answer for Q4 is 'cnc machine from billet' thus leaving more time for tweeting etc vital tasks.

What happened to HNC and HND? Never quite worked out which was better but I suppose they are now classed as Honours Degrees.

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

My grade one O Level (GCE) was my proudest accomplishment and clearly meant that my skills in shaping steel were high indeed.

Moved on 40 odd years and practical experience shows that I am indeed still worthy of a grade one in metalworking skills. Sadly with the new scheme.

Surely something will work right sometime?

Iain

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Bazyle on 25/08/2017 13:18:45:

Never heard of this 'resistant materials' thing so looked up an exam. Obviously the only answer for Q4 is 'cnc machine from billet' thus leaving more time for tweeting etc vital tasks.

What happened to HNC and HND? Never quite worked out which was better but I suppose they are now classed as Honours Degrees.

Call me a crazy, but that looks a very well-written exam paper for DCT to me. No noddy questions and also clear that many of the questions required thoughtful creative answers not just learning by rote.

Neil

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Bazyle on 25/08/2017 13:18:45:

Never heard of this 'resistant materials' thing so looked up an exam. Obviously the only answer for Q4 is 'cnc machine from billet' thus leaving more time for tweeting etc vital tasks.

What happened to HNC and HND? Never quite worked out which was better but I suppose they are now classed as Honours Degrees.

I reckon there's a bit more to 'Resistant Materials' than modern jargon. In the good old days boys did metalwork or woodwork. The emphasis of both subjects was 'hands-on'. Unfortunately, training people on the basis of material isn't ideal, often leading to foolishness. For example, many forum members look down on chaps who work with 'brown stuff'. Another major problem was that hands-on drove a division between the shop floor and the Designer. He would have done Maths and Science at school, and might well despise 'mere artisans'.

As the need for traditional doing skills has waned, education has shifted to emphasise design rather than manipulation of  wood or metal. Modern Design approaches problems in terms of meeting requirements at lowest cost. No assumptions are made about the materials that will be used. Considering requirements llke Corrosion, Fire, Impact, Tension, Penetration, Compression and other 'resistances' steer the designer to the most appropriate material. Metals, Plastics, Woods, Ceramics, Composites etc all get proper consideration.

How well this works in practice I don't know, but British Design is world class. The success of the brainy end of British engineering compares sharply with the decline of old-fashioned manufacturing .

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 25/08/2017 18:15:56

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