What Did You Do Today (2017)

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Posted by mark smith 20 on 09/09/2017 19:24:07:

Posted by thaiguzzi on 06/09/2017 05:41:29:

Posted by mark smith 20 on 04/09/2017 19:00:56:

Got the vice together apart from jaws, stoned all the dings /burrs of all the slideways, had to make new jib strip . Also

put the `t` back in British. The vice opens an closes pretty stiffly ,almost impossible by hand but easy with a handle. I suppose tighter is better where milling is concerned.

Very nice job!

Thanks, finally got jaws on it and its a very nice solid vice. Bought some 12mm x 40mm ground stock and used it.Got one of the jaw mounting holes off by about 1/2mm but it was enough to cause a bit of swearing as i couldnt see in which direction ,also the original holes were also slightly out of level.

One question, what is the purpose of the 4 sloping holes visible ,are they just to poke something in if the jaws ever get rusted onto the body,to allow you to knock them off????

Edited By mark smith 20 on 09/09/2017 19:27:49

Hi Mark, had a look at mine yesterday. No holes whatsoever compared to yours. Somebody has stuck those in post leaving the factory. For what reason only the driller will know.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Far too much sitting down today, so I walked a mile or so around the lake with a batbox lots of (probably) daubenton's bats (quite big, higher frequency, warbles finishing with speeding up zip zip sounds) and perhaps the odd pipstrelle (not as high frequency, musical warbling, smaller beasties). But not a huge bat expert…

Neil

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

Andrew Might I suggest that your taper pins need shortening ?

Roy

[HillclimberParticipant @hillclimber]

Spring is sprung etc. Today I overcame my fear of replacing the return spring on my Fobco pillar drill – Foboingphobia?

Anyway the job was much simpler than I imagined using a new spring from Tony at lathes.co.uk. My only mishap involved getting splashed with ricocheting white lithium grease from an aerosol as I shoved it into the installed spring.

The new spring was 'tethered' with wire around the tensioned spring. The secret was to use the quill stop to hold the quill in the fully retracted position when installing the spring – the tension was then correct when the tethering wire loop was undone. Job done!

Cheers, Colin

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

On the M1 today I saw a strange Stug which only had five road wheels.

It was green but I wonder if this 'replica' has been repainted.

http://www.willysacres.com/StuG3.htm

[Steve PaveyParticipant @stevepavey65865]

To be honest I've never really bothered, or even noticed, how much a bit of cold-rolled moves when it is cut. But, not having the right size stock on hand today, I had to do a ridiculous bandsaw cut down the middle of a bit of 25mm square ms.

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Worst home made clothes peg I have ever seen!

But, joking apart, that is quite incredible!

[Jon CameronParticipant @joncameron26580]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 10/09/2017 18:12:04:

Yesterday; thanks to a kind gentleman advertising on 'homeworkshop' I acquired this:

.

.

We assume it to be the remnants of a Coil-Winding machine.

Today; I stripped it down for the bits I want [basically the headstock and the counter]

The build quality of the machine is horrendous, but those two items are good.

Question: Does anyone recognognise this assembly

Clues: The machine came from France; the counter is by 'Zivy & Cie' of Paris; and the headstock casting is aluminium alloy with a steel front plate. … and the gears are very nice !!

Grateful for any thoughts.

MichaelG.

It's a machine to coil resistor wire, in the manufacture of heating elements. The wire is close coiled around the rod, making like a giant spring, this can then be set into ceramic blocks like a snake winding a path up and down, and connectors soldered each end for the supply. How do I know, well I've just finished working at such a company, (owner was a bit of an eejit, to put it politely), they had a much larger version for this purpose, around 7 foot larger!

Of course it could also be simply a spring winder. The counter been used to count the revolutions between the windings.

To me the device that's sat in the middle of the machine between the two rods, is the feed device, and the two clamps at the rear of the machine in the picture is actually what's used as a means of bobbin holding the bobbing sliding across a third shaft elevated above the work.

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

You would have to heat it up to cherry red and let it cool down if you do not want it to bow.

Normalisation to remove the stress.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Jon Cameron on 18/09/2017 22:58:18:

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 10/09/2017 18:12:04:

We assume it to be the remnants of a Coil-Winding machine.

Today; I stripped it down for the bits I want [basically the headstock and the counter]

The build quality of the machine is horrendous, but those two items are good.

Question: Does anyone recognognise this assembly

Clues: The machine came from France; the counter is by 'Zivy & Cie' of Paris; and the headstock casting is aluminium alloy with a steel front plate. … and the gears are very nice !!

It's a machine to coil resistor wire, in the manufacture of heating elements. The wire is close coiled around the rod, making like a giant spring, this can then be set into ceramic blocks like a snake winding a path up and down, and connectors soldered each end for the supply. How do I know, well I've just finished working at such a company, (owner was a bit of an eejit, to put it politely), they had a much larger version for this purpose, around 7 foot larger!

.

Thanks, Jon … That makes a great deal of sense.

I have already put the poor little thing out of its misery.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 19/09/2017 08:27:56

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Today's mailshot from 'Hewlett Packard Enterprise' included this **LINK**

https://insights.hpe.com/articles/the-early-history-of-hp-calculators-1709.html?jumpid=em_vyucphjt1i_aid-510339415

… Might stir a few fond memories.

MichaelG.

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

Hmm. My first calculator was a Sinclair.

They'd only just come out and were fiendishly expensive (about 80 quid if I remember). I'd just come into some money as a teenager and bought one. Endless fun showing how to calculate Shell Oil. (71011345 – believe it or not).

Dead proud of my purchase which put me at the forefront of gadgetary – before it dropped in price by about 2/3rds within a month or two.

Buttons and switches wore out quickly and I think it expired within a year – a remarkable lifetime for a Sinclair product of that era.

Iain

[RobinParticipant @robin]

Arrived today. Stupid really but I couldn't resist…

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Those clicky-buttons on early calculators did my head in

click click click click click….

Got lucky on a run up the road in Miami around 1981 and bought an FX 602P which did both ship stability and navigation calculations

Sufficient memory was always the big problem in the old days

It still worked fine around 2007 when I sold it to a collector

Edited By Ady1 on 19/09/2017 23:46:09

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Had a very enjoyable time with speed and classic cars then yesterday another speed nut arrived at home.

Last of the Summer Wine my version.

Hope you can receive my video it's a bit long but two Yorkshire speed enthusiasts testing and blowing the wind.

Reckon I could be another Compo.

**LINK**

[MonomanParticipant @monoman]

I have an HP15C on my desk at the moment. It goes everywhere with me. I has all the scientific functions I need, together with programmablity and constant memory. It's in use everyday.

I bought it in 1979 for £106 and have recently been offered over £400 for it. It fits in a shirt pocket, (I don't have one of those) and in a suit jacket pocket without a bulge.I have only had to put new batteries in mine twice in that length of time.It came with a users guide and a solutions guide full of useful programs.

HP no longer make this scientific calculator, the scientific community can keep this sort of gadget functioning fore years, but the HP 12C financial calculator is still selling. The 15C was made as a special a few years back and they sold like hot cakes. If you can find one expect to pay a lot.

For lovers of HP calculators there is an active group of users who hold annual meetings to discuss all the HP models, new and old.

Monoman

[Tony JeffreeParticipant @tonyjeffree56510]

Posted by Windy on 20/09/2017 09:42:09:

Hope you can receive my video it's a bit long but two Yorkshire speed enthusiasts testing and blowing the wind.

**LINK**

I think the expression you were after was "shooting the breeze". "Blowing the wind" is definitely something else…

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

We were certainly Blowing the wind when the steamer ran there is blast of hot air etc. at speed watching the plants bending behind the hydro

Edited By Windy on 20/09/2017 10:55:40

Edited By Windy on 20/09/2017 10:58:33

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Today saw the successful conclusion of some 17 days of efforts to remove the face plate from a Cowells Dividing Head spindle!!

It has been subjected to 5 days and nights of white vinegar (plus salt) soaking, Mole grips and hammers and not a sign of movement until today. I hacksaw-ed two small flats on the spindle register and clamped it in engineering clamps and applied a heavy copper head hammer via a large punch. Even then it had to be continued until the last thread! The rusting had accumulated since the old workshop was trashed in 2013 and it has been languishing in 'storage' ever since. The brass worm has also been slightly savaged in the process so will need a little tlc with the Swiss files but given the Cowells price list for for the D/H it has to be worth it!!

One thought which occured during all this was that loco builders who are concerned about security of their driving wheels might consider soaking their axles and wheel hubs in sea water and allowing them a 'rest' period. On the basis of this episode, they will never need to concern themselves over the security of fixing!!

rgds

Bill

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Just bought the "Setting Up a Workshop" magazine, The special run by M.E.W without realizing it, lots of good tips to be had and a good solid guide for a beginner. Well done.

Michael W

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Michael-w on 20/09/2017 17:44:04:

The special run by M.E.W without realizing it

No, we definitely knew we did it

Thanks Michael,.

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Well today we dropped our daughter off to university.

Strange…

Neil

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

Neil. Expect a bag of washing in a couple of weeks.

[Peter KroghParticipant @peterkrogh76576]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 20/09/2017 19:09:35:

Well today we dropped our daughter off to university.

Strange…

Neil

First one out? Yeah, it's very different.

Pete

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Peter Krogh on 20/09/2017 20:27:12:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 20/09/2017 19:09:35:

Well today we dropped our daughter off to university.

Strange…

Neil

First one out? Yeah, it's very different.

Pete

More complicated than that, I have three older steplads.

But eighteen years from birth upwards, then a smile and a wave and they're gone! Mind you she's far more self sufficient than I was at 18 and I managed OK. It's knowing that after I went I only ever came back as a visitor., my first time back was for Christmas but I was off to London for New Year…

Neil

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