What Did You Do Today 2026

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

We call them Rivnuts

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Classic example where you are undoing 4 screws and the last one the rivnut spins. Invented by the Devil.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

“Rivnut” sounds like a particular brand, and might well need special insertion tools..

The fasteners I had in mind – and have a small collection in reality – are different beasts.

They are Hank Bushes: nuts with a short, deeply countersunk shank. The shank is pushed through a close-fitting hole in the plate then riveted into a countersink in that. At work we closed them down with a simple dome-ended punch struck with a hammer. A more elegant version could be used in a fly-press or arbor-press.

The hexagonal ones’ sharp corners and slight undercut, give them a bit more grip in the material than a cylindrical one would. Their shape would also look right in visible places on a model, assuming suitable size.

This is a Hank Bush, or Hank Rivet Bush; the image from a fastener-supplier’s catalogue. Readily available but likely, now only with ISO-M threads.

 

 

.

 

Another form of the many varieties of static-nut fasteners, has a cylindrical body on an elliptical plate with two small holes for rivets. Plus there all those spring-clip nuts and the like for thin sheet-metal work.

 

It’s probably worth inserting the screw with a spot of anti-seize grease on its thread, to reduce the risk of the bush rotaing when trying to remove the jammed screw.

(My steam-wagon chassis, built from 50 X 25 X 5mm HRS channel, has tapped holes wherever possible, and where the lack of a nut would not be noticeable.)

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Rivnuts are freely available if googled

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I took delivery of four of these quick action welding vices today.

Very handy for setting up and tacking / welding frame-work, or just a right angle bracket or a T-shape piece, The blocks just stop the moving jaw tilting up, in the above photo, but shouldn’t need them on square or rectangular sections

They will also hold round bar and tube as well, but small round bar / tube would need a block on the moving jaw side, to stop the jaw from tilting up. The blocks in all cases need to be at least the same height as the top of the clamping screw.

I’ve used these sort in my day jobs, and if you use all four together, you need a decent flat surface to put them on, otherwise any frame you make will probably end up being twisted.

Regards Nick.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, the correct way of fitting a rivet bush that Nigel Graham 2 has shown, is shown Rivet bush fixing The serrated type are also done in the same way Rivet bush fixing

Regards Nick.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Bernard –

They are – so are hank-bushes. I looked them up for my previous reply.

 

Nick-

A press. Yes, I suggested that! We had a flypress available but more often used a hammer and punch. This was for assembling cases for bespoke electronic equipment, so usually aluminium sheet.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Nigel, I’ve done them with a suitable sized ball bearing on a press.

Regards Nick.

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

I finished the main steam valve for my model mill engine Agnes.

 

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Nicely done Phil and nice neat soldering

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Fine work Phil. How did you form the sphere? Form-tool, copying or ball-turning attachment?

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

I did it with a Hemingway ball turning tool that I made years ago.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Thankyou – I am impressed with what it offers you.

I do know the Hemingway kits, having made a Boring-bar set and a ‘Kennet’ Tool-&-Cutter Grinder, and started a Keyway Slotting Attachment.

[DellParticipant @dell]

I received something I had been after for ages a small powered hacksaw.

It’s a Kennedy Hexacut 60 originally supplied without motor so no cast base, the motor is a bit weak but starts once helped , no on/off or cutout switch but apart from that it just needs a clean, not sure if I am going to get the current motor serviced or change it or even convert it to 24volt.

I will use it as is for now apart from adding a switch as picture until I decide.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, yesterday I had to dig out my old Compaq Deskpro to scan a Advantix film for my daughter, using my CanoScan 2700F, all was going well to start with, but then the desktop decided to restart itself just when the scan was about to sent to a folder, and so it meant reloading the programme, but then I had to do the same thing after every scan. Turns out that the hard drive was running hot, and so, I tried putting it on ice, so to speak. A 180 x 150 x16mm slab of aluminium for the drive to sit on, and another lump about 30mm thick on top, worked out well.

After I finished my daughter’s one, I decided to do one of my own, and below is a photo of the scanning window.

I dare say many will know exactly where this photo was taken, which was in September 2001.

Regards Nick.

[Andrew CrowParticipant @andrewcrow91475]

Obviously early September.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Andrew, it was in fact the 15th of Sept.

Regards Nick.

[Andrew CrowParticipant @andrewcrow91475]

Ah yes, my mistake, should have zoomed in for a better look.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

I’ve been having a go at making some small slideway bellows:

Design:

A practise in paper:

and finally the finished item:

 

The biggest problem was finding a source for a small amount of suitable plastic.  Stationery supplies seemed to be the best bet.  I found some 12 micron OHP film which is too stiff and A4 document pockets at 3 micron are too flimsy.  However I found some premium A4 pockets which are 9 micron and that seems to be the sweet spot.

Rod

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

Ah – happy memories. I spent a day or two folding various card types to this format before finding I could get 1mm polycarbonate flat sheet to curve through 90 degrees round a smooth guide. Much easier to clean, and this is still working years later.

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

What did I do today ????

Put a pot on the gas, went out to my cave just to check something, came back later to find the pot and contents stuck to each other !

SHMBO was  “Not amused ” !!

[Phil LinghamParticipant @phillingham79132]

I’m rebuilding a Honda CB450 classic racer engine for a friend of mine and needed to tidy up the inlet valve pockets that had been machined previously but not very well and were completely different. One had a 0.75mm step near the outside of the circumference, the other didn’t!

I 3D printed a fixture to clamp the piston and align the gudgeon pin.

Then put it in my tilt and swivel vice and clocked it to get the pocket level

Then using my Wollhaupter boring head I machined the step away and just kissed the face.  Happy with that.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Took advantage of the sunshine to weld the foot and top plates on two lengths of square steel tube to form the stanchions for a horizontal milling-machine’s drive.

The puzzle to solve was ensuring squareness of plate to tube, to sufficient accuracy.

…..

Came in for tea and ended up chasing a frog around the dining-room! After the third run of hopping and scrambling its way around a maze of engineering clutter it landed on the flat top of a socket-set box. It sat there, working out its next move, for long enough for me to plonk an empty ice-cream tub over it, slide a card under it, hence carefully carry it to freedom in the garden.

…..

The mill was originally built for line-shaft drive so I am creating an overhead version using a single-phase motor and 3-step reduction-drive by Vee-belts; the last stage by link-belt due to the form of the machine body. I have two candidate worm-drives and various large gears, but careful consideration and umpteen dividing-sums showed using belts far simpler.

I might be able to use one of the worm sets for my steam-wagon’s steering gear-box, though.

[Andrew CrowParticipant @andrewcrow91475]

Finally got round to making an eccentric chuck as designed by Bernard Towers, and managed to complete some eccentric bronze bushes for yet another job.

Thanks for the design Bernard.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Really pleased to have been a help

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