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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted -  25/11/2004  :  14:20
I've always been fascinated by the things people do in their spare time when they can do exactly what they want to do. Men and sheds are a particularly fertile field. Women tend to do their thing in the comfort of the house.



I was delighted to see Andy's picture of the clock movement he has made.







It struck me that we could perhaps start a new topic devoted to spare time skill. So Andy starts it off and my contribution is this:







It's a small steam engine made from scratch and is based on the Stuart 5A but a longer stroke. One of these will drive a 14 foot boat with steam at 250psi. By the way, we don't like to call them models, it's exactly the same construction and materials as a full size engine, just smaller. So come on out there, let's hear about what you make in your spare time. I reckon we could be in for some surprises!


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk
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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 22/03/2008 : 06:48
PS.  I now need a starter switch with panic button for the 1hp.  Running amperage is 6.3 so start will be higher.  Single phase.  Anyone got anything lying about in the shed? 


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
A.J. Richer
Werebeagle


24 Posts
Posted - 25/03/2008 : 19:23
Stanley, Bravo and good job on getting those motors back and running. i prefer old ones as well for the same reason - they may be huge form factor externally but they run sweet as a nut.

I used to have a generator of a similar vintage - nominally 3000 watts but produced more with no strain. Lovely thing...I never should have sold it.

However, that's neither here nor there - I have a question for you.

I was milling down the sides of a piece of steel with the slabbing cutter on my horizontal mill and hit a hard spot (damn awful junk I paid good money for!).

This, as you can imagine, trashed the sharpness of the milling cutter. I know you have a tool and cutter grinder (I do not) - any suggestions as to the feasability of resharpening a spiral milling cutter that's 2" wide? I know it's not like I have anytyhing to lose here - and sharpening services here have gone the way of the dodo...



Yours, Alan


Edited by - A.J. Richer on 25/03/2008 7:24:24 PM


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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 26/03/2008 : 07:38
Sorry Alan, there is no easy way of resharpening any spiral tooth cutter.  You need to find a friendly shop that has a T&C grinder, there must be somepne about.  Ask a local engineering shop what they do, there must be a way.  Alternatively, bite the bullet and find a second hand T&C grinder.  They are dirt cheap and you will never regret it.  I remember once trying to sharpen the blade of a cylinder mower on a lash-up in the lathe using a toolpost grinder.  I managed it in the end but not something I would ever do again.

Getting on well with this neg file, as soon as I have finished it I am in the shed!  By the way, I am into some pics I did at Budenberg Gauge company before they closed down, I will post them when I have scanned them all.  Wonderful old-fashioned company producing world class products.  Knocked out by El Cheapo imports......


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
softsuvner
Regular Member


604 Posts
Posted - 31/03/2008 : 02:13
Earlier on in the winter, I posted some pictures of the alternator problem with my Triumph Thunderbird. Finally, we have had a decent day with the roads clear of salt (thanks to rain the night before) so I managed a test run:


Triumph Thunderbird


When I had taken the photo, I had a good look at that gate behind the bike. It is made up entirely of strip iron but, unlike modern "wrought iron work", part of the ornament has the strip on edge. The top curves are welded into the middle bar, not by electric welding but I suspect, by the old technique which I think was called fire welding. There are a couple of bolts involved in the construction, but these are the old round-headed type which I suspect are square backed and fit into square holes punched in the bar, and then held by the old-type square nuts. The ornamental scroll-work on the gate is quite unlike  modern work. 
As you can gather, I was rather taken with this unusual farm gate which must be Victorian, possibly the land behind was once glebe land so they could afford something better than yer average five bar wooden job.

The T-Bird? She was fine, no problems, but there is still time, a bit more test mileage, perhaps I'll go and have another look at that gate!

Malcolm






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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 31/03/2008 : 06:43
Sounds like a proper blacksmith made job.  The give away is the square holes punched for the bolts and the square nuts.  The welding could be fire welding but smiths were into oxy-acetylene very early.  Fire welding can only be done with wrought iron which is almost carbon-free.  To do it you had to get welding heat in the fire, when you put the parts together they had to be white hot and fizzing sparks, almost molten.  If the sections were light this could lead to distortion.  The give away for wrought iron is that when it eventually corrodes it exhibits a grain like wood.  if you go back and look at it again you'll probably see this.

Almost finished scanning this big neg file in......  Should finish it today.  Then on with the motors!


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 31/03/2008 : 17:25
Six pages left at 17:00......... 


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 06:03
I did something concrete yesterday....  The 3/4hp Taiwan motor is off the 1927 lathe in the front room and the Horace Green 1/3 hp is back in place.  Just got to connect it this morning.  Tested the 1hp HG and it runs beautifully......  PC problems behind me now I think so there is hope for us yet!


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 16:22


The Horace Green 1/3hp motor is back on the lathe it was bought for and runs as sweet as a nut.  That's the final step in the refurbishment of the lathe.  It would be silly to go any further.  Job done and with care it will be a good lathe for at least another eighty years.  (It'll last me out....) 


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
softsuvner
Regular Member


604 Posts
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 19:07
Stanley

Looks good, but given the location aren't you going to put a chip tray on it?
I've spent my day off in the workshop trying to trace a disturbing bottom-end "clunk" that has developed on the T-Bird. Did wonder if the rotor has broken loose again, not a happy thought. 
Turns out it was the ends of the chain link clouting the back of the stator plate. My bike used an arrangement that was changed after one-year of production, now I know why! Cut the insulation of the stator back a little bit,  and have taken a 16th off the stator mounting pillars, hopefully that will give me running clearance. We will find out if the weather relents tomorrow.

Malcolm  


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panbiker
Senior Member


2301 Posts
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 21:27
Best of luck with your mods Malcolm, the bike certainly looked good in the photo you posted.


Ian Go to Top of Page
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 08/04/2008 : 08:20
Not too sure what you mean Malcolm.  If you mean a guard to keep chips off it, no problem as it is fully enclosed.  I've got to write articles for the next few days........


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
softsuvner
Regular Member


604 Posts
Posted - 08/04/2008 : 22:37
Ian

Thanks for the best wishes, gave her a quick run-up today, no knocking noises. I am under a bit of pressure because I've agreed to loan her to a friend in a few weeks. He has got the chance of a classic race ride in France next month. He has got the loan of a bike, but has never ridden a bike with the gear lever on the right (British style). The plan is to do some evening runs on the Bird to get his head into gear!

Stanley

Maybe the angle of the photos makes it look closer to those lovely curtains than it really is! Mind you, most of my lathe work is on steel with carbide tips, so I would run a lot faster than your old warrior, much more spatter!

Malcolm


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panbiker
Senior Member


2301 Posts
Posted - 08/04/2008 : 23:03
Must be a good mate Malcolm! Will you be going along to watch? We will be expecting photos of the bird on the track. Can't remember what it was like when I first swapped from British to Jap bikes. A bit like driving a left hand drive car with the gear lever and hand brake in the wrong place I suppose. He should soon get into it, everything else is in the same place and he'll not get it out of first with the brake pedal!


Ian Go to Top of Page
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 09/04/2008 : 08:23
Malcolm, you are right about the curtains of course but they are not high up on my priorities.  You're right, you don't run these old lathes with high speeds and heavy cuts.  Remember thay were all designed for treadling, even the big 1952 lathe.  This meant a lot of attention to tool profiles and sharpness and more fine swarf than chips.  The only time you get any chips is on brass with neutral top rake and you just have to put up with them.  I noticed the other day when the sun shone on the carpet in the bathroom that there were tiny brass chips winking at me.  That was why Newton got so much earache off his mother when he had his lathe in the attic as a lad.  She got fed up of picking his bits of brass up all over the house!


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
softsuvner
Regular Member


604 Posts
Posted - 09/04/2008 : 23:03
Ian

Sorry I've given the wrong impression, he won't be racing the Bird. The idea is to get some time in on a right hand change in the few weeks before. The chance of the ride, and the loan of the bike (which is a very quick Aermacchi) sounded too good to be true, but it seems to be coming together, so he is keeping his fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted. Don't think i'll get a chance to go, it is at Le Mans.

Stanley

Know what you mean about chips, the low sun at this time of the year brings out speckles in my carpet which turn out to be bits trodden in from the workshop!

Malcolm


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