RC Groups - uk.rec.models.engineering

Model Engineer Exhibition - Sandown Park

Model Engineer — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:37:33 GMT

This year's Model Engineer Exhibition will be returning to Sandown Park Exhibition Centre by popular demand. The event promises to be the premier event in the model engineer�s diary for 2009, with hundreds of world class models on display and entered in the world famous Model Engineer Competition. We also offer you the chance to come along and visit the UK�s leading specialist suppliers, plus the opportunity to meet the clubs and societies who help and support those wishing to take up this fascinating hobby.

The 2009 event promises to be better than ever before and will include;
� Over forty key specialist suppliers
� Hundreds of models on display � organisers expect nearly 1000 entries
� SMEE Lectures and Demonstrations
� Twenty Five club and society displays
� Live track action in 7 ��, 16mm and Gauge 1

There are also many special attractions this year, these include;

SMEE (The Society of Model & Experimental Engineers) has traditionally organised a series of well structured but informal lectures on a wide range of subjects by some of the leading names in the world of model engineering and you won't be disappointed by what's on offer at this year's exhibition. As in the case of the last two years, eight lectures a day are to be presented in two separate well appointed rooms where you will be able sit back and enjoy the talks, as well as the opportunity to take part in a question and answer session.

The Lecturer�s programme can be found at http://www.modelengineershow.co.uk/smeelectures.html

The World Class Model Engineering Competition once again comes to The Model Engineering Exhibition. Entries for this year's show are at a high, with models ranging from locomotives and tramways, to radio flying helicopters, motorbikes and even model ambulances. For full details on competition rules, classes, and to download an Entry Form please go tohttp://www.modelengineershow.co.uk/competition.html

A huge range of Railway, Traction Engine and Stationary Steam Models will be on display throughout the weekend. Clubs from up and down the country will display their impressive builds, many of which have taken years to perfect.
The 2004 Model Engineer exhibition Gold Medal winner, Chris Vine, will be displaying the now famous �Bongo� which took 2 years of hard work, resulting in Chris�s book �How Not To Paint a Locomotive�
On display will also be pictures of �Mad Bess�, Ryslip Lido Railway Society�s 9 year project.

Marine models on display will include Noah�s Ark with appropriate animals entering two by two, scale electric powered models of Lifeboats, Tugs and Steam Powered vessels.
The displays will also include models at various scales and demonstrations of building techniques including sailmaking, shackle making and a ropewalk.

Model Engineer Exhibition 2009

Dates:Friday 11th � Sunday 13th December 2009

Venue: Sandown Park Racecourse, Sandown Park, Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey
SAT NAV - KT10 9AJ

Opening Times:10am � 5pm daily (closes at 4pm on the final day)

Admission Prices:
Advance On the Door
Adult �8.00 �9.50
2 Days �13.50 �16.50

Concessions �6.00 �7.50
2 Days �9.50 �12.50

16-18 Year Olds �3.00 �3.50
2 Days �4.00 �4.50

Child (Under 15) FREE* FREE*
* 1 Child per paying adult or concession

Family �25.00 �26.00
2 Days �47.50 �50.00

Advanced ticket sales are available until 12.00 noon on Monday 4th December 2009, when all advanced ticket holder names will be entered into a prize draw to win �150 of My Hobby Store vouchers. Please call 0844 848 8831 or see http://www.modelengineershow.co.uk/tickets.html

Engineering Mathematics

Phil O. Sopher — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:53:38 GMT

Although we live in an age of calculators and computers, some
mathematical background is desirable for the model engineer,
perhaps even if only Pythagoras' Theorem and understanding
Sines (for setting up a Sine bar).

Even so, despite that there is great criticism of the decline in the
standards of mathematics taught by today's teachers (All of
whom are bullshitters and many of whom are not even qualified in
mathematics), perhaps even the mathematics that we learnt at school in
the 1970s was much reduced in scope compared to that
of earlier years?

I am reading from an 1898 school arithmetic book, and the pupils
were expected to be able to easily calculate ...

"How many francs (perhaps Euros today) profit would a man make
by purchasing 750 metres of silk at 4 Fr 50c per metre and selling
it at 4/2d per yard?"

for which paper and pencil were allowed, but for mental
arithmetic, the pupil was expected to be able to work out
in his head, "How many hectares are there in a field containing
25 acres"?

OT: sealing a glass vase.

lemel_man — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:12:25 GMT

My wife "discovered" a rather nice cut-glass flower vase that she had
put in a safe place and forgot about. It turns out that it was saved
away because it has a barely visible crack that allows water to, very
gradually, seep through over time.
Anyway, now she has noticed how attractive it is, she wants to use it
again. Can anybody suggest a way of sealing the crack?
She could, of course, use it for dried flowers and not use water, but...

--
Regards, Gary Wooding
(To reply by email, change gug to goog in my address)

Meccano - Trix?

elj221c — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:51:35 GMT

I've just read the thread on Meccano and just wonder if there is anyone out there who preferred Trix?
I still have mine somewhere.
I had friends with Meccano but always thought Trix more versatile. More holes per girder. ;-)
Sadly Meccano and Trix were not compatible. I lusted after meccano universal joints. I bought some but the the spindle diameter was much larger than the Trix spindles.

Milling thin materials

Chas — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:08:39 GMT

In a separate thread, Turning Small Diameters, I asked about the
capabilities and characteristics of lathes for small scale (2mm railway)
model making, and received excellent guidance. At the end of that thread the
topic got on to milling machines, and as it was already quite large, I have
started a new one to ask similar questions.

So, materials at small scale will often be quite thin. 5 thou to 40 thou
(0.12mm to 1mm) brass would be quite common. There's probably little need
for a milling machine for very thin material, and if I get a mill it would
most probably really be for thicker stuff, but anyway I am intrigued to
understand what is realistic on the sort of mill that I might get - around
50Kg weight or less (important to me), and probably �500 or less. I wonder
if I would ever use the mill on these sort of materials.

What is the thinnest material I can realistically expect to mill?

It may seem impossible, but I know even less about milling than about
turning. But I suppose the operations to consider are edge-milling a shape
on thin sheet, and surface milling thinner areas. I guess there may be
techniques for handling thinner materials like laminating with something
thicker?

To get slightly off topic before we've even started, Dave Littlewood, in the
Turning Small Diameters thread, said:

>BTW, and back to your original question, I think you would find a
>milling machine about as much use as a lathe for modelling work. Be sure
>to get one which retains position as you move the head or knee - many of
>the smaller oriental types have a round column with no register, so if
>you move the head you lose position

Mills in my size range seem not to have a knee at all - which I assume is
the component that moves vertically on the column and supports the milling
table. The table just rests on the base, and all the Z-axis movement is
achieved from the milling head movement. Any mill I would consider would
have a square column. The mill I have looked at most is the Sieg X2,
basically because that's the one covered in depth on the excellent mini
lathe site that is my main source of info (minilathe.com).

But I don't really understand your point. I assume you are talking about
maintaining X-Y position after Z-axis head movements - unclamping a head on
a round column would allow the head to rotate and lose position? But even
the little Sieg X0 type micro mills, with a round column, use some sort of
racked arrangement for Z-axis movement that I assume retains X-Y position? I
must be getting the wrong end of the stick, as usual.

Chas

7075 T6 in small quantities

Ned Ludd — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:18:17 GMT

Hi Guys and Guyesses,
Can some kind soul point me in the right direction for a couple of
feet of 7075 T6,of a size,either round, square or rectangular, out of
which a rectangle of about 25x40mm can be machined, London area
would be great, England fine, Yankeeland a bit of a pain, mail order
essential.
I'm sure that another Aluminium Alloy would do but that's what the
PITA, sorry, client has asked for.
TIA
Ned Ludd

Could somebody make a D-shaped shaft for me? (for payment of course)

Mathew J. Newton — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:46:54 GMT

Hi all,

I was pointed to this group from uk.d-i-y as I am hoping some kind and
able soul out there with a lathe and/or milling machine might be able to
help me out here....

At the risk of sounding like I've got too much spare time on my hands I
am in the middle of project building a network-enabled cat feeder. The
current design is based around a cereal dispenser driven by a high-torque/
low-revs motor, the latter being controlled by a modified Cisco switch.

The following diagram shows roughly what I am doing from a mechanical
perspective:

http://www.newtonnet.co.uk/permanent/feederdiagram.png

The cereal dispenser contains a rubber flapper mechanism which
accommodates a plastic 'D-shaped' shaft connected to a knob. Whilst I
have managed to separate the shaft from the knob and connected everything
up I am concerned that over time the high torque required when food gets
caught in the flapper will cause the connection to the brass coupling to
fail. This is based on the fact that the plastic shaft is rather soft and
is not held all that firmly by the grub screw in the coupling. I have
considered inserting a metal shim of some sort but I really can't see it
lasting.

Hence, I am wanting to replace the plastic shaft with something made out
of metal. Unfortunately whilst my apprenticeship days taught me the
skills to do this I do not have access to the necessary machines to do so.

Would anybody be able to help me out here? That kind person would be
suitably compensated as required. I have made a drawing showing the
necessary dimensions (using Word - my teachers would not have been
impressed!):

http://www.newtonnet.co.uk/permanent/shaftdrawing.png

As you can see, the coupling to the motor (right-hand side) is required
to be smaller than the main shaft - I could not find a shaft coupling any
bigger than 6mm (the motor shaft is also 6mm). The rather strange
(specific) dimensions of the main shaft (which is fully inserted into the
flapper body) is, I believe, a result of it being US-made and hence of
imperial measurements.

Happy to provide further info and clarification if required. Indeed I am
all ears to alternative ideas too and/or suggestions as to who/where
might be able to make this shaft for me.

Regards,

Forgotten M code

Emimec — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:18:46 GMT

I have forgotten, and failed to write down, the M code used on a Heidenhain
TNC 151 controlled Bridgeport interact mill, that allows an indexing head to
rotate.

I had a feeling it was m42, m52 or m54, none of which worked !!!

Anyone got any clues please.

Bob

Turning small diameters

Chas — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:08:17 GMT

Hi,
I am a novice, considering 2mm railway modelling, and considering buying a
lathe. I have browsed the web a lot and would get some sort of Chinese
lathe, maybe a Sieg C3/ C2, maybe smaller e.g a Sieg C1 or even C0 (or
equivalents in terms of size and price from other makers). Price would be
less than �500, but more importantly weight would be 50k or less, as I want
to be able to move it.

The thing I don't understand is : what are the criteria for being able to
turn small diameters? Obviously 3 inch diameter in the prototype is 0.5mm =
20 thou in the modelled world, and lots of cylindrical things on railways
are less than 3 inch diameter.

If lathe size doesn't matter, then I would get one at the top of my
budget/weight range, as I would use it to make some more normal sized stuff,
like tools for modelling etc.

The few references I can find on small diameters with mini lathes seem to
consider 1mm dia or so to be a major achievement, but there isn't much out
there that I have found.
I guess the diameter is irrelevant without the length - well, I suppose if
the diameter in the protoype is 3", the length is not likely to be more than
10 feet, so that's 20mm = say 3/4 inch long, on 0.5mm = 20 thou diameter.

Maybe it's not possible to turn to this size, and anything more than 1/4
inch long has to be fabbed from drawn wire (though clock and watchmakers
turn much smaller than this on longer lengths, don't they?).

I assume the material would be brass - maybe a different material makes
small diameters more achievable.
I guess that speeds would need to be higher, assuming that proper turning
needs the correct number of feet per minute past the tool tip - but does
this mean speeds beyond the range of ordinary mini and micro lathes (which
seem to peak at around 2500 - 3000)?
I assume supporting the work must help a lot - do the steadies you can get
for these lathes work on diameters this small?
Maybe it's all to do with the cutting tool size/shape/material - is there
any reason why an appropriate tool would not work in one of these ordinary
lathes?

I assume the tolerances I will need will be no tighter than people seem to
get with these lathes (so in the 1 thou range at best, much more if it's
just cosmetic), so it seems to me the precision of the machine should not
make much difference. But maybe I am missing the point.

In general what I read on the web seems to suggest that just because the
parts you are making are small, this does not mean the machine you make them
in should be small (as I understand it, little machines may be less well
made, whereas bigger ones are for pros and will be better made, which should
help - at least, I think that is the logic).

Watchmaking is probably a red herring, their parts are so short and their
tolerances are so tight etc - but it's the only example I can think of that
demonstrates that tiny parts can be turned.
Reading up a little on it, I see they all use a hand-graver. Is there
something inherent in using a hand tool that makes smaller parts easier to
make, or do they just do it like this because it's a craft thing?
It isn't obvious to me that the (very expensive) little lathes they use are
inherently any more suitable than a mini-lathe, though again maybe I am
missing the point.
Watchmaking seems to be a vast and esoteric subject, but the few references
to turning techniques that I can find seem to suggest that their turning
speeds are if anything quite slow (500-1500 or so) but maybe I am getting
this wrong.

Hope someone can give me a clue.

Chas

anybody can share ventilation system pictures in foundry site

rill — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:04:57 GMT

want to control silica in foundry worksite...
reduce the terrible dust in them...

many thanks.

BR/
Rill

Mini Lathe Kit

david R — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:15:29 GMT

I have just missed a mini lathe kit on e bay, it was a set of partly
machined castings for a lathe of circa 50mm swing 350 centres. Pity
but does anyone know where or when they were produced?
Dave

Leadscrew Cover Springs

Richard Shute — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:13:55 GMT

Does anyone know of a source of cover springs to go over a leadscrew,
I'd like to add them to my lathe but can't find any source. The wound
flat strip coil-spring type that I'm after used to be made by
Tensator, but these days they only make Post Office barriers and the
like, no 'engineering' production :-(
A few other people make the straight extension constant force springs
that Tensator also used to do, but no one seems to do the conical coil
springs.

Thanks
Richard

Progressing the Victoria

Steve — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:07:07 GMT

Now got the Meyer expansion valve drive gear in place:

Stuart Victoria with Expansion Valve Drive Gear (0 min 27 sec)

Needs tidying up, but it does the job -

Steve

myford

ste_bre_at_hotmail_dot_co_do — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:10:23 GMT

ste
-------------------------------------

hi just wondered if you could powder coat a myford super 7 and would it be
better than painting it

tanks ste

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help finding drill clamps

penfold — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:10:56 GMT

I'm after one of these but the only ones a trawl of google and the toy
catalogues has turned up is this glorified pair of mole grips;

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...file=1&jump=48

I remember using a dinky little clamp at college which did the same
job and provided greater clamping power, it had a square-ish body
about 3" square and 1" thick which used a key on a hexhead to wind the
clamp finger onto the work piece, while the body itself was bolted
onto one of the table slots. I'm sure it had a brand name on it but
it's so long ago my synapses have misplaced the data.

Free CAD & Calculation Software - www.wen.eu.com

Worldwide Engineering Networ — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:45:45 GMT

Free CAD & Calculation Software - www.wen.eu.com

Garden Fork

George — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:28:07 GMT

Not exactly a model one. Sorry, but a neighbour of mine has broken a
Garden fork tine, spike, whatever, off. and he is desperate to get it
repaired, as it belonged to his father. It is an end piece and has
broken on the right angle bend. The break surface looks a bit like
cast iron, but I doubt that it is, as in trying to straighten it a
bit, it is very springy and strong.

I wonder if any repair is going to be successful. What sort of
procedure would you august members attempt? I can do gas, mig, and
stick, but I am tempted to go to the nearest car boot, buy another
similar fork and do a quick grind over that corner and pretend I am a
bl**dy genius.

Any ideas please. Regards George.

Proxxon FKS/E mini table saw

oparr@hotmail. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:47:49 GMT

Referring to this table saw;

http://www.miniaturetree.com/imgcategory/257_b.jpg

Has anyone ever used it to cut aluminum say .1" thick using the 24
tooth carbide blade or similar?

Biiiig Lathe

Sandy Morton — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:50:46 GMT

Nice looking machine if you have the space
http://www.sweeney-kincaid.com/Sales...=1&SaleID=1372

turning perspex

Zed Bert — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:30:40 GMT

Hi all,

I need to turn a perspex disk about 50mm dia. as a replacement speedo
glass on an old Yamaha. What can I use to stick in to a piece of wood
mounted in my lathe chuck?

Got to be something that will stick well enough for turning but come
off and not leave a mark...

Cheers for any suggestions!

Zed

Diesel tachometer senser (mechanically driven)

Julian — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:45:23 GMT

Please have a look at the first item in this link:

http://www.aetnaengineering.com/tach...rs-sensors.asp

I wonder if anyone could point me towards a supplier of something similar in
the UK?

It's for a Rolls Royce (Perkins) Eagle engine but I could probably adapt
anything 1/2 suitable to fit. Too old for most scrapyards nowadays :-(

Cheers Julian.