News, Announcements, and the Odd Mild Rant
I Ate'nt Dead
Howdy all! I realise it has been a little while since my last updates, this is largely due to a very busy season at work, but rest assured: I am still here, still plodding along, still building! I'm hoping to get chance for some updates soon, the next one most likely being a walkthrough i'm currently writing about how to build my Sweet Pea Loco Lamp. As a gentleman has kindly asked how to build one, I may as well write it up and post it! Back soon! Mister Griffiths |
New Logo!
My dear sister has created a new logo for this site, finally allowing me to retire my tired old cobbled-together attempt...thanks sis! She has even given me a simplified black and white version for printed applications, which is very handy indeed... |
An Unexpected Gift
Ladies and gentlemen, this may not mean a lot to most people, but I have been given a Myford. A lovely gentleman visited the miniature railway last weekend, and asked our chairman, Mr Williams, if anybody wanted an old lathe, as he was moving and had no space for it any more. Mr W then rang me, as he knows I have an interest in old things and may like a project. So yesterday, we both went over to this chaps house to have a look, and lo and behold...this old lathe turned out to be a damned near pristine Myford ML7, with cabinet, cover and all the accessories you could dream of. It was apparently taken from a dental hospital when it was refurbished, and languished unused for a decade. Needless to say, I was bowled over, and am now the proud owner of a beautiful new lathe! My poor old Faircut Senior will now be gracefully retired after providing excellent service for years, and I will keep it well wrapped up and oiled in the loft until someone turns up who may be just starting out, who likes a bit of heritage and will look after it and most importantly USE it. This has been a good week. Next week, I need to get it up an d running, and it's first job will be related to the Emett Exhibition in Birmingham this summer...stay tuned for more details and pictures! |
A New Start
I am fairly sure i've never mentioned that I have a day job of sorts, as a casual technician at the Alhambra Theatre In Bradford, but now I am mentioning it. This is because I no longer have that job: while I was on holiday a few weeks ago, I got a call offering me the job of Flyman & Rigger at a brand new theatre in Doncaster, called Cast. That is basically my ideal job, so needless to say I took it without hesitation. The practical upshot of this is that the last few weeks since my return from Italy have been consumed by a frenzy of activity only found in a theatre preparing for its first EVER show. Opening night was last night, and it went off without a hitch, and now I'm hoping I'll have time to fit my workshop back into my life! I already have a couple of projects lined up, so keep an eye open... |
Tombola Fun
I've made, for a charity raffle thing at the model railway, a tombola. The society was lacking one, so I volunteered and threw one together this afternoon. I would put up a how to guide on making it, but its basically just a box on an axle. It doesn't really warrant the use of a page! In other news, the weather is excellent and I am packing for a short trip to Italy... |
Engineering in Miniature
I did a bit of a service to my lathe this morning, which included fettling the gib strips and their screws on the cross slide. I was rather pleased with how little play this this resulted in, and decided to test it out by machining something a little more intricate than I normally would. This ended up with me making a machine screw so small my phone's camera would not focus on it! It is an M1.6 screw in brass, with a cheese head, and clocks in about 3/16" long in . I even made a corresponding threaded hole to try it out, and I am very pleased with the results. Now, back to some proper work... |
Open Day and Exhibition!
Tomorrow (7th July 2013) is the annual open day and exhibition for S&D SMEE at Abbeydale Model Railway in Sheffield. There will be more engines there than I have seen in one place before and a variety of displays and demonstrations by the extraordinarily talented denizens of that society, so why not take advantage of the sunny weather and wander over? There will be train rides, ice creams and lots to see, including my Travel Cocktail Cabinet which is weighing down one end of a table. Its a lovely location too, in a forest clearing, so what are you waiting for? |
Bubbling, Salty Water
And another thing, whilst I remember, yesterday I set up the first bit of electrolytic etching I have done in a long time. I've used a few different components this time around, the most notable difference being that it is now mains powered. So, all being well, there should be a page about the etching project I'm working on springing into being any day now! Keep your eyes peeled if you have ever craved the ability to etch intricate patterns into brass sheet with only an old bolt, a transformer and a bucket of salty water... |
A New Toy
I've just managed to get myself an old-style Myford fixed steady, and I've adapted it to fit my antiquated Faircut. This means that all of a sudden I can work on the ends of much longer sections of material...I tried it out by facing the ends of some 1" brass tube, and it is marvellous! Combined with the newly-functional 4-jaw chuck, all of a sudden my little lathe is looking a lot more capable... I'm fairly sure normal people don't get excited about this sort of thing. |
S & D SMEE
A few months ago, I discovered and then joined the Sheffield & District Society Of Model and Experimental Engineers. They run a 7 1/4" gauge miniature railway in Abbeydale to the south of Sheffield, about 5 minutes from my house, and they are amazing. They have countless years of experience between them, they are friendly, welcoming and helpful, and the railway is tremendous fun to both work on and ride. It opens to the public on the odd Sunday and bank holidays during summer, and I urge anyone who has a fascination with engineering or steam to head down there. Bring a picnic. |
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