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Night Watch

"But I don’t think my wife would appreciate what I had in mind for her!" Ye Gods and little fishes Ken, what sort of tool shop were you in!?😮😁 "She can strip any household item to bits with any dinner knife" Leads to the question; can she put it back together, in working order, with a dinner knife!?😉 Seriously tho folks! More power to your collective elbows Ken👍 Keep your head Ken "whilst all about you are loosing theirs"! Have to admit that, on a slightly different level, several decades ago I made the fatal mistake of buying my second wife a sewing machine for Christmas! Went down like a lead Concorde.🤕 Turned out she was more into anything she could easily turn into cash! That was my second and last experiment with marriage. My 'female companion' of nearly 25 years now 😊 Gisela (girl friend sounds kinda wrong somehow at our age!😉), came with her own basic tool kit and is perfectly capable of mounting shelves, (almost) all the irritating fixes that can occur around the house and even assembling IKEA !! I get only get involved when it comes to electrics / electronics / PC or the HEAVY stuff! Colin; If I needed someone to help me strip down and rebuild an engine I'd have to turn to me dear old Mum. Going on 95 and still going! She spent most of WW2 doing just that for army trucks. Apropos clamps; some of you may remember the Colin / Nerys thread(s) on Workshops a month or so ago, both were building new ones. I posted some pics of mine and commented on the STUFF clogging up my construction bench, including a box of clamps. Since the sort out and clean I can't find the damn box and it's driving me quietly bonkers - now, after turning the place upside-down, soon to develop into screamingly insane! 😜 So come on guys, a joke's a joke! Which of U 'orrible lot has nicked it or hidden it for a bit o fun? 🤔 Ramble ramble ramble ..... 😎

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Bulkheads and motor fit.

"And it was all going so well! If all else fails, read the instructions and look carefully at the drawings." I think this is a man thing according to my wife, this sometimes happens when I've assembled IKEA . PS also interested in Magnifier

5 years ago by mturpin013

Response

Re: 34'' Crash Tender

Hi Prior to 1973 and the introduction of VAT, Purchase Tax was applied in this country. Items that were sold incomplete, eg in kit form, were exempt from PT hence the popularity of white wood that was unfinished and needed painting, or kitchen units without back panels, kit cars like the Lotus Elan or Seven etc. Upon joining the EU VAT replaced PT and the exemptions were different leading to the demise of the assembled or kit option

5 years ago by Brianaro

Blog

Radio Aerial and Loud Hailer

On the cabin roof is the radio aerial, the kit supplies a base in white metal, but to accommodate my aerial design I decided to machine my own out of brass. I wanted the pole to be tapered and with it being only 2mm dia I found the easiest way was to support the piece in a wooden block at the same height as the Dremel laid flat on the bench. With the piece rotating, I used a smooth file and grades of wet & dry to taper down to 0.75 dia. Next I machined the 2mm end down to 1.5mm to accept the spring, this spring will be soldered to a lower piece which then goes through the base and into the cabin where it’s bolted in position. I decided to incorporate a spring to make sure it does not get accidently bent. Soft soldering was chosen, as the silver solder would have tempered the spring. The result was really better than I could have imagined. Loud Hailer Another heavy item, first job hollow out with the Dremel and then fill with polystyrene and top with Milliput and sculpt the shape –result, the weight was halved. Next I made a frame in the same way as the one I did for the search light – (see search light) All the cabin has to be mounted on the roof which is curved! I found the best way was to use Milliput. The method was as follows, 1 Drill the hole for each item in the appropriate place 2 Make sure the fastening method for each piece will hold the piece upright (I tapped the hole 8BA) 3 Make a dividing piece from PTFE baking sheet circular for most items but oblong for the mast feet 4 Roughen the surface where the items contact the cabin roof 5 Place the divider on the items base 6 Mix a small amount of Milliput 7 Place a circular amount under each item 8 put some Vaseline on the securing bolt so it doesn’t stick 9 Pull the item down to the desired height and fasten in position then trim around the bases 10 When dry remove the item and the baking sheet, paint as required 11 sorry if this is common knowledge

5 years ago by mturpin013