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  1. #1
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    Default The things you do...

    Some time ago, I made a bench grinder grinding rest for a guy in Country SA. Not sure how I got onto it - I might have been looking for something on Gumtree, saw his ad looking for parts and offered to help as you do.
    Anyway, I got a call in August while in Tas asking if I could make something else up for him. Yeah why not - but it would have to wait until I was back in Adelaide etc etc.

    Fast forward. I'm back*, so Paul makes contact again as as he was in town, drops in the item. A pair of favourite sunglasses. The wings are plastic, the frames metal and the place where the screw fastens has broken. Can I make up a new pair of wings?
    Crumbs.
    This is one of the wings. Around 110mm long, ends are diameter 5mm, middle is around 3mm diameter.
    P1040424.jpg
    After a bit of thought, I decided that the new wings would need to be stainless. Paul did not want plastic and Al would probably leave grey marks. I had some 5mm stainless rod, but how to get the hourglass shape? The length and depth of the dip was such that the radius would be around 1.6m. Eventually I worked out that holding the rod in the battery drill at a slight angle (probably about 15 degrees) on the round drum of the linisher would sand out that part. Bit of a polish on the lathe and it looks about right.
    P1040425.jpg P1040426.jpg
    Now the hard part. I measured the screw and discovered that it was 10BA. For those that are not familiar with BA threads, that is around 1.5mm OD, with a proportionally small pitch. My BA taps are old and so I was not sure about tapping into SS, so I used a pin reamer to ream out a 2mm hole and put a brass plug in (loctite bearing retainer compound). I then had to drill out a 1.4mm hole for the tapped hole. For that I used my smallest chuck and a sensitive drilling attachment on the mill, run at high speed. It works by holding the knurled disc and using that to guide the drill up and down. Usually used on a drill press, I used it on the mill so I could clamp everything down and line things up with the microscope.
    P1040427.jpg
    To tap, I removed the chuck from the mill, put in the tap and used that as a tapping chuck as every other tapping device was too big. Effectively tapping with a lever arm of around 1/2", and I could feel every little catch/ notch... Got there!
    P1040431.jpg
    Tomorrow I need to clean things up, put a slot through the end and I will (hopefully) have some wings sans bends. Not sure what to do there, as the plastic has some natural spring. The stainless will sit there so may not be as comfortable. The other issue is that with the non-uniform cross section, any bending will have to be done carefully as otherwise it will bend only at the thinnest point. I may have to wait for Paul to get back and adjust the fit.

    Michael

    *I should point out that the job I came back for has now been terminated. Bit of bait and switch, bit of parachute someone into the position over the objections of the direct manager and of course he won't sabotage the position...

  2. #2
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    Default

    Does that mean that you're on the lookout for another job???
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  3. #3
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    Does that mean that you're on the lookout for another job?
    I am looking for more paid employment. My wife and others have found plenty of jobs for me in the meantime - like this one.

    Michael

  4. #4
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    Default

    Hi Michael,

    I enjoy reading your posts and often learn something new !
    Who says that you can't teach an old dog new tricks

    Sorry to learn about the job though ! I found myself in a similar position some forty odd years ago, two young children and jobs scarce. At the time the government was running educational schemes, where in return for a subsistence allowance you agreed to go, basically back to school, in my case I ended up at a technical collage and then moved on to university.

    The upshot of this was that I got a job managing a computer company supplying schools with computer systems. About a year later the company collapsed, so I started my own business, and that is where I remained until retiring a few years ago.

    I suppose what I'm saying is take advantage of the skills that you have.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael G View Post
    I am looking for more paid employment. My wife and others have found plenty of jobs for me in the meantime - like this one. Michael
    BUMMER, if things got desperate, would you go back to Tassie?
    Hope something comes up real soon for you. Trouble is, the odd jobs don't really help pay the bills.
    Nice work by the way.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  6. #6
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    Default

    So we don't get too far off topic,

    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    ...if things got desperate, would you go back to Tassie?
    see //metalworkforums.com/f265/t202...74#post1947574

  7. #7
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    Default

    It worked (sometimes I can even surprise myself). The only problem may be that the wings are heavier than the plastic ones would be but

    IMG_0535.JPG

    Michael

  8. #8
    jatt's Avatar
    jatt is offline Always within 10 paces from nearest stubby holder
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    Default

    Bugger you aren't in central Vic. Someone who can think outside the box and is handy with machine tools would go well around here!

    Can train most people how to drive my equipment, but I cant teach folk how to think!

    One thing I can tell you is that a lot of employers have a similar issue. Some has a thing against "more mature folks", but I find older folk are generally a good bet mainly because of the experience they bring. If they of course they are prepared to learn new skills and can handle a younger person telling them what to do.
    Frisky wife, happy life. ​Then I woke up. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.
    From an early age my father taught me to wear welding gloves . "Its not to protect your hands son, its to put out the fire when u set yourself alight".

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by jatt View Post
    Can train most people how to drive my equipment, but I cant teach folk how to think
    If you can teach that, you'll be a multimillionaire!!!!!
    My grandkids are older than the bloke I work for!!!
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  10. #10
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jatt View Post
    Can train most people how to drive my equipment, but I cant teach folk how to think!
    That is what Universities are good at ! That is teaching you how to think, how to discover useful information !

    One thing I can tell you is that a lot of employers have a similar issue. Some has a thing against "more mature folks", but I find older folk are generally a good bet mainly because of the experience they bring. If they of course they are prepared to learn new skills and can handle a younger person telling them what to do.


    In my experience few mature people can handle that, many younger ones can't either !
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  11. #11
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    Default Sensitive Drill

    I liked the sensitive drill jig.

    Am guessing its a firm sliding fit of a bar in a tube, with a couple of slots in a tube and a cross bar going through the slots and the sliding bar. Or is it something far simpler ?

    If the bearing ever fails are you suddenly holding a thing that is whizzing around at 1000s of rpm ?

    Bill

  12. #12
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    Default

    That's basically it (with a spring to counterbalance the weight). If the bearing did jam then yes, you would be holding a knurled whizzing thing.

    Michael

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