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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    near Warragul, Victoria
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    Default Machining tiny components

    Hi

    A friend is into Triang model trains from the 1950's and 60's . He asked me to make a tiny collar for one of his locos , the collar locates the motor/bogie unit , into the body of the loco .

    I used a thin parting off tool for most of the turning, and then changed to a hack saw blade, ground like a parting off tool, in order to machine the thin groove

    The tapped hole is #6 BA size . The original part was brass , I used some cheap stuff instead .

    I used a 5" 3 jaw chuck, a collet would have been better, but I have to make the collet chuck !

    Mike
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  2. #2
    Ueee's Avatar
    Ueee is offline Blacksmith, Cabinetmaker, Machinist, Messmaker
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Canberra
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    39
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    4,515

    Default

    Excellent work Mike,
    those parts are really tiny. What sort of speed did you turn them at? I imagine you would need to go really fast to get the SFPM up to anything like 100.
    Cheers,
    Ew

    Hendy, Hendy, Hendy, Hendy, Hendy, Hendy...........
    1915 17"x50" LeBlond heavy duty Lathe, 24" Queen city shaper, 1970's G Vernier FV.3.TO Universal Mill, 1958 Blohm HFS 6 surface grinder, 1942 Rivett 715 Lathe, 14"x40" Antrac Lathe, Startrite H225 Bandsaw, 1949 Hercus Camelback Drill press, 1947 Holbrook C10 Lathe.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Newstead Victoria
    Posts
    459

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    Hi all good to see some one else who dabbles on the micro side thought I was robinson Crusoe. Not much chop for 60 yo eyeballs.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
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    3,228

    Default Machining tiny components

    If you don't already have one I highly recommend an Optivisor. I got one with the DA3 lens for $40 plus $12 postage from eBay seller stcarp.

    Chris
    Chris

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Perth WA
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    71
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    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    If you don't already have one I highly recommend an Optivisor. I got one with the DA3 lens for $40 plus $12 postage from eBay seller stcarp.

    Chris

    I second that. The Optivisor and a couple of Bausch and Lomb loupes are constant companions.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
    Posts
    3,228

    Default

    Here's a part I finished today. It's the fuel spraybar for a 1cc diesel engine I'm making. You can just make out the 0.5mm fuel jet in the side of the narrow part of the spraybar.
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Far West Wimmera
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    63
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    4,049

    Default

    Some years ago I was friends with an old engineer called Wilf Manning until he moved to a retirement home in Adelaide, having first made arrangments to house his lathe etc where he could access it. Wilf learnt his trade with steam engines.

    He told me about boring out the cylinder of a steam engine using a vertical wire stretched in line with and at the centre of the bore to take measurements with and getting in with a hammer and chisel to remove the bits not needed.

    At the other end of the spectrum he told me about making bearing races for the needle shafts of gauges used in the cockpit of planes, from scratch.

    Dean

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Dural NSW
    Age
    82
    Posts
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    Default Wilfs Workshop

    Quote Originally Posted by Oldneweng View Post
    Some years ago I was friends with an old engineer called Wilf Manning until he moved to a retirement home in Adelaide, having first made arrangments to house his lathe etc where he could access it. Wilf learnt his trade with steam engines.

    He told me about boring out the cylinder of a steam engine using a vertical wire stretched in line with and at the centre of the bore to take measurements with and getting in with a hammer and chisel to remove the bits not needed.

    At the other end of the spectrum he told me about making bearing races for the needle shafts of gauges used in the cockpit of planes, from scratch.

    Dean
    Dean
    Just read your post & Wilfs name came to mind. He had a section in a Model makers magazine called "Wilfs Workshop"
    Obtained a lot of good info from his knowledge & the subjects on machining etc that he wrote about.
    Good to see he has access to his lathe in the retirement home.
    These retirement homes need workshops for the likes of Wilf, & others with similiar interests.
    regards
    Bruce

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW, Australia
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    60
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    98

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    Quote Originally Posted by Abratool View Post

    These retirement homes need workshops for the likes of Wilf, & others with similiar interests.
    The aged care facility where my parents are, has a "Men's Shed", which is about the size of a 1 car garage, with glass panelled doors at both ends.

    My dad is the only one who shows any interest, so the good side is that it's effectively his, but the bad side is that he's pretty lonely out there. He's sanded and re-oiled all the outdoor furniture, made trivets for the jugs and urns, made a couple of footstools, and is currently making a batch of easels for the diversional therapist. He also repaired the facilities flagpole, saving them a $500 call-out fee, and in return for all this work, they have soooo generously agreed to reduce his monthly parking fee from $50 to only $25.

    If he wasn't getting personal satisfaction out of this, and getting personal thanks from individual staff members, I'd be pushing for him to stop working for the facility for gratis.

    Cheers,
    Andrew

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