Stuff you have fixed today

[Pete.]

Emergency repair job for @Windy Miller. The power steering line rusted through on a bend and needed a repair piece until he can get a new pipe.

The original is 8mm steel but he found some 8mm copper and some thick-walled 10mm too. I started by drawing around the damaged part on my bench with a marker pen, so we had a gauge to work to. Then I cut off the rotted-out bend and made a new one in copper complete with female flare. I kept the old end intact just in case I messed it up and needed to do something drastic:

The first flare split so I slapped myself round the head and annealed it for a second try which worked great.

Here's the original end on the new bend, along with 1.5" of the 10mm thick-walled pipe drilled out to 8mm as a joiner.

Cleaned up the old steel pipe end and tinned it ready for joining.

Test-assembled on the bend over my previously drawn outline.

Then just soft-soldered the assembly with some rosin flux coz I couldn't find my plumber's flux. Heated the steel pipe forst of course so it wicked in nicely without getting a cold joint. Here's the finished repair:

 

[Windy Miller]

Thanks so much for doing this @Pete. - you really helped me out there Mate. It was one of those ‘oh 5h1t’ moments when I realised that there was no possible way I’d be able to get a replacement part late on a Saturday afternoon, and I desperately needed to use the truck first thing after the bank holiday.

All in all it turned out to be a really neat repair - you made a great job of it! I’m still laughing about finding that pipe flaring kit that I’d forgotten I even owned!

Hopefully it will all go back together without too much drama tomorrow morning.

Thanks again Mate - you’re a proper Gent!

 

[DAPPH]

I decided to spend a few hours fixing up the little turntable that I bought at Liberty Tool Company the other day. I don't know what it was originally used for, and to be honest, I don't know if I'll ever actually use it for anything, but there are several possibilities. The only identifying marks are what appear to be "WHB" on the frame casting.

Here's the turntable as purchased. It has a 48:1 gear ratio.
View attachment 391667

It had some problems. For one thing, the platter wobbled as the shaft turned, so first I bored the hole to 5/8 inch.
View attachment 391668

I installed a sleeve and a new 1/2" shaft (nice tight hot-cold press fit). Then I cleaned up the edges of the platter and refaced it so that it turns nice and true.
View attachment 391672

This is the underside of the platter with the new shaft after truing it.
View attachment 391669

The other problem with this gadget was that the original manufacturing was rather sloppy. The original shaft was about a degree out of plumb/perpendicular in the cast-iron frame, which might have been good enough for whatever its original use was, but I'm a lot pickier about that kind of thing, so I bored out the shaft holes (forgot to take a photo while boring) in the frame to 5/8 inch to square them up. Here are a few of the parts after stripping the paint and giving them a very light bead blasting:
View attachment 391670

Boring out the holes in the frame allowed me to install sintered bronze bushings, which is an improvement over the original, which had no bushings.
View attachment 391671

The original unit only had a thrust bearing that supported a downward load, so I decided to improve upon that and make a bronze bearing that would handle an upward load and also keep the worm gear more accurately and securely centered over the worm wheel. I made the bearing saddle-shaped to conform to the curved cast-iron frame.
View attachment 391675

I turned a smooth thrust surface on the gear to mate up with the new thrust bearing.
View attachment 391677

Here's the assembled unit. I replaced the original thrust washer/bearing with a pair of sintered bronze bearings. You can see the saddle-shaped bronze bearing above the gear. I left the shaft extra long for the time being, since I still don't know what I'd be using it for, and I can always shorten it later. I buffed the gear teeth, treated the gears with gun bluing, and oiled them.
View attachment 391673

View attachment 391674

I probably spent about six hours messing about with this, but it was fun, so the time doesn't count. It now operates very smoothly, and there's not a bit of wobble in the platter. I'm using a snug-fitting cotter pin to secure the worm gear on its shaft for now, since it will allow easy disassembly if I ever want to modify it. I'll probably just oil the gadget and stash it in a container until I get the urge to make something with it.

Your find is an " Essex window display turntable " a page or so down from the hot air engine .

The Essex Hot Air Engine

This engine was designed by Henry Essex and was patented in 1902 (US 723,660) The engines were on sale around 1905 and were advert...

myfordboy.blogspot.com

 

[Blue Chips]

Your find is an " Essex window display turntable " a page or so down from the hot air engine .

The Essex Hot Air Engine

This engine was designed by Henry Essex and was patented in 1902 (US 723,660) The engines were on sale around 1905 and were advert...

myfordboy.blogspot.com

Thanks! Great find! I was wondering what it had been used for.

 

[DAPPH]

Just close your eyes and think of England. Everything looks the same in the dark.

But the beard & grunting often cancels everything even if your wearing beer goggles

 

[DAPPH]

I always had a golden rule....
If a lass is bigger than you, heavier then you, or harder than you - then you don't wanna be getting cosy with her!
Rule to live by, that one

Even more so when she proves she can drink you under the table on pints of Guinness at her ratio of three to one of yours .

 

[Geoffm]

I have been going through my mother in laws chainsaws. They haven’t been used for probably not been used for 10 years. She is 77, and since we got her a battery powered Stihl, they haven't been used as they are much heavier. Over Christmas there was a tree that needed to be cut up and so pulled them out of the shed.

There is a Husqvarna 136, that started with fresh oil and petrol. A Johnsered that needed a new carb which I finally received and put on yesterday. It runs well with some fiddling and the Aliexpress carb replacement, and a Poulan 2050. Despite a new carb, I am still pullin and pullin the Poulan trying to start it.
There is also a Partner 500, circa mid 1980s. This started up with no problems, but the anti-vibration mount on top had perished and broken. It seems to be a common issue as it is a hollow cone, and the rubber walls are quite thin and tore. I got a China’s Finest Aliexpress Stihl 030 mount set, trimmed the outside and stuck it inside with RTV and bolted it back in with washers as spacers to stop it pulling through.
I doubt if they will see much use, and I will make sure they are stored without fuel and run try so the carbs don’t block up again.

 

[MattF]

“The hungry have to be fed” - ancient proverb

"The desperate will pork owt", would be better wording for this one.

 

[DAPPH]

Finally finished sorting out the 500kg motorcycle lifter that can lift 500 kg from 110mm up to a height of 500mm . The dead Walls Ice Cream chest freezer was cut with my plasma cutter to give a platform of 600 mm high to save my spine giving me gip . Work done remove reposition & weld in the yoke on the frame at the top of the main ram so the ram can push freely vertically instead of it being pressed to one side , jamming and leaking . Carefully drill the foot plate of the orange ram so it sits well centrally on the mounting bracket,
Make four new Delrin wheels to replace the evil poorly made cast iron wheels , had to recut the retaining circlip grooves on the two castored wheel pivots as one was already out the shallow groove when I stripped it to do the new wheels .
Turned up four new 10 mm shouldered wheel axle pins and threaded one end to 8mm .

Modified the ram actuator device to take a strong spring that would lift the operating lever back to the start of it's down wards stroke . The spring is 150 mm long and I had to compress itr down to about 40 mm ...used the lathe and three jubilee clips with a mandrel in the tailstock chuck ..had fun getting the jubilee clips in and aligned then tightened at the right setting . Getting them out once it was all set ready to commission was a simple case of compress then spring using the foot lever and tin snip the clips off .

Using the three jaw chuck gave me the ideal spacing to put the three jubilee clips on the spring at equal distances , there is no way I could compress the spring enough and fit it without using them other than by me making a set of screw bolt spring compresser using long nuts ( which I was about to turn up on the lathe in 1/2 hex bar with ground in locating seats for the spring ends . The clips worked a treat and at 20p or so each well worthwhile for the time & messing around they saved me.

 

[DAPPH]

Fixed my cheapo Dremel copy. The mains cable has been coming apart around the cable strain relief, but that bit is moulded into the insulation of the cable itself so cannot be replaced. I had a go at strengthening it, but without success. I thought I'd thrown out all my old broken ones (like any normal person would) but I found them the other day and was able to replace the cable. And this one is a separate strain relief, so I can swap the cable again if it lasts long enough to fail.

View attachment 396423

With care you can get the moulded strain relief off a lot of gear . I have done it many many times

Turn off the power , unplug & cut the cable off at the strain relief , undo the machine take out the strain relief & tail of cable .

Use pliers to gently & carefully pull the wires & their insulation through the cable sheath , Once all are out snip off the sheath and you should have a workable hole to gently hand drill the insulation out of , using different increasingly slightly bigger drills .
Insert the new cable super glue the new cable in place after you have stripped and prepped it for putting back in the machine ,

 

[Windy Miller]

Emergency repair job for @Windy Miller. The power steering line rusted through on a bend and needed a repair piece until he can get a new pipe.

The original is 8mm steel but he found some 8mm copper and some thick-walled 10mm too. I started by drawing around the damaged part on my bench with a marker pen, so we had a gauge to work to. Then I cut off the rotted-out bend and made a new one in copper complete with female flare. I kept the old end intact just in case I messed it up and needed to do something drastic:

The first flare split so I slapped myself round the head and annealed it for a second try which worked great.

Here's the original end on the new bend, along with 1.5" of the 10mm thick-walled pipe drilled out to 8mm as a joiner.

View attachment 396617

Cleaned up the old steel pipe end and tinned it ready for joining.

View attachment 396623

Test-assembled on the bend over my previously drawn outline.

View attachment 396626

Then just soft-soldered the assembly with some rosin flux coz I couldn't find my plumber's flux. Heated the steel pipe forst of course so it wicked in nicely without getting a cold joint. Here's the finished repair:

View attachment 396627

Thanks so much for doing this @Pete. - you really helped me out there Mate. It was one of those ‘oh 5h1t’ moments when I realised that there was no possible way I’d be able to get a replacement part late on a Saturday afternoon, and I desperately needed to use the truck first thing after the bank holiday.

All in all it turned out to be a really neat repair - you made a great job of it! I’m still laughing about finding that pipe flaring kit that I’d forgotten I even owned!

Hopefully it will all go back together without too much drama tomorrow morning.

Thanks again Mate - you’re a proper Gent!

Well I’m very happy to report that after Pete’s Stirling efforts yesterday evening there are no further leaks!

It all went back together smoothly without issue, and after a few trips out today, no further puddles of PSF have been left anywhere!

 

[DAPPH]

In the harsh light of day I tried to lift 100 kg plus of baled compost . the lifter didn't come out of it too well . had to modify the adaptor head on the end of the screw ram using a turned up pin an inch longer than the original one and threading it on one end for a 10 mm nut to stop the pin being pulled through the yoke by the jacks ram return spring.

Then turned my attention to grinding off the end stops on the lifting platform and drilling up two equal length of 50/50 x 5 mm angle for one on each side of the platform .
This is to extend it to about 30 inches by 20 inches by coach bolting reclaimed pallet wood on top then adding a top cover of 16 mm plastic Stok Board cut to size to make the platform strong and slightly slippery when things are not ratchet strapped down on the platform for easy loading & unloading of heavy things .
Several more hours work needed to get it properly finished .

 

[sako243]

Some bushes on the Defenders A frame

 

[Turbo]

The pump. I spent a couple of hours trying to fix the old one, but gave up and bought a replacement.

Where did you get it? I've the same parts washer & the pump is on its last legs.

 

[Seadog]

Zoro. Cromwell also do the same one, but slightly dearer (same company). Listed for a Kennedy parts washer. There is a difference in that the thread for the spout is metric rather than BSP on the clarke version. But just use the end from your old pump.

I bought a pair of heavy duty rubber gloves for £2.50 which gave me free postage (I needed a pair anyway, so a good result).

 

[Jan-DIY]

Little red messed up front pto because of worn spline. Do not have any front implements so it is not that bad.

 

[Seadog]

Fixed this for a neighbour.

Two mullered screws in a headphone amplifier. The buggers were small, 4-48 ANF and 6-32 ANC, AND PUT IN WITH PLENTY OF loctite.
There was enough head left to cut a slot in each and then tease them out with my trusty old impact driver.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Rescued today.

Didn't work, but I was only interested in the switch.

Nowt standing out as wrong. The motor tested ok. But m ains lead didn't.

Oh bother.


As it was under 6"/150mm from the plug I cut it out and fitted a new plug.

 

[awemawson]

JCB 3CX hydraclamp bolt & nut. 38 mm o/d by 2 mm pitch. Stuck fast and anti rotation lugs chewed off.

Thought I'd teach it a lesson and saw it off. Mighty tough stuff. About and hour and a half and three carbide sawblades later I won !

 

[DAPPH]

I now have Triggers trolley, renewed 55% of the metal work with 6x 25 mm flat bar and the mig setting on my multi welder .
But it is the original 12 yr old trolley , this time next year I might have to sort out the metal moths eating the remaining Chinesium iron