Stuff you have made today

[Hood]

Tonight I headed down to the workshop and made a pedal part for the rear brake lever for my bike. Not sure if I dyed it enough or not as I didn't have the brake lever with me, if it is not dark enough then easy enough to strip off the anodising and do again.

 

[minimutly]

A long wire antenna, a first try anyway.

Antenna is connected with a rope to the house, insulators are made from two zip ties. The antenna wire itself is mig-wire .8mm. Soldered a wire to the end and ran it through the window to the receiver. Still no proper ground however, too much snow and the ground is frozen so I cannot drive an earthing rod in.

Works a lot better on SW than MW or LW, currently listening to something I think is american. I plan to make a longer one that is higher up, and using a transformer and coax cable to shield against noise.

You need an aerial tuning unit or ATU - a coil with tappings at various points essentially. The aerial you have made is called an inverted "L". Had one coming into my bedroom when I was a lad. I think the timber I nailed to the oak tree is still there..

 

[Farside]

You need an aerial tuning unit or ATU - a coil with tappings at various points essentially.

Yep, even on receive it makes a difference. Not essential, though.
I've noticed prices of receive-only ATUs have remained healthy over the past couple of years.
Of course, there are kits from China, for quite cheap.

 

[DennisCA]

If it's just a coil with various taps, it sounds like a coil antenna for a primitive crystal radio.

I was recommended anyway to set up a 9:1 unun and a 1:1 choke first. That would supposedly improve my antenna on it's own I was told, coax doesn't pick up noise as much. Ofcourse my receiver is the old type and does not have coax plugs for AM, only two wires.

 

[MattF]

Casting boxes. Cut a 140mm wide, warped length of pine in half and 170mm lengths, sander to get them alll flat and equal.
View attachment 336146
Clamps, aluminium square, glue and screwed up.
View attachment 336147
Done. Within 0.5mm of the intended 150mm inside length and square enough, which is a first for me. The aluminium square and bench clamps help!
View attachment 336148
When glues dry they will get another sand, then I'll add some blocks and locating pins.

I keep mixing up the sand, starting to get dry, still sticking to hands so its not ready yet.

And a small test I intended to do montha ago, mixed up some copper sulphate layout acid. It works but, much better dipping than brush.
View attachment 336169

What formula have you used for the layout fluid?

 

[Hood]

Fitted the brake pedal, it is too light in colour will have to either re-anodise or maybe just make a new one. I think I will dye it to match the foot peg I made rather than the colour I dyed the lever.

Also fitted the pillion peg that I skimmed a bit off last night and now it folds properly.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

or maybe just make a new one.

How much material goes in the scrap bin?

 

[Hood]

The front foot pegs weigh 125g and the material they came from weighed 840g

 

[Kram]

What formula have you used for the layout fluid?

In 50ml water, 5g of CuSO⁴, half gram of NaHSO⁴. I think too much acid, so Id use 0.1g next time. Any acid will work, doesnt need to be this.

 

[Hood]

Best I ever did was a 86kg part that started life as a 560kg blank.

Mine actually wins in a % of scrap battle
I suspect the pillion pegs will be even more as I milled them from some 2" round just because I had it

 

[Hood]

Aye, pillion 830g material and peg 72g

 

[Bki26]

Best I ever did was a 86kg part that started life as a 560kg blank.

You can't say that without a pic!

 

[Hood]

…the difference being that was the smallest piece of round material it would come out of. Special order with that grade of material not produced in anything apart from round . You example is due to you being too tight to buy a hacksaw blade

I have a hacksaw blade but that would have made no difference, buying 1.5" dia would have but why spend money on buying that when I already have 2" dia that has been paid for and even better by someone else

 

[Bki26]

Unfortunately it was a job of a sensitive nature.Material and machine were in quarantine whilst it was being machined. No photos. Not military.

I'm guessing it was probably something like titanium being machined for some aerospace company then

 

[Hood]

Made another brake pedal today and left it in the dye for 20 seconds instead of the 10 yesterday.

I think it matches in better with the foot pegs I made.

While the mill was doing its thing I found an old rusty bit of steel and turned an arbour for the Bridgeport boring head I got yesterday. No idea the grade of steel, wasn't the nicest of finishes but it should be fine for this.

Milled a flat in it for the set screw on the holder.

All done, now all I need is to get myself a smallish indexable boring bar, bit of a pain as the hole is 3/8". I had thought it would be 10mm as the adjusting screw is marked out in metric.

 

[Onoff]

Gave the door a couple of coats of white gloss applied with a roller. Shows the rest of the place up! Could have spent a bit more time with the filler and sander but had to get to the pub to pick my phone up I "accidentally" left there last night:

 

[Maker]

First time hanging a door, only took a day and a half.



I'm pretty happy with it, the gap at the top right is a bit big but other than that it's spot on.

It's for my grandad, he said he'd buy whatever tools I need, but apparently he meant things like drill bits, not a track saw.

 

[RichardM]

Gave the door a couple of coats of white gloss applied with a roller. Shows the rest of the place up! Could have spent a bit more time with the filler and sander but had to get to the pub to pick my phone up I "accidentally" left there last night:

View attachment 336348

You could have filled the old hinge cutouts first
It would be rude not to stop for a pint or three while there

 

[Onoff]

You could have filled the old hinge cutouts first
It would be rude not to stop for a pint or three while there

I'm going to pin a cap piece on it with a round routed edge (1960x35x?). This in case he decides to fall and headbutt the edge.

Just had the one pint and a bag of crisps. Had to get home for the Tesco delivery.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Today was the start of a weather vane for my S-i-L. It needs tidying up but I'll dig out the Dremel for that over the next few days.