Today I acquired...........

[4String.]

When I worked years ago for a builders merchant, we used to buy lead sheet from Sheldon Bush. I have it in my mind that the shot Tower was listed some years ago.

Can still see the tower on google earth, but I presume the lead works has long gone? Even though I was a 20 year old apprentice, 35 years ago , I can vividly remember our wagon driver, Alan Skidmore, (I kid you not) struggling to make a hard turn out of the works onto a cobbled street with the big artic lowloader that I ended up driving years later. We threw a couple of big tubs of Swarfega all over the cobbles and the wagon slid round a treat, but then it rained...Looking on street view, Cheese Lane seems to fit that location.

We installed a Brightside 2-high mill that replaced an antiquated Robertson mill. Interestingly, my old firm of machine tool dealers, Devonshire Engineering, were based in my old village of Ecclesfield in what had previously been the heavy machine shop of Brightside Foundry of Sheffield who made the mill that we installed. Don't know how true the stories were, but the drive unit for their old mill was supposedly from a WW2 MTB, and one of the workers with a grudge threw a 1" bolt into the gear train, which caused major damage. Apparently he tried the same trick with the Brightside mill, which chewed it up and spat it back out without batting an eyelid.

More memories of good times past, including 5 of us walking over the Clifton Bridge one evening and finding a nut, something in the region of 3" diameter, that hadn't been tightened properly. We were somewhat less than complimentary about the sainted Mr Brunel that night .

 

[Kayos]

A new flue gas analyser
Old one has an o2 sensor fault 2 months after calibration, so seeing how its christmas I treated myself
Very specialised but supposed to be the dogs danglies, 6 year warranty and needs calibrating every year

£728 in case you were wondering, comes with various probes and I got a free multimeter with it

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Many moons ago, we installed a rolling mill in a lead works in Bristol that made lead shot.

The company was called "Sheldon Bush", and iirc, molten lead was poured through mesh screens in a tower which is apparently still there, and the height it was poured from dictated the diameter. Don't know if the company is still in existence, but it was an interesting job. And didn't Gamebore in Hull use the same process?

The Bristol Shot tower is still there.
Google has the details.

Shot towers are a interesting building, the ideas vary all over the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redcliffe_Shot_Tower

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_Lane_Shot_Tower

In the English Civil War, both forces would set up a "production line" in making shot.
The towns in the SW were lead was mined and the areas in the North as well, were prized areas to get hold off.
King Charles did write a letter to the Lead Miners of the Forrest of Dean admiring their work.
Shame he didn't pay up.,

 

[Mike Pinches]

Got this lot today for the princely sum of £20. The standard bars are 2", 3", 25mm and 50mm. I wasn't sure what the micrometer head was used for but figured it would be useful, and couldn't go wrong for mitutoyo at that price. The hss blanks are probably a bit oversize for my drummond, but I can either cut them down or I have a set of plans for how to build a small hand shaper they could be used for.

 

[angellonewolf]

I might be in trouble orders not to buy anything for the last few weeks as I might get something I'm getting for xmas

But was in a shop and this was on the side with a price I hagled and bought

Come home walking round other half asked that new hunm
Might be asked the price 32 quid ok that's your xmas present sort I will pay for it

 

[Pete.]

Got this lot today for the princely sum of £20. The standard bars are 2", 3", 25mm and 50mm. I wasn't sure what the micrometer head was used for but figured it would be useful, and couldn't go wrong for mitutoyo at that price. The hss blanks are probably a bit oversize for my drummond, but I can either cut them down or I have a set of plans for how to build a small hand shaper they could be used for.View attachment 204387

Those HSS blanks would suit a LARGE shaper or planing machine but you don't see bits that size about these days. If I had them I would look to doing a straight trade for some HSS more suited to the smaller machine. Mutually beneficial.

 

[Scruffywelder]

It is indeed the "farmy" one, owned by the same folk who own Tebay services on the M6 up in the Lakes.

Thankfully they took over Happendon services on the M74 too. That place was pretty grim BITD!

 

[Country Joe]

Many moons ago, we installed a rolling mill in a lead works in Bristol that made lead shot.

The company was called "Sheldon Bush", and iirc, molten lead was poured through mesh screens in a tower which is apparently still there, and the height it was poured from dictated the diameter. Don't know if the company is still in existence, but it was an interesting job. And didn't Gamebore in Hull use the same process?

I think the Sheldon Bush location was closed years back, and a similar tower set up in Cheese Lane at the same time.
I was working out of Temple Back Fire Station (a good few years ago, mind you!) and that tower, and the revenue's Tax office in what was then called "The Crescent Centre" seemed to surround the station.

I'll be back around that area, in a couple of hours or so - but I suspect so much will have changed around there, that I'll end up feeling as if I'm lost & need to be asking folk for directions!

In fact, I'd best set off - before it starts to sound as if I spent a lot of time there, just gazing out of the windows!

All the Best,
CJ

 

[Country Joe]

Thankfully they took over Happendon services on the M74 too. That place was pretty grim BITD!

Strangely, we never seemed to travel up the M74 - getting to Glasgow was always the coastal route on the A77, through Girvan, Ayr, Kilmarnock etc.
This is such a blast from the past - it's so much more odd than I can explain, and for so many reasons!

All this reminiscence is going to make me late, though!
Gotta go,
CJ

 

[Shox Dr]

Strangely, we never seemed to travel up the M74 - getting to Glasgow was always the coastal route on the A77, through Girvan, Ayr, Kilmarnock etc.
This is such a blast from the past - it's so much more odd than I can explain, and for so many reasons!

All this reminiscence is going to make me late, though!
Gotta go,
CJ

Thats one strange way to go glasgow. Esp from Somerset
The A77 is terrible these days, average speed cameras from Stranraer the whole way. Full of idiots braking when they see one.

 

[Country Joe]

Thats one strange way to go glasgow. Esp from Somerset
The A77 is terrible these days, average speed cameras from Stranraer the whole way. Full of idiots braking when they see one.

Hey, Shox! I know I'm half-crazy - but even I wouldn't take that route from here!
I was always coming from another "out in the sticks" location.
I was travelling from DG9 9NG, back then.
I just "ended up" down here, somehow!

Still haven't quite made it to Bristol, yet!
I'm too easily distracted!

All the Best,
CJ

 

[Shox Dr]

Hey, Shox! I know I'm half-crazy - but even I wouldn't take that route from here!
I was always coming from another "out in the sticks" location.
I was travelling from DG9 9NG, back then.
I just "ended up" down here, somehow!

Still haven't quite made it to Bristol, yet!
I'm too easily distracted!

All the Best,
CJ

Ha, my wife comes from Girvan, her mum originally from Bishop’s Lydeard, Taunton. So I’ve done that route a few times, its a long away, esp 30yrs ago when the A75 threaded its way through every village and town.

 

[Mike Pinches]

Those HSS blanks would suit a LARGE shaper or planing machine but you don't see bits that size about these days. If I had them I would look to doing a straight trade for some HSS more suited to the smaller machine. Mutually beneficial.

I'm more than happy to swap them for more appropriate sized blanks for my needs if anyone is interested

 

[Country Joe]

Ha, my wife comes from Girvan, her mum originally from Bishop’s Lydeard, Taunton. So I’ve done that route a few times, its a long away, esp 30yrs ago when the A75 threaded its way through every village and town.

It's looking like a small world, today.

I did my part 1 of the (then) new 2 part bike test, at Bishop's Lydeard, way back in '82.
It's like our paths have almost crossed a few times, un-beknown to either of us!

Most of my memories of the Dumfries & Galloway (& Ayrshire) areas date back from bygone years, mostly up until 1979.
I'm on nostalgia overload, today - it's taking all of my "discipline" not to just sit around, floating down "memory lane"!

Back in the day, it used to take us 14 hours to get from Bristol to Port Logan - but the M5 didn't quite have the same "reach" back then, so some of the journey was quite slow.
I specifically remember the A75 beung vaguely frustrating (partly due to the old man's driving!) all through the seventies.

Stranraer was the "Big City" to me, before I realised that Glasgow was not that much further up the road!

I dunno why, but I always assume the location that people put on this Forum, is where they've always lived - so I never would have imagined that you were ever anywhere except "East Yorkshire"!

Gotta go - have to try to look a bit more "active" for a while!

All the Best,
CJ

 

[Shox Dr]

It's looking like a small world, today.

I did my part 1 of the (then) new 2 part bike test, at Bishop's Lydeard, way back in '82.
It's like our paths have almost crossed a few times, un-beknown to either of us!

Most of my memories of the Dumfries & Galloway (& Ayrshire) areas date back from bygone years, mostly up until 1979.
I'm on nostalgia overload, today - it's taking all of my "discipline" not to just sit around, floating down "memory lane"!

Back in the day, it used to take us 14 hours to get from Bristol to Port Logan - but the M5 didn't quite have the same "reach" back then, so some of the journey was quite slow.
I specifically remember the A75 beung vaguely frustrating (partly due to the old man's driving!) all through the seventies.

Stranraer was the "Big City" to me, before I realised that Glasgow was not that much further up the road!

I dunno why, but I always assume the location that people put on this Forum, is where they've always lived - so I never would have imagined that you were ever anywhere except "East Yorkshire"!

Gotta go - have to try to look a bit more "active" for a while!

All the Best,
CJ

It is indeed a small world, I started working just outside Girvan in 85’. People would ask me where I was working and unbelievably the local scooter club used to ride up-to Girvan for a rally, and my then girlfriends nextdoor neighbour came from Selby.

 

[pressbrake1]

Rescued from builders skip
Herbert high speed drill
Very sad as owner was highly skilled machinist and machine scraper at abwood machine tools
Its a privilege to now own it
18000rpm top speed

 

[Maker]

I have the same drill, lovely thing and decievingly heavy for its size.
Could you show the pulley arrangement on yours, I believe it's supposed to be a two step pulley on the spindle with three different, easily interchanged pulleys to fit the motor. That's just my assumption though, mine came with a belt driven directly off the motor shaft and consequently runs at about 1000rpm.

 

[pressbrake1]

I have the same drill, lovely thing and decievingly heavy for its size.
Could you show the pulley arrangement on yours, I believe it's supposed to be a two step pulley on the spindle with three different, easily interchanged pulleys to fit the motor. That's just my assumption though, mine came with a belt driven directly off the motor shaft and consequently runs at about 1000rpm.

When I get it outa the van I’ll take some pics

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

New Lathe motor and on /off switch to replace my dead lathe motor.

Took advice from here and from a Motor supplier and picked one up locally.

 

[Ruffian]

View attachment 204391 I might be in trouble orders not to buy anything for the last few weeks as I might get something I'm getting for xmas

But was in a shop and this was on the side with a price I hagled and bought

Come home walking round other half asked that new hunm
Might be asked the price 32 quid ok that's your xmas present sort I will pay for it

Is that a genuine price or is that a fabricated price to make it sound less horrendous to the other half??
Does seem you got a decent bargain there. I managed to sell mine for £70 second hand.