Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

Today's task is taking the first cuts to take the cuts towards the class cutting the crankshaft to the correct target. I had to leave the cut to cool down in order to finish the cuts. I collected the chips and left the cutting until tomorrow when the metal is ready for final cuts.

[Stanley]

Back in the world again after second sleep and the chicken is roasted and browned and the gravy taken care of.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed at 06;00 doing all that is necessary to finish one leg of the second crankshaft. Very careful work! One tiny mistake at this stage means so much effort wasted!
The weather looks decent at midday so far so a walk and a sit could be on the cards.

[Stanley]

The leg I rough turned yesterday was of course cool this morning and could be measured accurately I did that and did my calculations. Then I honed the HSS cutter and fitted it in place of the indexed carbide tool, we are into fine and accurate turning this morning. Then some careful work and I finished up with this leg of the second shaft accurately sized and polished so I reversed it in the chuck and set up with the indexed carbide cutter in place ready for starting the rough turning of the last leg tomorrow. The last act was to clean the lathe, a tidy lathe is a sign of a tidy mind! A good hour's careful work and no mistakes. I like mornings like this!

[Sue]

Morning

New dentist this morning, then a quiet day ironing and sewing I think. Zoom pilates this evening. Rain starting after 4 , but a windy day.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Yes, the wind's getting up here as well Sue. You sound to have a quiet day planned. Just right.... that's what I shall be doing here and I shall start now by going back to bed for second sleep. (Those monks knew what they were doing!)

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed at 06:00 being a good lad and hacking the meat out of the fourth and last lag of the two shafts. It will take me an hour to get to the stage where it can be finished tomorrow when it has cooled down.
After second sleep I shall go to the Town Square with my shopping trolley, meet son in law Mick and buy him lunch and buy my next lot of veggies. (I shall order my chicken today and put it in the freezer. It looks as though next week will be a day off from meat ordering.
(The campaign is working. I have lost 7lbs so far. It's harder than stopping smoking!)

[Stanley]

Everything was ready and a nice clean lathe so I started into this morning's job, muck shifting. I'd hardly got going when a clattering noise informed me that the inserted disc that was taking the weight of the live centre had come out. So I had to stop and put the disc back in but this time instead of relying on a close fit, I put a bit of Loctite instant glue in and restarted. No problems from then on but 50thoucuts and some hot chips until an hour later I got to the stage where I was into fine turning so I stopped because the workpiece was too hot to measure. I finished the morning off by cleaning all the chips up. I am ready now for the finishing cuts and polishing tomorrow. A good morning!

[Sue]

Morning

Poor Bob has either a gastric bug or food poisoning, quite poorly since yesterday about 5.00 pm. He has not a good week as he ended up in the Urgent Care centre on Monday afternoon after what was probably a reaction to some antibiotics. I slept in the spare room and using the bathroom in there to try to limit cross infection if it is a bug.

This morning I have art in Haslingden, other than that no real plans apart from tackling some sewing issues. Its due to be wet but not cold, 16 maximum.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

So sorry to hear Bob is crook Sue... Please give him my best wishes. Once again I feel so lucky it isn't me!
Look after yourself Sue and don't spare the bleach!

[PanBiker]

All the best to Bob Sue.

Today I will mainly be travelling for my go in the MRI scanner at LGI.

[Stanley]

I hope Bob is on the mend today....
I was intending having a small early doors shop this morning but....
We had a let-off yesterday, it was a nice day but today we have storm Babet. Wall to wall wind and rain all day. I got a letter yesterday telling me that if I took proof of identity to the Post Office the Government would give me £75 because I am old and poor so I went and while I was at it got the milk I would have to go for today. Good job I did, we are promised a lousy day. I shall stay inside and cook my veggies.....
So I will be in the shed for an hour finishing the last leg of the two crankshafts..... That'll be nice!
Then veggie cooking later but definitely no walk! (Unless there is a big surprise..... )

[Stanley]

Only one pic needed this morning. I have finished the second crankshaft exactly to size and polished it. I now have two crankshafts for the Stuart No 9 Engine and both are chopped out of one piece of solid steel, not cobbled together out of round and flat bar and stuck together with either Loctite or silver solder as recommended by Stuarts. Anyone looking at my engines in 100 years will notice and nod approvingly I think......
I rounded the morning off by cleaning Mrs Harrison and sweeping the floor. Tomorrow I can start on the castings.... That'll be a bit of a change!

[Sue]

Morning

Bob had a better night and is quite a bit better today, I on the other hand seem to heve developed a cold . It not our week. We won’t be going out for lunch, and I won’t be doing any washing either as the repair on my washer we had done last January has gone again. I knew I should have had a new one last time. The washer has been getting noisier and noisier and yesterday during the spin cycle it was suddenly grating and banging. A service was already booked for next Thursday which they changed to Friday without telling us, so as we are off to France next weekend I don’t see a repair or replacement before November 20 th.

So a day in today. I shall be sewing, Bob may venture into his workshop if he feels up to it. Stay warm and dry and have a good day

[Stanley]

" Stay warm and dry and have a good day"
That looks as good advice as any Sue. I'm glad Bob is mending. And yes, I have just got up after another sleep and it's still wet and windy here.... I am having an internal debate as to whether I should get straight into cooking veggies. On the whole I'm favouring leaving it until tomorrow, I haven't actually run out. A lazy day looks favourite. I am so glad I got the milk yesterday and don't have to go out. I have an idea that dad naps will win the day!
It's not really come proper daylight yet!

[PanBiker]

I am so glad I got the milk yesterday and don't have to go out.

You could save the bother for that chore with a local milkman, as long as it's not the Tory ringer.

[Stanley]

No Ian, the exercise is good for me. Too easy to stay in the house and wait for deliveries.
I haven't done any veggie cooking today. I found I could leave it until tomorrow so it's a treat in store!

[Tripps]

as long as it's not the Tory ringer

What does that mean?


I buy milk in a six pint container from Aldi. It cost 36 pence per pint, and keeps (much to my surprise) in the fridge for a week.

[Stanley]

He lost me as well David......
I used to drink a pint a day but I don't get through that now and buy milk in 2pint cartons. The Co-op is so close and I like the exercise!
This morning I shall be in the shed and in contrast with the last fortnight stood at the lathe for an hour a day I shall be working by hand, fettling castings using the biggest files I can. We are moving into engine-building again!
Having said that I have just remembered, I made a resolution last night to get set up in the lathe with the fixed steady so that I can safely turn a quarter of an inch of each end of the shafts and leave them pretty.
(Phew! I can postpone nasty hard hand work for one more day! )
After second sleep I shall be doing the veggie cooking I put off yesterday.

[Stanley]

I changed my mind and decided there was one last niggling little job that needed doing on the shafts, the ends needed cutting to the same lengths and making pretty. The only way to do that safely was to get a little used piece of the tackle out, the fixed steady. This was the only way to make absolutely sure there was no mistake, it doesn't bear thinking about if I lost control of the cut and bent the shaft..... This way I was sure and as you can see ended up with two tidy shafts. That's that itch scratched and I am content. Well worth the hour I spent on it!

[Sue]

Morning

Well Bob is recovered even going to his Model Engineers meeting last night, bringing back a large Presentation cup for BEST STATIONARY STEAM ENGINE. My cold seems to have subsided as fast as it came so hopefully the illnesses from last week can be forgotten. We did go out yesterday morning to buy a new washer, to be delivered on Monday. We decided that the old one was not fit for repairing, again, especially as we had to wait 5 weeks last time for the same part. We have bought the same washer that we recently bought in France, which I like very much.

This morning is Bacup market, this evening Tesco delivery, ( including what little milk we use, no deliveries round here), early tea then off to Preston to see Claire and family and collects Brionys birthday present for us to deliver next Sunday on our way to France. Thats it, a bit more sewing by me and workshop for Bob.

The wind has died down, the rain stopped, have a good day

[Stanley]

Morning Sue! I'm off to bed to build up my strength for veggie cooking later. Well done Bob! What engine was it? Have a good day Sue and we will see about the forecast.... (Seems unnatural now it's not raining..... )

[Sue]

Bob will send a photo. The suns out, going for a walk

[Sue]

This is it, front cover of the magazine, September. Article in the magazine is about small generators for steam engines

IMG_1017.jpeg

[Stanley]

So it's a turbine?