Recent content by Roger Taylor

I taught high school metals shop for 40 years and we cast with mixed aluminum scrap using a aluminum flux and nitrogen degassing pellets plunged into the melt with a steel rod with a cup shaped end to push the pellet into the mix. With proper temperature, flux treatment and dry pouring area we...

I started this little Duclos 6 cycle engine 30 years ago as a present for my dad who loved models and small engines. He passed midway through the build, so the parts and plans were stowed away. I discovered the parts and plan in a shop cleanup last year and completed the build in a couple of...

Alum is a Houshold compound used in canning and food preservation. I\'m not sure of the concentration but mixed with water and heated near boiling, it will dissolve HSS drills and taps. Several reheats will be necessary and i used a bit of Sulfuric acid the one time it worked for me. I'll try to...

If the part is aluminum as it appears, a solution of Alum and water heated to near boiling will dissolve the broken steel the next time if ever necessary.

At age 80, my shop work was severely hampered by arthritis to the point where everything I picked up seemed to end up on the floor. Inside the house, drink spills had me in the dog house on a regular basis. In the shop, even as i tried to keep hydrated, I would experience painful hand cramping...

The Craftsmanship Museum, Carlsbad, CA has at least two of the miniature machine tools displays. heck out their virtual tour. www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com.

A word of caution regarding inexpensive welding power supplies rated for TIG, Many of the imports offer secondary current only in DC . To weld aluminum and magnesium in a practical fashion, you need a power supply that delivers AC with Hi-Frequency stabilization. Several of my friend's fell...

A dividing head is a real luxury for some home shops. I found the pictured indexing head at a flea market and used an eBay plastic gear to cut the timing gear for my Duclos 6 Cycle engine. I was unable to find a brass 32DP, 60 tooth spur gear so I bought a cutter and the progress is shown in the...

Hello Paul, I too have just joined the forum and like you graduated from Long Beach State in industrial Arts. I retired from 40 years of teaching in 2005 and live in San Marcos, CA. Seems like our lives might have crossed at one time. Tom M. is a LBS, IA grad free flight guy that lives in...

My name is Roger Taylor. I am a retired high school metal shop teacher with a very complete retirement workshop. I contribute an every-issue column to the Home Shop Machinist magazine under the byline: Old Retired Shop Teacher. I live in San Marcos CA about three miles from the Carlsbad, CA Joe...