Arthritic old hands strike again

[Dalee]

Hi,

The cool damp weather is raising Cain with my hands again. Was working on the engine block for my Paddleduck. Had just finished rough drilling the second cylinder hole.

Was swapping out the drill for the boring head and bar when my stiff fingers dropped the head and shattered the solid carbide bar.:wall: Dinged my little Criterion head too. Fortunately, it wasn't damaged.

A little scrap made bar and a little piece of 1/8" HSS put me back in business. Downside, due to the difference in cutting between HSS and carbide, I got the bore .001" oversized with a tiny bit of taper.

I should know better than to work on Sunday.

Dale

 

[Ratshooter]

Well, I guess that this is a sign of things to come for me. Currently, my old skin is dry and slick, and I have the dropsies. I spent my working years as a heavy truck mechanic, and the arthritis is soon to follow.

But, what the hell, we're still active, and doing what we love, No??

 

[Blogwitch]

Dale,

As we get older and more decrepit you have to start looking for more ways so that you can carry on with your hobby. Don't let it get too far ahead otherwise you might find you just can't cope any more. That is what happened to me, and it has taken about 3 years to gently get back into it, very nearly there now.

I, like you, learned the expensive way.
Dropping carbide tooling, even from a small height is like watching paper money free falling into a fire, 99% of the time they break. I have resorted to putting a small pile of rags underneath the tooling when changing them over (removed before turning the machine on), at least they have a fair chance of survival.

A couple of thou either way on the cylinders is no problem Dale, just machine matching pistons to fit. Don't let it get too large though, otherwise you might find you have to turn it into a compound engine.


John

 

[goldstar31]

At over 86, I'm possibly well ahead of most in trying to understand the problems of ageing in model engineering.
It is many years since I had any time for carbides. It is certainly worth considering the almost exclusive use of hss tooling.
If one is geared up, tool grinding and more importantly, honing becomes paramount. As John rightly ;points out how easy it is the chuck money away- in carbide breakages.

Over this past weekend, I had a long discussion with my son in law who is a senior heart surgeon. We discussed rather more than merely the financial loss of money from 'chipped tool edges'. I have to live another 6 or 7 years to beat the system.

As far as arthritis goes, that- the locking of aged fingers following the sometimes near impossibility of dexterity is a stage to tackle.

I was 'doing a bit' of maths to see what my 12 year old and rather bright grandson was doing with LCM's, and perfect numbers and primes up to 100 and realised that every year a quarter of a million of UK swells the numbers of those with senile dementure and a quarter of us blokes get prostate problems-- and worse. Of course, that is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

Perhaps I should sort out a new little USB microscope to align my tools- if I haven't dropped them.

It is worth more than a brief think

Cheers?


Norman

 

[Dalee]

Hi,

It's not so much the broken boring bar, heck I've broken way more expensive tooling over the years.:thumbup: It's just the reminder of not being 20 anymore. You would think I should have learned to use a small pad under my tool changes by now.

I know that a .001" size difference doesn't matter for size on the bore. It's just the point of pride you know. A little honing, and we will sell it like it was new. Might even match size again.

I'm not as old as you Goldstar, got a few years of work left in me. At this point I can count them all on one hand. But when I do finally grow up, I want to be just like you guys.

Much of this hobby of model engineering is part of my hedge against the future. It is meant to keep me active and thinking. The stiff fingers might make things slower and difficult, but it ain't going to stop me.

Dale

 

[goldstar31]

Hi,


Much of this hobby of model engineering is part of my hedge against the future. It is meant to keep me active and thinking. The stiff fingers might make things slower and difficult, but it ain't going to stop me.

Dale

I like your determination and the will to battle on, regardless.

This is not the dress rehearsal but the major production.

So I wish you well for now and the future

N

 

[Blogwitch]

Don't forget Dale, with this and almost all other engines, as long as you stay within dimensions, you can really put your own stamp on things.

Here is a shot of a couple of mine, just after I completed the design. One (at back) is the basic, the one at the front is with my stamp put onto it.

The basic one is now residing in Turkey, after a chap (now a good friend) contacted me to tell me he couldn't get his Paddleducks running, it was his first project. It turned out that his tolerances and fits were all over the place, so I sent him mine FOC. After a little long distance tutoring, he is now producing perfect engines that run. This is the sort of work he is now producing, parts for a stirling powered tractor.

Just enjoy what you are doing

John

 

[Dalee]

Hi,

I never get tired of just looking at that engine.

I'm going to have a bit of time this afternoon and I hope to get out to the shop for a bit of work. I would like to finish the bores and make some pistons this weekend. I'm trying to remember where my diamond paste is. I know I put it away so I could find it the next time I needed it.

Dale

 

[Rickl]

Fingers a bit stiff ,knees aching, back giving me whato but still get out and make things, just a bit more slowly. Good for the brain though. Keep it busy fellows.

 

[mcostello]

Sunday work seems to be counter productive, does not mean You cannot plan or sketch things out.