My Week this Week, My workshop videos

[hermetic]

I finish wiring the lights, and get all the wiring neatened up and ruggedised, move the oil pipe, and finally fit the toolbox, A disaster is averted when I find the oil pressure guage pipe has been rubbing and is worn thin! All in a weeks worth of tractor fun! Also some work in the field, tidying up the remains of the old kennels, and you can see the heat affecting my non existent photography skills, Thursday brought the first really hot day to East Yorkshire, Friday was a little cooler..........................but not much!
Phil, in sunstricken East Yorkshire!

 

[hermetic]

The final front ear! That old startrek chestnut, but apart from the fact that it is not charging, everything else is fine! After all that hassle with the electrics, bloody ungratefull I call it! It will be something simple, and probably to do with the cut out setting being done at different revs to actually being on the tractor or else a wire off on the cut out, it is very tight in there, I will sort it! Then on to the topper, and that gets finished all bar the shouting!, All in all, a good week!
Phil, it is HOT again in East Yorkshire!

 

[hermetic]

Released at 4pm GMT+1 Saturday
I get the grass cutter finished, and condemn the pto driveshaft as BER until I see the price of a new one! It can be fixed as you can buy the tube, so I can replace the twisted portion. I am going to fit the grass cutter to the tractor and measure up for the driveshaft with the grasscutter in the raised and lowered position so I get the right length, as measuring it up roughly seems to indicate about 4" overlap in the telecoping part when it is in the down position, so no wonder it has twisted. Thank you all for watching and commenting, and don't forget to like and subscribe, and click on the black bell to get all the updates and notice of new content! I try to upload every Saturday at 4pm GMT but if you click the bell when you subscribe, you tube will remind you, supposedly!!
Phil, In very bright sunshine between the cold and downpours in East Yorkshire!

 

[hermetic]

What seemed to be a simple bit of vibration and wobble on the PTO shaft turned into a nightmare of disintegrating universal joints damages slider tubes, twisted Yokes, and basically all the indications that this pto shaft has had a non shear bolt in the topper end, which has subjected the PTO shaft to forces well beyond its pay scale!, I fought it, threw money at it, heated it up in the gas forge till it glowed, hammered, and twisted, and eventually came out victorious (I hope) It's all in my week this week!
Phil in hot and humid East Yorkshire!

 

[hermetic]

I bite the bullet once again, and take off the PTO shaft to relieve the tight bearing, which is nylon to metal, and will melt and self destruct if it is not right. I get the charging circuit working, although not at low rpm, but many fordson owners tell me that is how they are ! There may be a new regulator in the near future, as setting the old one up again when it is on the tractor is not easy access! Touch the paintwork up, and then as some light relief, I make a pair of moulding flasks for the copper casting experiment, It's all in my week this week!
Phil, in overcast, cool and cloudy East Yorkshire, Harvest is ON!

 

[ShopShoe]

I bite the bullet once again, and take off the PTO shaft to relieve the tight bearing, which is nylon to metal, and will melt and self destruct if it is not right. I get the charging circuit working, although not at low rpm, but many fordson owners tell me that is how they are ! There may be a new regulator in the near future, as setting the old one up again when it is on the tractor is not easy access! Touch the paintwork up, and then as some light relief, I make a pair of moulding flasks for the copper casting experiment, It's all in my week this week!
Phil, in overcast, cool and cloudy East Yorkshire, Harvest is ON!

Phil,

On the charging issue. Would a smaller pulley on the dynamo have it charging better at low engine RPM?
I can't see that your tractor would be high-revving a lot and overcharging.

Here in the USA, generators (as we call them) and alternators often came with a smaller pulley in air-conditioned cars. There were sometimes also "police" alternative pulleys available to keep charging as the cars sat and idled for hours at a time.

Just rambling here..... From hot and humid middle of the US.

--ShopShoe (on HMEM Forum)

 

[hermetic]

Phil,

On the charging issue. Would a smaller pulley on the dynamo have it charging better at low engine RPM?
I can't see that your tractor would be high-revving a lot and overcharging.

Here in the USA, generators (as we call them) and alternators often came with a smaller pulley in air-conditioned cars. There were sometimes also "police" alternative pulleys available to keep charging as the cars sat and idled for hours at a time.

Just rambling here..... From hot and humid middle of the US.

--ShopShoe (on HMEM Forum)

Very good point!! and more to the point, I think I have one!
Phil

 

[hermetic]

Another 3 day week!, Monday was my 70th birthday, so I took the day off, Tuesday was so unfeasably hot that I stayed home and sweltered! This is what remains! I finish the moulding flask, and get the sand mixed with the bentonite and wetted down, and then get sidetracked into a quick repair (why are they never quick) on the little Reid-EE sawbench. when I was at school I only got lines once! I had to write out 100 times "I must concentrate on the job in hand" I am living proof that the lines did not work!!
Phil, in unfeasably hot then dull and overcast East Yorkshire.

 

[hermetic]

The furnace comes out for the first time, and works superbly well, the mould is made and the copper is poured, and a very good casting is made! I change the tractor engine oil, and find there is no oil filter in the cannister, just iike there was no fuel filter either!! well it has one now, and with new oil we have gained about 10 psi oil pressure, even though the oil pressure was good before. I have gone for the sae40 non detergent oil which is reccomended for working tractors. We round off the week with a day of antique metalwork repairs for my dealer friend, but only cover that briefly because we already have about an hour of vid this week, don't fall asleep! Phil, in Cool and wet East Yorkshire. Wot heat wave?

 

[hermetic]

A varied week of highs, lows, and a poo run! I earned some money doing lots of very enjoyable little repairs to antique metalware, and it was all downhill from there! All I can say is it was a good thing that the weather was warm and sunny, or it would have been a lot worse! Join me in Yorkshire for a real rollercoaster of a week!
Phil, in getting warmer East Yorkshire, the harvest is coming in!

 

[hermetic]

I put the small pulley in the lathe and widen it for the A profile belt on the tractor, and then fit it, and now we are charging all the time! I Bore the copper disc casting to almost the correct diameter for the shaft to press fit, and then on to field work to get ready for the 2022 Wicani Jamboree, which involves tidying up and pressure washing everything, because once you have started with a pressure wash you just can't stop! Back to the workshop next week for the start on the Holbrook, and other fairy stories! Or is it?
Phil, Riding the heatwave in glorious East Yorkshire!

 

[hermetic]

I finish the copper work on the "thing" sort the tractor charging, and then get on with a massive tidy up so I can get the Holbrook bed out from its hiding place to start the rebuild! Much else happens along the way!
Phil, Warm and sunny in east yorkshire

 

[hermetic]

Yet another week of interuptions and "odd" jobs, but I get stuck into cleaning and paint removal, and by Friday the results are beginning to speak for themselves, But it was really dirty work!!
Phil, Basking in the late summer sunshine in East Yorkshire!

 

[hermetic]

Only a three day week, But a lot gets done! I get the headstock stripped and repainted in primer, and also after a couple of hours sanding, and needle gunning the base whilst in goggles and dust mask, I get that masked up and sprayed in red lead primer. There is a slight reaction with the original Holbrook casting filler primer, but nothing I can't cope with!! I get most of the headstock parts cleaned up, and polish the spindle and the gears and pulleys in the lathe Video will be out saturday, 4PM as usual, but I may sneak out saturday and see if I can sort the paint problems and get some black on!
Phil, in officially autumnal but still hot East Yorkshire!

 

[dnalot]

Did you get your electric smelter fixed? I have one just like it but have not had any problems with it yet. I have gone through three flasks so far. I stop using them when the pitting gets deep.

Love your old tractor. I have a 1950 Ford 8N.

Mark T

 

[hermetic]

Not yet, but it is happening! Apparently the manufacturers have no UK spares available , and told me to source an element locally, I aproached several companies in the UK only to be told that the element coils were too close together ( it was under stretched) and also the element turns around the former were to close together, and were wrapped directly with ceramic blanket which was touching the coils in some places, possibly causing localised overheating. I have found a kiln manufacturer who will wind me a new element, and come to a financial settlement with the makers. How many times have you used yours, and what make is it?
Phil

 

[hermetic]

Does it run on 110 or 220V

 

[dnalot]

How many times have you used yours, and what make is it?

The name plaque says ToAuto. It runs on 115 volt 60 cyl. I have used it to melt brass and bronze. near the top of its capabilities. I would say I have used it for about 25 melts. I am using the larger flask size.

Mark T

 

[hermetic]

25 melts is good, yes they are all badged differently although all basically the same, but with chinese goods often you find two items that look identical but are made to the same approximate design by different manufacturers. There is a video of someone replacing the element in one which looks the same outside, but inside there is a ceramic tube over the outside of the element to stop the cramic blanket touching the coils, I will record my rebuild for the channel, should be good for a laugh!
Phil

 

[dnalot]

So I looked on amazon to see if a new element was available here in the US. I found one listed for "Cast Master" for $100. in the description it had this note. It looks just like the unit you & I have. It included the ceramic liner.

Genuine Cast Master Elite replacement ceramic chamber + heating coil for our Cast Master GG-3000 electric smelting furnace. Following installation, DO NOT SET THE TEMPERATURE DIRECTLY TO 2000F! Be sure to follow these steps to properly season the new coil: 1. Set temperature on your PID control panel to 200F. Please refer to the Setting Temperature section of the user manual to set the temperature. 2. Allow the furnace to reach 200F. 3. Continue to gradually increase temperature on control panel by 200F increments until you reach the desired temperature. Rapid temperature change during the initial use of your furnace can damage the heating coil and/or other vital components of your furnace.

My furnace only reads in celcius and it did not come with this warning. There was however a recommendation to not heat up a new flask to rapidly.

Mark T