Recent content by JohnS

Thank you, thank you ! That's just the sort of guidance I was hoping for. JohnS

'Spring tough', now that does sound interesting. Can you tell me how I might acheive that condition with my motor shafts ? JohnS

It is a matter of convenience. Stockists of replacement motor shafts are thin on the ground in the UK and with a wide range of different motor manufacturers it is not viable to stock every type. Buying via mail order is time consuming and costly when you add on shipping costs. Most metal...

thanks enfieldbullet Yes the shafts run in ball races and I haven't seen the need to harden them especially as you point out there is the danger of distortion. The motors come to me with bent shafts due to crashes, or 'heavy landings' as flyers prefer to call them. I did wonder if hardening...

With my workshop facilities my services are frequently called upon by fellow radio controlled model plane flyers to produce replacement shafts for brushless motors, usually 5mm diameter. Currently I am making these from silver steel rod and am unsure if there is any advantage in hardening and...

My 11 year old grandson built Elmers wobbler with just a little help. Hopefully a seed was sewn and he will return to model engineering at some later stage. You'll find a account of his build and much more on Elmers wobbler at http://start-model-engineering.co.uk/elmers-wobbler/

Sorry Guys the are out of stock until January. But worth waiting for in my opinion.

This is a well built 9 drawer chest for under (just !) £100 here in the UK and there is a promo code for 5% discount at http://start-model-engineering.co.uk/machines-and-tooling/minilathe/toolmakers-chest/

Mine always seemed to fail without warning midway thro a milling operation which is the very reason why I wanted to dispense with batteries. The weakest part of the whole DRO system on my mill is the read heads which despite protective covers do become contaminated with oil and fine chippings...

Mosey I would imagine that it is simply a case of using a 120v ac/dc power adaptor in place of a 240v ac/dc adaptor - the aim is to deliver between 7v and 9v dc to the circuit. (if you use a power adaptor you omit the mains transformer and rectifier shown on the schematic on my web page). Hope...

Kel One solution to replacing batteries with a direct power supply is featured here http://start-model-engineering.co.uk/machines-and-tooling/milling-machines/battery-free-dro-display/ This option meets the requirement for dual power output - 3v to power the remote display and 1.5v to power...

Hi Ant As a newbie I too struggled with parting procedures on my mini-lathe despite trying all the recommended techniques. You start to blame yourself for not being able to carry out a basic operation which is straightforward to experienced engineers. After a year I decided to upgrade to a...

Thanks John, I think you were referring to me. I discovered two or three years ago that WD40 brought on a skin rash and John suggested that I should try applying with a brush rather than an aerosol and for me it was the answer. I am also allergic to Latex and simple research revealed that WD40...

I reckon Elmer's #33 Mill Engine is a very similar engine to Stuarts Victoria and built from bar stock and with a bought in cast flywheel would cost around 10% of the cost of Stuarts kit. Having built Elmers #33 I was so satisfied with the way the engine performed that I built a second engine...

Hi Speedhound You may find my experience building Jans Simple Two Stroke of interest. http://start-model-engineering.co.uk/category/jan-ridders-simple-two-stroke/ As you will see I did have initial problems to get it to run. After increasing the compression with a modified piston and cylinder...