Cut, bruised and scalded - What a day !

Well, it was frozen when I started, that's my claim.

Repairing an accidentally drilled hole in a heating pipe (not by me) is normally a simple operation, not so with a school heating system.

With no valves installed that could be shut down to stop the flow, and a system big enough to fill a small swimming pool if it was drained, the only answer I could think of was to freeze the pipe, but I knew that even that was hazardous in the prevailing conditions in the area, but it was the only way at the time.

Using copious freezing fluid I overcame the latent heat in the area and it froze, normally, this allows about 15 minutes to operate in, but I planned to top up the freezing fluid well before that.

I had prepared the connections before starting, so proceeded to cut the pipes for the work, Having loosely fitted  the first joint, I was going to top up the fluid when it defrosted and squirted me with warm water, stuffing my thumb over the pipe I stopped it from running and, one handed, completed the first joint, my loosely assembled other connections was then used to stem the flow of now scalding water, a colleague was with me luckily, but could do little to help as there was no working space.

One end located in place I now had to fit the other end - the live and now scalding end - with a pair of pliers to hold the fittings with to give me some isolation from the heat, I let go my thumb from the pipe and immediately the full force of the scalding water flooded free, at the third attempt I rammed the joint in place, this stemmed the main flow but all joints still squirted a spray of near boiling water at me with the result that my hands are well blanched.

After a series of attempts, eventually all joints were sealed, and are now in service thank goodness. My cuts and bruises will heal and my hands will look a bit more normal eventually, I just hope the stinging stops by bed time.

And so ends another day in the annuls of Captain Capable. (got to go now to wash my Lycra shorts and cape  LOL).

Lifting Progress

As some of the members of HWSME already know, I have been occupied in out of club hours work, preparing the parts needed to re-construct the layout lift pulleys, and now, to my relief I can report that the machining of the pulleys, spacers and spindles are now complete.

The method of realigning the axle holes is also determined, as I have proven with the first three examples.

Due to the manufacturing methods adopted by the makers of the original pulleys, the sheaves (or frames of the pulleys) are adequately strong in construction but the axle holes do not align accurately enough to allow our revised design of pulley to locate between the sheave cheeks correctly. to overcome this fault I have adopted a method of drilling and milling to correct this.

It involves three stages of operation, with the sheave firmly gripped in the machine vice of the bench drill, a first stage 6mm drill is used to drill the upper cheek of the sheave, this drill is then replaced with a 6mm end mill and the lower cheek is carefully milled in alignment with the upper cheek, finally, the milling cutter is again replaced, but this time with an 8mm sharp drill and this drills both cheeks to complete the process.

The sheave is then de-burred and the ball bearing pulley and its spacers are assembled in the sheave and the prepared axle passed through the assembly, the 1/2mm projecting axle is then peened over to finally anchor it in place.

This renewed will then painted in the ever popular shade of Magnolia prior to being refitted to the lift mechanism  to match the existing metal building frame, I intend this colouring match to spread to the exposed underparts of the layout to make the layout to blend in with the existing colour scheme and hopefully make the hanging layout less intimidating to both members and visitors alike.

During the revision work of the layout, the existing pulleys will have to have their pulley wheels removed, the sheave drilling operation performed and re-assembly with the new parts completed, then finally painted before re-use, so my preparative work should save time during the major operation of adding new lift positions (there will be eight, at present there are six) to equalise the support during lifting, this has become necessary due to the increased weight encountered by extensions to the extended surface area of the present layout.

This weight increase has nothing to do with eating habits, but is more to do with carrying unexpected luggage, all the rolling stock is now left on the layout and the extra support timbers to fix the extensions,, together with the scenic features permanently attached, has increased the overall weight threefold from the original, at the last weigh in it was 600 lbs.

I shall be weighing it again during the refurbishment work and I hope it is still within the designed lifting capability of the hard pressed hoist mechanism in its present configuration, if it is close, further provisions to carry the extra weight will have to be introduced, (another loop of lifting cable to reduce the pull to a quarter of the total weight, at present it is one third)

My fears are for the hoist motor, gears and brake, the pulleys and cabling are well within their capability but stepping over the designated capacity of the hoist is asking for trouble, and none of us want that, least of all, me !

Time - Dammit !

First week, second month and eleventh year of this century and, my birthday looming again.


The passing of my birthday will be as momentous as the much advertised millennium bug was, both distinctly non-events, the day will pass with no peal off bells (possibly a chinking sound from the bottle), no cheers or 'for he's a jolly good fellow', no rockets or fire crackers, in fact, not even the pssssss-phutt of a damp squib.


Time has only one pace, no deviation, no consideration for those who can not keep up, no rhythm changes at all and any changes we do detect are illusionary ones like, -  time races when we are enjoying ourselves, or - drags when we are waiting in a queue. These illusions serve to vary our conception of time and save us from the human dilemma of boredom.


Like most things in life we get bored with constant things that have no variety and we look out for something different all the time, this is often observed by managers of production lines where the operatives look for anything to break the boring routine of repeating the same operation all their working day/week/month, or life, it is not surprising that a missing part is the highlight of their day - without such events, there is no variety !


My life is not boring, I am lucky that way, for my years life is quite eventful, thanks to a group of family, friends and acquaintances that provide me with the variety that I seek, my abilities are constantly being tested and my few remaining brain cells exercised at regular intervals.


What I am explaining is that my birthday will happen as part of the march of time and it will mark another year over for me, but also marks another new year that I hope I enjoy as much as all those other happy years I have had in the past, forgetting the bad ones, those dim into insignificance as they recede into the distance, yes I admit it, I do tend to forget the times of stress and discomfort, I am human after all!


Perhaps I should embark on a study to train time to do a slow march for us older people that still have a spark of life in them, two tone time, that's not time for two timers, I would never advance that theory, but time for old timers so they can keep up without overtaxing their heart rate, changing their walking frame for a skateboard or putting their pacemakers into overdrive - - - - Hmmm, food for thought huh!


As a natural born Valentine my birthday serves a double purpose as it has throughout my time so my cards often serve both purposes too, and it has always been exciting to open a card to discover it;s purpose. Now, I am surprised to get cards and they are doubly acceptable when received though, they are rarely of the Valentine variety unless received from a joker.


To all my readers I wish you a happy Valentines day on the Fourteenth of February, and, if it applies, a happy birthday too, it should not be too rare as in theory we are 1/365 th of the total population, it just seems rare as we don't seem to advertise the fact ?

The Blues At Alexandra Palace !

This past week I have been involved with my club at an exhibition held at the Ally Pally, The London Model Engineers Exhibition, a show for hobbyists to exhibit their creations and for visiting enthusiasts to ogle in admiration or criticize suspected inaccuracies in the builders interpretation, there was some terrific work there and each example is somebodies pride and joy.

Harrow & Wembley Society of Model Engineers, of whom I am a member, displayed a good cross section of most facets of the hobbyists work, and the fact is, given the space, we could have shown twice as much, we have members with large locomotives and tenders, Boats of various types, Traction engines and their carts and a host of other smaller items including work in progress.
But, as we were restricted for space some items scheduled for showing had to be stored beneath the stand to allow enough room for that which was shown, but the visitors knew nothing of this and simply ooohed and aaahed at what they saw - except for my exhibit!


I was showing a machine that was made with very limited facilities, constructed from some unlikely materials and not easily recognised for what it is, I overheard comments from the passing public involving words like - Emmett, Blue Peter, and even Scrap Heap Challenge.

But, when explained to them (and sometimes demonstrated with the aid of a battery drill to drive it) the penny dropped and then came recognition of its worthiness for a place on the stand, it was the cause of many furrowed brows and even more laughs.
One lady appeared with a camera and was busily taking pictures from as many angles as she could, which I found intriguing, so I found an excuse to ask if she was interested, then she told me, "I am very sorry" she said "I don't even know what it is, but my husband is absolutely enthralled with it". 
So she was on a mission for her leader, a bit like an industrial spy, but I avoided the temptation to fire a poisoned dart into her body from my secretly adapted umbrella !


I can almost hear your thoughts 'So why the Ally Pally Blues then?' the fact is, when this all started with setting up the stand on Thursday the 20th of January, I was not on best form, and by the time we had done I was feeling decidedly rough, on reaching home, after a quick meal I was soon in bed feeling cold and very uncomfortable.
Friday morning saw me struggling to rise, it was the traditional head nose and throat thing - all of it bunged up and needing a flue brush to clear the debris, but eventually, the starter motor kicked in and I got on my way, not at the intended time but I got there at last.
The following two days were similar, and the climb from the apparently sea level car park to the stratospheric Palace was a trial for a guy with clogged up tubes (and thus difficulty with breathing)  as I was at the time, still, I survived, and a cup of the concoction they called coffee there set me going for the rest of the day.
In spite of these problems, it was an enjoyable period I would not choose to miss, the comradery and friendliness from the visitors and exhibitors alike is refreshing. Yes, I may well be over this cold or flue or whatever it is by now, had I chosen to stay home and molly coddle myself, but who cares - I don't !
So now we have yet another accolade to add to our collection, this year we were chosen by the other exhibitors as joint third place for best stand (the lads must have hidden my exhibit when the other guys came round to make their assessment), the previous two years have seen us get second place in 2009, followed by a first last year, we must be doing something right !
My congratulations to all our members for their spirited actions in getting it all together when it matters, this makes me proud to be included among them, it was a good show, and what we showed was good too.

An unexpected New years present !

Each new year seems to enter with trumpets sounding and fireworks crackling and lighting up our living rooms with a calidescope of colours from the TV.

But, on a personal level we travel in our private time capsule and realise we have slipped into the fresh year with no more than a sip of coffee and a damp squib as we expect the usual plethora of brown envelopes demanding the payment of the inevitable bills, cash we have just spent on our seasonal festivities

That is how I normally see it, but this year is different.

New years day saw me checking my Emails on the laptop amongst other PC born activities when out of the ether came a phone call - I will back-track and explain in greater detail.

Almost two years ago someone very close to me and I had a misunderstanding for which I could not find a reason, so I spent many times speculating as to what had transpired to create the unsuspected reaction that was the result, to say I was surprised is an understatement, this wonderful person and I were used to talking freely on most subjects, including some very personal and private ones, so my shock was compounded by the event happening without an explanation or chance to rationalise the argument.

At the time a lot was happening in everyone's life, and a lot of people were doing various tasks, decisions were being made on the run and, amid the chaos and confusion, my own involvement was being disrupted for various reasons, and my part of the work was often delayed till most others had left for the comfort of their own homes and I could work without the distractions of the day.

It appears that the lack of progress was the trigger that put the bullet through the relaxed arrangement we had arrived at and served to sully our formally close relationship. This unresolved situation stopped communications for nearly two years and was a cause of regret and heartache for me during that period.

Being a bit of a clown, like most clowns, my sadness was disguised by my jovial attitude to most events but, in private I was constantly running this happening through my concerned mind and trying to find a cause for this effect.

Without a line of communication the dispute could not be resolved, and having promised to avoid all communication the possibility of negotiation was impossible, but, having made that promise I was duty bound to respect it, and so it continued.

The phone call was a wonderful surprise, better than any Harrods festively wrapped gift, better than a string of party's, more satisfying than a long vacation in some plush setting. To hear this persons voice was a joy to me, but to hear the tone of friendship and the desire to resolve our dispute, emulating my own feelings, was a revelation causing my heart to pound with excitement and a mile wide smile to distort my face, to the extent that the friend here with me remarked on my sudden change in mood and body language.

We soon arranged a meeting where we discussed our situation and resolved the the differences and both
realised that the whole thing had been something and nothing, and could so easily not reached the extent it did.

So, for me, I can genuinely say my new year start is a happy one, with luck it will stay that way, with good intentions it should continue to improve.

Some time ago, two other similar disputes have sullied my life and have remained unresolved, so my intention is to attempt to work my way through the mire of unexplained traps that we have fallen into, this recent happy event has given me a fresh resolve to at least attempt settling the problems. These two events involve people that are of immeasurably important people in my life and these festering sores need salving as a matter of urgency before they turn cancerous and reach a critical stage.

At my age of seventy I wish for those that are important to me to be there within easy reach, not isolated from me and critical of things of which I know nothing, my life has been spent earning a living and reputation where I have mostly been helping people to realise their dreams by creating things in their home or lives that they are not capable of realising for themselves, I am not given to creating upsets, in fact most people know that I will do my utmost to avoid or resolve disputes.

These attributes are known to the people that I am referring to, so I yet again can not comprehend how these events have arrived to cause the unhappiness I bear as a result of them.

I am tired of feeling regrets, tired of wishing they were around to enjoy their presence and laugh with them as used to happen, tired of their not being part of my life and me part of theirs. Yes I have good friends, yes I have acquaintances, all of whom go to form a group of people that I am proud to be a part of, but these few people are very special and cause me the most regret when I am estranged from them.

Perhaps this is a good time to make a new years resolution, normally they are a secret but in this case I will publicly announce that :-
My new year resolution is reconciliation.


For me, this new year is a happy one beyond all others. I wish all that read this has a similar new year too, though I selfishly know that it is unlikely to be as momentous as mine.

God bless all with open minds !

What a show !

While in a semi drunken state I watched the approach of this new year on the flat screen magic box, at 24.00 the show went to the Thames and showed the terrific fireworks display  surrounding the London Eye, what a show, impressive or what, this display probably cost half our national debt - but what the heck, it is the start of the year and we need something to take our thoughts away from the financial worries for a spell.

Personally, I was most impressed by the co-ordination of the many elements used to create the overall effect, it was breathtakingly awesome and makes me proud that our cobbled together government had the courage to commit the funds to an excellent display and lift our depressed hearts for a moment.

I just hope the they use as much common sense to deal with the worries of our student population here who are stressed by the possible drastic raising of course fees, a clear explanation is needed as a matter of urgency to avoid the actions of those violent few that do not represent the majority at all, and who usurp the intentions of the  gathering to turn it to their own violent and dangerous (not to say costly) ends.

They have a disruptive agenda of their own which serves to lose the public's understanding and support for those pupils that have concerns about starting there working life with the burden of a massive debt on their shoulders, I plead with the government to re-appraise their decision and consider some alternative approach which will be less abrasive and more considerate towards our countries future leaders and executives, engineers, politicians, CEO's in fact most of those that hold our future in their hearts and minds.

These students are no longer children, they are young adults who are capable of a considerable depth of reasoning, but who are still learning and assembling their ideas and reaching their own decisions, they are no longer sheep to be herded like lambs to the slaughter, and, after talking with some of them, I am of the opinion that the vast majority are disgusted and disappointed that their genuine efforts are being driven off course by the actions of  a group of criminally minded thugs, brought in by god knows who, and intent on doing damage for the sake of it.

Basically these fresh minds deserve the respect of our government and deserve greater consideration when deciding on life changing decisions like this fee increase, surely it would not do harm to debate with them the best way of  easing the inevitable, I have the impression that it is not the increase of the fees that concern them but the magnitude of that increase does. they are all worried about the worst case scenario of a threefold increase, surely that can not be necessary in all cases and the uncertainty of which will be affected gives them most concern. A clear explanation of the reasoning would help them greatly.

So I appeal to our leaders to temper their approach with more understanding and realistic ideas to solve the shortfall they are trying to rectify, perhaps adopt some of the broad minded thoughts used for the new years display, that took some courage to commit to in the light of the present difficulties, please don't stress the students unnecessarily, they have enough stress to survive their course work without dropping out.

With the contrasting decisions - the expenditure of the new years display - and the vast increase in university fees feared by those who have to consider their future in light of these possible increases, surely, even a politician can see the apparent unfairness of these situations - or am I alone in my thoughts ?

Brian.

Greetings

I nearly forgot.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READER(S)

Lets hope our coalition Government comprehends the needs of the country and cooperates with other candidates to co-opt them into the common cause of correcting the financial crash we concern our craniums with.
Company's and corporations alike crease their brows in concern, causing committees to consider conditions controlling critical market conditions, critics claim the crisis was circumnavigatable had the financial corporations controlled the loan criteria more critically, comments by banking CEO's condemn these criticisms but the common man has to cry for his decreasing coppers crashing crazily in his almost empty pocket as his cash is collected to construct a prop for the failing banks.
Here endeth the first lesson.

Brian.