Re: Outdoor Welding

On Tue, 1 Jul 2025 10:44:10 -0700, Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>
wrote:

On 7/1/2025 1:22 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

It was an example of the major components well made in a factory and the
minor ones in someone's cottage, poorly enough that filing improved
them.

>
I am sure you are aware that some of the old school apprenticeship
projects were to make precision tools with files.  Making something
better by filing is only occasionally within my self taught skill set.
it is absolutely a reality in machining.

 
When I was teaching (auto mechanics) in Zambia (1973-74) my class was
given some old 2 strike back-pack "dusters" from the Nakumbala Sugar
Estates as well as a sachs wankel engine off an old welder from one of
the copper mines.

I had the students practice their "fitting" (mostly filing) by making
piston rings for the 2 strokes out of cast iron pipe  - 5 of the 15
students actually got their engines to fire up!!!!

 Then they decided they would like to get the Wankel running - and
made apex seals out of bed-frame angle. It didn't have the
counterballance for the flywheel so when it DID eventually start -
bolted to an angle iron frame, it walked across the shop floor with
one of the guys standing on it to hold it down. It only ran about 25
seconds or so - but they all got a passing grade!!!!

>

Its Brown & Sharpe #7 collet size is almost identical to Morse #2,
max 1/2", but rarer, so I snapped up all the arbors etc that Wholesale
Tool had left.

>
I have done much the same thing with KWIK 200.  I particularly like the
Kwik 200 Accura-Flex collet chucks.  Of course Kwik-200 was much more
popular being used in CNC machines by both Bridgeport and Hurco.  I once
considered scrapping my Hurco, and sold off some of my tool holders, but
then later decided to rebuild it again.  I of course had to buy back
some tool holders at a higher price.  That was when I really discovered
the Acura-Flex collets and that I liked them even better than ER
collets.  Then I acquired a second machine with a Kwik 200 spindle.
>
>
--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff