Grounded van bodies 6.

Ignore the title, its coach bodies today rather than van bodies.

I spotted what I thought were a couple of derelict van bodies today whilst canoeing on Rudyard Lake, just outside Leek in Staffordshire (SJ949587). Jumping out of the boat and scrambling up the slippery overgrown bank I found that they were actually a couple of very rotten coach bodies. They look to be ancient 4 wheeled coaches, however it does occur to me that they could be two seperate sections of the same vehicle (or even two sections cut from two vehicles!). There are a number of holiday homes, caravans and boathouses along the lower west side of Rudyard, my guess is that these bodies were once used as holiday accommodation. Rudyard was a popular Victorian leisure destination, a certain Mr and Mrs Kipling enjoyed the place so much that they named their son after it...

The first, most northerly body;

A few metres to the south lies the second body;

I'd like to see someone try and identify these two! Which I reckon that I've done - see my second comment below.

Not the best photographs I'm afraid, due partly to an overcast sky and undergrowth and partly down to my lack of skill with a camera.

Paul.

Saltford Simplex rebuild part 2.

Here's the basic body castings, the cab back and side have previously been soldered together which dates the build as these days I use epoxy on whitemetal;

The cab front is glued to the bonnet, which is a solid whitemetal casting. Note the rather neat and usefull cast buffer/couplers. These used to be available seperately.

Here's a couple of views with the body castings glued in place;

I just need to fit a new roof (plasticard), radiator hoses and front handrail and I can start painting. I'll leave the green bodywork and red buffer/couplers as they are and just re-do the black frames etc. I'm unsure whether to replace the dirty windows or not, they will help hide the motor if left in place. The side window is actually warped from heat produced by the original cheapo motor!

For smoother running I've turned up a flywheel (12.5mm dia. x 4.2mm wide) to sit above the motor;

The odd finish is from Carrs Metal Black for Brass, not a product that I've ever had much joy with despite carefull de-greasing before use.
Running wise its not too bad, although somewhat hampered by the 12 tooth gear fitted, being rather 'coggy' at low speeds. This is a loco that needs to be driven rather than one that just goes without fuss. Running in should help (not much chance of that here though!).

Paul.

A few more accessories for my Unimat SL.

I've recently bought a couple more accessories for my Unimat SL.

First up there's a DTI (Dial Test Indicator) holder;

This clamps onto the bed bars holding a clock (DTI) in place to accurately measure the travel of the saddle along the bed;

This makes turning a shoulder to length, facing a job to size etc. easier, as long as the travel of the clock (usually 1/2" or 10mm) is taken into account. It should also be very usefull when the machine is set up as a mill/drill, accurately positioning holes relative to each other for example.

Next up is a replacement dial for the cross-slide. This one is resettable, which means that it can be zeroed in any position like a dial on a full sized lathe;

Unlike the original dial which is one piece, this is made in two parts, the larger diameter ring turns on the body. Its just a straight swap as well keeping things nice and simple. Here it is next to the standard item (on the right);

And on the machine;

Both of the above came from Mundford Machine Tooling via Ebay. Usual disclaimer applies.

Finally I've been given a couple of tools by my wife;

At the top is a parting off tool. Before I can use it I need to grind the rake angle on the top of the blade. I'm also going to shorten the holder to fit my toolpost with less overhang.
Below is a Glanze indexable turning tool. This type of tool uses throwaway tips that are screwed in place.
Both tools have a 6mm shank are are really tiny compared to industrial tools!

The DTI holder, resettable dial and turning tool have all been used today and have all proved their worth.

Paul.