How are you filling in your day in lockdown?

[willedoo]

1 hour ago, nomadpete said:

We aren't in lockdown but I've been treating myself to watching Morgan Freeman's series on SBS on Demand. It's a nice way to see the diversity of scientific research, connected with all sorts of questions. Last night I watched a pre Covid episode about the state of research into pandemics, and anti-viral development. Right on the money, and partly showed why it has been possible to produce anti Covid immunisation so quickly - they were already half way there!

 

Watch "Through the Wormhole."

 

It's addictive.

Exactly Pete. This probably should be in the Covid thread but that's what happened with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. They developed it fairly quickly and the Western Russiaphobia kicked in big time. Criticism was that it was dodgy because it was developed so quick; in reality the criticism was based on commercial competition in regard to other pharma companies, and geopolitics in regard to Western government criticism.

 

The reality is Russia developed a virus based on two human adenovirus vectors. Research had been done on very similar vaccines for years and all they had to do was tweak existing R & D. They had previously developed successful Ebola and MERS vaccines, very similar research, and this was just an extension of it. But the Western world would rather suck a boil than acknowledge anything legitimate from that country. In their eyes, everything is an evil Putin plot.

 

The Gameyla Instute in Russia is finally having the last laugh now though. Their two vector vaccine is showing 90% effectiveness, and the one we're pinning our hopes on, the single vector AstraZeneca vaccine, is at 70%. So now AstraZeneca has swallowed a bit of humble pie and is partnering with the Russians to trial a combination of their vaccines. The idea is one shot of the single vector Pommie vaccine and one shot of either of the two Russian vectors. The Russians are keen as well to see if the combination is better than theirs.

 

Apologies for thread drift. Probably ok though as I'm filling in part of my day commenting on vaccines. Instead I should be building helmets like Marty and ome.

[old man emu]

11 hours ago, Marty_d said:

Well done OME!!

Thanks. I'm so glad that my ravings-on got you to do something unusual for you grandkids. They will remember this Christmas for as long as they live. I thought that the swords and shields were of the highest quality, with big infusions of Grandpa's TLC.

 

It makes this Santa's Helper so happy that I made three young and one old kid a Happy Christmas.

[onetrack]

Mandalorian helmet, work you did, good is.

[Marty_d]

Confusing Din Djarin with Yoda, you are.

 

Ok a sad update - in a fit of temper my youngest (8) smashed her sword.  So it only lasted 1.5 days.

This was not entirely unexpected - she has form.  So far she's left her Ipod out in the rain, lost her Garmin (fitbit) at school, and threw her watch at her brother - missing completely and smashing it against the concrete block wall.

So after I shape the stump she'll have traded in her sword for a dagger...

 

 

[nomadpete]

Nice work.

I think you did well.

Think of the inbuilt safety feature. If it hadn't broken, there might have been an injury requiring medical assistance.

I commend your inbuilt safety feature.

[nomadpete]

PS If I were you I wouldn't make the dagger too sharp.

[Marty_d]

9 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

PS If I were you I wouldn't make the dagger too sharp.

It'll be even blunter than the sword.  I know my daughter!

[Old Koreelah]

 

Marty you have commendable faith in kids; In 1960 our dad moved us into a house in town formerly owned by a builder. Suddenly there was a street full of kids to play with.

Out in the back shed we found lots of shiny aluminum extrusions and quickly made them into swords for our neighbourhood medieval battles. 

 

Several cuts and split scalps later those swords quietly disappeared.

[old man emu]

Don't reward her unacceptable behaviour. You won't cure it immediately, but one step at a time. Let her suffer the loss while the others still play on. It's not as though you intend to give her a spanking for the temper tantrum. I'm sorry, but I'm Old School. Don't molly-coddle.  However, I think I detect more to her behaviour than is expressed in one incident.

 

 

[Yenn]

You may be pleasantly surprised at how she turns out eventually.

[old man emu]

14 minutes ago, Yenn said:

You may be pleasantly surprised at how she turns out eventually.

Too true! I've seen many charming little princesses toru into wicked step-mother queens when they reach 14 years of age.

[pmccarthy]

Progressing the truck. Door frames made, swung and adjusted. Skins next. Windscreen frame welded and repaired. Radiator rebuilt.

[spacesailor]

Question! .

How much of an original truck, can be used as the start of a rebuild? .

Left front guard count as a R R, rebuild, or does it need That radiator.

must have original engine "part" or build a nice new motor.

( I had a RR flying lady )

Green monster, built by RR certified mechanic, won his court case and kept the RR name on his homebuilt.

spacesailor

Edited January 7, 2021 by spacesailor
Added paragraph

[onetrack]

If you want to win a Concours competition, you need as much factory originality as possible. I have been a Concours judge, on a judging panel.

We knocked off points for things such as faded tail light lenses and dirt in the pleats of leather upholstery - not to mention parts and accessories that did not come from the factory, or were unavailable as factory or aftermarket items in the time the vehicle was built.

 

One thing that grates with me is the trend of restorers to make their vehicles as "glitzy" as possible.

Chromed parts that were never chromed originally, fluoro colours that were never available in the era the vehicle was built ("lairy" paint colours were not only impossible to produce in the early part of the 20th century, they were deemed as antisocial, and unbecoming, and a sign of a lack of civility), and accessories that make the vehicle look like a mobile Christmas tree, are all things that I find unacceptable, as a perfectionist.

 

But the people who own the vehicles all seem to need to put their individual styling "mark" on them.

I have no problem with subtle mechanical upgrades such as improved brakes, 12V electrical conversions, and attachments and options of the era - but many restorers or old vehicle owners fail to realise that the early vehicles were very staid, colours were very limited (black, grey, a dull green, a navy blue, and cream were about the entire range of paint options - although a deep red might be available for a "sports" model), upholstery colours were mostly shades of brown or grey, and chrome was mostly limited to bumpers and headlights. Sometimes, even the headlight bodies were just painted.

 

At the end of the day, a restorer can do what he likes to the vehicle he's restoring. Hotrodders delight in changing old vehicles so much, they're unrecognisable.

But I like to see "genuine" restorations, showing the vehicles as they came from the factory, when they were built.

[pmccarthy]

In my case I had everything, but the woodwork was only good for patterns and the sheet metal had lots of holes that needed patching welding. The only new sheet metal I needed to make was the door skins.

[pmccarthy]

This pic gives an idea of the state of it at the start. I am aiming for a look like it was originally, but it will be far from concors.

 

[pmccarthy]

34 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

Question! .

How much of an original truck, can be used as the start of a rebuild? .

Left front guard count as a R R, rebuild, or does it need That radiator.

must have original engine "part" or build a nice new motor.

( I had a RR flying lady )

Green monster, built by RR certified mechanic, won his court case and kept the RR name on his homebuilt.

spacesailor

The builder of my Bentley Special Derry Mallalieu was sued by RR. They said it was OK to put another body on a Bentley, bodies were bespoke anyway, but they didn't like him moving the engine back 14 inches in the chassis. He built 36 specials but mine was the last one (No 6) to have the Flying B badge on the radiator. Subsequent builds had his own radiator badge, but some owners have since reverted to the Flying B.  Some background in this video. 

 

[old man emu]

33 minutes ago, onetrack said:

But I like to see "genuine" restorations, showing the vehicles as they came from the factory, when they were built.

I agree with you for 99% of all motor vehicles. Seeing old cars and bikes in their original factory colours puts colour into all those old black and white photos and movies from those times, bringing the World into a new reality.

 

But I will take another approach with one group - Harley-Davidsons from 1940 to 1970. That was the age of Flathead, Shovelhead and Knucklehead engine designs. They are the bikes that are associated with the Hot Rod culture and the Outlaw MC culture.

 

There are three groups of owners of these bikes:

1. The "leave as found" group who accept a bike as it appears as found - usually barn finds - saying that the patina is the story of the bike's life. This group will happily ride the bike any time.
2. The Concours d'Elegance mob who demand that a bike be returned to "showroom fresh". That's the mob Onetrack is in. This mob never ride their bikes for what they were built, maybe the occasional participation in a show parade.
3. The "my bike, my personality" mob - my mob. This group carries out the modifications that suit their personalities, from simply adding more comfort features but keeping the bike like a bought one through the the chopper and rat bike mob who make masses of changes to the original bike. I'm on the middle ground. My bike is retro to the late 1960s when metal flake paint and chrome bits were the go.  This group is also made up of happy riders.

[spacesailor]

The Green-Monster (if I remember that name correctly ). It's wrong !.

HAS a RR Merlin spitfire motor in it!, That's the BEAST

RR didn't like it having an Aircraft engine. Or the RR Grill.

" 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

Magazine | Cars

John Dodd and the Merlin-engined monstrosity that infuriated Rolls-Royce

30 October 2016

 

 

 

In the early 1970s, eccentric Englishman John Dodd took possession of a home-brewed monstrosity that used a 27-litre Rolls-Royce Merlin engine as its primary power source. It wasn’t the engine that the company took exception to, however – it was the trademark(ed) grille it wore on its lengthy nose… "

AND RR won their case, 

spacesailor

[Yenn]

Did that Merlin have a supercharger. I would think it would have been superfluous. We used the un supercharged ones in the army. They powered the Centurian and Conquerer tanks among others.

We got 2000hp out of one on a test bed. The ones used in the Conquerer were fuel injected and so top secret that I wasn't allowed to see a workshop manual, when I had to repair the fuel injection system. I did get it going OK, but it took some time and now I can't remember what I did.

[Marty_d]

3 hours ago, Yenn said:

The ones used in the Conquerer were fuel injected and so top secret that I wasn't allowed to see a workshop manual, when I had to repair the fuel injection system. 

That seems like the epitome of stupidity to me (your boss, Yenn, not you) - if the workshop manual is not there for the bloke fixing the engine, what the hell is the good of it?

[willedoo]

An interesting start to the new year. I've been using some slow time to sort out a bit of gear and do some maintenance if needed. On opening up the storage bag for this sea survival suit, I found a damp rotten patch. Photos were taken after excising the active rot; the area lost is about 250mm x 300 mm.

 

It was the result of blatant idiocy. A couple of months ago I tried an experiment on a stain. First vinegar to no avail, then a household spray cleaner, the type that has some ammonia. I then thoroughly rinsed the area with clean water and let it dry over a few days before packing it away again. Opened it up much later and the fabric was rotted, probably due to some chemical reaction with the fabric (polyester blend as far as I can tell). I then let the area dry totally before putting it back in the bag, but on checking it couple of days later, the damp was back and the rot had spread so I cut out all the bad fabric. Most likely capillary action at work.

 

It will be a tricky one to repair and will fill in a few hours. Sometimes you learn the hard way (or the stupid way).

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2021 by willedoo

[old man emu]

Early on I posted mt TTD list. By now most things have been completed, so I'm into these projects:

1. Replace the runners on the doors of the garden shed - almost complete
2. Make a cradle for Grogu, the child from The Mandalorian for my 32-year-old son.
3. Make a Mandalorian rifle     for son and grandson to share
4. Using the body of an old microwave oven, make a spray booth for airbrushing stuff I make.
5. Make a rotating tumbler cleaner 

I already have a wet and a dry "ultrasonic" parts cleaners. 

 

Are these COVID lockdown activities, or what blokes do when the retire?

[willedoo]

21 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Are these COVID lockdown activities, or what blokes do when the retire?

The two subjects have naturally morphed IMO. I'm finding retirement is like permanent lockdown in some ways. This is my first year of full retirement, so just learning the ropes at this stage. I think all retirees need is a shed, some tools and youtube and things will be right.

 

Also, I think even if we don't go to too much more lockdown, this thread has become a de facto hobbies and projects thread.

Edited January 9, 2021 by willedoo

[willedoo]

18 minutes ago, old man emu said:

1. Make a rotating tumbler cleaner 

I already have a wet and a dry "ultrasonic" parts cleaners. 

ome, what medium do you use. I've got an expensive bought one, a vibrating tumbler and I think the medium is based on walnut shell fragments.