On the subject of monorails, don't forget the Patiala state railway

and Listowel & Ballybunion .

On the latter, if you wanted to take a cow to market, you put it in one side of a wagon, and 2 half size cows or big calves the other side. On removing the big cow at its destination, you moved one of the smaller ones to the other side to achieve balance on the return "empty" journey. (It's Ireland.)

Eddie

------ Original Message ------ From: "mike allen" <animal@...> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, 26 Dec, 23 At 18:56 Subject: [SouthBendLathe] More train talk Since we seem to move nicely with train talk here , I watched this last nite & thought it was pretty darn cool . . I have a vintage Sperry gyroscope that was my dads along with the book that came with it , I'm gonna have to dig out the book & play with the unit for a while . animal

They would need a system that was impossible to break. Might be just the ticket for something that ran in a tube, though. Though someone skipping just one maintenance check/refill on the oil or grease could be catastrophic.?

Bill in OKC

William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)

Aphorisms to live by:

Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.?

SEMPER GUMBY!

Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.
Physics doesn't care about your schedule.
The only reason I know anything is because I've done it wrong enough times to START to know better.

Expect in one hand, expectorate in the other. See which one gets full first.

On Tuesday, December 26, 2023 at 12:56:36 PM CST, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:

Since we seem to move nicely with train talk here , I watched this last

nite & thought it was pretty darn cool .

.

?I have a vintage Sperry gyroscope that was my dads along with the book

that came with it , I'm gonna have to dig out the book & play with the

unit for a while .

animal

------ Original Message ------
From: "mike allen" <animal@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, 26 Dec, 23 At 18:56
Subject: [SouthBendLathe] More train talk

Since we seem to move nicely with train talk here , I watched this last
nite & thought it was pretty darn cool .

.

I have a vintage Sperry gyroscope that was my dads along with the book
that came with it , I'm gonna have to dig out the book & play with the
unit for a while .

animal

These are 2 more crystals that I made.? If you look close, one has too much crown and the crystal is cracked, and the other has a lower crown and is good.? Both were made in the same time frame earlier this year.


--
1969 16" x 6' South Bend Lathe
Garage full of old Mopars........

Been racing this one since 1982 .? Has a new motor that makes 1060 hp but was in transmission purgatory so have not run it yet with the new motor..? Finally got that fixed.? Have 3 other old Mopars in the garage.

My buddy has a 64 Max Wedge Plymouth that he races in in A/SA or AA/SA.? Won a couple times with it.? Not sure if he is still active as he is 80 years old now.? But he was racing in 2022.


--
1969 16" x 6' South Bend Lathe
Garage full of old Mopars........

Not sure why picture didn't go through.? Trying again.


--
1969 16" x 6' South Bend Lathe
Garage full of old Mopars........
--
-George M.

Update!? Someone on the Bridgeport Mill group suggested using a lathe to make the dial crystals and that is how I saw one person doing it on YouTube.? They rough cut the sheet to size (with a razor knife I think), pinch it between two round plates, and turn the OD.? One plate in the chuck or collet and the other plate brought up tight by the tailstock.? Live center in the tailstock.? I haven't seen a downside to this approach yet.? I also did some calculations to figure out what OD and bevel angle are required for the flat dial crystal to be the correct arc when installed in the bezel.? I thought I could get away with the installed crystal height being a relatively consistent percentage of OD, but after measuring the indicators I have on hand it was obvious that the height/OD ratio varies by manufacturer and model.? Next up, an Excel spreadsheet to run the crystal calculations given specific crystal height and bezel ID values.? I also added a smartphone to tripod adapter to my Christmas list (getting ready to make some totally amateur tutorial videos)!

Thanks,

George H. Meinschein, P.E.

Firearm and Ballistics Engineering LLC

150 Brittany Drive
Freehold, NJ 07728
gmeinschein@...
Cell#: 732-580-1736

Sent with secure email.

On Thursday, 14 December 2023 at 10:04, George Meinschein <gmeinschein@...> wrote:

Guys,

Thanks for the input.? I can get a dozen 4"x6" sheets 0.040" thick from Amazon for $8.00 and delivered for free.? A dozen 8x10 sheets are $14.00.? I've been using the vise method to bend the crystals that I have removed and replaced so far.? I seem to have a 50 year collection (probably a 90 year collection if I add my father's stuff) of odd and end shaped knobs, buttons, rubber feet, PVC fittings and so on that allows me to get the right combo of contours for bending the crystals in the vise.

Now, I'm thinking of using a mini fly cutter to plunge into the sheet and cut out the crystal with the proper beveled edge in one operation.? Double-sided tape or maybe hook up the vaccum pump to hold the sheets down.? Phones are usually quiet here between Christmas and New Years Day.? So, I might get a chance to experiment a bit.

Thanks,

George H. Meinschein, P.E.

Firearm and Ballistics Engineering LLC

150 Brittany Drive
Freehold, NJ 07728
gmeinschein@...
Cell#: 732-580-1736

Sent with secure email.

On Thursday, 14 December 2023 at 04:19, eddie.draper@... via groups.io <eddie.draper@...> wrote:

Melt shaping OUGHT to work on any thermoplastic (of which both Acrylic & Polycarbonate are examples). If you want to avoid it breaking or cracking, use Polycarbonate rather than acrylic, but note that it scratches nearly as easily. Both machine easily with normal tools, and quickly take a polish to fully transparent if the final cut is very fine, followed by metal polish such as Brasso or Solvol Autosol (for car chrome) on a cloth. No idea what the equivalents are outside the UK. You could try machining a convex one out of a thicker piece without heating, and if you only did the outside, it would slightly act as a magnifier.

Eddie

------ Original Message ------ From: "Andrei" <calciu1@...> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, 14 Dec, 23 At 05:58 Subject: Re: [SouthBendLathe] Dial indicator crystals (new rabbit hole for me!)

I always wondered how they domed the crystals without optical distortions. The glass ones are ground or melted over a mould, but what about the plastic ones? Does melt shaping work on them, too?

Get

---

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of John via groups.io <reproturn@...> Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 8:52:44 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [SouthBendLathe] Dial indicator crystals (new rabbit hole for me!)

Hello George

I usually don’t have much to say on the group, but on this occasion, I may be able to help.

Like you I also repair gauges. Normally I buy replacement crystals from G-S Supplies in NY . No commercial connection just a happy overseas customer for more than 20 years. They are great to deal with. The website has a lot of data about crystal sizes and types. Prices are reasonable.

That said, I have made a few crystals because G-S does not carry/make many of the bigger sizes unless you want to order 500. Biggest problem I have with that here in Australia is finding acrylic sheet thin enough. But I’m sure there is a supply in the US.

Turning is the only method I have tried but a punch would probably do just fine and if necessary you can turn a bevel afterwards.

As to the bevel edge I can’t speak for every make and type of gauge, but many regular size gauges made by Mitutoyo, Starrett, Federal, Standard, etc. use bevel edge crystals. However, that only applies to domed crystals (by the way they start out flat and you deform them to fit the bezel). But (there is always a but) some gauges including ones made by the above makers have flat crystals and no bevel.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

John Bates

Sydney, Australia

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of George Meinschein via groups.io Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2023 12:03 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [SouthBendLathe] Dial indicator crystals (new rabbit hole for me!)

Hello all,

First off, I apologize for any cross posts. Lately, I’ve been fixing a few “parts only” dial and dial test indicators that I picked up on eBay. I’m thinking about getting some 1/25” clear acrylic sheet and making some nice new dial crystals. Anyone ever worked with acrylic sheet? Is this something I’d knock out with a punch and die setup? I did see one guy on YouTube make his dial crystal on a lathe. Clamped the acrylic sheet between two silicone rubber pads and turned the O.D. The Mitutoyo crystals have a beveled edge, so maybe the lathe is the way to go. Thoughts and comments from the the collective group brain power please!

Thanks,

George H. Meinschein, P.E.

Firearm and Ballistics Engineering LLC

150 Brittany Drive Freehold, NJ 07728 gmeinschein@... Cell#: 732-580-1736

Sent from for iOS

-- -George M.

--
-George M.

Thanks Mike , do ya remember what sensor you used ? Rite now I only have the ones that are used on the treadmills , I would like to get one like the one ya used , I think their probably better quality & look easier to adjust .
thanks
animal

Hey folks , I know some of ya have put Tach's on their 9" lathes . Where
did ya put the pickup ?? I'm doin a project/experiment & I will be
needin to put a Tach pickup on my 9A spindle . Rite now I'm leaning
towards a magnetic pickup cause of the size of the sending unit & magnet .

thanks

animal