Druidic Dabblings and General Twaddle !!

[topkit]

had a couple of hours 'fiddling' with a new acquisition Monday
bought as a non runner/unknown condition
- got it running, but found it to be in need of some new bits
- after a bloody good blow off with the air line and 150 psi through the blaster nozzle.
bits ordered and have arrived this afternoon -
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I have a solenoid here, that I bought for the Dane, some time ago (and didn't need, as the fault was elsewhere - eventually), but spent quite some time looking for the damned thing, in all the places I would've been likely to have put it - to no avail
interesting washer/nut combo - new one on me ...
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- Harper and Clara day (deliver and collect the latter to/from school), after they get dropped off with us, so not a lot gets done on a Thursday - combine that with some pretty serious wet stuff, with a right hooley and sod all done today, aside from keeping Harper amused / occupied / etc., with some story reading, painting, more stories read to her, drawing, all sorts - has quite an imagination for a 4 yr old .. sadly she's a week too young to have started school this year so, up to us to get her ready for when she does eventually - counts very well and starting to get the alphabet/recognise short words and motor skills are good with a pen/pencil

View attachment 76701 ..... she loves the train set .. has a battery operated loco and it's surprising how much fun she has with it - after I've built her a track, but she is starting to get the idea with that and it's a case of some tweaking now, more than a complete build - unless she's in a CBA mood
she built a lot/most of that herself - I just had to get the ends to meet

Mysterious package arrived this morning - met the parcel-farce van at the top of the drive, coming back from delivering Clara to school ...
could not think WTF I'd bought that was that heavy ????
seriously well packaged and a bit of a battle to get into, to find a great surprise from a member ...
huge thanks for the effort
These Holps'd had a fair trip too
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these two got to 'luxuriate' on me for a couple of hours last night, as I sat and watched a bit of 'box' --
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I like Simon Reeve and there was a new Grand designs on too, followed by Phil Spencer, eyeballing some spectacular 'gaffs' in NZ, concluded the evening's goggle boxing with Point Break, which I've seen many times, but a great film and made for a very short night with an 07.00 start this morning

Your lap resembles mine most evenings!

 

[V8Druid]

Your lap resembles mine most evenings!

some lovely looking mogs there TK

 

[Routy56]

's ferked ... cheap if you want to throw 3 or 4 days at it trying to repair it
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what's under the plates is worse
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it is literally falling apart - was surprised it stayed together to lift out this morning TBH

Weigh it in and be done with it

 

[Routy56]

cheers Dave ... I did actually have some help this morning in the form of the usually less than pleasant neighbour, who actually volunteered to help clear the pit and has been quite good today ... glad he did - we had some sort of crud out from under the old one - six an' a bit 0.6m3 bucket fulls
had all the gear up there for 10.45, as agreed - took the car and grid first .... did not want it blocked in, in case the 'Drema blew a hose on the way up there - she's not been far in some time and'd be just my luck, but she made it fine
first order of the day was whip the scrap out ...... apologies for the poor image - sat in 'the seat' and probably vibrating
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Rob Taylor ( @Hydremaduck ) said to me, many years ago - " never go anywhere without a bucket " and I don't, even if it's sat on me forks - can get yerself out of a world of sh1t as long as you have a bucket on that dipper
good job I took it too - as said above - lorratish - wheel barrow'd have taken all day
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the uphill area was full of serious roots from the tree beside the drive and took 80% of the time to clear --- the lower section was a POP in comparison
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there was all sorts of extraneous concrete'd been dropped into between the bars of the original, presumably left overs from the 'grout in' .... did for some of what was gonna obviously be an issue and then it was flight time for the new one View attachment 76755
and it went in like a glove --- with a little pressure from my QH on the one edge to overcome the 'interference fit' with a mil or so's concrete in the centre -- 's why the chains're off and sat
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Neighbour says to me " Graham Hookham, that is what you call a fit - amazing - I'm impressed " ... I was pretty chuffed it went in first try ....
it's bound to settle some .. as the nice neighbours come over it at mach 6 as a rule and one of their chariots is a Tesla
" you run your machine back down and I'll clear the roadway off " -- the duals'd spread a fair bit of tish about as I'd had to track into the soft to empty the bucket 7 times and don't they ever collect shi1t, 'til you're back on the black top, at which point they like to 'divest themselves' of what ever they've collected and spread it - everywhere
Trundled her back to me patch, threaded the bucket back into its spot, where it'd been sat and walked back up for the car and trailer, after I'd had a coffee, with Pam .. who was itching to see the new grid in place -- she was impressed too

" Gimme your phone - I want to take some pix - and I want one of you on it - you're never in your pix " ..... so - yer I be
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hell I'm looking old
and if that wasn't enough ..... " you gotta 'christen it' - first one over it " so had to reverse the trailer back over it so's Pam could get her pix
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when I down loaded them earlier she said " where's the one of you fully over it? " -- " 'S all that's in the folder Pam - couldn't have pressed the button hard enough Babe "
she was not happy

Got the car back down and Pam's like " right come and relax - you've had a busy day "
" er - don't think so babe - got all the tools to put away, trailer to unload and park up and the boot of the car to empty of more tools "
" How much stuff did you take with you ?? "
" enough so's I didn't have to come back for anything .. PITA being on site and not having the right tools "

so half an hour later it's all away and I'm demo-ing the new Mosa to her, which was greeted by the usual " WTF do you want that for? " when it arrived ... " hell that runs sweet, doesn't it-- HOW MUCH did you say that cost you !!! "

Started 10.45 - away by 15.15 ...... would've been a hell of a lot quicker without all the bloody tree roots ... and a hell of a lot longer without the neighbours efforts in the pit, fair play - I was impressed too - he really went for it with the spade and the axe .
If we'd known they were in there, I'd've stuck Lil' Jake on the forks, on the dipper, bucket on top of the grid, on the trailer and carried him up, with a ripper and 15" edged bucket, but we were well into digging 'fore we found them !!

Now that is one impressive installation. Love doing projects like this.
And hopefully you have now got a new neighbour/friend.
Stuff like this gives everyone satisfaction - well done buddy

 

[V8Druid]

Weigh it in and be done with it

not mine to make the decision Dave

Now that is one impressive installation. Love doing projects like this.
And hopefully you have now got a new neighbour/friend.
Stuff like this gives everyone satisfaction - well done buddy

Druidic Dabblings and General Twaddle !!

had a couple of hours 'fiddling' with a new acquisition Monday :rolleyes: bought as a non runner/unknown condition :unsure: - got it running, but found it to be in need of some new bits :( - after a bloody good blow off with the air line and 150 psi through the blaster nozzle. bits ordered...

www.planttalk.co.uk

I even gave the guy my old gas compound from work to turn into an 'outbuilding 'pole barn' ........... and still .....

then got clad and has been keeping his traccy dry for years

 

[Storrsy]

not mine to make the decision Dave

Druidic Dabblings and General Twaddle !!

had a couple of hours 'fiddling' with a new acquisition Monday :rolleyes: bought as a non runner/unknown condition :unsure: - got it running, but found it to be in need of some new bits :( - after a bloody good blow off with the air line and 150 psi through the blaster nozzle. bits ordered...

www.planttalk.co.uk

I even gave the guy my old gas compound from work to turn into an 'outbuilding 'pole barn' ........... and still .....
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then got clad and has been keeping his traccy dry for years
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Looks like you did a fair bit more than just give the raw materials too! Lovely little tractor shed

 

[V8Druid]

Looks like you did a fair bit more than just give the raw materials too! Lovely little tractor shed

aye-just a bit ... kept me bucket on the day I lifted that cladding - late October, the ground was not great and I was not leaving me bucket 200 yds away from where I might've needed it

 

[V8Druid]

bitty couple of days, after Saturday's 'excitement' ... not been back up to see how it's settled in yet, but has had multiple 'missiles' over it since then so we'll have a look tomorrow 'praps.
this arrived Saturday whilst 'in the process' and just dropped it in the car's footwell - not had a chance to have a proper look at since (forgot TBH)
Nice new long nose revolving centre .. make life easier to get my cutting tools in on te ends of stuff

will give it a try shortly
noticed that a hell of a lot of the SWA fixings on me boxes had succumbed to the weather/UV and let go .. hanging by just a few so spent an hour yesterday remedying that, 'fore it started loading the connections/terminations

and while i was up on them took a few shots of 'the scenery'

was a wild night here last night ...... these are usually parked like this ...

this is how they were this morning

but couldn't have been as wild as the night this got ripped off the wood burner's flue -- sometime last winter ....... have been meaning to re-instate it for a while - just not gotten round to it .. had a couple of loose slates also needed sorting so - ideal moment , whilst the ladders were up in a close position

made it the 'Chinaman's hat' several years ago, along with the mesh cage to keep the damned birds from coming doen the flue and sitting in the wood-burner, tapping on the glass to be let out
had to take it all apart to re-assemble it - with some re-enforcing washers on the pop rivets, this time - hopefully it'll take a lot more than the sorts of winds we've had the last 12 months or so (Jamaica style - all bets're off) ..
so that went back on the flue yesterday, in readiness for keeping this weeks rain out (and the damned birds)
Lawn was as dry as it's gonna get ATM after the winds so it had to have it, hopefully for the last time this year ...

and it produced vast quantities of green shite and chopped leaves ..... two stuffed collector fulls (usually just the one)

disposed of that lot and another two down the side of the drive, after giving that a 'hair cut' and thought ........

 

[V8Druid]

time to give the Countax a clean for the winter, plenty of lube and a damned good blast off with 150psi........
deck off, on the bench, blades off for a touch up, scrape all the tish out, copious WD and re-assemble

then wrestle it back under the Countax ... was well happy to get it all cleaned and ready for a long winter's rest

and have it all ready for a new season's 'first cut' , all sharp and clean ..... think I may need to consider a bit of welding here and there on the deck though ... has lost a few bits off the other side's edge lip ... little one for anon

 

[Gecko]

Seeing some of the machinery photos got me thinking about the switch to direct drilling.

Hmmmm ... which photos in particular?

Perhaps you are thinking of 'horizontal' drilling?

 

[V8Druid]

Hmmmm ... which photos in particular?

Perhaps you are thinking of 'horizontal' drilling?

see he's back posting again today

 

[Gecko]

see he's back posting again today

No more on-topic than the first.

 

[Quattromike]

I just ordered up a new live center today from Colchester, MT6 extended nose £1.1k

 

[V8Druid]

I just ordered up a new live center today from Colchester, MT6 extended nose £1.1k

that is a BIG live centre though Mike .... and yours'll work daily -- wanted a 4MT but could only get a 3 from this guy and'll sleeve it (Harrison's tail is only MT4) -- that'll only see infrequent use

 

[Quattromike]

that is a BIG live centre though Mike .... and yours'll work daily -- wanted a 4MT but could only get a 3 from this guy and'll sleeve it (Harrison's tail is only MT4) -- that'll only see infrequent use

Will see what we get for it at the closing down sale, if I'm still around

 

[V8Druid]

Will see what we get for it at the closing down sale, if I'm still around

it won't be anywhere near that for sure

 

[V8Druid]

met a nice 82 yr old retired dev. mod.s engineer for Rank Xerox this afters, responding to a FB MP ad. -- selling all his gear off 'fore his kids (with no idea) 'eventually' give it away
scored some really nice Extra-HD 121 Record engineers G clamps and some Kant-Twist engineers / fabricators scissor clamps ...... struggling to find anyone doing the EHD Records, but 119 med. duty's are 25+ quid each and the Kants're unreal prices - £70+ each

was well wort the trip to Ross - if only to meet Dennis and chew the fat - had loads of stuff, but I'd just be replicating a lot of what I have (often in multiples), but always need more clamps on jobs
Looking at my EHD 121 10" and 12" that I have (in the price search)-- they're like £130-£160 each to buy now
World's gone bloody mad

 

[bobthebuilder]

met a nice 82 yr old retired dev. mod.s engineer for Rank Xerox this afters, responding to a FB MP ad. -- selling all his gear off 'fore his kids (with no idea) 'eventually' give it away
scored some really nice Extra-HD 121 Record engineers G clamps and some Kant-Twist engineers / fabricators scissor clamps ...... struggling to find anyone doing the EHD Records, but 119 med. duty's are 25+ quid each and the Kants're unreal prices - £70+ each
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was well wort the trip to Ross - if only to meet Dennis and chew the fat - had loads of stuff, but I'd just be replicating a lot of what I have (often in multiples), but always need more clamps on jobs
Looking at my EHD 121 10" and 12" that I have (in the price search)-- they're like £130-£160 each to buy now
World's gone bloody mad

Got his facebook advert ?

 

[V8Druid]

Got his facebook advert ?

yeh .. what you after - got some nice King Dick & Britool spanners - PM-ed you

 

[6feetdown]

Will see what we get for it at the closing down sale, if I'm still around

@V8Druid will be there to buy it, so not a lot