Hi from Col.

[Retired]

Hi,

I'm Col (Colin). The only electrical training I have ever received was whilst aged 16 in 1963 during my mechanical engineering apprenticeship at the National Coal Board training centre in Crigglestone. I completed my course in record time hence the course instructors were somewhat lost what to do with me; I used to be allowed home at dinnertime but during the mornings I wandered over to the electrical apprentices; I quickly learned how to splice and solder cable; I joined in as the group of us went into an old building and dragged out some big old 3 phase motors; with these in the training area we were then shown how to test and how to connect these motors so from the age of 16 I could connect a big 3 phase motor and have connected many 3 phase motors since on both 3 phase 240V and 415V. I'm hopelessly colour blind hence I went the mechanical route.

Now aged a young 69 I've obtained many skills during the last 55 years; I enjoy a challenge and like trying things which are different. Some of the jobs I've had are, mechanical engineer; in the mill as Weft-man; Pattern Warper; Dyer and fibre loom weaver. Fiberglass laminator; Bus conductor; Lathe operator. I retired in 2000 aged 53 from Brook Motors here in Huddersfield; I started with Brooks as a wagon loader and 24 years later was in charge of three departments these being Home trade despatch; Export packing and the Timber department. I took any job as long as it paid the bills and I've had a life of hard knocks.

I'm married to a wonderful wife and we have no children; we moved from our first home a semi 30 years ago into this our dream detached bungalow; the dream lasted 6 weeks until two ceilings were damaged during a thunderstorm; the insurance loss adjusters told us to get lost because the damage was caused through lack of maintenance? We had no money to fight we couldn't borrow another penny and we couldn't afford to sell the bungalow; we lived with buckets and bowls for 18 months whilst I researched how to install a new roof; working flat out with as much overtime as possible my wife Bron and I finally gathered enough funds to buy the best materials and between us we replaced not only the bungalow roof but the flat roof spanning the rear double roomed extension; Bron and I detest insurance companies.

During the last 30 years here we've done just about every job possible on our bungalow turning it into our dream home. Over 25 years ago whilst at Halifax car boot sale we bought a six way consumer unit; at the time old fashioned fuse boxes were installed; one sunny afternoon I said to Bron I don't want to be disturbed by anyone whilst I'm in the garage; I installed the consumer unit doing the job live (Definitely not recommended). When I retired I wanted an interesting hobby to pass away our long dreary winters and adopted Vintage radio restoration as a total novice; I enjoyed this hobby for the next ten years not only restoring but having articles published and I was honoured by The British Vintage Wireless Society with top restoration award 2009. The first ever forum I joined was a vintage radio forum and I must confess to some serious doubts as to how I would be accepted given my novice status; I was not only made most welcome on the forum but became a regular contributor; as the years passed by I became more proficient until I reached the stage I could restore any vintage radio to come my way and I then fully restored a 1957 Ekco T311 17" TV/radio. The problem in restoring this TV brought it home to me I had reached the end of the line regarding such restoration projects because although I still knew extremely little regarding the electrics I couldn't improve much further on veneering and french polishing etc so my interest faded and I closed my radio workshop selling most of my 75 radio collection together with most of the kit I had amassed including scopes and sig gens. Below are the links to the Ekco restoration which are sure to be better at bedtime than Horlicks;

http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62371

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=67298 

Over the years I've done far too many projects to list here but on electrical projects I self taught how to wind transformers and tuning coils; the last transformer I wound was one of around 75kg using conduit wire; this was the source of my 3 phase 415V installation into the garage giving full 3 phase power once each machine motor was phase balanced to the transformer; this was an American invention and I'm one of very few people here in the UK to successfully carry the work out on our 240V single phase supply. I dreamt up a new way of winding the transformer and the inventor of the system now credits me with this.

I love woodwork and metalwork and have made most of our furniture both free standing and built in; the only work I dislike is plumbing although I can do it and I'll never play around with the gas supply; I've little interest in either of these but electrics I'm competent with and I can read a DMM without problems. I'm currently identifying the wiring in the bungalow; interesting to find the bathroom fan heater coupled somewhere into the oven circuit? I've just bought a socket tester so at least I have basic checks on the rings in the bungalow and garage and these test OK; I recently bought a big oil cooled welder and I've just completed designing and making a 4hp circular saw bench; both these at power up are prone to tripping the "B" type 32A mcb so I've bought a new metal clad 16 way consumer unit and also bought a pair of "C" type mcbs (all BG). It's time the old CU was replaced and at the same time the garage two way CU can be integrated; once the work is done it will need passing off by a sparky who can issue the relevant certificate.

Please be gently with me whilst I settle in and possibly ask the stupid questions others dare not ask.

Kind regards, Col.

 

[Tony S]

Coal board apprenticeships were 2nd to non. I started in quarrying and then moved on to iron making. As an apprentice I did a year in the machine shop before moving on to the electrical side.

Over the years I’ve worked with a number of ex pit fitters, all of them damn good to have at your side.

Good to have you on board.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome Tony S. I'm now classed as a dinosaur but in my day of apprenticeships we were hands on right from the start. These days I think you need a degree in health & safety just to button your coat? I was working underground aged 15 it being a huge adventure for me; I started at Grange Ash Colliery (Grange Moor) which was "Hand getting" no coal cutting equipment the coal got the hard way; I used to be more of a pest than help and would carry an engineers tool bag which to a skinny kid was very heavy being made of conveyor belt containing big Whitworth spanners; I would be very sorry indeed if ever I called one of these top class engineers a "fitter" I was taught the difference between a fitter and an engineer is that fitters fit whilst engineers can make and fit; to this day the valuable skills I was taught are still very much with me and have moulded my life. I remained at Grange Ash until I reached 16 years of age and I was then able to legally use the big machinery and be taught how to use BOC Sapphire welding and cutting kit; I was sent to Crigglestone Training Centre where I started off on hand tools learning the basics like being able to file flat to a thou of an inch then using engineers scrapers to get the size bang on. From hand tools I progressed onto milling machines and lathes etc; I really enjoyed this work hence I completed the course so quickly. Returning from the training centre I was transferred to "The Caphouse Colliery" where I was involved in mechanizing installing plenty of conveyor and general engineering; one of my earlier duties was first thing each morning to get the line shaft running and to get the machinery flat belts tracking; I wonder what the H&S lot would think these days to have seen me then with a long stick poking wide flat drive belts onto fast and loose pulleys but I never ever felt unsafe in any way due to the excellent training I received; one day and two nights per week at Wakefield Tech. Ever since leaving the NCB I've never experienced the same comradeship nor friendship finding most people to be very shallow indeed. How times have changed but I still practice everything I was taught and the engineers who taught me so much not only about the job but life in general were the absolute tops and I'm deeply indebted to them all.

I never ever thought I would be joining an electrical forum but I'm game for anything if its interesting.

https://www.ncm.org.uk/

Kind regards, Col.

 

[roys]

Hi,

I used to be more of a pest than help and would carry an engineers tool bag which to a skinny kid was very heavy being made of conveyor belt containing big Whitworth spanners; 

Still got a conveyor belt tool bag, this is the sparky size version.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for adding the picture of your conveyor tool bag roys; you sparky's were always posh; our bags were bigger due to us having to carry heavy spanners; hammers and chisels plus wrecking bars etc; by the time we reached the job underground we felt like we'd already worked a full shift. I wonder how many of these heavy duty conveyor tool bags still exist; your's is the first I've seen since leaving the pit about 50 years ago and yours still looks in excellent condition. Were you given a 2 lb hammer head and expected to make your own hammer handle plus wedges? This was my very first task and there were always plenty of old pick handles kicking around to make hammer handles from; the wedges we made in the blacksmiths forge? Happy memories of hard times.

Kind regards, Col.

 

[ProDave]

I read the title "Hi from Col" and expected to find someone on the island next to Tiree

I'll get my coat. :coat

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Nice one ProDave; Bron and I often wish we lived on a remote island but somewhere warm and sunny with three phase into the workshop? Col has also been misunderstood for Colonel previously so I've been promoted.

Kind regards, Col.