Lockdown garage clearout discovery

[kerching]

So my garage is looking slightly better and I can now risk entry into the outermost spiral arm of the storage facility.

and I found a mystery box which contains , Amongst other detritus, an almost complete collectors set of 

 

[Evans Electric]

Oh the memories  !!!      I remember those Newsletters  ...the NICEIC may be interested in those  by the way .    

I have one of those Good Practice booklets  somewhere  but not seen The Electrician's Mate for years  ,  they were  a must on Pyro jobs .

Did you do the  thing with  keeping  a stick of compound in the trouser pocket  when it was freezing cold onsite.  ? 

 

[kerching]

Did you do the  thing with  keeping  a stick of compound in the trouser pocket  when it was freezing cold onsite.  ? 

Yep.     And the stub sleeping ! The PROPER stuff withnthe little raised bit on the end!

also,found a pair of Maun 'F size stub seal crimpers......the size thatbwas about 1/2".  5/8"

Fun Fact......Doncaster Cables Pyro ends didn't used to be Ex rated

 

[Evans Electric]

I  seem to remember a couple of "Newer"  makes appearing  ....Pyrotenax  & BICC   amalgamated I think  under the name BICC   and a new brand appeared .  

One innovation  was  a wedge type pot  with it's own tool ,  never rated them .      Yes  I remember something about the Ex rating ,  not to be used for Fire Alarms .      

 

[kerching]

The one I'm thinking about was ok for Fire Alarms but not suitable for petrol pumps or and explosive atmosphere

wedge pots!.......I've still got the Mole Grip tool. It's actually still very good for sealing pots as it does it one handed

Remember AlCu MICC.    Use the wrong pots and it dissolved the sheath in damp atmospheres. All fittings had to be sort of galvanised/sheradised/tinned

 

[roys]

Still got that BICC book on my shelf, I also came across my Pyro tools in the lock up a couple of weeks ago when I was having a wee tidy up. Re keeping the compound in your pocket, we use to do that as well, but you had to be careful you hadn’t been doing a load of tray cutting the previous days and your pocket was full of swarf and fillings. Found out that one as well, lucky we use to do a lot of IR testing as we were making of the ends.

 

[kerching]

Anyone ever dried out the damp with a piece of string?

i bet they don't teach that anymore ! In fact I don't hink they teach Pyro anymore!

 It mwas on a data job last year in a big office block and overheard a conversation between Facilities manager and the Fire Alarm bloke 

"sorry it will all have to be ripped out as it is  Legal to join Softskin (FP200) to Pyro.  Also there isn't anyone in the area that can work on it"

not my monkeys, not my circus!

 

[Evans Electric]

The one I'm thinking about was ok for Fire Alarms but not suitable for petrol pumps or and explosive atmosphere

Ah  yes that was it  ,  not Fire Alarms ,  explosive  areas .    There was the extra long gland  thread about  35mm long  to fit into the thick cast boxes  , or you could use the standard gland  as long as it had the EX rating marked  .  I think that was right .  

Remember AlCu MICC.    Use the wrong pots and it dissolved the sheath in damp atmospheres. All fittings had to be sort of galvanised/sheradised/tinned

No  never heard of those .        Was that during the Great Copper Shortage  when they were pushing  twin /earth in aluminium  .     ?

For 2.5  copper  you had to use 4mm   Alm.   And use Densal paste on on the al. to Cu.  terminals . ?      

 

[roys]

Use to do a lot of Pyro work in the 80’s I vaguely remember for a brief period in that time we were issued with heat shrink type pots to put on the ends instead of the usual self tapping type. None of us liked them, didn’t save much time and they looked terrible, to me one of the plus points about Pyro is that you could make a right tidy job with it.

 

[kerching]

Ah  yes that was it  ,  not Fire Alarms ,  explosive  areas .    There was the extra long gland  thread about  35mm long  to fit into the thick cast boxes  , or you could use the standard gland  as long as it had the EX rating marked  .  I think that was right .  

No  never heard of those .        Was that during the Great Copper Shortage  when they were pushing  twin /earth in aluminium  .     ?

For 2.5  copper  you had to use 4mm   Alm.   And use Densal paste on on the al. to Cu.  terminals . ?      

Near enough

ali,sheath

copper cores

ive got some glands somewhere , just in case. I'll!  dig em out when I get to 'project shed'

 

[UNG]

Use to do a lot of Pyro work in the 80’s I vaguely remember for a brief period in that time we were issued with heat shrink type pots to put on the ends instead of the usual self tapping type. None of us liked them, didn’t save much time and they looked terrible, to me one of the plus points about Pyro is that you could make a right tidy job with it.

I worked on the site in St Helens where the shrink on pots were first used before they were released for sale, remember we had loads of teething troubles with the supplied blowtorches fitted with a shroud to shrink the seal

Used quite a few for what was the best use for them repairing / re-terminating imperial Pyros

I actually got all the shrink pots left after they stopped selling them, the rep came into our office and we were asking him about them as we didn't have many left a couple of weeks later he came back opened his brief case turned it upside down and a large number of packets fell out and told us we had the entire UK stock that was left

Does anyone remember the pyro octopus system that was used for wiring flats, the assemblies were made up at the factory in Prescot and one of the neighbours where I lived was on piece work terming the cables on 3d per end and doing 20 - 30 ends per hour. BICC did have a video of it but never seen it in years

 

[roys]

Went for a rake on my shelves and found the cable marking system that we only used for a brief period time, the numbers and letters used to slot into a plastic sleeve which was good because if you made a mistake you didn’t need to cut the crimp off, you just hooked out the markers, changed them and refitted.

 

[Sidney]

I don't tend to clear things out of my garage, rather just move them around and add things. My latest addition to keep me quiet...

 

[roys]

Fantastic is it a Myford ML7?

 

[Sidney]

Certainly is, she's a little tired so will spend the next few months tightening things up a little, missing a few change wheels so I can't practice any screw cutting yet.

 

[kerching]

I don't tend to clear things out of my garage, rather just move them around and add things. My latest addition to keep me quiet...

View attachment 10732

Very nice

i would like an ML7 

But I was given a Denford Viceroy which is bigger and DOESNT screw cut. Also given a Hobbymat which is smaller and DOES screw cut

presently looking for a small milling machine....decent ones are like rocking  

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

I don't tend to clear things out of my garage, rather just move them around and add things. My latest addition to keep me quiet...

A man with space in his garage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Surely that is a contradiction in terms??

    :Chairfall  

:shakehead  

 

[kerching]

I have loads of space in my garage, an unbelievable amount.  However it is occupied by

thicknesseser  planer

band saw

radial,arm pillar drill

2 lathes

linisher

grinder

polisher

2 table saws

2 chop saws

chop saw stand

4 work benches

ladders

mig welder

steps

10m Zip,Up,tower scaffold

stick,welder

ingersoll,rand compressor

2 roller cabs

stock

infinite amount of tools

all wife's riding gear

workmates

stands

portable benches, etc

....and then there is all the power tools

and all the other stuff

just tidying

 

[roys]

I have loads of space in my garage, an unbelievable amount.  However it is occupied by

thicknesseser  planer

band saw

radial,arm pillar drill

2 lathes

linisher

grinder

polisher

2 table saws

2 chop saws

chop saw stand

4 work benches

ladders

mig welder

steps

10m Zip,Up,tower scaffold

stick,welder

ingersoll,rand compressor

2 roller cabs

stock

infinite amount of tools

all wife's riding gear

workmates

stands

portable benches, etc

....and then there is all the power tools

and all the other stuff

just tidying

Sounds like a “proper” garage to me.

 

[Sidney]

My father in law has a Bridgeport series 1 in his 'garage', I'm a little bit jealous.