Author Topic: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop  (Read 185968 times)

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #450 on: 28 May, 2019, 10:41:05 pm »
Half term this week, and when we come back, my students only have one workshop session before the soapbox race on the 8th June. So, while we had some safety checks done on workshop equipment, I did a little work on the soapbox.

I had left the the problematic brake pedal jammed down over the weekend, and then tried bleeding from the banjo on the master cylinder, and then the bleed nipples on the calipers - following that, I had working front brakes too!  :D



I would like to alter the upper bearing support or the steering column, to raise it up away from shins of larger drivers, but I don't have time before the competition. Note the use of cycling parts for the steering column support:



I then turned to the corriflute bodywork that the students had mainly cut out, assembled and cut some of the masking material. With one session left, they will not have time to paint it.  >:(

So I started it...





If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #451 on: 29 May, 2019, 06:50:10 pm »
I'm annoyed with myself for going straight for coloured acrylic on some parts rather than properly priming the correx and gaffer tape. The paint does not stick to the gaffer tape, and sticks poorly to the correx, crackling in places.  :facepalm:

It took several coats to build up the colours on the black correx...





By home time today, I had got an adequate finish, apart from the tail, which needs a sticking down and painting. I only came up with the idea of how to do the tail at lunchtime - it's a piece of yellow scaffold protecting tubing, picked up from the side of the road while cycling.  ::-)



...and here's a few photos to give an impression of how it looks:











 :smug:
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #452 on: 29 May, 2019, 07:07:12 pm »
Me?
Envious of the tools you have access to?
Nah!
Not one bit.

Shamelessly stolen from LFGSS, you should, perhaps, consider this

for your next build.
I'm trying to figure out what the handling would be like - especially if it's fixed.
But something in my branes is preventing me from doing so.
I think that something could be engineering.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #453 on: 29 May, 2019, 07:20:50 pm »
Shamelessly stolen from LFGSS, you should, perhaps consider this

for your next build.
I'm trying to figure out what the handling would be like - especially if it's fixed.
But something in my branes is preventing me from doing so.

I'm guessing unridable, based on the saddle angle.

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #454 on: 29 May, 2019, 07:28:00 pm »
Shamelessly stolen from LFGSS, you should, perhaps consider this

for your next build.
I'm trying to figure out what the handling would be like - especially if it's fixed.
But something in my branes is preventing me from doing so.

I'm guessing unridable, based on the saddle angle.

Where's your sense of adventure? ;)

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #455 on: 29 May, 2019, 07:33:58 pm »
The spring appears to be a bit short of Newtons per square foot...

Colin Furze may have some answers to rideabilitity...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N39uwTykTQk

If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #456 on: 29 May, 2019, 07:45:58 pm »

I'm guessing unridable, based on the saddle angle.

I suspect it corrects itself when you sit on it...  ::-)
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #457 on: 29 May, 2019, 08:56:49 pm »
The spring appears to be a bit short of Newtons per square foot...

Colin Furze may have some answers to rideabilitity...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N39uwTykTQk
I've seen that bit of Furze footage.  :)

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #458 on: 29 May, 2019, 09:19:07 pm »

I'm guessing unridable, based on the saddle angle.

I suspect it corrects itself when you sit on it...  ::-)
Not being funny - but I reckon that you are right.

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #459 on: 30 May, 2019, 02:43:06 pm »
I sent my daughter a picture of the soapbox and asked her what she thought of it

Got the reply “GreEEEEEEAAAT!!!”:facepalm:
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #460 on: 30 May, 2019, 06:32:17 pm »
I sent my daughter a picture of the soapbox and asked her what she thought of it

Got the reply “GreEEEEEEAAAT!!!”:facepalm:

 :thumbsup:

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #461 on: 30 May, 2019, 07:05:29 pm »
Bollocks - I got that round the wrong way...

It should have been “GRRRRreatt!!”  :facepalm:
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #462 on: 31 May, 2019, 08:05:12 pm »
Tail fixed on and painted, and mudguard/paw supports made and one paw completed  - Pawguards are made from foam (building expansion joint for the use of), supports are made from an old sign from the School - aluminium/acrylic/aluminium laminate (a bit like flammable cladding). by heating it until the acrylic becomes plastic, you can do some bends. :D






Students will do the other paw and finishing touches, on Wednesday, ready for next Saturday's race.  :-\
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #463 on: 06 June, 2019, 12:00:38 am »
Finishing touches completed. We did a few rolls down the slightly less steep practice hill, and all seems good - just enough steering lock to get round the corners, and brakes work.  :thumbsup:

Had to take a couple of cm more curve off the plastic bodywork for leg clearance.
As it has no parking brake, we made some chocks to stop it rolling when not required, eg getting in & out.  ;D

If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #464 on: 08 June, 2019, 05:46:55 pm »
Soapbox event postponed because: weather  >:(

I will have to rearrange plans for 2 weeks time.
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #465 on: 22 June, 2019, 04:54:35 pm »
Soapbox event today.  :D

The Tiger worked really well.  :smug:





Part of the task was to carry a bucket of water, and in one of the heats, one of the bungee cords, holding our bucket, came adrift and the bucket fell between the rear wheel and the tiger, got chewed up by the wheel and chucked out the back. So, we were knocked out.  >:( >:( >:( :(

If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #466 on: 24 June, 2019, 07:23:38 pm »
School has published the video I took with the camera on the Tiger's head:
 :D
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #467 on: 24 June, 2019, 09:27:30 pm »
Superb! Good work  :thumbsup:

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #468 on: 13 July, 2019, 09:17:01 am »
Okay, back to working on the Trice.

I bought this as a damaged frame off of Ebay. The idler pulley mount has broken off, leaving holes in the main frame tube.



This is the hole on the bottom of the tube after cleaning up:



I cut a cover plate from an old video projector mount, to gas weld on - no photos of welding, as it already takes all the hands I have. I probably should have made a better job of it, but the Trice frame is a bloody difficult shape to work with.



I've added a rather heavy mount for idler pulleys, with M8 tapped holes to give the option to mount various pulley setups. I ran out of white primer.  >:(



smooth red Hammerite is a fairly good match for the old Trice orangey-red.  :thumbsup:

If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

fruitcake

  • some kind of fruitcake
Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #469 on: 29 July, 2019, 09:44:15 am »
School has published the video I took with the camera on the Tiger's head:
 :D

The boy done good  :thumbsup: He's chuffed at the end of that. And now I want a go!

I have an idea for a follow up lesson. Consider uploading that to YouTube* to test Google's image stabilisation. You'd then have one version of the video with the vibration from the tiger's head, and another version magically-steady. Which version do they prefer? Why? And how does it work?

* If the school has privacy concerns, you could just use Google Photos and not publish.
https://www.ghacks.net/2017/04/17/how-to-stabilize-your-videos-with-google-photos/

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #470 on: 29 July, 2019, 05:28:02 pm »
I now have much steadier video from the camera looking over the driver’s shoulder (now that I have worked out that you need to tell the camera to work as a USB storage device.)

Clicky: https://youtu.be/kjWJEHcEnKI   :thumbsup:
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #471 on: 29 July, 2019, 09:35:23 pm »
Remember I had a new models ICE seat frame (bought for £10 off of eBay) to fit to this old version Trice frame - there's a 50mm difference in mount/tube  spacing.  :facepalm:

Here's how I'm going to ty to get round it:

I start with 100mm lengths of 25mm OD and 25mm ID steel tube, and face the ends on nthe lathe


I saw the wider tube in half, lengthways


A bit of 50 x 25mm box section is drilled with a 27mm hole saw, at 50mm centres, and the half tubes welded in (I don't know how I forgot to take photos)

It will end up like this, once I get clamps to fit.



I also turned up spacers for the drum brakes from some scrap aluminium bits from an old centrifuge, we threw away - the drum braked wheels I had for the trike I was building will now end up on the Trice, as it was designed for it. Some Trackrods I had from a previous trike project look as if they will be the right size for the Trice, so that will save me making more. These were made from glass fibre tent poles, with a ferrule and threaded rod glued on each end.

If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #472 on: 29 July, 2019, 09:58:32 pm »
With the Drum braked trike wheels I had, going to be used on the Trice, I need some wheels for the other trike I've been building.

They reckon you need at-least-12mm High tensile axles for a trike.
Most 20" wheels are 36 spoke
Most decent front disc hubs are 32 hole   >:(
The cheaper hubs that are 36 hole are usually cup & cone bearings  ::-)

Some time ago, I found some decent DMR Revolver hubs with sealed bearings and 36 hole...
...cheap



Problem is they have 10mm axles,  :facepalm:
Standard bearings aren't often available with the OD to fit the hub and an ID of 12mm.  ::-)


Luckily, this week, I score a job lot of 30, new, non-standard bearings that fit - for a fiver!  :D




The old seals and bearings can be drifted out and the new bearings pressed in.  :smug:


Two of the four end covers are drilled out, on the lathe, to 12mm and will fit on the inboard side as a spacer. The rubber seals are reinstalled on each side too.



If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #473 on: 29 July, 2019, 11:45:00 pm »
By the way, this weekend I was in an other forummmmmer's workshop...  ;)
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: Tales from the Wobbly Workshop
« Reply #474 on: 05 August, 2019, 01:13:08 pm »
Hi John, we know each other from the school sci tec fb page, lovely to see your projects from idea to finished item, I'm envious of your schools DT workshop facilities :) keep up the good work, enjoy the holiday, IceG