How do you occupy your time when you are retired?

Hi,

Thanks Logan; much appreciated.

Thanks Giri for your interesting notes; I can relate to what you do due to my mechanical engineering background. I've always found wood/metalwork to be fascinating and to create items from scratch like yours is so satisfying; when you've made something you like do you stand back and say to yourself did I make that; I do many times especially after a long difficult project. Your metalwork looks top class; I'm very impressed.

I've never worked with radar but you are so right about the dangers of working on such equipment especially whilst testing under power. I too always worked with only one hand on the live radio chassis these being very dangerous indeed; when these vintage radios were manufactured safety was of course important but not like now; many had a "Live" chassis and even when the radio was switched off if it was still plugged in and the power on then the chassis was still live many of the radio on/off switches only breaking the neutral. To pick up one of these chassis from the bench with both hands whilst it was powered most likely would be the last thing picked up; I used to wind the mains transformers and often these had to give out 750VAC for the rectifier valve the winding being center tapped to give 375VAC on each tap.

Like you Giri I took all safety precautions and if anyone came near I isolated everything for safety; distractions cost lives. The electrolytic capacitors you mention needed very special consideration; these can remain fully charged at high voltage long after the radio is switched off just waiting to give a nasty shock; initially I used an insulated handled screwdriver to short out the capacitor connectors giving a nice big spark and this needed doing a number of times but later I made up a discharge tool involving two insulated prods with a big resistor in series to let the capacitors down more gently even then before touching I always tested for voltage using the DMM. Sorry to all you gardening members who must think Giri and I are from another planet.


Here's the underside of one of the vintage radio chassis I used to work on these often on the bench under power as voltage readings were being taken; I definitely do not recommend any novice to attempt this kind of work; it's highly dangerous.
A few years ago whilst installing flood defences I needed a cement mixer and I don't hire such kit so I bought a brand new mixer through eBay. When the mixer arrived it had suffered transit damage resulting in the electric motor hanging from its power cable the mounting having broken. I needed the mixer so just made a new very heavy duty motor mounting from Whale Tufnel as seen. I kept the mixer six weeks then sold it on at only a £20 loss; during the six weeks the cost of the mixers had risen; it was still like new in fact better than new with the new motor mounting installed.
In 2009 I restored an AVO Douglas Wave Winder these associated with vintage radio work; after restoring the actual machine then it needed 45 cast iron gears; absolutely no way would I ever be able to buy original gears so I made my own and I was honoured with top restoration award by "The British Vintage Wireless Society". This was a very steep learning curve having never cut a gear previously and I dreampt up a brand new way of dividing; I used a fly cutter between centers on my lathe and not having a vertical slide I also made my own vertical slide; it was a very long project.

Having cut the gears I didn't want these to be seperated from the machine so I also made this bespoke hardwood french polished wooden box; the finishing touch was to make the brass nameplate; I tend to become obssessed once I start a project.
Years ago I was asked to have a look at a genuine antique clock case the owner unsure how to do the restoration. The whole case was beyond saving regarding the original veneers which were delaminating or completely missing.
I did the work entirely free of charge for him and having fully restored including paying for the new veneer I drove over in grid lock arriving at his house around 5:30pm the only thanks I received was "it's tea time" we parted company; I left quietly having learned a valuable lesson; DIY = DON'T INVOLVE YOURSELF.

Got to go new larder fridge due but as I've said many times never be afraid to leave your comfort zone to learn new skills; it keeps you young.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Made some gooseberry jam

 

Me too

 

Herself tells me that someone locally is asking on social media if there´s a dowser in the area.

I shan´t respond, my abilities in that area are not reliable, but I do find it a fascinating subject, and have occasionally used it, once to locate a water leak in one of my pipes.
There are always those who, knowing nothing about the craft, dismiss it out of hand, but no-one who studies the subject would do that.

I once sent a map of my last house and garden here to a friend in the British Society of Dowsers and he found running water with remote pendulum dowsing, which was rather exciting until I found it was the septic tank.
So I was tempted to get my L rods out yesterday, and give them a try, and twice they behaved themselves. I´m more familiar with pendulum dowsing but the rods are more suitable for searching an area.

Since Spain is second only to Cambodia in the number of hidden mass graves, metal detectors are illegal here, and I wonder if there is official disapproval of dowsing, it would be groundless because of the precautions dowsers take, but superstition and ignorance surround this little understood subject.
I am encouraged however to spend more time dowsing the garden, a spring would be very handy, and it might be possible to dowse the best site for a plant or tree.

I think dowsing strengthens the harmonious connection between our minds and the natural world, and if that appeals to you, it would be well worthwhile to find out more.


Casterton Stone Circle & pendulum.

 

We had a Dowser here when we first bought the cottage. We were not on mains at the time so a neighbour brought him and the Dowser found water ... where the fossa outflow is near the Viburnum/Poinsettia/Brugmansia (which were not there at the time) and we rarely water them. The Dowser used Olive branches.

 

Excellent, I´ll give a forked Olive branch a try, I think a little more skill is required than L rods but each individual finds their best method. A Cumbrian dowser I know just uses one L rod so that she has one hand free and she is very impressive.

 

Have you visited Avebury Stone Circle? Although I am very sceptical of this sort of thing and regard most of it as pseudoscience I can't deny what I felt there and that it was incredibly intense compared to what I felt at other stone circles. Both me and my friend felt something like a powerful force enter the back of our chests and then the Earth! A bit like an electric shock... I purposely didn't suggest anything to my mate and just asked "Did you just feel something?" and he described the exact same sensation.

Nick

 

I did visit Avebury, to attend a dowsing course, and though it was a wonderful week-end, the proximity of the stones gave me a strange headache - which is unusual for me, but not generally.
The various dowsing tools simply amplify muscle movements which are below the level of our everyday awareness -- no more mysterious than using a telescope, but surprisingly sensitive once you have tuned in. Admittedly it is the Work of the Devil to some impoverished souls.
The history of military dowsing goes back a long way, and I suspect it plays an even larger role in modern times, making it a subject to be avoided in the media, unless accompanied by the theme music from The X Files.
Dowsers work for most oil and gas companies, and traditionally only take a fee when successful.
I´d like a doctor who worked on the same terms ...

 

Hi,

Here in Yorkshire we already have more water than we can handle; it constantly falls from the sky but does have a change from time to time interspersed with hail; sleet and snow.



I'm pleased we're in summer at the moment otherwise the weather would be dire. I've got my own personal big black cloud called Blackie which likes to accompany me whilst I'm out as it did Yesterday when it followed me over to Elland ensuring when I got out of the car I wasn't troubled with dust.

Looks like a mistake for Tuesday.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Elland ! Ah yes!
With Halifax to the North, and Huddersfield to the South, you must have thought you were in the Promised Land.
But if tha does owt fer nowt, think on tha does it fer thissen.

 

Dowsing is not without it´s dangers ...
A woman on the dowsing course I attended drew a plan of her house, and dowsed each room. Then she phoned her husband and asked him what he was doing in the conservatory when he was supposed to be decorating the spare room.

 

When I had a water leak I was expecting the water board to turn up with some hi-tech equipment, they sent and old bloke and an apprentice and they dug holes here there and everywhere, eventually they got fed up and out came the two bits of wire coat hanger.

He wandered around and they crossed now and then, then he used my outside toilet, after that, nothing, so they went back to burrowing and trying to find a wet spot.

Eventually after turning the yard into a rabbit warren they found it.

The place has never looked the same after that.

 

Sorry shouldn't laugh really pete...but..