What About The Bee
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Posts posted by What About The Bee
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Hi Deem
There are lots of photoediting tools. I use "Photolayers" for Android. Like any tool, takes a bit getting used to. I superimposed a 4 mm spanner onto your image, cutting away the background of that layer, such that your image shows all around it. Magical!
A note about screwdrivers and how they are designed. Yes, there is a design.
The width of the screwdriver should go fully across the slot in the screw. The tapered sides of the screwdriver should engage the top of the slot. The tip of the screwdriver should NOT touch the bottom of the slot.
Why?
Maximum torque, as the maximum radius from the center of screw rotation is obtained (full width). No deformation of the screw (tapered sides contact top of slot).
If the screwdriver is too small, the corners of the blade will dig into the slot, destroying it.
Watchmakers grind their screwdrivers to match the screw, using the above design criteria. You should endeavor to match their practices, as we also have tiny parts.
USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB. Put your loco aside until you get a spanner.
Bee
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Hello John
Welcome Aboard.
Smoke generators are heating elements. They can and will burn out. A genuine Triang part for your Davey Crockett will be difficult to source. They do occasionally pop up, but they are hen's teeth.
Generic smoke generator units are available. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272065037373 Dunno if it will fit.
Search term "model train smoke generator" will bring you to an array of units.
Bee
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8 minutes ago, ntpntpntp said:
I'd be attacking it with a cutting disc in a minidrill, and replacing with a new nut and bolt.
Precisely!
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Use track planning software, like SCARM or similar. Far superior to paper templates, think of it as virtual templates if that is helpful
Bee
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Can you not get a spanner on the nut like so?
4mm, per your data. It will not be flat to the nut, but you should get angled purchase on the nut.
Bee
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Hi Deem
Get the correct spanner for the nut. Needle nose pliers will launch parts into oblivion. Adjustable wrenches are not ideal. A fixed spanner is much, much better. Do this first. Measure across the flats of the nut for the spanner size. This means you can apply torque properly.
If the screw and nut are dissimilar materials (example: steel screw, brass nut) then galling may have occurred. Galling essential locks the screw to the nut and may be terminal. Sometimes, but not usually, alternately tightening and loosening the screw will break this bond. Typically, this simply shears the screw apart, rendering both nut and screw useless.
You may have to replace both. Not overwhelming, simply measure the major screw diameter, which tells you the screw size. Measure the length. Match the screw head type. Use the same material for both parts!
Plenty of fastener houses in the UK, but not all will stock the micro sizes. Markits catalog suggests they have a wide assortment of BA screws, in tiny sizes.
Bee
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The internet suggests acetone will soften dried superglue.
TEST IT FIRST, in an inconspicuous area, to make sure it won't damage anything.
Use a cotton bud, saturated in acetone (nail polish remover) and rub onto dried superglue (cryanoacrylate). It will soften. Rub material away.
You can probably take it down to the plastic and clean it off completely.
Remember to test against the plastic and finishes first.
Bee
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First time, ever?
Uncertain
First time for Hornby?
No reason to doubt the statement. Very likely true for Hornby.
And although these coaches are well, well outside of my focus, they do look quite spectacular.
Bee
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24 minutes ago, LTSR_NSE said:
Thank you @What About The Bee & @Aussie Fred for correcting my misunderstanding.
I didn't know the answer either LT&SR_NSE. So I asked the internet. I should have just asked Fred, who did!
Bee
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5 hours ago, Brew Man said:
I think also BB will contribute to what you suggest by reminding him of his two or three existing and long outstanding orders.
Fair enough @Brew Man
He is unlikely to make good on a 3 year backlog in an afternoon. The exercise with Rana can, however, be executed in an afternoon. A baby step forward.
To your point, actions do speak louder than words. Especially when words can be deliberately misleading.
Bee
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I asked the internet, "Do UK companies have to register with Companies House?"
The answer:
"Sole traders do not have to be registered at Companies House. You only need to do this if you are setting up a limited company or limited liability partnership (LLP). To operate as a sole trader, you just need to register with HMRC for Self Assessment."
So unless ModelMaster is one of the things listed, he does ☆☆☆NOT ☆☆☆ have to be registered at Companies House. Further, this question was already debated on RMweb
Bee
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I would like to explain the strategy and tactics, as they may not have been clear above. I am certainly not ignoring the past.
Strategy
What do you do with a convict, after he is released from prison? Do you integrate him back into society or do you banish him to Boogeyland forever?
The strategy is to provide ModelMaster with a test case. If he passes, then perhaps he is on the road to redemption. If he fails, banished he will be.
Tactics
He is given a simple email, requesting in stock status. If he responds affirmatively, then there can be zero excuse of "I will get around to it". He either ships, or he doesn't. I've asked Rana to report back on his experience, so we can all see his performance.
I specifically stated "a handful" of items. They are significantly discounted and actually needed by Rana for his projects. A handful limits exposure and risk. Keeping the total small means the test case is relatively inexpensive.
A Nod to those Burned
I am not blind to past experience. Those who have been taken advantage of were fooled once, they will not be fooled again. I absolutely understand that. No quibble whatsoever. If his catalog was available elsewhere, I would not hesitate to use the other guy.
I also have just the tiniest bit of sympathy for a guy who got sick and fell behind. He is trying to get back on his feet. He is buried under a mountain of complaints.
Answer the Question
So again. Redemption? Or banished forever? Let's find out.
Bee
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Hello @Toddie86
Welcome Aboard.
You planned your exact layout using sectional track. Everything fits to a T, nothing is out of alignment in SCARM.
To achieve that perfect alignment in real life, using flexitrack will be harder than it first seems. Every curve, the outside rail is longer than the inside rail. And both rails need cutting to perfection.
To achieve that perfect SCARM alignment in set track will be far, far easier. Make sure everything connects properly and fix to baseboard. Sorted.
If you want to spend less time and get better results, use what you planned: set track.
And no mate, you aren't daft.
Bee
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If you do, Rana, update me!
Bee
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This is simple Rana. Pick out a handful of items you would really like.
Drop him an email, asking "Are these in stock?"
If he answers, then he is in business again. No vendor will waste time with a closed business, unless they are hyper-polite.
Plus, you can decline if not in stock, or purchase if they are in stock. I would not trust a pre-order at this point in time. Once he gets back on his feet, maybe.
Bee
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Fred,
You really want to think about a trip to the USA. We do not pay VAT. Instant 20% discount. There is no offsetting tax like your GST. The tax is always £0.0. Yes we do pay £30 shipping. But, and this is big, the shipping can be less than the VAT!!!!
Suppose I purchase £150 worth of goods, to include VAT. Take the 20% off, and add shipping back on. The total? £155.
Suppose I purchase a locomotive for £200, inclusive of VAT. Take the VAT off, add in shipping. The total is £196.67
Suppose I purchase £240 worth of goods, inclusive of VAT. Take the VAT off, its £200, qualifying for free shipping. The total I now pay is £200.
It only gets better, the more you spend. The break even point is exactly £180. This is when the VAT equals the shipping.
So when do you get here? I know one guy who could hold your stuff until you arrive, and it would remain untouched. 😉
Bee
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Yes please 96RAF. That would be appreciated.
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That is a clever trick, thanks Three L8nk
Bee
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96RAF, is it possible to make Chrissaf not a guest?
When we changed over to the new forum, Chrssaf was, and still is, denoted a "guest". I find that disconcerting.
Could the mods not change it to denote him "Hall of Fame" or "Member Emeritus". Lots of proper titles for this situation.
His very informative posts will remain pinned of course, even if other notices will not. So he will continue to be denoted "guest".
I do understand my perception of the situation may be different, due to being an American. I have zero wish to ruffle any feathers.
Bee
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Hi Fred
Most every program of this type works on the basis of cash money in the door.
They are essentially offering a discount when you put money in their hands. Be it a points reward (you don't earn points when you spend points) or discounted shipping. Its simply a discount, allocate it where you will.
But it is based on the money in the door. Not to include points, discount codes, coupons, etc. For example, if Hornby sells something at ½ price, you pay VAT on ½ price, you earn points on ½ price. You calculate the shipping charge on ½ price (free or standard). Not the original list. If you so happen to discount that ½ price even further with points, everything is based on that newly discounted price. Not list, not ½ price.
Money in the door. If you want to include your points, it discounts the cash basis.
Depending on your tax situation, it is debatable if it is worth it to purchase in the UK.
I understand that the tax situation is different for Australian Buyers. Australian buyers do not pay VAT, so that is discounted, but there is some sort of Aussie tax. What is that charge?
In the UK, shipping is either £4 or £0. The shipping in the UK is negligible. The VAT is not. When you ship to a UK address or purchase over the counter in the UK, you absolutely must pay VAT. 20%.
Bee
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This type of issue so often happens in software. They are termed Initialization Problems.
Without access to the decoders code, I would suggest the developers intended to use the underlying function (to your button press) as part of their startup sequence. So they used a one time flag to state "use the start up sound, or play the user specified sound" as a function of the flag (or similar). This is an initialization sequence.
Possible faults are: didn't use the underlying function, re-initialized the flag after the function was used, out of scope variable, etc. There is a simple list to examine.
This does sound like bug behavior. If I was to debug this, I'd probably check reseting the flag in the wrong order. Very, very common issue.
Bee
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Sounds like the wakeup noise is hard coded, not subject to user modification
Bee
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Hi ThreeLink: SWMBO's mother is now well into her 90s. We are just happy she is wearing clothes, of any kind. Style isn't the critical criteria.
The discussion of mixing scales reminds me of a person in Nero's court, Caius Petronius Arbiter. The arbiter of good taste. He decided what was in good taste for the emperor, and what was not. Backed by the absolute power of Rome. Until one of us is anointed with the power of a Roman emperor, good taste will remain a personal choice.
Mix scales however you like. Its your railway. Tell us how you did it, forced perspective, tricks, techniques and etc. How paint can fool the eye into not seeing a cherry picker. Telling other modellers they are doing it wrong, because it doesn't meet your criteria.... well, not so much.
Bee
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I will not judge a person for what they want. Robert wanted a 1:76 OO Spitfire. It is not my place to say that is right or wrong. The heart wants what the heart wants. Who am I to judge his desire?
When the item advertised as 1:76 was assessed to really be 1:72, I denoted that vendor underhanded. Which I carefully conditioned with "if true". I stand by that remark. What Robert wants is a long standing desire, showing up in thread after thread across the internet. If a vendor takes advantage of that and supplies goods not to spec, then they deserve the negativity that comes with it.
I do not care one way or the other about the Spitfire. The only aviation that can appear on an LMR focused layout is a Montgolfier Brothers ballon! I was simply trying to help an enthusiast out. I failed.
Now as to that layout I saw? You will note that I did not name that layout or club. It was laughably bad though. If that makes them happy, then good on them. Its what they want. I simply found it disconcerting and jarring. So I passed. Does that make me a rivet counter? Maybe. Part of the hobby for me is exploring the details of the past and yes, getting it right counts. I prefer to be accurate.
Plenty of other posts here by individuals who are fussed over the details. Like which coaches go with what locomotives. Like the exact color of this carriage or that waggon. Does a 21T mineral waggon require a brake van (recent TT question)? Are they rivet counters too?
You are better than that Steve.
Bee
Class 50 coupling socket stuck
in General Discussion
Posted · Edited by What About The Bee
Superglue Debonder is either acetone or propylene carbonate, an acetone substitute. Dependent on the name on the tin. Pull the MSDS sheet for the product to see what the active ingredient is.
Bee