Sort of a Job

Wow! It's been a while since my last post.

I took a temporary job on the 22nd of Feb, just to try and keep things on an even keel. Believe it or not, the task is to clean the silk screen print off 60,000 batteries and then re-print them. All for the princely sum of £12,000 a year. How the mighty have fallen.

I'd like to say that it's good honest work, but it isn't. It transpires that the batteries have been brought in from a far eastern branch of the company and are the cheapest they supply. We, (there are three of us engaged on the task), are cleaning off the 'cheapest battery in the range' print only to reprint them with the 'not so cheap battery range' logo and they are then to be re-shipped at a higher price. It's obviously some sort of fiddle.

Anyway, this job has taken up most of my time, along with various applications for other 'real' jobs.

One very nice, and unexpected surprise has occurred. My wife bought me a micro-lathe for an anniversary present. I have always wanted a proper workshop, but since I've never lived in a house with a garage I've never had the opportunity. She thought I might try some micro tools and gain a mini-workshop in that way.

The lathe is truly tiny, but a fully functioning precision instrument. Identical to a full sized lathe in every way and able to machine all but the hardest steels. I bought some index-able cutting tools and have set about making some of the original parts for the machine that have gone missing during it's lifetime. The machine is at least 30 years old, but is in very good condition.

Here's a photo of the lathe, it's an Austrian made Unimat SL 1000.

It needed a clean up, but this is how I got it. It's since been mounted on a board and is gleaming.

I have been avidly reading up on this lathe along with a whole host of stuff on home workshops and parts machining. I will try to get some accessories as and when wages allow, since the machine was originally shipped with a milling attachment and other bits.

One thing I will definitely attempt is casting my own aluminium parts using age old techniques at home. A blast furnace from scrap common odds and ends is first on the list. The idea scares the hell out of the wife, but I think I can master it. I'll post my progress with my home workshop as I go along.