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I thought I would make something different from my normal model making stuff. 1/4" thick mild steel plate 1" diameter finger and thumb grips 1/2" BSW thread - runs in a brass sleeved nut freely rotating brass hex foot machined blunt knife edge The BSW thread is superb for this type of...

I normally post articles about what I make in my shed, but just for a change I thought I would share something different. This is the first podcast I have ever done: Nigel Taylor – EV batteries | Modern Chemistry Podcast If you want some images and text that supports this then try out...

A simple build, but it is making me smile: I need to make an elegant support and I'm thinking perhaps a "birdcage frame" - thoughts? More details of me forming the dome: Heron of Alexandria Steam Engine - glue-it.com

Moore & Wright is perhaps one of the top names in measuring instruments. Hence when I saw this height marking gauge on a stall for just £5 I had to have it. Maybe turning this into a Moore & Wright desk lamp is wrong? This is USB powered and is using an LED array panel Maybe inspiration to...

I needed to make two brass brackets and tried forming them over MDF: One of the key steps was coating the MDF in superglue I annealed the brass a couple of times during the forming The final finished pair of formed supports. Actually, not quite finished as I need to clean them up and add...

Just bought one of these small butane torches. I always thought they were a gimic, but this works really well. OK, best for model engineering, but using this with silver solder paste for silver soldering small items is superb.

Just got sent this Enjomor Whippet model engine It's not ready to run straight out of the box as it needs a fuel tank, cooling tank (I think a small tin can would be good) and needs some assembly. However, the overall feel is of a quality engine. I need to get it setup and running.....

Having spent 14 years in battery research and design I thought I should share what I know. However, there are no dedicated places for battery design and so I thought how hard can it be??? I have the model making website and I can just create a battery design website. It's early days, but I'm...

Just made some copper covers to hide some old heating pipes and thought I would share. The MDF former just about lasted long enough for me to make two of these covers. I actually think they look rather good in our 1930's house. Here's the former....

Perhaps less about machining pewter buttons and more about holding them so we could. The pewter buttons have been cast in an open one-sided sand mold. The stars on the front face are the important face to keep. The open casting means the thicknesses are variable. The big issue was there was no...

Just made an online calculator for the simple 4 change gears and leadscrew pitch calculation for cutting threads Hopefully this is useful to a few people. Let me know if you would rather it was an excel workbook.

Just made a freehand turning tool for the Warco metal lathe. This is designed to be used on a metal lathe, but could be adapted to work on a wood lathe. The video explains most of the build.

I must admit that my tiny workshop 11 ft x 8ft inside dimensions struggles a bit with condensation. the panoramic rather stretches it out So, I use a small 150W tube heater with a thermostat set at around 7°C to limit the temperature drop. Plus I use a chemical dehumidifier. This keeps the...

I spent Saturday afternoon prepping and making a simple setup and then yesterday afternoon bench running this little engine, little as in 3.56cc four-stroke. Takes me back over 40 years to running these engines as a kid in cars, aeroplanes, boats - we made so many radio control models. I made a...

A short video showing my miniature rotary compressed air/CO2/steam engine. In rotary engines the crankcase rotates with the propeller. The conrods rotate about the crank pin. These two rotational axes are parallel and half the length of the stroke apart. In this way the early engines removed...

I was thinking how many parts in a model engine...so I had a look at a few examples, I will try and add some more examples: A simple oscillating steam engine (such as a Mamod) has less than 10 parts, although this could be reduced as the crank is pushed together from 3 parts. My simple...

The flexible camera arm I use to record my youtube videos finally broke, in multiple places. I ordered a heavy duty arm from Amazon, but it was damaged in delivery and never even reached me. So, I thought this was a sign I should make it myself.... I got inspiration from a desk lamp and scaled...

Must admit that I tend to run my Record Power BS250 bandsaw blades until they give up. I've been using Axminster blades, but just saw Bedford Saw blades. Made in the UK and at a good price. So, I bought 3 to try: Nicely packaged and presented. They are quite a bit thicker gauge than the...

I have an optical centre punch made by Soba, it is superb and I use it a lot. However, just recently I hit the issue that the base is too big. So, I made a much smaller optical centre punch:

I think a small pin vice is an essential tool for the wood or metal workshop. It's so easy to just chuck a small drill bit or countersink bit and work by hand. This small pin vice has a 4mm chuck (~£4 from ebay), I then made the handle with a mild steel centre and a JT0 (or close to) taper on...