Charlie's Shed - Making Nuts

 This week, I have been mostly making nuts...

These are the special sleeve nuts for the front stand - only the SQ4 has the correct one, so, since the same part number has been used since 1928 I have made four - one for stock. 

These are 3/8" CEI reduced hex half nuts, in this case for the Huntmaster magneto cutout button. I made three - two for stock. 

Threading these on the lathe was being difficult - the 5/16" CEI taps are dull and this is 303 stainless. I started them in the lathe and finished them in the vice. 

Either I need to learn how to sharpen taps or I need to replace them! 

FH Dry Build - Front Stand

Amidst various domestic and railway activities, the FH Dry Build marches forever onward - and I am beginning to run out of jobs. Did I really say that out loud?

I took a series of pictures for the dating certificate and this one reveals graphically that the front stand is wrong - it's either not Ariel, or perhaps is for a bike with a smaller wheel, though I can't see that somehow. The FH has a 19" front rim and none of the bikes I am aware of use a smaller rim than that, apart from the Leader & Arrow neither of which use a front stand.

Anyhow, it has the right fitting at the rear and is the right shape, so I am going to use it.

Removing the stand in the safety of the workshop reveals it is about 3/4" too short:

What I have done is cut both legs as square as I can and trimmed them up on the linisher. Then, I've taken a piece of 5/8" x 16 swg tube and cut two 3/4" sections on the lathe; I've also cut two pieces out of a scrap footrest bar (which was bent) to support the spacers and keep everything aligned:

I've set it all up on the bench, and cleaned the areas to be welded on the wire wheel. There's a bit of 5/16" bar through both ends to keep them aligned while I tack it together:

Two autogenous butt welds on each side, 40A:

And there we go, problem solved.

All we need now are a couple of Thackeray washers and I can make the pivot bolt spacers on the lathe. 

Here they are now, 5/16" ID, 3/8" OD and 7/16" long 303 stainless:

Bolts are 5/16" CEI x 1". This is how they fit:

The stand pivots around the spacer and the Thackeray washer prevents it all rattling. You can drop the stand by loosening the single nut at the back of the mudguard.