Adrian Cooper

You are so right Clive. My daughter has just had a request through her 3D printing community to start printing parts for use in hospitals. She is not sure what some of the bits are but one is a valve of some sort and another is a simple device to open doors without touching the handle. All 3 of her printers are working flat out, all FOC naturally.

My daughter, who is an expert on 3D printing, recommends the Creality CR 10s. I bought one for my school and it runs 24 hours a day for most of the week and the quality is superb. Daughter was a bit miffed that the quality of print that I was getting was very close to what she gets from her highly modified, highly expensive 2 year old printer. Adrian

Never underestimate the power of TimTams; they are the greatest confectionary creation the world has ever known. When I used to have to travel to New Zealand fairly regularly the anticipation of Tim Tams sustained me through the hellish 24 hour flights. On the return journey, half my suitcase was full of them for family members who were similarly obsessed. They are available in the UK now but try them at your peril, there's no going back. Adrian

Thank you for the link and recommendation John. In return can I suggest ThisOldTony and his posts about machining? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NO8MgTQKHAWXp6z8Xl7yQ I don't own a lathe or milling machine but I could spend hours watching this man at work. Adrian

Yes! I was really sceptical when Louis first tried this, especially when he set the model (a full size horse racing saddle) up in the middle of our conservatory with complex and, frankly, cluttered surroundings. Louis explained that having complicated backgrounds was actually desirable as it helped the software to link the pictures together and orientate them in 3 dimensions. Louis is away with friends at the moment but I will suggest that he re-visits his classic car parts service. However, I'm afraid that his experience with the TSSC might have put him off, despite the regular small monies he receives from Shapeways, he was not impressed by their lack of response to his work. He may actually be out of our league now too as he often earns more than me per month despite being just 17. Still can't keep his bedroom tidy.

Well remembered John. We heard nothing from the TSSC but Louis uploaded his 3d plans to the online 3D printing service Shapeways where about 25 of the parts have been ordered, some in ABS plastic but most in metal https://www.shapeways.com/product/4FDV2ZPUP/spitfire-door-control-rod-outer-door-handle-lh?optionId=63458914&li=marketplace This seems to be the way forward; have the part copied and then printed by an online service in whatever material you want, from soft rubbery stuff to 24 carat gold. The creation of the 3D file is the difficult bit but 3D scanning is now as easy as taking loads of pictures with a good DSLR from all angles and uploading the pictures to an online service which produces the 3D file from them (some editing will be needed). Louis has done this with great success for a variety of bizarre commissions. Adrian

I discovered the unique benefit of libraries when I worked as the Deputy Head in a 'tough' school and needed to sort out the bad behaviour, especially in the library. I would spend as much time as I could in the library and in those hours I found a variety of fascinating books about subjects I had no idea would be interesting, they just fell to hand as I was browsing the shelves. Without that serendipity I would never have read books on the influence of railways on modern warfare, about Scandinavian wood lore and on the development of farming techniques in post-war Germany; trust me, once started I couldn't put these, and many others, down. You don't get that experience on Amazon. Adrian

Really? In the UK we had a TV series called The Detectorists; these 2 quotes explain everything "I had a friend once, he had a Cactus, same cactus sitting on his windowsill for 15 years , then one day someone gave him a second cactus then within 6 months he had to move to a bigger house so he had room for his collection, whereas a Woman with 3 cacti would say "that's probably enough Cacti for me " and from a different episode; ""Men have hobbies and Women Don't understand, it's the way it's always been " Adrian

Only vinyl for me too. I am very lucky that Eastbourne has 2 excellent independent vinyl specialist record shops and 3 second-hand record shops. I've never grown out of the habit of flicking through the record racks on a Saturday morning. Adrian

Well said Paul. That's the most balanced summing up of the current situation I've read anywhere.

You lucky boy! One drove past me at a show last summer, even at walking pace it made the ground shake. I hope you will keep the pictures coming as work progresses.

Is it a Sunbeam Tiger? Adrian

Hi Peter, On my Mk2 I'm using a hood frame that came from a crashed Mk1that I broke in the 80s. I have just been out to the garage to compare it with the rusted remains of the frame that came with my Mk2 (I never throw anything away) and I can't see any difference at all. Don't be put off by the crudeness of the standard arrangement, it seems to work really well, especially if you can find a hood that has the elastic tensioning strips and hooks of the original. Adrian

Surely the 1992 Maastricht treaty enshrined our opt out from the Euro? and I have never heard anybody suggest that the other 27 nations could overturn this. Where are you getting this from Peter? Adrian

John is right, the deployment of a 'slow burn' prank is the sign of a true master of the art. Many years ago, when I first started teaching, I made the mistake of admitting that I had a PSV license and I got roped into driving the school's ancient Bedford coach when the regular driver was ill. On one trip to Thorpe Park I discovered that I had forgotten to bring my book and was facing 6 hours of total boredom, sitting in the cab with no working radio either. After an hour of cleaning the dashboard and sorting the tachograph discs I was so bored that I was ready to chew off my own lips and I absentmindedly pulled off the rubber cover from the steering wheel boss. Under the cover was a neatly folded piece of paper on which was written 'Don't be so nosey, now put it back' Now, that's the work of a master. Adrian