Giles

..... another loco I don't need but I shall have anyway.... All the liveries sound good too!

Excellent choice Chris..... I shall have one....

I get my ply (0.8mm and 1mm) from Hobarts laser, which seems to be very good stuff. Certainly it always cuts well and reliably.

Glad to be useful Simon! (Simple things are best!) Very much looking forward to this progressing......

're the oversize slot. You could always plot a 10% dogleg into the slot, which will keep it tight and in place....

I junked my old Minecraft when I got my Proxxon- it is just superb in comparison.

You won't regret it. I have the a4 E1, and find it remarkable. I also run Autocad. Good luck!

Absolutely super use of the technology- and lively prototypes as well.. Superb!

I've been having a play with our HHO machine, which we bought 18 months ago. Di uses it all the time, but I haven't got round to it, so I thought I'd give it a go. HHO is hydrogen hydrogen oxygen, and is generated through electrolysis. Is is then burnt via a very fine torch, giving immense controllability. These machines used to be extremely expensive, but now you can buy them for as little as £150.

Yes - a removable (ish) double sided tape. It was recommended by Roy Link for pantograph milling, and it's what I use with my little converted Proxxon Pantograph engraver/miller. I thought I would default to the same technique, since it's fundamentally the same thing. It works very well, with no apparent down side. In my vast experience of one test....

I've finally had time to have a quick play. I cut a pair of frames in 28 thou nickel-silver for another 7mm 2ft gauge Bagnall, as I had them drawn up anyway. I broke quite a few cutters trying to sort out the feed rate, but eventually got it sorted for the moment. The result is very clean, consistent and accurate to within +/- 0.02mm or so, which is sufficient for me. In fact - I'm very pleased....... https://youtu.be/sqUg5IDuIO4 https://youtu.be/sqUg5IDuIO4 I first cut a little square drawn exactly 15mm Test piece. Should be 15mm by giles favell, on Flickr Cutting test piece by giles favell, on Flickr Machine cut frames by giles favell, on Flickr

It's all too easy for changes to occur, which have detrimental impacts if not tightly controlled....

There are specified loading for all sorts of occupancies, from domestic, office, auditoria, stadia etc.... I design auditoria, which normally has to have a live load capacity of 4kN/m2, with gangways at 5kN. However, when concerts are involved, this is often taken up to 7.5kN/m2. You are struggling to pack people in more densely than that. A place with seats tends to have a lower loading than one with standing capacity. When people are dancing or jumping up and down the resonant frequency of the structure becomes very important (think wobbly bridge) and auditoria and stadia are designed with this in mind.

That really takes the biscuit..... a bit of a Faberge egg compared with my blacksmith approach! Stunning.

Very sorry to hear about that.... as one who all too regularly suffers from migraines (quite well controlled with medication for the last few years) I sympathise greatly. Most debilitating for you. I hope you're recovering, and don't roll over into another one.

Absolutely - a bit of a pain.... I used a BA bolt, silver soldered in, which was then trimmed off, and a nut used to secure the rod.

Yes - but a pair of them does make for a lovely line-up! Excellent stuff!

Is the Evergreen laser grade, or is it Plasticard, which of course is highly toxic to cut?

Trotec certainly do 0.5mm

I certainly think it should.....

I recently upgraded the battery in the TK artic to a 1200mAh flat battery (lipo), as it was only lasting 5 1/2 hours of exhibition use with its 650 battery. It now lasts more than 2 days of constant use! I'm well pleased with that!

This was the fan I used..... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hydroponic-Grow-Room-Silent-Quiet-Fan-Inline-Tent-Extractor-Duct-Carbon-Filter/122673911855?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 It's very nice and quiet, and just about powerful enough. Certainly this is the minimum I should say - and also keep the length of ductwork down, and if you can go for a smooth bore tube, do that. My set up makes a massive amount of difference, but it isn't 100% perfect. However, I am perfectly happy with it. (Avoid those fans with a timer- unless you particularly want one!)

This is the corresponding plan view, which isn't as informative as it might be - yhough there are some small clues.... Garratt by giles favell, on Flickr Looking further, this is the Hind Engine pivot, and there appear to be bearings either side of centre within the pivot - suggesting that the crank may well be on the centre-line. Hind Engine pivot by giles favell, on Flickr

Whilst on the subject of the Emblaser 1, I thought I'd show my set-up at present. I have a skirt of black wool sarge right around it, which kills much of the nasty light out-put, as well as not allowing smoke or dust out of the sides. Overhead is an extractor hood, about 24 quid from ebay, with an in-line extractor fan, all venting through an old air-brick. It sucks up 90% of any smoke etc.. and is almost silent. The E1 itself has of course been upgraded with the lens and fan previously discussed, and I usually run it with a gap of 0.8mm from the work surface, rather than the larger gap using the supplied gauge. Emblaser 1 with extractor hood by giles favell, on Flickr

Real artistry.