Alan

Another job jobbed.

Now he needs something to stop Pam giving him ear ache.

You'll need a boat soon Norm.

Saw some length's of box section like that at John's Chris. You might have missed them.

Another good job and another step nearer the end result.

And I was often between the bucket and skip unhooking the chain hoping you didn't get twitchy lever fingers.

Bit late now but you could have used John's digger as a hoist with the grubber fitted instead of the bucket. Grubber would fit through the shed door and be easier to hook things onto.

While walking into town, my usual Saturday excitement, I detour through a small trading estate to have a peek in the local metal fabricators scrap bin. Most weeks either nearly empty or full of RSJ off cuts and 4" or larger thick wall box section plus large section angle. All big and heavy. Last Saturday had a much better assortment of small stuff mixed in with bits of the above plus other mixed junk including lots of tangled metal banding from delivery's of steel. Back today with the car. Into the shop / office and asked if I could have a dig in the bin. Lady person at desk didn't sound too keen. "We don't like that" but donned a high vis vest and came out into the yard. I pointed out a few smaller section bits and asked if I could have those. "Yes, but be careful, there are lots of sharp edges", as if I didn't know. Started pulling bits out and she started helping. I think she was worried in case I cut myself and sued. She would have had a fit if she had been at John's place while Chris and I were clearing the scrap. Anyway, got a selection for possible future use. Would have dug deeper and got more if lady person hadn't been nearly having kitten's. Asked how much I owed, "Nothing" was the reply I was hoping for. Result, although I was prepared to cough up a few tea bags. Various sizes from 2" x 1" down to 1/2" square plus round tube and bar, flat strip 1/4" thick and an 18" x 12" x 1/8" plate.

The original exhaust which.was used for the test runs was unsuitable for scale appearance and was also in the wrong position. A 180 degree bend to fit within the side panels was needed. I tried a length of flexi pipe I had but this wouldn't bend into a tight enough radius. A piece of 15mm copper pipe was bent up using an ancient and crude pipe bender ( found at friend John's place ) where else, which gave the required result. The exhaust stub on the engine is approx 22mm outside diameter although the bore is a lot smaller. An adapter was turned up to suit. During the clear out at John's various stainless steel silencers were found which John had made at work. This one was removed from a mower and cleaned up. This was connected to the copper pipe via an old 90 degree plumbing elbow after cleaning off all the muck. After finding a length of chrome plated pipe a posher version was bent up. No prizes for guessing where these came from. Not sure how this pipe and the plating will stand up to the heat but not the end of the world if it doesn't. An extension was made for the silencer, again from copper pipe, as I didn't have anything else of a suitable diameter. This was drilled and the lower end plugged as per the full size. An adapter ring was turned up, drilled and tapped to hold everything together. This ring also located the assembly into the grill surround. The completed parts and after fitting. Still need to make some adjustments.

Impressive work Ewan. A hood with that many holes would usually finish up in the skip.

Another good assortment Paul. Your camera must have been in need of a holiday by the end of the show.

I wonder where that grinder came from. I'm sure I've seen it before. Could be wrong though. But I'm not.

No good visiting John's place again Andrew. There's nothing left. Unless you want a caravan. Chris will tow it home for you. He's good at towing caravans.

Hi Pete. Can't be sure of engine model but I saved the carb assembly from a similar scrapped engine. Just taken photo's. A few here. Maybe someone can determine if it would fit your engine.

Works OK for me. Didn't take long to load either. Less than a minute. Looks and sounds good Norm.

After looking for a suitable steering wheel on the internet without success, one was made up. Lots of ready made wheels but too large, too small, near enough the correct diameter but with a rim much too thick for scale etc. A local metal fabricator advertised various scroll work items for gates, garden furniture and so on. A visit was made expecting them to have a ring rolling machine. "Never heard of one" was the reply from one staff member. He called another older person, same answer. When I asked how they made the scroll work they advertised, "We don't, we buy it in ready made from China". Mr Showman had previously mentioned that a friend might be able to roll a ring up. Within a few days I had a 7:1/2" ring x 3/8" section. The hub is a previously drilled cap screw with the spokes from flat strip jammed between two nuts after having a bend made at the inner ends. After trimming the spokes to length and clamping down Chris welded all the joints up. Thanks Chris. I keep thinking I ought to buy a welder but it probably wouldn't get much use. Grinding the welds down was easier than expected, especially around the hub, using a Dremel. A slot was cut in the cap screw head for a roll pin which together with a nut held the wheel onto the column. Two short pieces of tube were pressed / hammered over the nuts and all the joints blended in with filler. The last photo shows the pin resting on the head of the cap screw which is the column bush. This still needs a sleeve over it to finish off. Also a cap made for the wheel center. I should have made the spokes with a steeper angle but too late now. My great grandson, pictured above, liked it anyway.

Good job on the tank Ewan. I have one of similar construction from a lawnmower which would fit under the hood of Half a Horse if unsoldered and the non stepped end shortened in length. Might need a long range tank for the rally fields. We often did seal mods at work if the original size was not available. Usually a thin steel sleeve pressed into a bore with the nearest standard size seal inserted. Sometimes went the other way and opened out the bore to take a larger seal. Depended on the job and what was available. Keep up the good work.

Happy Birthday Paul.

Yes, a Roper. ANOTHER ROPER.

Never mind Chris. More room in your sheds for something else now.

Happy birthday Ewan. Have fun.

On the bright side, free logs. Better hurry though Norm. Chris is already on his way.

Looks good Ewan. Getting there.

Those are mummy's arms Chris.

Various ideas were tried out for the seat using bits and pieces lying around and then discarded. A visit to a local upholstery shop with measurements resulted in a lottery win quote. Back to head scratching mode. I had already spent hours looking for something suitable on the internet without luck, trying various search word combinations. Then I spotted some cheap-ish scooter ( Lambretta / Vespa ) back rests. Not exactly what I wanted but worth a try. A pair were bought and after initial, not sure thoughts, the end result was better than expected. The fill in piece behind the seat cushion, made from plastic, still needs finishing off with padding. The first mock up from ply. The alloy frame, ex green house, just cleared the top of the gearbox. Fixing brackets were bolted on. Sheet steel was bent up for the base and back rest. There were two short threaded studs already fitted which made mounting easy. A length of U shaped trim finished off the steel plate and a similar section was fitted to the fuel tank. I finally managed to get my Great grandson Henry to try the tractor for size. Even though he is only 7 : 1/2 months he loved it. Mummy said she had never seen him so excited, squealing and swinging the steering wheel. We had to hold him though as mummy refused to let me cable tie him on.