I'm making one final push to finish rewiring my MGB. I've taken the cockpit wiring apart again and am using my new BB-60 workbench to do a 1-1 scale assembly of the wiring harness. In the process, I've discovered I seem to be missing some of the sleeves that keep the light bulbs for the dash instruments lit at night from falling out the back.
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| The tachometer. Note the bulb nearby. That goes into the back of the tach to light it up at night. |
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| The rear of the tach with the bulb inserted. The next photo shows how loose it is. |
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| The bulb will fall right out! |
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| Here's the back of the speedometer. Note the metal sleeve that gives the bulb a snug fit. Why didn't MG make the bulb housings the right size? Because they're British, that's why! |
I need to learn how to use a lathe.
Lathes make cylindrical objects which are symmetric down the center line, exactly what I need. There are Maker Places and Fab Labs nearby with lathes and classes. I might have all the sleeves I need now, but it would be grand fun to learn how to use a lathe and keep that trick in my back pocket the next time I need to do something like this.
Hmm. I wonder if I could create a functional sleeve out of plastic using a 3D printer.
2 comments:
Well, of course you should go learn to use a lathe! Isn't that the whole point of projects like this? To have an excuse to learn how to use new, expensive tools?
I haven't had the opportunity to get involved with makerspaces, but it looks like they can be a lot of fun. If you do this, let us know how it goes.
If the object won't be subject to high temperatures, then 3D printing would be a great option.
Of course, learning how to use a lathe and then making them on a lathe would also be really fun.
Seems you have to choose between high tech cool and 'more power' fun. Envy running high here...
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