KEEPING THE DRIVE ALIVE...

[Phillip]

These are unsettling times as COVID-19 spreads across the globe and touches all of our lives in one way or another. Our hobby has ground to a standstill as authorities forbid any large gatherings and we are forced into self-isolation.

But, thanks to technology and to boards like this, we can stay in touch and keep the wheels turning until thing return to some form of normalcy. Mike, our Web Master is busy updating this website, so while you are staying safe at home you can take advantage of our forum and tell us what you are doing to keep your hobby alive.

Ensuring family and friends are safe may be paramount in these troubled times but, being forced to stay at home doesn't mean you can't pop into the garage and find a pleasant distraction in spending time on your Singer as well.

We wish all of our members and friends all the very best during these dark days. They will end, but, in the meantime let's stay in touch and keep the drive alive!

[ColinB]

I'll keep gabbling on as usual Phillip, but it would be great to hear what others are up to.

[Phillip]

That is my hope too Colin! You set the bar with your very enjoyable threads!

[mikeyr]

You don't want to hear what I am up to...its not Singer related. But on the plus side of being stuck at home is that the Mini will be done and out of garage and I will be back to Singer's. I am putting the finishing touches on the Mini, still have to get the color coat on the body but the body work is done so the color coat is minor, interior and dash are in place, engine is in place, some wiring is done very little left to do (not much wiring on a Mini). Fuel injection (yes, fuel injection on a 1959 Mini) is done and wired. I have some welding to do on the exhaust, its stainless so more time consuming for me but I will get it done. After that it's brake lines which we have to make up since we switched the car from LHD to RHD, we bought some from the UK and will make up the rest, we converted the car to 4 wheel disc brakes. It's really all the minor details that are left, nothing big, lots of them but I think I can get it done while home, it's his car after all, but I have to spray the color and weld and things like that.

Of course I am working from home so can't get out there 8+ hours a day, but son-in-law can as he is now unemployed.

Oh, wife decided some house projects need to be done too since she is unemployed also right now. Both son-in-law and wife will get their old jobs back, its just for the virus.

[ColinB]

Perhaps we can also share the non-car things we are doing to keep ourselves occupied:

I have been playing fingerstyle on my Martin 00028 EC (lefty);
Weeding the veg patch with Linda to try and get some salads going;
Building a plank on frame model of an Essex smack from scratch;
Loosing a few arrows from my Hoyt recurve (also left handed).

I have also grit blasted the spare wheel from the Six and given it a coat of rust convertor to stabilise the surface for paint.

[Peter McKercher]

Spending lots of time touching up things on the Nine Sports and doing final touches on the Le Mans. Also building miniatures and photographing in forced perspective.

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[ColinB]

The miniatures are stunning. I love models and these are first class.

[Peter McKercher]

Thought you might like this one Colin. This is actually a replica of my parents first house in 1947 . It usually had a Singer Le Mans parked in the drive

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[ColinB]

That is either a wonderfully detailed model or a full sized house in front of an enormous child. Are the cars real models or a clever use of images in the picture?

[Peter McKercher]

The cars are 1:24 scale Danbury Mint die casts - wonderfully detailed for this sort of thing.

[ColinB]

Looks like its just you and me out here at the moment Peter!

[jeans_old_man]

Ahah! So that's what you get up to at weekends, Peter

[Phillip]

Keep on gabbing Colin...we really enjoy following your inspirational adventures...and I guess I should add to my own thread, eh? LOL!

My God! How do you have time to do all that non-Singer related stuff and still make the progress you do! Remarkable!

I'm a leftie too, but it's been many years since I sold my 6 string barrel-back Ovation. That was a lovely guitar.

Ironically, the current crisis has actually proven to mean longer hours for me at work even though I'm forced to work at home.

To paraphrase Monty Don on Gardener's World, here are some of my "jobs for the weekend":

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Sorting out some of my cylinder heads for rebuilding once the crisis abates and to figure out what needs work and what needs replacing.

This is a good illustration of the differences between a standard Nine Sports head (top) and a Nine Le Mans Speed head (bottom):

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They all look pretty good but some of the cams are worn and I suspect some new valves may be required. I have a few I think, and some extra new springs, so I'll have to dig around in the boxes!

[ColinB]

Interesting that the later low compression Bantam head on my coupe has the same configuration as the Le Mans model.
On the other stuff I just like to do a bit of everything (I also do all the cooking at home as I enjoy doing it and Linda doesn't!). Since I semi retired I no longer have a four hour+ round trip to work on transport projects in London so that has opened up a bit more time (I calculate I have travelled about 2 million miles on the train travelling to work).
Musically I have always been into blues and ragtime on the guitar although a few years ago I became friends with Jacques Stotzem, a Belgian guitarist/composer, who shares the music for his pieces very freely. I play a few of his easier pieces. He comes to Quebec from time to time as a demonstrator for Martin Guitars and is really worth seeing if you get the chance.

[Phillip]

Hey Colin,

Yes, the 'Bantam' engine introduced the same 'semi-hemi' combustion chambers as the Le Mans head had. My '36 LM SS has the same casting as yours, but larger inlet valves and ports, plus the special camshaft with high-lift inlet lobes and flat-faced inlet rockers. All the blocks got cast-in oilways, rather than copper pipes and the crankcase breather moved down to the bottom of the block rather than being at the top rear.

Thought you might be interested to compare gardens. I'm sure your daffs and other spring flowers are well out and blooming by now. Going to be a while before that happens here!