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3D Printed cartridge holder...
by 4GSR
[Dec 08, 2025, 06:30 AM] -
Sources for CAD software
by propforward
[Dec 01, 2025, 12:28 PM] -
Retirement
by PJ
[Nov 25, 2025, 12:44 PM] -
Large model steam engine designed...
by TerryWerm
[Nov 23, 2025, 09:32 PM] -
Black Hills Model Engineering...
by TerryWerm
[Oct 04, 2025, 05:24 PM] -
Just What I Didn’t Need #8...
by TerryWerm
[Aug 23, 2025, 08:48 AM] -
Yes, You Can Knurl Delrin
by 4GSR
[Aug 19, 2025, 12:18 PM] -
Another Hey Man project
by TerryWerm
[Aug 16, 2025, 06:23 PM] -
Projects that cause projects...
by TerryWerm
[Aug 05, 2025, 10:31 PM] -
Jury duty today
by 4GSR
[Jul 19, 2025, 11:15 AM]
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Recent posts
#11
Chatterbox / Re: Retirement
Last post by chips and more - Nov 19, 2025, 02:30 PMHmmm, retirement, is that something like not going to work anymore? I think I did that part? But being at home now doesn't seem like I'm not going to work anymore. My wife has a honey-do list a mile long and is not getting any shorter. Could this be why the stats say wife's outlive the husbands?
#12
Chatterbox / Re: Retirement
Last post by 4GSR - Nov 18, 2025, 05:45 PMMy employer told me I couldn't retire. I will be 69 in January. Just went through the first round of kidney stone removal, two down, three more to go.
What has me pissed is Medicare. Just because I went on Disability at a early age for RH, I cannot get onto any of the part "G" insurance plans. I can only get one of the Medicare Advantage plans. For me to get the RH treatment I need, I can only afford it through a "G" plan. Way too expensive if under a Advantage plan. Just a little "Heads Up"
What has me pissed is Medicare. Just because I went on Disability at a early age for RH, I cannot get onto any of the part "G" insurance plans. I can only get one of the Medicare Advantage plans. For me to get the RH treatment I need, I can only afford it through a "G" plan. Way too expensive if under a Advantage plan. Just a little "Heads Up"
#13
Chatterbox / Retirement
Last post by TerryWerm - Nov 17, 2025, 08:52 PMSo how many of us here are retired? How many haven't but plan to soon? Mostly just curious, no need to answer if you don't want to.
I reach my full retirement age next April at 66 and 10 months. Still feeling good, strength and balance are both good, and they say a body in motion tends to stay in motion. I might just wait and go out at 68 instead, but not sure what I should do. I can tell that I'm not as young as I once was, but I am doing better physically than a lot of my high school classmates.
My employer REALLY wants me to stay on. My pay is better than I've ever made, last year they purchased a new excavator for me, in August I got a new truck, and last week I picked up a brand-new lowboy for hauling the excavator. I am currently training my son to take over my spot when I do retire.
I still need to spend some serious money on my house, and I want to insulate and heat my shop/garage. It all costs money and working an extra year would really help with that expense instead of using retirement funds.
On the other hand, I would like to enjoy retirement for a little while, I certainly don't want to be one of those guys that works a few extra years, finally retires only to fall over dead very shortly after. My wife is three years younger than I am, so she is going to work a little longer if her health allows.
Decisions, decisions.
I reach my full retirement age next April at 66 and 10 months. Still feeling good, strength and balance are both good, and they say a body in motion tends to stay in motion. I might just wait and go out at 68 instead, but not sure what I should do. I can tell that I'm not as young as I once was, but I am doing better physically than a lot of my high school classmates.
My employer REALLY wants me to stay on. My pay is better than I've ever made, last year they purchased a new excavator for me, in August I got a new truck, and last week I picked up a brand-new lowboy for hauling the excavator. I am currently training my son to take over my spot when I do retire.
I still need to spend some serious money on my house, and I want to insulate and heat my shop/garage. It all costs money and working an extra year would really help with that expense instead of using retirement funds.
On the other hand, I would like to enjoy retirement for a little while, I certainly don't want to be one of those guys that works a few extra years, finally retires only to fall over dead very shortly after. My wife is three years younger than I am, so she is going to work a little longer if her health allows.
Decisions, decisions.
#14
Events / Re: Black Hills Model Engineer...
Last post by TerryWerm - Oct 04, 2025, 05:24 PMI almost forgot to add a photo of the castings that I purchased from Gary Martin while I attended the show.
In the pic you will find two (2) cast iron six-inch flywheel castings, with six tapered spokes. There is also a cast iron 12" camelback straight edge and a silicon bronze 6" camelback straight edge.
Now I have work to do!
In the pic you will find two (2) cast iron six-inch flywheel castings, with six tapered spokes. There is also a cast iron 12" camelback straight edge and a silicon bronze 6" camelback straight edge.
Now I have work to do!
#15
Events / Re: Black Hills Model Engineer...
Last post by TerryWerm - Oct 04, 2025, 04:44 PMLast weekend my wife and I traveled to Rapid City to attend the Black Hills Model Engineering Expo. This isn't a real huge show, but it was quite a delight. Lots of great engines running on gas or on compressed air. Sadly, I spent so much time talking with people that I neglected to take as many photos as I had originally planned on. A link to a slideshow is included below. This was my first visit to this show and from what I understand the turnout this year was better than last year. I hope that trend continues.
My wife found the other wives hanging out in a separate room away from the many contraptions smelling of oil and gas and she made a few new friends.
One fellow had all of his personally home built clock building tools on display such as depthing gauges and other specialty items. Lots of brass and polished nickel so they were a treat for the eyes.
There were also some young folks there, a couple of high school students from Rapid City, displaying their robotics project. It was very refreshing to talk with them and see their enthusiasm. They had last year's project on display and the beginnings of their project for this year. Each year has a different set of requirements as to what the robot must do. It is up to the students to figure out how they can accomplish their goals using only specific motors, computers, and controllers. Other hardware is up to them. Their entry from last year was a tracked vehicle that could actually move in any direction, even sideways. It could climb stairs and other obstacles and had a telescopic arm that could reach out nearly three feet using drawer glides in order to pick up a specific object. This year's project must throw a whiffle ball a certain distance and then do something else, but I don't remember what.
Clif Roemmich (sp?) is the gentleman that began this show and hosted it for the first 20 some years but he has passed the torch to a different fellow whose name I do not remember. Clif was there with his collection of engines, and it is a large collection to say the least. He is currently building a steam lorry, a British version of a steam powered truck. The body is done, and he is currently working on the engine and drive gearing.
Gary Martin of Martin Model and Pattern made the trip from Oregon and brought along a large selection of flywheels and engine castings. I purchased a couple of six-inch flywheels that I will be needing for some future projects as well as a couple of camelback straightedges that need to be machined and scraped true. Gary's wife told my wife, who in turn told me that Gary's business is for sale as he wants to retire. Martin Models offers many castings in gray cast iron and bronze. In addition to flywheels from 1-1/2" up to five feet in diameter, he offers castings for a couple of hit-and-miss engines, a model V8, and a 6-cycle engine that runs on propane called the Mery Explosive Engine. He also offers castings for a die filer, a gear hobbing machine, a pantograph, a universal pillar tool, the Tinker tool and cutter grinder and the venerable Quorn Tool and Cutter grinder in the Mk 1 and Mk 2 versions and a few other items including camelback straight edge castings from 6" up to 36" in length. You can visit his website here: https://www.martinmodel.com/
I did take a few photos and a couple of short videos and put it all together as a single two-minute combo video/slideshow.
I was hoping to run into a friend of mine from Minnesota at the show, as he had indicated to me his plans to attend and display some of his engines. But, for some reason he wasn't there. Hopefully nothing went horribly wrong, and he is doing okay.
Will I go again next year?? Quite possibly!! I really enjoyed it. Now I just need to get going and get some models built so that I can display some engines as well!
My wife found the other wives hanging out in a separate room away from the many contraptions smelling of oil and gas and she made a few new friends.
One fellow had all of his personally home built clock building tools on display such as depthing gauges and other specialty items. Lots of brass and polished nickel so they were a treat for the eyes.
There were also some young folks there, a couple of high school students from Rapid City, displaying their robotics project. It was very refreshing to talk with them and see their enthusiasm. They had last year's project on display and the beginnings of their project for this year. Each year has a different set of requirements as to what the robot must do. It is up to the students to figure out how they can accomplish their goals using only specific motors, computers, and controllers. Other hardware is up to them. Their entry from last year was a tracked vehicle that could actually move in any direction, even sideways. It could climb stairs and other obstacles and had a telescopic arm that could reach out nearly three feet using drawer glides in order to pick up a specific object. This year's project must throw a whiffle ball a certain distance and then do something else, but I don't remember what.
Clif Roemmich (sp?) is the gentleman that began this show and hosted it for the first 20 some years but he has passed the torch to a different fellow whose name I do not remember. Clif was there with his collection of engines, and it is a large collection to say the least. He is currently building a steam lorry, a British version of a steam powered truck. The body is done, and he is currently working on the engine and drive gearing.
Gary Martin of Martin Model and Pattern made the trip from Oregon and brought along a large selection of flywheels and engine castings. I purchased a couple of six-inch flywheels that I will be needing for some future projects as well as a couple of camelback straightedges that need to be machined and scraped true. Gary's wife told my wife, who in turn told me that Gary's business is for sale as he wants to retire. Martin Models offers many castings in gray cast iron and bronze. In addition to flywheels from 1-1/2" up to five feet in diameter, he offers castings for a couple of hit-and-miss engines, a model V8, and a 6-cycle engine that runs on propane called the Mery Explosive Engine. He also offers castings for a die filer, a gear hobbing machine, a pantograph, a universal pillar tool, the Tinker tool and cutter grinder and the venerable Quorn Tool and Cutter grinder in the Mk 1 and Mk 2 versions and a few other items including camelback straight edge castings from 6" up to 36" in length. You can visit his website here: https://www.martinmodel.com/
I did take a few photos and a couple of short videos and put it all together as a single two-minute combo video/slideshow.
I was hoping to run into a friend of mine from Minnesota at the show, as he had indicated to me his plans to attend and display some of his engines. But, for some reason he wasn't there. Hopefully nothing went horribly wrong, and he is doing okay.
Will I go again next year?? Quite possibly!! I really enjoyed it. Now I just need to get going and get some models built so that I can display some engines as well!
#16
Events / Re: Black Hills Model Engineer...
Last post by TerryWerm - Sep 21, 2025, 07:36 PMMy wife's work schedule has changed, so she will now be going with me. She likes sleeping late when she can and I don't think the show would be her cup of tea, so I am planning to go to the show on Saturday morning and I doubt that I will stay all day, it just isn't that large a show. That's okay though, as she and I can go out into the Hills that afternoon and enjoy a little before coming home on Sunday.
I will make a point of taking lots of photos!
I will make a point of taking lots of photos!
#17
Events / Re: Black Hills Model Engineer...
Last post by 4GSR - Sep 21, 2025, 12:59 PMWish I was closer, I would come and enjoy.
#18
Events / Re: Black Hills Model Engineer...
Last post by TerryWerm - Sep 07, 2025, 10:33 AMThe approximate address of the Central States Fairgrounds, if anyone needs it, is 701 South LaCrosse Street in Rapid City. Free parking right across the street.
#19
Events / Black Hills Model Engineering ...
Last post by TerryWerm - Sep 07, 2025, 10:05 AMComing up in just a few weeks is the Black Hills Model Engineering Expo, being held September 27th and 28th in Rapid City, South Dakota. This show has always been held in the Fine Arts Building at the Central States Fairgrounds.
Setup for vendors and display participants is on Friday, open to the public on Saturday and Sunday.
My wife has to work that weekend, so I plan to drive out on Friday and visit with a niece that lives out there, then attend the show on Saturday and come home on Sunday.
The Black Hills should be quite beautiful with fall colors by then, or so I would think. I am going to leave at 4 AM on Friday so I have time to hit a few of the nice roads out there before dark. If I get really lucky, and the weather cooperates, I might even be able to take the bike instead of the car. Triple win!!
Setup for vendors and display participants is on Friday, open to the public on Saturday and Sunday.
My wife has to work that weekend, so I plan to drive out on Friday and visit with a niece that lives out there, then attend the show on Saturday and come home on Sunday.
The Black Hills should be quite beautiful with fall colors by then, or so I would think. I am going to leave at 4 AM on Friday so I have time to hit a few of the nice roads out there before dark. If I get really lucky, and the weather cooperates, I might even be able to take the bike instead of the car. Triple win!!
#20
General Shop Discussions / Re: Just What I Didn’t Need #8
Last post by TerryWerm - Aug 23, 2025, 08:48 AMJust got back from vacation, and I have to agree with Ken, you have some SB stuff there in nice condition!