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CMC Meeting, September 07

The next meeting of the Christchurch Meccano Club is on Friday 5th October.

The challenge

This challenge was: "Build a Meccano model to do something interesting to at least two pieces of string."

To start with, a pair of French knitting machines from Hugh and Cameron.  Hugh was apparently working on an automated version of this, but it's a tricky model which isn't finished yet.  Watch this space for an update.  Cameron proved more patient and managed to complete a huge length, which is tied together as a mat using the second piece of string at the bottom.

In the absence of any models from Neil incorporating a GRB, Grace managed to thumb her nose at the judges by entering this pair of Meccano knitting needles (note the collars at the ends).  Double knitting fulfils the requirement of using more than one piece of string. 

We use wheel discs as voting tokens, and you can see here that this model scored remarkably well, running a close second.

But sanity prevailed, and the winner of the challenge was this loom, from the supermodel 16a.  Parts have been restored to 1928-era dark red and dark green. 

This model requires an enormous amount of tweaking to get it to work well, and although it managed to perform on the night it could benefit from some more time spent on it.  The biggest job, however, is preparing the warp threads for the machine.  Feeding each one through the healds and reeds takes a great deal of time, and ensuring that the threads have even tension is tricky. 

I would suggest than any builder considers modifying their loom to take thread directly from a rack of bobbins, each with its own tensioning device, which would make this job considerably easier.

In the absence of further models this month, another picture of the Loom...

The CMC Challenge – "Join the club"

Build a Meccano model, with the theme of the Rugby World Cup 2007.  Everyone else is getting into the act, so we may as well too.  Pretty much anything goes, let your imagination run wild!

The Competition

At the CMC meeting in October, all club members present will vote for their favourites, and the one with the most votes will win.  In the event of a tie, the most senior disinterested club member will have the casting vote.

Definition of ‘Meccano model’

As usual, you can use any Meccano part ever made and sold as Meccano, or any reproduction part that is structurally identical to a Meccano part.  Parts may not be cut or deformed such that they cannot be used for their intended function again.  You can cut a 2 down into a 2a (it becomes a reproduction part), but not down to a 5” long strip (which has no Meccano equivalent). 

Cord, driving bands, and springs may be of any type.  Motors (if used) must be genuine Meccano.  Wiring and power supplies do not.  Non-Meccano washers may be used in your model solely to protect the paintwork.