Author Topic: Resurrection of a CFEI 100 KVA Induction Furnace (Read 85035 times)

awemawson · « **Reply #375 on:** June 17, 2020, 01:53:16 AM »

Graham you probably wouldn’t want to be closer than two meters anyway so I don’t see that a visit would be a problem.

Sea.dog · « **Reply #376 on:** June 17, 2020, 11:41:26 AM »

Keep me posted then

awemawson · « **Reply #377 on:** June 17, 2020, 04:20:49 PM »

I won't be long Graham.

This evening I've bought an 18 metre length of brand new 4 core 35 mm csa SWA cable on ebay at a pretty cheap price (£54) and have put it up on Shiply for quotes for delivery (it's in Kidington, Oxford) . By co-incidence the best so far is from the chap who delivered the two humongous Heat Exchangers, one of which went into the new water cooler. They totalled 75 kg - this cable in 'only' 50 kg !

This will enable me to direct bury it in the earth between the generator and the foundry without any conduit and have enough either end to fix a plug and socket in convenient places. I already have a 10 metre length but it only just reaches and it's ends would have to be in darn inconvenient places.

awemawson · « **Reply #378 on:** June 20, 2020, 06:35:26 AM »

The extra 18 metres of 4 core 35mm csa SWA cable is due to arrive this afternoon so I need to consider how to get it into the foundry from it's proposed underground trench.

It's not very flexible, and needs to raise from horizontal in it's underground trench to vertical up the inside wall of the foundry, so just drilling a hole through the wall won't work due to the minimum bend radius of the 30 mm diameter outer sheath . I hit on the idea of core drilling a hole at 45 degrees through the corner of the concrete slab / wall junction. Then when the trench is dug it can slightly under mine the slab and the cable can take up a somewhat gentler bend.

So using my diamond core drill and both the extensions that I have for it I drilled the hole. It ended up about 14 inches long. Sounds simple doesn't it but producing that hole represents two hours of my life

My core drill perhaps doesn't have as many diamonds as it used to have, and I had to alternate between two drills as they were getting mighty hot so . . .

. . . . it may look like a pathetic little hole to you but to me it represents an achievement

Now I need to find someone to hand dig 20 foot of trench as, the state my back is currently in it's not going to be me

Sea.dog · « **Reply #379 on:** June 20, 2020, 12:30:13 PM »

I've made a note in my diary.

awemawson · « **Reply #380 on:** June 22, 2020, 12:19:26 PM »

A bit of an update:

A/ The 18 metre length of 4 core 35 mm CSA SWA cable arrived as promised late Saturday afternoon.

B/ I have been ordering the bits needed to make up the permanent installation (Glands, CC12 cable clips, a Male and Female fixed plug & socket, and male and female free plugs & sockets, and an underground poured resin cable joiner) and some, but not all, bits have arrived.

C/ I have a volunteer 'trench digger' who was due to do his stuff this evening but as his Sister in Law has been rushed into intensive care that's off the menu.

D/ I've had a friend unroll the alleged 18 metres of cable and measure it both physically and electrically - it's 18.1 metres (so that's OK) and electrically sound, as is the 10 metre roll and also the 28 metres of flexible cable (despite it's antiquity)

The current (!!!) plan is to run the SWA so that the 'underground resin joint' is actually above ground inside the foundry - this is convenient for the two cable lengths and means that the male and female wall mounted plug and socket can be mounted immediately adjacent to the generator and furnace driver respectively and it minimises the amount of cable needing pulling through that 50 mm concrete hole that I drilled on Saturday reducing the risk of damage to the sheath.

But frustratingly I've not personally been able to do anything but be an onlooker to these activities as it seems I've either trapped a nerve or possibly pulled a muscle in the vicinity of my left hip and cannot be on my feet for more than about a minute before being in agony. Hopefully it'll sort itself out after a few more days but this is day three already

If it goes on much longer I'll need to order a Zimmer Frame

mattinker · « **Reply #381 on:** June 22, 2020, 12:55:13 PM »

Look after yourself!

Cheers, Matthew

Sea.dog · « **Reply #382 on:** June 22, 2020, 01:33:06 PM »

I'd offer to help, but I'm not in much better shape. I've had really painful knees for some weeks, difficult to squat down even. Still, starting to get better finally. Hope you mend soon Andrew.

Pete W. · « **Reply #383 on:** June 22, 2020, 01:47:25 PM »

Andrew,

Get well soon. I wish you that for your own sake, not for the sake of us rubber-neckers on the telegraph wires!!

awemawson · « **Reply #384 on:** June 22, 2020, 01:56:31 PM »

Thanks chaps. The trouble is none of us are getting any younger but we still expect to be able to do what we used to do.

Personally I find it quite embarrassing that I have to watch friends doing what frankly is a none-essential activity - they are apparently very willing but accepting help I find remarkably hard - it's usually me solving issues for others

hermetic · « **Reply #385 on:** June 22, 2020, 03:30:28 PM »

Get well soon Andrew! you sound an awful lot like me, it has been said that I am not good at accepting or asking for help from others too! Hope you are soon better.
Phil, East Yorkshire.

PekkaNF · « **Reply #386 on:** June 22, 2020, 05:10:27 PM »

Quote from: awemawson on June 22, 2020, 12:19:26 PM

.....
But frustratingly I've not personally been able to do anything but be an onlooker to these activities as it seems I've either trapped a nerve or possibly pulled a muscle in the vicinity of my left hip and cannot be on my feet for more than about a minute before being in agony. Hopefully it'll sort itself out after a few more days but this is day three already If it goes on much longer I'll need to order a Zimmer Frame

Have you seen a competent doctor?

Two months ago my wife had incresing back pain (not uncommon for a witress/cook at all). She got prescription of pain killers and started biking in addtion to our daily 5-10 walks, but it got worse. I started to think it's Sciatic nerve....such were the symptoms. She had a day off when she clound not stand any more, one leg would go limp. The pain was nearly intolerable.

I took her to first aid and they only wanted to know if she had corona...no.no.no just back pain. She met a doctor, they run tests, took x-rays, could not conclude, but admitted her in and scheduled for more tests and MRI. Right after MRI hell broke loose and they scheduled her for back surgery next day. They removed pound coin size tumor that was pressing all nerves on lover back and causing **** load of problems.

She was admited home next day and was adviced to start walking slowly. She made it to mail box, bout 10 meters first morning. You can imagine that that was pretty bad for morale....but she doubled every day and after six weeks she is biking 30-40 km on one go (once or twice a day) and we still have our daily strol of 5-7 km.

She is not alowed to lif anything more than a kilo or twist her back, but could start working soon. She said that pain went away right after surgery and she can move more freely than months.

Chances of you having same type of problem is low, but I would advice to be checked if there is no clear and obivious reason for the back pain.

Get well

Pekka

Spurry · « **Reply #387 on:** June 23, 2020, 04:17:36 AM »

Quote from: awemawson on June 22, 2020, 01:56:31 PM

Thanks chaps. The trouble is none of us are getting any younger but we still expect to be able to do what we used to do.

Personally I find it quite embarrassing that I have to watch friends doing what frankly is a none-essential activity - they are apparently very willing but accepting help I find remarkably hard - it's usually me solving issues for others

Welcome to the Club, Andrew. Get well soon, although you can't get younger...
Pete

awemawson · « **Reply #388 on:** June 23, 2020, 05:21:34 AM »

Thanks for your comments chaps - I'm going off this old age thing rapidly ! Pekka I'm sorry to hear about your wife, and am glad to hear that she is recovering, please give her my best regards.

Following prompting by Pekka's suggestion and also that thing's aren't getting any better I had a 'telephone consultation' with my Doctor this morning - Covid 19 still stopping normal visits - he reckons that it's muscular and is proscribing stronger pain killers - I hope that he's right!

PekkaNF · « **Reply #389 on:** June 23, 2020, 05:43:24 PM »

Thank you Andrew, I relayed the greetings and she said that "hope it is muscular and starts to get better soon, if not: you need to be checked". Her recovery is remarkable, we went swimming on the lake. And drove nearly 50 km on one go. No problems. Huge improvement and most importantly: no pain and she feels she is recovering fully.

vintageandclassicrepairs · « **Reply #390 on:** June 24, 2020, 06:58:10 PM »

Hi Andrew
Get Well soon

I know how it feels to be stuck looking at "things to be done" and unable to get on with them
I'm on my third week with a crock knee, but have been able to get to see a doc get an MRI and have a physio appointment tomorrow, I am not going to let them do much until the MRI report arrives

John

awemawson · « **Reply #391 on:** June 25, 2020, 06:38:29 AM »

Thanks chaps for all the good wishes I'm touched (people have been saying that I'm touched for years!)

John I hope that gets sorted soon - as you say extremely frustrating having things needed doing but your body won't co-operate.

Well I don't believe in miracles, but I had one yesterday (*) and I can now stand without screaming pain, so long as I limit the time that I am 'up' and this has allowed be to do a couple of minor jobs to at least keep a bit of forwards momentum.

Firstly I did a bit of carpentry and fitted a ball catch on the double doors between my main workshop and welding shop - been meaning to do it for years and had ordered the catch last week. They used to blow open and bang if not bolted and were quite an annoyance.

Having found that my 'new body' coped with that I mounted up the final 125 amp female socket where the SWA cable will terminate - only four 8 mm holes through an RSJ but at least it's done now and makes visualising the cable run easier. Having done this it confirmed me in the belief that the input socket on the Furnace Driver should be rotated 90 degrees to keep it's umbilical cord shorter and out of the way of the pipe/cables that go to the furnace bodies.

All little things but at least they are done.

(* my miracle - I'd spent a hopeless night racked in pain, only manged to get downstairs by hauling myself inch by inch prone on the floor to a chair in our 'snug' and was there for a while when nature called. Trying to walk I got about four foot before having to fling myself chest down onto a 'pouffe' that my wife uses as a foot stool and slid it towards the 'facilities' breast stroke fashion with me on it. Having 'done' I got up cringing in anticipation, but ,no pain - hang on I'm upright what the heck has happened? Since then although I get a bit of pain if up for more than about 5 minutes the agony has gone. I can only assume that throwing myself horizontal onto the pouffe bent me in a way that released whatever nerve was trapped.)

NormanV · « **Reply #392 on:** June 25, 2020, 10:43:30 AM »

I have a heart warming story about back pain. I used to live on the Isle of Wight and one friday I was on the train arriving at Lymington to catch the last ferry that day to Yarmouth. As I got off the train my back seized up and all I could do was cling onto a bollard and watch the boat sail away. To my amazement it did not move and I was eventually able to hobble on board. Thank you to the captain who must have seen me from the bridge. If the boat had sailed it would have taken me at least three hours to travel back to Portsmouth and catch another ferry.

hermetic · « **Reply #393 on:** June 25, 2020, 02:22:48 PM »

Good news Andrew! Glad to hear your Pouffe gymnastics seems to have fixed the problem, but light duties for the next few days please!
Phil

Pete. · « **Reply #394 on:** June 25, 2020, 02:32:43 PM »

A similar thing happened to my stepson a couple of weeks ago - he was hobbling about with a very sore back. at work he hopped over a low fence and when he landed all his pain disappeared in an instant. Been right as rain ever since.

I'm glad you're feeling batter Andrew. I don't suffer back problems but on the rare occasion when I do something silly and give myself a twinge it tells me how lucky I am.

awemawson · « **Reply #395 on:** June 25, 2020, 03:40:29 PM »

Thanks chaps - Norman I know that ferry (and missing it) only too well, call outs to computer problems at Albany Prison always seemed to end with me sleeping in the car having missed the last ferry

So this afternoon I decided to tackle terminating the 10 metre length of 35 mm CSA four core SWA by fitting a waterproof gland and making it off on the 125 amp socket that I'd mounted earlier.

This cable is particularly stiff, the cores having been compressed into pie slices and the copper being hard drawn bending it is great fun. So much so that I decided that I had no chance of leaving the socket on the wall, I'd have to dismount it and make off the cable on the ground.

Although it is big, it's construction is just like smaller SWA in that the cores get gripped between a conical part and a tapered ring to physically grip the cable and also provide earth continuity. Somehow I lost the taper ring - searched high and low, was about to use the ring from the second gland only to find it exactly where I was working - I reckon that the Pixies are teasing me

Now I've picked up a couple of useful SWA tips recently watching YouTube. When trimming the cable shroud, first push it in reverse onto the cable, then just trim where it bulges - so simple! Then when the gland and cable are loosely put together run a fixing nut onto the thread and use it to tap the taper assembly firmly together before tightening the conical bits to get a well packed tight cable.

You can tell you are working on big cables when you have to use Stilsons to grip the nuts as you have no spanners big enough

Getting the cable cores into the 125 amp socket was hard work as they just wouldn't bend, but eventually they all got into the right holes (I hope!) and were made off.

Then to re-mount the socket - due to the rigidity of the cable I had to use long bolts to slowly pull it into place then once there I replaced them one by one with the correct length. While this was happening I had loosely suspended the cable from the Z purlin that it would be attached to by CC12 cleats to get it roughly in place and take the considerable weight.

OK socket mounted, then I worked across the Z purlin fitted the CC12 cleats with 8 mm bolts and temporarily laid the cable behind the RSJ that it will be cleated to hopefully tomorrow.

The cable end currently dangles close to where I bored that 45 degree hole in the concrete. I will bring the other (18 metre) cable in through the hole (once the trench is dug) and they will be joined with a cast resin junction of the type intended to be buried.

hermetic · « **Reply #396 on:** June 25, 2020, 04:25:09 PM »

Good work Andrew, but hardly light duties!! I remember with horror my apprentice days of running 400a submains underground, in winter, and trying to unlay the cable off a drum and down the side of the trench to get the twists out of it. The boss insisted we could do this job, even though we had no drum stands and large cable gear! I remember being one of three apprentices who were lifted bodily off the deck and chucked across the trench when we lost control of the loops we were trying to unroll towards the switch room, Bend it? We couldnt! We used to fit the switchgear wherever we could get the cable to run to! Them most certainly were not THE days!
Phil

vintageandclassicrepairs · « **Reply #397 on:** June 25, 2020, 07:00:00 PM »

Hi All,
Good to hear you are back at work Andrew, Mind Yourself !!!
The physio gave me some good tips today and a different knee support has relieved some of the pain
After 35+ years of working as a spark, I can appreciate the difficulty terminating the 35Sq having done it many times. One bad one was having to re terminate a 4 x 120sq lying on my back in a cable duct underneath a panel !! the failure happened near the end of a 12 hour shift and with commissioning engineers back on site first thing in the Am we had to work on through the night to do the repair
I'm paying the price for all that stupidity now

John

edward · « **Reply #398 on:** June 26, 2020, 04:02:10 AM »

Excellent stuff as usual Andrew.

I am pleased to see that someone other than me uses those 'Safe-T-Crocs' work shoes

awemawson · « **Reply #399 on:** June 26, 2020, 05:59:08 AM »

Edward, I get through three pairs a year at least !

This morning I finished off cleating the cable to the RSJ up in the gods. It's amazing how inventive you can be using the ubiquitous baler twine to haul things into position while you are trying to get a cleat, a bolt and a hole all lined up at the top of a ladder at the same time as an Anaconda is fighting you

Oh - and I topped up the Chiller tank with about three gallons of anti-freeze solution - it had been drained off when I 'unplumbed' for painting.

So now activity is dependant on getting that short trench dug - I put out feelers locally as there was a chap looking for outside work - it's only nine yards long by a spade wide and deep so nothing for a youth (!) - but not heard back yet.

News:

Author Topic: Resurrection of a CFEI 100 KVA Induction Furnace (Read 85035 times)