And for Christmas, you are getting...

[dogtrack 346]

Was thinking of treating myself to the forthcoming Norway, from Orbx...though will in all probability, leave it until after the New Year. When the servers have calmed down.

 

Speaking of camera lenses I use a Sigma (Bigma) 50-500 just for Airshows. Weighs a ton, so much so I bought a Bush Hawk rifle stock to mount it on. They go well together but would not want to be seen in public away from airfields with the combo nowadays.

[hurricanemk1c 195]

Complete respect for those who used film - so much easier with digital and shooting in RAW! Personally I use a 55-300mm lens for air work (although not really tested it for that)

[MartinW 0]

Can you still get mirror lens's? Whopping focal length and not so huge. Doubt the quality is as good though.

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

I used to Amateur Astronomy and recall folks using camera lenses based on Cassegrain and Maksutov style telescopes.

Peaked my curiosity and I found this and similar on Amazon.com:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-1000mm-Definition-Mirror-Telephoto/dp/B001GKNNDY/ref=sr_1_2?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1418516382&sr=1-2

 

Regarding quality...potentially a mirror lens could have better quality than a big ass glass lens. A well made mirror has insignificant/no chromatic distortion (splitting of the color bands which occurs in glass lenses, and doesn't occur with mirrors). Glass lenses correct for chromatic distortion by stacking chemically different types of glass that focus different wavelengths of light at differnt angles...a complicated bit of glass grinding for all the components. A cassegrain/maksutov system does most of the light gathering and focusing with the mirrors, and uses smaller easier to grind glass components at the far end of the system...so yeah...up to the quality of the manufacturer of course, and everyone is capabable of making lemons, but I'd def rather consider packing a stubby cassegrain/mirror lense rather than a heavy foot long tube full of fiddly glass.

 

Cheers.

Matt.

[MartinW 0]

I don't think the resolution from a mirror lens is as good as a compound lens though is it. Or everyone would use them. Not as sharp.

 

Or at least that used to be the case.

 

 

[Corsaire31 419]

Was thinking of treating myself to the forthcoming Norway, from Orbx...though will in all probability, leave it until after the New Year. When the servers have calmed down.

 

Speaking of camera lenses I use a Sigma (Bigma) 50-500 just for Airshows. Weighs a ton, so much so I bought a Bush Hawk rifle stock to mount it on. They go well together but would not want to be seen in public away from airfields with the combo nowadays.

When I was young I also had my lab developing my black and white pics !  Don't regret it though as I have as much fun processing my pics on the PC.

 

I use the 150 - 500 mm Sigma for my nature pics ( and for airshows from time to time ) on my Nikons D90 and D7000. 

Bought it two years ago second hand and about half price from a guy who had used it for 3 months and made may be 100 shots before realizing it was too heavy for what he was doing. I mostly use it with a monopod.

 

For Xmas I treated myself with a second hand 105mm f2.8 Nikkor macro. I got it for 600 Euros and it will be useful when spring comes, I can also fit it on my TC 1.4 to become a 105 x 1.4 x 1.5 (DX) = 220 mm macro so the little bugs and butterflies aren't affraid ! 

 

On my list are also Aerosoft Twin Otter Extended , ORBX Australia and ORBX New Zealand for some 2015 adventures, once I'm done with South America.

 

I also plan on jumping into Elite Dangerous, but with my T 16000 M (16 buttons) and Voice Attack it should do the trick. 

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

My Xmas list keeps growing as I take advantage of the holiday Addon Deals.

So far I have picked up:

ORBx:

AU region

Update: ADDED Orbx global base and Jackson P.N.G.

Carenado:

Seneca II (Great view of the engines from the VC...LOL )

Cherokee 180F (erm...a solid little low winger)

Cessna 182Q (erm...a solid little high winger)

Commander 114 (new favorite single engine GA to fly about)

T-34 Mentor (Like a Chipmunk on steroids and in need of a diet...very fun to fly).

Aerosoft:

OV-10 Bronco (Odd looking awesome flying bird...love it)

PBY-5 Catalina (Very happy to add this to my AH amphibian fleets)

Milviz:

Bell 407 (Best Heli in my fleet! Awesome addon)

T-38 Talon (I keep wrecking it on landing, more practice needed)

Still might get an airport or two for the Australian region...Adelaide is top on the list since I opened an AH company nearby and plan to expand there soon.

Cheers.

[J G 927]

I too am getting an X55 for Christmas, it is in the house and hidden from me (In my sons wardrobe)

I am also getting Rex 4 and the FSAddon Avro Anson, and possibly the Dads army boxed set.

Add to this an arc welder.

[MartinW 0]

I too am getting an X55 for Christmas, it is in the house and hidden from me (In my sons wardrobe)

I am also getting Rex 4 and the FSAddon Avro Anson, and possibly the Dads army boxed set.

Add to this an arc welder.

Would that be a mig welder?

Arc welding without the gas takes some practice. I welded a lat machine and pec deck some years ago with a basic arc welder looked a bit of a mess but they stayed together. Got a nice sunburn on my arm from the flash too

Mig welding is much easier.

[brett 2,315]

+1 on the Mig welder. It's cleaner and pretty strong when done correctly. Arc welding is great if needed for structural welding though. Braizing is best for that fine work.

 

What type of work are you doing JG, making a full jet cockpit in the den?   

[MartinW 0]

I suspect he's welding together a space ship. Probably based on an Alcubierre drive.  Most of the drive is bolted together, but he needs the welder for the containment chamber, that's were he intends to put the exotic matter with negative mass.

 

He's disillusioned with human society you see, and has decided to head for the stars.

[MyPC8MyBrain 273]

i got the warthog

i just need the rest of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT18nJhXgaY

[brett 2,315]

Pretty cool but I didn't see a cockpit panel.

[MartinW 0]

Don't think I'd fancy being tipped upside down in a cockpit with no accompanying g-force. Nothing to hold you in but the straps.

 

 

My pre-order for Elite: Dangerous says "Processing Pre-Order". Been like that all morning.

[Christopher Low 63]

They can't dish out Cobras to just anyone, Martin. You have to gain full security clearance first

[MartinW 0]

I've got security clearance now Christopher.

 

I downloaded the combat training demo and accessed it via the interface. That seemed to do it.

 

I'm just doing the training for now, too scared to explore the galaxy.

 

Tell you what, glad I've got an X55 for Xmas, my old sidewinder is feeling the strain. Very dodgy in Elite. There's at least an inch of play it's so old.

[J G 927]

+1 on the Mig welder. It's cleaner and pretty strong when done correctly. Arc welding is great if needed for structural welding though. Braizing is best for that fine work.

 

What type of work are you doing JG, making a full jet cockpit in the den?   

 

A full jet cockpit when I am practiced at it. I intend to start small and work up.  I have a few BBQ ideas to work on to start with, and then it will be a frame for my Joystick and peddles. But mostly I just want to know how to do it!

[brett 2,315]

 

+1 on the Mig welder. It's cleaner and pretty strong when done correctly. Arc welding is great if needed for structural welding though. Braizing is best for that fine work.

 

What type of work are you doing JG, making a full jet cockpit in the den?   

 

A full jet cockpit when I am practiced at it. I intend to start small and work up.  I have a few BBQ ideas to work on to start with, and then it will be a frame for my Joystick and peddles. But mostly I just want to know how to do it!

 

 

I would start off with the Mig welder for sure on the lighter metals, easier to learn how to puddle the weld and watch what the heat does to the metal. Doesn't splatter and smoke as much either. Leaning what size and type of wire(mig) or stick(arc) and amount of heat(power) are the most important in any welding beside controlling the bead.   

 

It's so much fun to weld you will be looking for things to do(wear a thick long sleeve shirt and ditch the shorts).  Enjoy the experience no matter which style you choose.

[MyPC8MyBrain 273]

and no matter what; don’t let your eye get lured by the pretty blue light emitted

(yes unfortunately speaking from experience )

[J G 927]

I havent heard of mig welding the machine I am getting is advertised as an arc welder, am I correct in thinking that a mig welder is a different machine all together?

How does a mig welder work?

[MartinW 0]

A MIG welder includes a bottle of gas. Metal Active Gas welding.
 
The gas shields the weld from contaminants in the air. The nice thing about MIG welding is that rather than having to manipulate the rod yourself, which can be tricky, the MIG welder includes a gun which is pretty much semiautomatic. I've not used one, but I recall you press the trigger and it feeds a welding wire in at the correct speed for you.
 
A basic arc welder on the other hand requires more practice. The weight training equipment I built some years ago was built with a basic arc welder. You have to "scratch" the surface of the metal with the rod to form the arc, and then weld at the right distance and speed. Does take some practice. The voltage is important too, has to be adjusted to suit the thickness of metal.
 
My endeavours with an arc welder worked out okay. The welds weren't pretty, but they did the job. But yes, MIG welding is much easier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_metal_arc_welding

 

Watch your eyes for flash when welding, and cover your arms. The UV emitted is quite strong and you can get sunburn.

[allardjd 1,853]

Martin is mostly correct. The "I" in MIG stands for "Inert", the gas used normally being Argon or Helium and serves to keep the oxygen out of the weld. Wire speed and current are both adjustable in MIG welding and are critical, as is manually maintaining the correct arc length, which is as important as in stick-welding but must be done with a continuously advancing wire instead an electrode that's being consumed as it goes, without replacement in stick welding. Gas flow is also adjustable through a regulator but is not quite as critical as some of the other parameters - the only requirement for gas flow is "enough", but the gas is expensive.

There is also specialized flux-core wire available for wire-welders that does not require the shield gas. It's only available in carbon steel and is damned messy to use, but no worse than stick welding and cheaper than true MIG welding because no gas is used. . Welding wire of various kinds is available in a variety of sizes and most machines will accommodate a wide range of it. Carbon steel, aluminum and stainless steel are the most common. Normally MIG work must be done in pretty still air as any breeze will blow the shield gas off the arc zone and severe oxidation will ruin the weld.

MIG welding is no easier than stick but has several advantages. One plus is that the welding process, once started, can be continuous - no stopping to change sticks as they are consumed - you can go as long as you can stand it. Another is that the wire size and current are considerably lower than for stick welding and thus add less heat to the work - thinner sections can be welded successfully. Done properly, MIG welds require little or no post-weld grinding or cleaning.

Guys who are really good with MIG can make a weld that looks like a zipper when finished - others just make gorilla welds - ugly but strong. Good MIG welders claim they can weld anything but a broken heart or the crack of dawn and say they practice by welding foil wrappers from chewing gum together.

Though the arc is smaller and weaker than for stick welding, protection from the light to prevent "flash" and "sunburn" is as important or more so than for stick welding because there's no great cloud of smoke and gas from the flux around the arc.

John

[J G 927]

Interesting words John.

 

What kit is needed for the type of welding you mention in the second paragraph (the no gas welding)?

 

J.

[allardjd 1,853]

What kit is needed for the type of welding you mention in the second paragraph (the no gas welding)?

 

 

Just the wire.  It's done with a MIG machine and everything is the same except you just don't need to turn on the gas flow, nor even have a bottle and regulator, if you don't want it.  The flux-core wire is a bit more expensive than common welding wire but not all that much.  You'll spend more time grinding and cleaning the welds than for MIG but it works well if all you're welding is carbon steel and it saves all that expensive gas.

 

Not sure how it works there, but here, to buy compressed gas you must "own" a bottle.  Bottles are continuously exchanged as you get a re-filled bottle.  You may well never again see the bottle you originally purchased.  On the first purchase, you pay for the bottle and the gas.  In subsequent purchases, you bring in an empty bottle and walk away with a full one, having only paid for the gas within.  It's a good system but the first purchase can be a shocker.  Typically, a MIG machine will come with the regulator and tubing needed for the gas, but not the actual gas bottle itself.  Bottles come in various sizes and it's up to you to buy the first one.

 

John

 

EDIT: There may be a small change needed at the arc end of the welding "torch".  MIG uses a ceramic "gas cup" to direct the flow of inert gas around the weld.  Some small attachment in place of that may be needed for flux-core wire but whatever is needed is probably supplied with the bits and pieces that come with the welder.  I think it's different for different makes and models of machine and before buying one you should confirm it can be used for flux-core wire welding too.  Very likely that will be the case.

 

JDA

[MartinW 0]

200 quid at Halfords.

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/garage-equipment/welding-supplies-air-tools/sip-migmate-t135-turbo-gas-gasless-mig-welder

SIP Migmate T135 Turbo Gas/Gas less MIG Welder

The SIP Migmate T135 Turbo Gas/Gas less MIG Welder is a trade level MIG welder that is capable of welding mild steel from 1.0mm to 5.4mm from a 13amp domestic power source. Comes ready to use in gas less mode straight from the box. To weld in gas mode you will need to purchase; mig wire, gas regulator and gas bottle Accessories included; welding mask, chipping hammer / wire brush, torch tip, torch shroud and 0.6 - 0.8mm wire feed roller. This is a fantastic piece of kit for your garage.

SIP Migmate T135 Turbo Gas/Gasless MIG Welder Extra Info

◾ 230v (13amp) supply

◾ 35 - 135amp power output capable of welding from 1.0mm to 5.4mm mild steel

◾ 4 power settings

◾ Item is ready to use in gas less mode

◾ Turbo fan cooled for increased welding times

◾ Dual purpose option that enables welding with or without gas

◾ Wheel mounted

 

Gas is only £15. Argon and CO2. Regulator is £18.

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/garage-equipment/welding-supplies-air-tools/sip-welding-gas-co2--argon-mixture