Streuth mate... nice pie!

This recipe, found in Mrs Beetson's Family Cookery book, new edition dated 1912... we found this under
"Colonial Cooking" good job we don't have parrots, but there is a link to merry England!

Mmmmmmmm :o) These days, it would be a very, very expensive meal!

T.I.M. B135 onward...

26th January 2013
Today I decided to give the lower casing its first coat of primer but before I did I took two photos so that I couldpost before and after shots. There is still some black paint remaining but I couldn't find a paint stripper and thought that I couldn't justify the cost for what remained so sanded it off a little more with 140 grit and then a light sand all over with the 140 to give a key.

I must admit that adding the first coat of primer is indeed progress, as I usually get discouraged, put it back together and then it ends up in a box in the garage somewhere never to see the light of day. But, onward... it's been a bit of fun and I've learnt a bit about these beasts!

So, for now, there you have it - and yes, there is masking tape over the RETURNS window. I was going to mask the rivets but have decided to paint them using  Humbrol Metallic Enamel... more to follow as I progress.

27th January 2013
Well, after a few coats of lovely black paint, the lower compartment of the T.I.M. is looking fabulous. The info on the paint tin says to wait 7 days for it to dry (cure/harden) so... I will wait! But it does look great!

So, we now have 7 days to wait for the paint to really cure. 

Unfortunately for my wallet, we went to the Flea Market at the Bath and West Showgrounds this morning... I returned with two Setright machines and I would have left them there except one was ex Bristol Omnibus Co. Ltd... the other is plain and the imprint is "Duchy Travel". So I have at least one to research. The Bristol variant is pre-decimal that has been converted to decimal (can't select anything over 9 1/2p on the penny scale) and the Duchy is decimal.

I'll have a separate blog up for these two machines in due course. I'm not sure who thought of it, and how many got on by themselves, but there was an option on the Bristol Setright for a Dog... :o) It seems I am now addicted!

I had a thought, and that was to remain on topic with the T.I.M. machine... so, here is the new look ticket using fresh ink and fresh rolls.

Note that the T.I.M. ticket is 90mm x 37.5mm, the Setright Bristol ticket is 58mm x 25mm and the Duchy ticket is 59mm x 25mm. The Bristol ticket rolls were pre-printed with company info and an advert on the reverse promoting "Send your parcels by country bus".

28th January 2013

Here are two shots for the uninitiated of the internals of the TIM machine B.135. On the second shot, I've reversed the image of part of the print drum and inserted it lower left. Complex little machines!

On the Bristol Setright, I've removed the added Bristol Bus security strips (they didn't trust anyone by the looks) and had a cursory glance inside. Quite different to the TIM. But I will post photo's on a new bit. So, here are the TIM internals.

Last Friday... all was white

The view from the apartment after a decent dusting - 18th January 2013

Things from the past... all fares please!

Liz and I went to the ICAF (International Collector's and Antiques Fair) on Saturday. It was very cold, windy, and snow was in the air. Not many sellers had turned up, and entry was free. We had heard that one local radio station had said it wasn't on, when in fact, it was! Always check the website!
I bought one of these...

It's a Bus ticket machine made by Ticket Issuing Machines Ltd, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, and is definitely pre-decimal. I just have to find out when. Originally used "On The Buses" in Bolton City Transport, it has now found it's way to me and I am in the process of cleaning/restoring.

Yes, it works, has ink, a roll of paper... although the ink is a tad dry, but the imprint is readable.

I've always wanted one, and saw a few at a previous fair and decided to bite the bullet and have a go at not only owning, but restoring to some form of glory that many from the older generation will remember (and not so old!) I've been warned not to start a new collection, but I might be able to forget I ever heard that comment ;o)

Above, the underside of the machine shows a running total of shillings, pence and tickets sold. This was, I assume, reset at the depot every day so that the conductor couldn't fiddle the takings. The little button centre right enables access to change the date on the ticket and to re-ink the roller.

Above is the left hand side of the machine, where the "Stage" could be entered by rotating the larger knob, a Stage being a known part of the route (from 0 to 99), and the type of ticket. This machine did away with two tickets for the return trip by printing a large R on the ticket, thus saving the bus company a few bob on paper rolls.

Above, the business side of things where the value of the ticket is selected, the button at bottom right is pushed and the handle rotated to issue the ticket for the lucky traveller. It had 5 selectible values on the curved dial (centre) and 12 on the tele-dial as shown in the next photo... the cheapest fare was 1/2d, or, highly unlikely free, and the dearest 4/- and 11d, that would have probably been a return. Tele-dial shown below.

This photo is upside down, but gives you a better view of the different values that could be selected. To reset it back to the home position the lever at top right would be pushed up and it would reset itself.

I have cleaned up the makers plate and done my best at re-inking the plate with reasonable success and the inker/date cover plate is currently bathing in primer ready for a sand and a new coat of black to start the process. The leather strapping is original, but that is all there is, so there could be some hunting going on to find an original. New rolls and ink are in the pipeline and I hope to have an image of a new old ticket here soon.

Well, I faffed about a bit and printed out a reasonable copy of a ticket... shown below... on original paper, with what is left of the original ink. Date is confusing... but 35FEB was what was originally showing when bought. New ones to come soon :o) Must see what the route should be and whether this was a slug depending on which route... Update: this was not selected in the machine and was intentionally left blank, I've left it showing 812 for the time being (not shown here).

If you want to read a tad more about Ticketing Machines, have a gander at the following:

http://www.ticketmachinewebsite.com/

It really wasn't just about the buses!

OK, busy today... update on the inker cover ... In situ, and ready, probably tomorrow, for a coat of black... I know it's going to get dealt to, but... 

As you can see, the Dremel and wire brush attachment has been busy... vast improvement... onward!

Below is the manufacturers plate, after a little titivation with some Tamiya acrylic and a light sanding with 1000 grit wet and dry... if you look at the top image, it is a vast improvement. Unfortunately all the dings from the past are highlighted also, but... still looks great to me.

21st January

As suggested in the comments, I rigged up the Dremel with a cutting disk and had a go at the least visible security bolt. My hand wasn't steady enough so I grabbed a hacksaw and cut a nice notch for a screwdriver to get the bottom casing off. Worked a treat, and all screws were removed and the bottom casing was removed and sanded using the Dremel last night. The before and after shots are below, with a small amount of work left to do (stiff neck last night curtailed my fun!). The perspex cleaned up nicely with some Mr Muscle Window and Glass, so will be left as is.

22nd January

The oil based ink arrived this morning and the roller will be re-inked closer to finish, it's available here and time from order to receipt was less than 24 hours, fantastic service:

http://www.stampsdirect.co.uk/metal-stamp-ink-56-p.asp.

More updates to follow on a new post... save you endless scrolling :o)

Christmas Day 2012...

It started early... and will probably finish late. But it was lovely. Chat with Mum and Dad, chat with Sal and Pete, missed out on Kim. Liz has a dose of the bot and it has been a tough day for her and, quite frankly, she was quite happy today to lie down, forget it all, and just... BE!
The main meal was roast chicken, sprouts, peas, carrots, potato, parsnip, sweet potato (gold), spuds, gravy and stuffing (my own special recipe). A meal to last through to tomorrow... I think that might just be the case and considering we only devoured one breast of the chook, we have chicken for a few days yet!
Quiet, uneventful, and nice to see St Mary Redcliff on the Beeb this morning in all it's glory... Despite the distances involved between family, I think we all did very well.

Merry Christmas one and all... 'tis the season to be jolly!

International Space Sation ...

OK, so I'm a radio nut and decided to listen out for the ISS last evening and missed receiving the packet bursts from them on the first pass, but was ready for the second. Using the Funcube Dongle Pro +, MixW and Nova (reg) for tracking. Last time I heard a packet like this MIR was still in orbit!

Sticky beaking ... again

Just a snapshot to remind me of where to go to "eavesdrop" on countrywide pager messages. Quite an interesting mix of messages from Rail, Hospital and Bird Watchers on this particular frequency. Just remember to never disclose any info you may see on these pagers, and yes press people, that means you too!
The Funcube Dongle Pro Plus is a nifty bit of kit for listening just about anywhere from 150kHz up to 2.0 gHz, with a gap from 260-420mHz or so. Great for DRM on shortwave too... :o)