ferretfixer

Tony, Im fortunate in the Fact I have a Bugle & also a few spare mouth pieces. (I look for old Bugle's at Bootfairs that mostly have these missing. They are a lot cheaper to buy & restore!) Do you have to have to purse your lips when ypou F*rt down it because of the strain. Or am I inserting it in the wrong hole?..........:nut: I have also witnessed a mouthpiece inserted into a .303" No.4 Rifle at the muzzle. And a tune played on it! So I guess sticking to a Bugle is safer, i dont want to blow my head off! :shocked: Also witnessed a metal watering can being played, but I think that MOST un Military!..... Cheers Mate.

Not as such, But I may approach our local Air Cadets with this. I am also investigating the possibility of funding for this project. Cheers.

Hi Rob,Yes I realise that, & I did put in the listing that I would Like to be able to offer this facility for NEXT year. Upon reflection, I certainly do not think it acheiveable for THIS year! I have a LOT to do at present, this is after all. The Legions busy time of the year with Poppy collecting Etc. I have a MINT, Unissued Silver Ex Military Bugle still in the packing. I would learn on that, as it would be THE instrument I wish to use. I can NOT read Music sheets & was Hoping to 'Fast Track' this by being shown on a copy-cat basis! (or am I being unrealistic here?) Practice: I would approach our Local TA Unit to practice in one of thier MT Hangers. I have a contact there. I am informed, that the Bugle basicaly. Utilises only five notes, or is that incorrect? Thank you for your kind offer, I have one iron in the fire with another Potential as well locally. If I run into a wall, I will get back to you. Cheers, Mike.:saluting:

Unusual one this! Can anybody possibly help with this request at all Please? I wish to learn to play the Bugle, BUT. Only require to learn ONE tune,- THE LAST POST! I live in Ashford so in the area or just outside of it would be no problem. I have surfed the local musicians & shops websites to no avail! The Reason for this is simple. I do charity work with our local branch of the Royal British Legion. & have held the position of branch chairman previously. I want to learn the last post so I can bring that 'Little Something Extra' to the Annual Cerimony held at the War Memorial Service that we attend in November. For me personaly, I would like to be able to offer this facility as an extra tribute to Honour our Servicemen & Women. I realise that it might not be a completed project for this year. But would be very nice to offer next year. Any Pointers or assistance VERY Warmly wellcomed! Many Thanks in advance. Mike.

That should be in demand for future fimlwork!.........Super Job!

Patience! Just about every Bren that was Imported into the UK came with a spare Barrel! A LOT got scrapped because of the Spec for Deacts stating that the Barrel 'Had to be welded OR Pinned & welded to the Receiver'. The spare Barrels were then redundant & therefore scrap! BUT, a LOT have survived & are with dealers. They are awaiting clarification on the Spec that is going to be required at the London Proof House for Deacing & ticketing as a Legal Deact Barrel. Brimingham had previously passed barrels for brens & ZB 30 Barrels alone. The Proof master at London thinks he is a Law unto Himself & can dicatate as he pleases! BUT, even HE has seen sense & is Drafting specs that he will approve soon. It's only a matter of time! Think of that, case precident set for: Bren, Mg 34, MG 42, Browning .30" Cal, Browning .50" Cal,GPMG,......Just about ANY LMG that has an exchangable Barrel. SHOULD in thoery get passed if they are cut to HIS Spec. Think of all that EXTRA revenue that will be generated by Passing a Lump of metal that has been effectively Deactivated forever @ £45 Quid a time!.........

Somthing else that the Darstedly Hun used to Crap on us with!.........

The inner spring does NOT operate the firing pin in this case. The Firing pin is a 'Pip' machined on the bolt face. This inner spring & the metal Guide section. Is to keep spring pressure on the cocking handle under tension. This is to eliminate rattle & subsequent falling out by itself. When stripping, of the cocking handle.

The ACPO guidelines mention Pressure Bearing componants including any Gas affected parts. IE: Gas Plugs, Pistons Etc. You wouldnt have to slot a gas cylinder if it's fitted to the Deact. On it's own, it's a part & needs deactivating by either slotting Or welding inside (Prefered) so a piston cannot be inserted.

As understood it, a spring was alway the ONLY part NOT to be considered a Firearm componant. (Dont know why!) Possibly because you could get springs commercially. That looked the same size, & would do jobs on other equipment. For example, the old bench press attachment for black & decker drills. The return spring from them would look exactly the same as one in sten or other SMG class of weapon Springs comercially are very cheap from engineering suppliers. Sizes available are standard sizes. If you remove the mainspring from a Sterling, the Butt assembly will NOT be held in the open position! If you remove the mainspring froma sten, the Butt will fall off! No pressure against the internal rear 'Dimpled cap' that retains the Butt!...................:nut:

Mark, I have never seen one of these before. It is POSSIBLE, that it was made in small quantities for Special Forces use (S.A.S?) as it LOOKS along the lines of some of thier' Belt Kit'. I cannot conform this though! Or, POSSIBLY of South African (SADF) origin. The Magazine is NOT a Brtish SLR one though. It's the Belgien FN version! Speculation of course, but I am going on my Expirience of handling & observing similar equipment myself, when I was in Service.

'Hello, ONLY me! Now I do not Believe he Really wanted to do that'..............:-D

And Andy, If you would be kind enough to forward me your Bank account details. I will clear your account out for you & 'tidy it up'!..... I will also send you a packet of cookies!....................:-D (PS: Also have a spare file in the Workshop if you want that as well!)

It is well documented that Hitler was suffering from Parkinsons disease near the end of the War. is it likely if he did indeed escape, that he would have lived on until the 1960's?.................

Much more fun than a Merry go round at the fair, Eh Rob?................

Are you refering to the ones on Ebay as 'Bren Tins'? If so, they are the .303" ones. I had already been onto the vendor!

GKL did a conversion for a saracen. It was Deiselised with i THINK an Automatic gearbox. Might be worth contacting them for info?

Does it come with Batteries?...............

It it for use when the Weapon is cocked & a Bomb NOT carried in the loading tray. The cork is inserted into the spigot hole to keep dirt & debris out of the main body. It is a standard issue Britsh WWII Waterbottle cork!

Well done Robin, that looks quite substantial! Yes, a VERY important consideration. Clearance between the headlights! Replacing a pair of thos would be extremely expensive! The setup you manufactured is absoultely ideal for your neck of the woods. remote & out on lonely roads, you cant afford for anything to go wrong when out on your own! Superb item of recovery equipment that can utilised again & again without modification the the actual Holibones! good stuff!

Robin, Just a word of caution to you from years of Expeirience of in Service work on Ferrets. The usual issue ces kit as you know, was a Bowden cable & chain towing 'strop', as we called them. There were really fir use in an Emergency & Towing SHORT distances aroung camp. For example, getting a Dead vehicle up to the Unit L.A.D (Workshops) for attention/ repair. The obvious attachment points for this cable assembly was the hull Loops at the front & rear on either side of the Hull. HOWEVER! Caution MUST be exercised here, as these loops were originally intended for lashing purposes for tranist. On either Trailers, Truck, Railway falat cars, Parachute deployment on stressed platforms Etc Etc. If the vehicle is Jerked enough times through bad driving/ Difficult Terrain/ Transmission Problems. Then is is actually quite easy to tear away a loop form the hull on one side of the loop! I have seen this Damage many times, & it is a lot of work for the metalsmith to heat up the loop & push it back intoposition & weld back to the hull again! A good example of potential damage is when a vehicle has sat for a few years in Post Military Service & the brakes seized on! The BEST place to for a Tow Point attachment if the TOP loops on the susspension Brackets. This is the strongest point, & can be seen to be the case when a Four legged sling is used at each loop to lift the complete vehicle off the ground. Original Holibones have a swinging bracket at each end of the legs as issued. I would say it would be quite easy to make a 'Spacer' that would fit on the inside of the the top lifting loops to closely fit inside these. The slide the Holibones end section 'Wishbone' section on either side & fit the bolt & castleated nut & split pin. The idea is identical to the round spacer when used on 432 series hull towing brackets. That should give you a GOOD idea of how they work. I Hope this helps you?

Alien, Why didint you have a starting Handle? Ferrets are a Piece of p*ss to start with one!..........:-D

That is Outstanding News on the Theft. Excellent! In these days when the Police are undermanned & overstretched. Diverting resources to invest time on this types of Incident, to get a Positive result. Is indeed gratifying! Sadly, I think the courts will not hand out a suffcient length of sentence to deter this sort of thing. The Prison service also, is stretched to it's limit. & Prisons are bulging with 'Customers' at this moment in time! So much so, that they are releasing early, some inmates to free up room for more serious offenders. My Sister & Brother in Law both work for HM Prison Service, & they inform me that it is so bad. They have 4 men in 2 men cells in their Prison! The system is building more new prisons. But, we all know the situation fincially in the country, & the lack of funding will only slow things down! Still, an excellent outcome for what COULD have been a very sad, & expensive loss. for the Owner of the Deacts! If it were me, i would be VERY happy at the result!

Yeah, all noted Mate. I guess all you could do is go for an example with a non seized engine & in better condition. However, the price will reflect accordingly I guess! But then again, I reitterate what i said earlier. A better example will yield a better price as less needs replacing or less doing to it. Methinks you will have to pay a higher price for an all up & running specimin eventualy, but you will have to think what it means to you & how badly you want one of these machines. A low inistial price may SEEM cheap at first. BUT, by the time you have bought the spares & servicing 'Consumables' required to just get one started again. Then add in if you need sandblasting, paint, your time Etc. You would have to balance all that against a low price for an example needing restoration. Add on's, like the SA80 carrying box & a pair of paniers will set you back a bit if they dont come with the bike as well. Paniers =£100 plus £15 carriage, Gun box £35-£50 plus postage Etc. It all starts to get a little bit expensive then! These bikes seem to have a good following & an excellnet reputaion for reliablity & sturdiness of design. Thier following will only increase, as will the Price for a good one!... Good Hunting Andy!

I think what will happen to most of them that are junk & get left. Is someone from the MT Riders club, will put in a low offer to clear them out. I supsect that the MOD would then be glad to get anything back rather than nothing eventually! Most will be canabalised for spares & broken up & some parts auctioned off through Evilbay. Though to be fair, nothing is Impossible, as you know well from some of your own restoration projects! There are affectionardo's of these machines who prize them as do we over some of our favourite vehicles. Spares are plentifull for the Rotax engine, so no problems there. I would assume that if someone has time & lavishes enough care & spare time on most of these. They will be restored & bought back to life. As this is the Final batch to be outed from the M.O.D. They will only increase in value as have a lot of Ex Mil Vehicles. Just look at the price of Jeeps & Ferrets for example! I have noticed that the prices for restored examples & road ready machines are climbing steadily already! Maybe, you just might want to reconsider your postion on getting one now? They will only get more expensive Mate. Have you heard of the price of vehicles going down, even recently?..... Look what happened to the 'glut' of Armour that WAS available. A lot got scrapped for the scrap value, & the result of this was certain spares got harder to locate as needed. The spares prices went mental (Think Ferret side bins for example) & only served to drive up the price of restored examples. I would sign up for the MT riders club as I said & ask questions on thier forum. A VERY helpfull & decent bunch of Knowlegable enthusiasts. Keep us upto speed with your progress Andy! Good Luck. Mike.