Warren Branch

[Graham T]

Looks great.  I was just thinking that it needs ballast before I read all the text.  And we all love ballasting don't we!

[chuffinghell]

It’s been a while since this has been attached….

 

 

….it’s a bit dusty 

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by chuffinghell

[Fishplate]

Looking great Chris.

 

Ignoring ballasting, what are you planning next on Warren ?

[Bogie]

13 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

Decided to bite the bullet and glue it down…..

 

 

……..I Just need to sort out the ladder and post for the chain then I’m considering ballasting in just that area

 

So when do you start taking orders?

 

[chuffinghell]

Good news and bad news

 

Good news after many years trying to convince the company that we should be using solidworks instead of the outdated 2D drawing software my new workstation is being built and I will be having solidworks installed

 

Bad news the training course is going to be one of those stupid f**king virtual teams things. I hate virtual meetings with a passion  so much so I wish I’d kept my gob shut and put up with the 2D software we use 

 

Just the thought of being on camera fills me with dread, even when Sarah try’s to call me on FaceTime I ignore it and call her back via a ‘normal’ phone call….I’m 46 not 12!

 

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by chuffinghell

[Stubby47]

But your internet connection is not up to hosting a whole Teams meeting with videos...

[Nick C]

15 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

Bad news the training course is going to be one of those stupid f**king virtual teams things. I hate virtual meetings with a passion  so much so I wish I’d kept my gob shut and put up with the 2D software we use 

I much prefer virtual meetings to real ones - given that most meetings are utterly pointless, you can have them open in the background while actually getting on with some proper work. Or catching up with RMWeb...

[chuffinghell]

13 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

But your internet connection is not up to hosting a whole Teams meeting with videos...

 

funny you should say that, our internet connection at work is awful! made worse because we have those daft all singing all dancing very unreliable internet phones
 

I’m assuming the person doing the training needs to see your screen, maybe there’s a way I could put insulation tape over the camera so he can see what’s on my screen but not me 

 

There’s only me at my company doing the training because my colleague isn’t interested and says he’s too old to learn.

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

5 minutes ago, Nick C said:

I much prefer virtual meetings to real ones - given that most meetings are utterly pointless, you can have them open in the background while actually getting on with some proper work. Or catching up with RMWeb...

I just hate the though of them and so far have managed to avoid them

 

If I wanted to be on camera I’d have been an actor but having a face for radio meant I became an engineer instead 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

At least I’ll be able to do fancy 3D drawing, for work too 

[Bogie]

I am afraid that you will have to suck it up my friend.

 

I am a lawyer and now have to appear via video link for literally all of my matters.  I hate it because the judge can no longer see me roll my eyes when the other lawyer makes a stupid submission!

[Stubby47]

I have a laptop and a large screen on my WFH desk.  The laptop has a built in camera, but I do all my work on the large screen, so hardly look at the camera at all.  I also put any video meetings on the smaller screen, so it too is out of my natural eyeline.

 

If, during your course, your instructor has to see your screen, he/she won't be looking at you anyway.  For what you'll gain with the new skills, then a week or so of such pain is probably a fair price to pay.

 

And/or keep your cap on with the brim pulled down...

[chuffinghell]

1 minute ago, Bogie said:

I am afraid that you will have to suck it up my friend.

 

I am a lawyer and now have to appear via video link for literally all of my matters.  I hate it because the judge can no longer see me roll my eyes when the other lawyer makes a stupid submission!

I know I suppose I’m just old fashioned and just think that physically meeting people can me more productive especially when you can roll out a full size drawing on the desk and scribble on it using one of those old fashioned pencil thingies…. I think I was just born an old man

 

I do appreciate I’m being hypocritical complaining about my company using software from the Stone Age and then getting anxious about doing virtual meetings…..it more about my anxiety than the thing itself 

[Harlequin]

8 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

I know I suppose I’m just old fashioned and just think that physically meeting people can me more productive especially when you can roll out a full size drawing on the desk and scribble on it using one of those old fashioned pencil thingies…. I think I was just born an old man

 

I do appreciate I’m being hypocritical complaining about my company using software from the Stone Age and then getting anxious about doing virtual meetings…..it more about my anxiety than the thing itself 

Some virtual meeting software lets you scribble on a desktop shared by a team member. It's very useful - until that person scrolls the window you were just sketching your thoughts on and your marks make no sense any more.

 

More importantly, all virtual meeting software lets you turn your camera feed off...! There are some people in my company who never turn their cameras on, even when the Boss asks them to. I'm one of them (because I don't even have a camera)!

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by Harlequin

[chuffinghell]

2 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

I have a laptop and a large screen on my WFH desk.  The laptop has a built in camera, but I do all my work on the large screen, so hardly look at the camera at all.  I also put any video meetings on the smaller screen, so it too is out of my natural eyeline.

 

If, during your course, your instructor has to see your screen, he/she won't be looking at you anyway.  For what you'll gain with the new skills, then a week or so of such pain is probably a fair price to pay.

 

And/or keep your cap on with the brim pulled down...

At the moment my work pc was originally for windows vista  and it’s been messed with as much as physically possible to run windows 10 (slowly) and it’s only just a 32 bit machine, It’s a miracle it even switches on and when running it sounds like a tractor

 

Apparently what I’m having isn’t a PC but a proper purpose build CAD work station specifically built for 3D solid modelling, even my screen is being upgraded from 17” to 26”

 

So I’m not complaining, just anxious about the teams thing 

[chuffinghell]

All I need to do now is convince them we need a large 3D printer……..for doing prototypes for work of course

 

I wouldn’t use my own printer for work but vice versa is acceptable 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by chuffinghell

[Phil Himsworth]

Will the training course actually need cameras, even though it's online?

 

I did a week long teams based course on some engineering software a few months ago; apart from the trainer and a couple of people for the first few minutes nobody else had their cameras on at all, it was all looking at the instructor's screens and talking only. 

 

Fingers crossed, you might be lucky...

[chuffinghell]

13 minutes ago, Phil Himsworth said:

Will the training course actually need cameras, even though it's online?

 

I did a week long teams based course on some engineering software a few months ago; apart from the trainer and a couple of people for the first few minutes nobody else had their cameras on at all, it was all looking at the instructor's screens and talking only. 

 

Fingers crossed, you might be lucky...

to be honest I have absolutely no idea, it will more than likely be the same and I’m getting worked up over nothing

 

The last Computer Aided Design training course I did was in the days where you did it in a classroom room miles away from home/work with a hotel stay and your expensive paid….them were the days 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

1 hour ago, Nick C said:

given that most meetings are utterly pointless

so true! I used to work somewhere that had a production meeting everyday which usually went this:-

 

1) discuss what was said in the previous meeting

2) discuss new items

3) discuss possible items to be discussed during the next meeting

 

we use to play ‘moving forward bingo’ because it was the sales managers go to phrase. We would each guess how many times we thought he’d say “moving forward” before the meeting and then do a tally during the meeting…..he once said it 27 times during an hours meeting 
 

Also I’d not considered that no one could see me being bored and physically falling asleep during a virtual meeting if I’m out of shot 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by chuffinghell

[Nick C]

46 minutes ago, Phil Himsworth said:

Will the training course actually need cameras, even though it's online?

 

I did a week long teams based course on some engineering software a few months ago; apart from the trainer and a couple of people for the first few minutes nobody else had their cameras on at all, it was all looking at the instructor's screens and talking only. 

 

Fingers crossed, you might be lucky...

Agreed - and the instructor will probably be presenting, so even if you do have your camera on, you'll only be a tiny little face in the corner. I rarely bother with the camera unless I need to. They'll often ask participants to stay on mute too, unless actively participating. 

[chuffinghell]

5 minutes ago, Nick C said:

Agreed - and the instructor will probably be presenting, so even if you do have your camera on, you'll only be a tiny little face in the corner. I rarely bother with the camera unless I need to. They'll often ask participants to stay on mute too, unless actively participating. 

mute is probably a good idea just in case I get stuck and start swearing 

 

I’m just worrying over nothing, being slightly autistic anything new always scares the cr@p out of me until I’ve actually done it then I wonder what I was worried about

 

Sarah, bless her has said she’ll set my laptop up on teams and she’ll go into another room with her’s and go through it with me 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by chuffinghell

[57xx]

That is great new about Solidworks. I can't even start to imagine the creations you'll be turning out once you have got your head round it (it is very easy and intuitive to use! - well it was back in the 2010 version)

Regarding the online training, Ive been on several courses last year that got moved to online due to the obvious, never had to put a camera on once. you're either too busy looking at the instructors screen or doing labs and using your own screen for the software you're training on. Failing that, "sorry, my camera broke, but I can hear you just fine".

 

[chuffinghell]

Anyway it’s booked for November so I don’t have to think about for a while yet.

 

Back to Warren and I’ve managed to get the fire iron hook to stick to the stick using solvent cement again but this time leaving it overnight

 

 

given it a coat of Railmatch weathered black as well as the ladder

 

 

Now, would the bottom be painted white similar to that of a signal ladder?

 

 

[Graham T]

I've no idea Chris, but my gut feeling is that it would be all black.

[57xx]

I don't know for sure either but I have the same gut feeling. I would expect the white on a signal ladder is to contrast it against the black lower part of the signal post. As the water tower is in stone, you probably wouldn't need that.