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Accepted photographsand articles will be paid foruponpublication.Items we cannot usewillbereturned if accompanied by astamped addressed envelope, andrecorded deliverymustclearly statesoand enclosesuffcient postage. In commonwithpractice on other periodicals,all materialissent or returned at thecontributors ownrisk and neither ModelEngineers’WorkshopMagazine theeditor,the staffnor MortonsMedia Ltdcan be heldresponsible forlossordamage, howsoevercaused. Theopinions expressed in MEWare notnecessarilythose of theeditor or staff. This periodicalmust not,without thewritten consent of thepublishersfrstbeing given, be lent,sold, hired outorotherwise disposed of in amutilated conditionor, in anyunauthorised coverby wayoftrade or annexedtooraspartofany publication or advertising, literary or pictorialmatterwhatsoever.
This issuewas published on 13 November 2024 Thenextissuewillbeonsale20December2024
On the Editor's Benc h
It wasgreat to see youall! Afew days ago Ireturned from the Midlands Model EngineeringExhibition. I can report thatI wasable to successfully demonstrate 3D resinprintingwith the SMEE, although Ihad afew technical issues. My other responsibility, hosting the MEW Talks programme, went well but we had afew exciting hiccoughs. First most of Roger Froud’s frst talk had become trapped in the ‘cloud’,and we had had to rebuild it at short notice –well done Roger! We also had afew things go astray,but theygot tracked down and areontheirway to their respectiveowners.Imust saya huge thank-you to Mark,Malcolm,Peter, Shaun,Bob,Noeland Rogerfor their excellent talks; as well as to all the SMEE membersfor their support, and to Avril and her team at Meridienne Exhibitions fortheir hard work. It’simpressive to see howwell all the little issues thatarise during such alongand complexevent getdealt with. Aparticular shout out
to the parking stewardsfor remaining cheerful andpatient, despite the vagaries of autumn weather
I’dalso liketothankall the people who took the time to talktome over the Exhibition. We coveredan extraordinary rangeoftopics, and Iwill be chasinglotsofyou to followupon suggestions forarticles in the future. I also enjoyeddiscussion of manyother topics, including various whiskies, the fner points of PA speaker placement, amphibious lorries, the pros and cons of having sheep grazeyour club track and the benefts of real gafa tape versus duct tape. My apologiestoanyone Ihad to rush away from in order to check on the 3D printer,sort out atalk or visit a particular stand.
It’srather likebeing transported away to aparallel universe forfour days,I hope the manythousands of people who attended the showenjoyeditasmuch as Idid, my impression is thatyou did. Here’s to next year!
Neil Wyatt
9 Combination Door Bolt
Stewart Hart has designedaheavy dutycombination bolt thatcan be used to help keep your workshop or shed secure.
15 Beginner’sWorkshop
Geometer looks at the skill of panel beating and howwemight applyitin our ownworkshops.
17 Funding Model Engineering
Martin Berry has found manyways to help coverthe costs of hishobby overthe years. Nowheshares his experiences with readers.
28 The Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition 2024
Neil Wyatt, MEW Editor,reports back from this highly successful event at the WarwickshireEvent Centre.
33 The IndextoModel Engineers’ Workshop
David Frith has taken on compilation of our annual index, this pullout section covers issues 333 to 344.
37 Lathe Speed Measurement
Chris Gardiner shares his approach to measuring lathe speed, using a selection of of the shelf parts
41 Using Spring Washersto Ease Gib Adjustment
Jacques Maurel explainsasimple modifcation to greatl simplif accuratesetting of gib strips.
43 Milling Machine Universal Wrench
Thishandy solution to making aspeed wrench formachine tools from Gregory P. Widin is sure to be popular
47 ARotary File Rack
Michael Potter created ahandy design by repurposing oldwooden wheels.
50 Workshop Walls and Wheels
Austin Hughes has created several workshops,hetakes us on atour of his current one, built into adouble garage.
58 From the Archives
ubal ain oferssome sage adviceto bear in mind when choosing apillar drill foryour workshop
59 Unlocking aSecret tub andrel fnds ftting ake to be an interesting exercise in hand work and along the wayexplains the workings of amorticelock.
60 ANew Small ChainsawVice
Finding normal vices too large for sharpening smallelectric chainsaws, Will Doggett setabout making amore compact version.
Coming up…
in our next issue
In our next issue Howard Lewis explains howtoextend the life of brazed carbide tooling.
Regulars
3 On theEditor ’s Bench
The Editor has just returned from theMidlands Model Engineering Exhibition.
16 Readers’ Tips
This month our winner is atip forthose of us whose hand strength isn’t whatitwas. Send your tips to meweditor@ mortons.co.uk,you could win aprize.
22 On theWire
This month, an open day, books forChristmas andanupdateon Polly Model Engineering.
26 Scribe ALine
This month our postbag hassome reader feedback and an important update on our recent Headstock Indicator.Weare alwayskeen to hearfromyou –send theeditor your thoughts at meweditor@mortons.co.uk.
64 Readers’Classifieds
This month we have atremendous selection of readers’ forsale andwanted adverts, is it time foryou to grab abargain?
ON THE COVER
Ourcover featuresAlanHaywood demonstratingball turningonthe SocietyofModel andExperimental Engineersstandatthe Midlands Model EngineeringExhibition,for theEditor’sreport, see page 28
THIS MONTH’S BONUSCONTENT
ExtraContent!
isit the odel ngineer Forum to fnd e tracontent and discuss this issueofModel Engineers’ Workshop! model engineer co uk
Hottopics on the foruminclude:
DrillSharpenersCompared started by peak4. Auseful comparisonofthe capabilities of diferent sharpening tools.
Colletblocks and collets started by Paul McDonough
A discussion looking at diferent colletst les
Differencebetween 9/16”x 20 Cycle Pitch and 9/16”x 20 UNS
Started by Bill Phinn.
The short answer is it’svery subtle,but it’sgenerated some interesting debate.
Come and have aChat!
As well as plenty of engineering and hobbyrelated discussion, we arehappyfor forum memberstouse it to share advice and support. Come and join us
Combination DoorBolt
Stewart Hart explainshow to makea security bolt to
your workshop.
Workshop security is something we should all takeseriously,unfortunately thereare bandits around who see garden sheds and outhouses as easy targets, these arejust the places where we have our workshops. If youtake the time to add up the cost of all the equipment, you’dbesurprised at the value of the kit youhave. So,it’swell worth investing in good workshop security.A fewcommon-sense precautionswill help deter them: -Good motion sensor lighting, window bars, coverthe windows,don’t makeitpublic thatyou have aworkshop,and guard your address from prying eyes on the internet, and if its practical ft an alarm in your workshop
But none of this willdeter areal determined thief; determined thieves arefortunately in the minority,most thievesare lazy so and so’s,thatare opportunistic: on the lookout forthe eas steal our frst line of defense is a strongly double locked door,but if your an thing likemethe frst thing ou do with abunch of keys is to “mislay them!”, the answer to this dilemma is acombination lock. Most combination locks, however, areofthe clasp type thatare also liabletobemislaid, a solution is aboltcombinationlock permanentlyattached to the door, 1 eneral e bly (Bear in mind thatifyou have workshopinsurance it mayspecify whattype and grade of lock(s) youhaveonyour workshop).
add extrasecurity to
As thelock will be outside in the elements it is ideally constructed completely of stainless steel, but less durable mild steel couldbeacceptable. The base plateisa welded fabrication of 30mm*30mm*1.5mm thick box section with a16mmdiameter bolt with tumblersmanufactured from M16 stainless steel nuts. The structureis strengthened with M15 stainless steel ashers see fg in part obtained all the material forthis project from an online supplier.Itisdrawn using four tumblers, but the design can quite easil be modifed to have three or fvetumblers, and it can also be easil modifed to be mounted in diferent orientations.I’vepurposely gone foran extremely robust lookingdesign again
Washer type 1
Washers type 2
CatchPlate
Mat’l:
Base
as adeterrent factor,and I’vedesigned in the provision forhiddenf ing scre s, h t 1 and 2
tainless steel can be di cult to machine particularly grades used in the food industry forvatsand pipe work,itcan be toughand springy to cut generating alot of heat. It’sbest to use slowspeeds and use plenty of cutting oil, ou ill probabl fnd thatthe bo section is one of these di cult to machine materials. Stainless steel bar for the bolt can be obtained in free cutting grades,S303 is one such grade but these grades arenot quite as stainless as food grade stainless, forgivemyterminology, but theywill serveour purpose nicely
Starting with the baseplate, 2, manufactured from boxsection: Mark out and cut away the unwanted material,this can be quite easily done using acombination of drilling, milling and hacksawing. By changing the face the slide slot is cut in, willallow outomount the lockinadiferent way, but this willhaveanimpact on the orientation of other features, moreabout this later. Next youneed to machine out the bore of the M15 ashers hree diferent boresi es are used and it’simportant to getthe right sizewashersinthe correct place. The easiest waytomachine the washersis in the lathe using achuck ftted ith so a s ust machine the a s ith a shallowstep,pushthe washer up to the step and close the jawsdownonto it, then boreout to the desired size, and fle atsonthem to givea tight ft in the boxsection.
he catch plate, fg , is made in a similar waytothe base plate, so no further explanationisrequired except to saythatithas three washers. Thefront one acts as astrengthening plate forthe bolt interface, h t and 4
The washersare welded into the ends of the boxsection, this has the efect of strengthening the assembl I’mfar from being an expert welder, machining is my main skill area. I’m avery rough welder,Ican stick two pieces of metal together,but the end results look terrible. Idon’t letthat stop me having atry,asI’vefound that welding equipment is auseful addition to my workshop.So, I’mnot going to go into anydepth about welding techni ues, but ill brie e plain
Stainless steel material.
Machining out the baseplate.
Machining out the baseplate.
the three main types of welding which are: -Stick, Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG for short), MetalInert Gas (MIG). All three methods use an electric arctomelt the metal, but the use diferent methods to shield the weld and to apply the fller rod
Stick welding is one of the most common welding processes. It uses a fller rodthatthe arcisstruck from,the rodiscoated in a u thatmelts and shields the weld. TIG has atungsten electrode thatprotrudes from a ceramic nozzle through which an inert gas o s,the arcisstruck from the electrode and the fller rodisfed b hand into the arc. MIG is similar to TIG but the arcisstruck from afller ire thatisfed through the center of the ceramic no le he fller is usuall of similar material to thatbeing welded, and the inert gas is argon or carbon dioxide, it’simportant to setthe correct welding amperage forthe work,but hereI’m getting out of my depth.
Simple welding equipment is readily available and isn’t thatexpensivebut anyone contemplating investing in some welding kit must makethemselves awareofall the precautions required to carry out the process safely
Ican stick or TIG weld with my elding e uipment, it is moredi cult to weld thin section with stick weld as youcan easily burn ahole in the thin section, so IchosetoTIG weld the lock together, h t 6 and 7.It’s worth noting the useofa home-made welding vice, youdon’t want to use your precision machine vicefor welding, as it will be soon damaged by welding splatter so it’swell worth welding together acrude vicetobeused solely forwelding, but that’sanother project to write about.
he tumblers, fg (tofollowinpart ,are made from stainless steel nuts, thereare three diferentt pes of tumblersrequired, to allow them to nestletogether,this is so the inner workings areconcealed from anylock pickers. The twoinner tumblers arethe same andthe t ooutersare diferent, theyneed to be machinedtoasloppy ft if oumakethem tootight the lock on’t orksmoothl he frst ob is to machine out the boreto16mm diameter to giveaslopp ftonthe bolt, don’t worry if youdon’t machine allofthe
Welding kit
thread away as this won’tdetract from the lock working correctly,itwill payto machine afew spares just in case you makeamistakewith the subsequent machining. Youwill nowneed to make
aspecial tool to machine the mm groove from apieceofhigh-speed steel, h t and 9.Sometime ago I made aback stopfor my lathe using a blank M3 morse taper threaded to take
diferent stops, h t 10 ftted this to my head stock with awide stop to takethe nuts, h t 11 The use of this stop willgreatly simplify the accurate machining of the tumblers.
he frst ob astofaceoftumblers , and to mm ide and to face of tumbler to mm umblers , and 3are groovedatthe same setting, put tumbler 1inthe chuck pressed up against theback stop,touch the face of the tumbler with the grooving tool, zero
our dials and advancethe tool mm plus ½the width of the grooving tool, zero your dial again, this will giveyou the correct position of the groove.Advance the tool until it starts to cut, zero your cross slide dialand advancethe tool andabit mm and zero your dial again.
Remove from the chuck andput tumbler inhardupagainst the stop and orking to your zeroed dials machine thegroove, repeatfor tumbler 3ifyou getitcorrect all three tumblerswill be groovedthe same h t 12 1 1 and 1
To be continued
15
Machining the outside diameter
Deburring
Machining the internalstep
BEGINNERS WORKSHOP
These articles by Geometer (Ian Bradley)werewritten abouthalf acentury ago.While they containmuchgood advice, they also contain references to things thatmay be out of date or describe practices or materials that we would notuse todayeither because much better a s areavailable of forsafet reasons hese articles areoferedfor theirhistoricinterestand because theymay inspiremoremodern approaches as well as remindingushow ourhobby waspracticed in thepast.
Readers Tips
Don’t Lose Your Grip
hi nth winner i hn ardin with ati rth e with arthriti r ain l hand nd a ic n te lea e ee n the ire rnew aChe ter achine l en dayinDece ber
Pain in the fngersdrove me to adding handle e tensionstotools suchasthe chuckke in thephotograph his solved the pain and also ielded the bonus of eliminating drill slip, so it couldbeanideaofbenefttoan onereall hn ardin
e ha e 0 in i cher c rte y en ineerin lier Che ter achine l r each nth i Email your workshoptips to ewedit r rt n c marking them 'ReadersTips',and youcould be awinner.Try to keep your tip to no morethan400 wordsand apicture or drawing. Don’tforgettoinclude your address! Every month we'll choose awinner forthe TipoftheMonth will win 0 in i cher r Che ter achine l .Visit www che terh bby t re c to planhow to spend yours!
Please note thatthe frst pri eof hester ouchersisonl available to readers ou can makemultiple entries,but e reservethe right nottoa ard repeatpri estothe same person in order to encourage ne entrants All pri esare at the discretion of the Editor
Funding Model EngineeringPart 1
Martin Berry shares his thoughts onhow to makeour hobbymoreafordable.
Model engineering canbeone of the moreexpensivehobbies, but the cost isproportionate to your aspirations. Amini-lathe and a drill press or perhaps asmallbench top mill maybeperfectly adequatefor some to makesmall steam engines or models, while othersmightaspiretoa more substantial Colchester or Harrison lathe, Bridgeport milling machine, surface grinder and powersawsfor making large locomotives or traction engines. Unless youhappen to have access to such equipment at work or alocalcollege, thereisgoing to be acapital outlayto
buy notonly the machines, butalso the accessories. Then thereare handtools, measuring equipment, materials and consumables to consider.Unlike many hobbies, model engineering is nota hobbyyou have an initialcapital outlay and an annual maintenancecost(e.g. club subscription), the outlay keeps on going the moreyou getinvolved. Istarted model engineering in my lateteens at the latter end of the 1970’s with anew Cowell’slathe, photo 1, living with my parents and having, a er ahouseholdcommitments and running amotorbike, adegree of
disposable income. As my hobbygrew, Ibought newand occasionallysecondhand tools, although the realisation of relativeexpenditure sooncaught up with me and second-hand purchases became the norm. As my engineering aspirations grew,sodid my desirefor a larger lathe here erenoafordable Chineseimports then. WhatI really desired, aBoxford,rarely came up on the second-hand market and anew BoxfordME10was well beyond my means. Idid manage to buy aratherold Boxfordmodel Blocally and this served me fora fewyearsuntil the motor
My frst lathe
decided to takeupsmoking, which became very detrimental toits health. Istarted buildinga Minnie traction engine and a3.5” Tichlocomotive but found thatI wasspending alarge proportion of my timemaking other things, particularly tools to make tools and even tools forservicing my motorbike.
Then Isecured ajob away from home and the inevitable mortgage resulted in economies; hobbies,especially the expensivemodel engineering, fell by the a side A er afe ears, fnancial pressures eased, Istatedtoprocure some moremodern equipment, including aBoxford AUDand aDore Westbury milling machine, all second hand. Along came marriageand the benefts of adualincomeso eventuall splashed out on anew WabecoF1200 milling machine followed, afew yearslater,bya dedicated workshop The arrival of children reduced my disposable income and time available forhobbies, but the biggest blow wascaused afew yearslater by the recession, when adualincomereduced back to asingle income,asmywife lost her job,with further uncertainties of holding onto my own. At this timethe motor on my Wabecomill stopped working and the prognosis wasexpensive; areplacement variable speed drivewas needed –itwas not going to getrepaired in ahurry.My relativel casual approach tofnancing my hobbyhad come to an end and fnancing the famil in uncertain times wasnow my immediatepriority to the detriment of anything else, a depressing situation Ifelt resigned to.
A er a hile decidedthat, if anted mone tofnancem hobb , it ould have to come from sourcesother thanmyregular income. This article summarises some of my experiences and thoughtsonprovidinga revenue stream and minimising capitaloutlaytoallow my workshop to stay operational.While the title of this article states “funding”, some of the activities discussed below arecost avoidance. Severalactivities I’vepractised overmanyyears,while othersare morerecent,and acouple are opportunities which I’ll notpersonally bother with! I’msuremost readers will have,insome way, entertained similar ideas and activities.
Scrounging
In my early career,I worked in industry, so had access to oddsand bits of mostly steel, alwaysofunknowncomposition, and pieces of cast iron. Over time, Ispent less time on industrial sites to the point wherevisitingthe odd factory became areal treat.Once, in afactory which was relocating, Iwas directed to askipwhere there as apair of small presses, and in oneofthe workshops abox of surfacegrinder heels ne press went into the workshopand the other to atool dealer in exchange forsome small tools losure of m compan ’so ce, provided me with astock of 50 x10mm mild steel, acrylic sheetand aluminium e trusions from o ce partitions,bo section steel from desks andloads of M5 screws. Scrappingold instruments, photocopiers, o ce printersand the likebrings all sizesofusefulround bar material, bronze bushes, screwsetc. Many of the projects Iundertakehave used materials scrounged from one source or another
My biggest bargain scrounge wasa Harrison universal milling machine which wasstanding in aservice corridor of a hospital Iwas workingat, ready to go to the scrapp A er a uick ord ith thehospital ChiefEngineer and the mill was, if Iwanted it, mine; allIhad to do wastakeitaway. ThisIdid forthe cost of hiring atail li van, apallettruck and some muscle.
Unfortunately,scrounging requires youhavethe spacetostore said scrounged itemsuntilthe dayyou need them. In my case, forover40years, and havingpiles of apparent junk can cause domestic friction,unless you can turn some of it into something useful or efect an urgent repair, and then point outthe beneft of having a stock of usefulmaterial. As along-term interest, casting metalsnecessitates the collection of castable metals, mostly aluminium and brass. It is about timemy pile of scrounged materials wasturned into something more interesting than a shed fller
Recycling
Rec cling is no diferent in principleto scrounging, except thatitapplies to materialsrecovered from lifeexpired items at hand. Most of the copper I have comesfromreplacing the heating
system in my previous and current homes and this alsoincludes brass valves and fttings alsosaved all the wireripped out when my previous house wasrewired. Stripping wirefrom the insulation is atedious processbut it is saferand moreenvironmentally friendly than burning it, nottosay attracting less attention from the neighboursand the local environmental health inspector!
If separated, these metals (virgin metals have abetter value if notmixed or coated in plastic)couldgotothe scrapp and improve cash o although, as previously mentioned, Ihaveplans forcastingand to makemyown bronze and gunmetal so Iamsaving it fornow The same applies to all the miscellaneous aluminium itemsI’verescued. Similarly, old motors arebrokendownfor the copper and other bitsofdomestic appliances salvaged before the valueless carcase is carted of to the local aste recycling centre.
Selling Surplus Equipment & Other Items
A er bu ing abigger and better machine, Ihavea terrible tendency to hang onto the old machine, mostly for sentimental reasons and sometimes because I’msureitwill come in useful fordoing some smaller jobs. Inevitably, said machine gets used as ashelf and sits therefor yearsgatheringdust and becoming an inconvenienceasI invariably run outofspacetomove. Many of the hobbyist machines have a good resale value, especially if theydo notneed more than twoable bodied enthusiasts to move and will go in the back of adecent sizedcar.Selling not only releases cash forre-investment, but also prevents having to invest in a further extension to the workshop
I’vesold anumber of tools and miscellaneous materials through the Homeworkshop.org.uk site (it’sfree, althougha contribution is welcomed by the site’s administrators).Ifyou belong to amodel engineering or similar club, then club sales or word of mouth is another outletopportunity.And, of course, thereare the free adverts in Model Engineers’ Workshopand www model-engineer.co.uk.
Selling should notnecessarily be constrained to workshoprelated
items and anything from the domestic environment can be considered to help release spaceand raise alittle cash. These days it’ssurprising what people will buy,and I’vesold everything from old sales brochures, books, tools, broken printers, cabinets, shelving and bits of machine tools. Applying some engineering to aride-on toydigger,no longer wanted by my children, returned it to agood solid working condition which allowedittobesold formorethan it wasbought fornew!
Don’t Be Afraid to Sellata Loss
If youcan’t sellatthe priceyou want, it maybeworth even lessinthe future, especially if it contains electronics, or maynot sell at all. An earlysale improves our cash o and our abilit to bu tools and materials which willbeuseful to younow
Buying and Selling via Auction Websites
Auction sites placeall sorts of useful items and unk at our fngertips,some good, some bad, some abargain and some ridiculously over-priced. Similarly, theyprovide an outlettosell your surplus and largely abandoned items to raise cash needed to feed your hobby. The most popular on-line auction site is eBay,and my comments below relate to this auction site, although other auction sites mayhavesimilarconsiderations.
When buying, the keyhereistoknow whata sensiblepricefor the quality of item youare looking at is, andstick to it. Notgetting carried away and bidding thosefew extrapounds to win the treasureisa must, as someone else will be doing just the same. Unless something is truly ararity, thereis alwaysachancethatanother one will pop up at some time.
Buying localsaves on postage but if a collection option is notmentioned, it is always worth checking with the vendor, as I’vefoundsome who,for some strange reason, won’tacceptpersonal collection. Postage rates vary and an apparently lowitem cost sometimes comes with ahigh postalchargeto compensate. en avendor ill indicateabu it now(BIN)price, to temptyou to snap up the bargain before anyone else. But, I’vegenerallyfoundthatbidding prices
don’t gettoo close to the BIN price so it is o en orth ust biddingand hoping forthe best.
An advert which has multiple decent quality pictures from all angles is a good sign thatthe the buyer is keen to sho ofthe ualit of the article he is trying to sell, so thereisagood chancethatwhatyou getiswhatyou expected. Conversely,poor pictures showing no detail maymean thatthe seller either does notcarebut alsomay notwanttoemphasiseablemishor fault with the item. The sameapplies to the listing description; aschedule of faults shows the seller as being as honest as possible whereas awidget “in good condition”saysnothing at all. However, thereisanother wayof looking at this; apoorly described item ith apoor picturema put of alot of biddersand so theremay be less bidding competition. Most of the items Ihavesecured at abargain pricefell into thepoorly listed category.Soasa seller,the moredetail youprovide, the better your chances at getting agood price. Thedescription of “BarnFind” should be treated with utmostcareas it is o en a a of the sellersdivesting themselves of anyresponsibility forthe authenticity or condition of the object. uite o en ouma see an item being re-listed continuously,clearly notbeing sold,probably because it is over-priced. It is worth contacting the seller and ofering asensible priceand asking them to re-list with aBIN price
Thereare anumber of considerations to selling, the main one being, howmuch do youwant forthe item. Someitems aremuch moresaleable than others; Boxfordand Myford lathe accessories will sell, but old hand tools maynot. Nowadays eBay listing is largely free foroccasional sellerslikemodel engineersasyou need to list more than , items month before af edlisting feeapplies. Thereare optional extrafees if youwant, including a4%reserveprice and 35p foreach additional category you want tolist in plusfees forinternational listings. Generally,the freelistingis adequate. Once an item is sold,thereisa commissionfee onthe fnal price and the postage cost, plus 30p. he most di cult decision is the auctionstarting price.A lowstart priceencourages early bidding, but
conversely,any lack of interest could mean thatonly one bidmight be made, and youend up practically giving the item away.Whereas the buyer might have been quite willing to paya much higher listed price.Iprefertolist the item at the absolute minimum priceI want forit(netofeBayfees)and hope the pricegetsbid. In my opinion, thereisno point to paying to have areserveprice, rather than justlisting at your minimum sale price f it does notsell a er afe re-listings, then alower listing pricecan be applied in the future.
Within the listing, thereisa buy-itnow(BIN)option, which is nowfree, giving the seller the opportunit to ofer apotential buyer the chancetojump in and bu at af edprice before the auction fnishes ho everonceabid is made the BIN optiondisappears. It may be di cult to udge the market value of an item to setasaBIN and I’vesold severalitems wherethe bid process has taken the fnal sale value to signifcantl above what Imighthavethought to value it. I’vealso bought items which got nowhereclose to the BIN price–it’sa di cult oneto udge
As mentioned above,eBayalso charges 12.8% commission on the postage and this should be borne in mindwhen determining the cost benefts of selling tend to value postage at cost, via courierslikeEvri (was Hermes), and add £1 to cover packing materials and 15% to cover eBay’s commission. Remember,ifyou have to buy postage containersand bubble rap,these cost mone fer cash on collectionasanoption, as this also saves ou the efortofpacking and arrangingcarriage. Large items which can’t be posted or sent by the normal parcelcourierswould normally only be advertised as cash oncollection. For such items, people areo en prepared to travel asignifcant distancetocollect the rightitem. Do notrestrict yourself to cash on collectionfor smaller items as this severely restricts your potential audience and the potential sale priceyou can achieve
When sellingoneBay, younow need to register your bank account and all buyer electronic payments less eBay fees aremade directly to your account. Fees occurred forcash onlypayments arealso billed to your account.
As hinted above,you need to consider the viability of sellingsomething. Selling an item for£1, even if that’swhatitis orth, is ust notviable as the f ed costs aregoing to be ahigh proportion of the eBay commission. The deductions are 12.8 pasthe percentagecommission and p f ed charge giving atotal feeof 42.8p,leaving youwithjust 57p,almost half the selling price.And this does not takeinto account the cost of your time creating the listing,packing the item and the trip to the post o ce or letter bo
If yousell an item for£50,ona free listing with no other options and charge £10 postage and it actually costs you£10 to sendthe item the commission will be: ((£50 +£10 )x 12.8%) +£0.30 =£7.98 so our fnal revenue is £42.02
Adding su cient to our postage charge to covermaterials and fees means thatfees onl efectivel appl to the item sale price, and the resultant revenue to yourself willbe£43.30,the same as fora cash sale.
One occasional promotiontokeep an eyeonisthe Max£1selling fee. If you want to sell something of high value like alathe, then this is worth waiting for. I don’t kno ifthis promotionisoferedto all sellersorjust established sellers.
eBay is constantly changing its options and charging structure,and the above structure wascorrect at the time of writing. Please check eBay’s help pages forthe latest terms and conditions.
Non-Auction Sites
Thereare other outlets forselling your surplusitemsand the likesofGumtree and Shpock areclassed as bootsale sites (derived from the principle of car boot sales oth ofer free sales spacefor privatevendors andbecause it is notan auction, youset the price youwant.
In the UK, areally good site forbuying and sellinganything from machine tools andaccessories to steam models and other related itemswhich maybeof interest to the home workshopowner is Homeworkshop.org.uk. As well as ofering an outletfor selling items, it also lists itemsbeing sought and information requests relating to machines and tooling etc. I’vebought and sold via this site and helped otherswith information, o en accessing the site dail to see whathas been added. Being relatively
