I love confusing myself. Insects are very confusing and so are rivets to some folk.
I received an email from a lad who has built himself a hydraulic hot rivet squeezer. He said it's leaving a lot of squashed metal on the job and the plate edges are distorting. These are domed headed rivets, button heads to normal folk; so both tool heads are hemispheres less a bit. I was working from memory but rivet length is 1.5 rivet diameter plus the combined thickness of the metal to be joined and add a bit for pressure vessels. You also leave a minimum of two combined metal thicknesses from the edge of the plate being joined. Maybe one. Nay two sounds sensible. A pound to a penny there is an EU directive running to five hundred pages on it if anyone can be arsed to look. Pity they hadn't put their minds to building cladding, maybe they have but nobody could be arsed to look.
These insects are really small about a millimetre or two.
In the first picture you see a Harvestman carrying red spider mites, I believe it's symbiotic. In the second you see a red spider mite eating an insect. Fair enough but red two spot spiders, this has two spots if you enlarge the image, it also has a baby one joining in, are supposed to be veggi and yellow after their growing up three bits. There is a predatory red one, Phytoseiulus perssimillis. It doesn't look like this which I think is Tetranychus urticae. Why is it omnivorous? Why do folk have problems with riveting? The more insects I find the more muddled up I get.
I found a grand little beastie this week Its a lace hopper the image is rubbish because it hopped before I got another go.
A bit blurry but it is one and thank you Trevor at Three Counties for telling me. You could have told me the chances of finding another were zilch, spent a couple of hours in inclement weather trying to get a perfect shot. Never seen another. Bugger.
Have fun.
I received an email from a lad who has built himself a hydraulic hot rivet squeezer. He said it's leaving a lot of squashed metal on the job and the plate edges are distorting. These are domed headed rivets, button heads to normal folk; so both tool heads are hemispheres less a bit. I was working from memory but rivet length is 1.5 rivet diameter plus the combined thickness of the metal to be joined and add a bit for pressure vessels. You also leave a minimum of two combined metal thicknesses from the edge of the plate being joined. Maybe one. Nay two sounds sensible. A pound to a penny there is an EU directive running to five hundred pages on it if anyone can be arsed to look. Pity they hadn't put their minds to building cladding, maybe they have but nobody could be arsed to look.
These insects are really small about a millimetre or two.
I found a grand little beastie this week Its a lace hopper the image is rubbish because it hopped before I got another go.
Have fun.
The detail you get on these wee creatures is incredible, Adrian!
ReplyDeleteMarie thank you.
DeleteWell there's a thing...I never thought I'd see a post bringing together hot rivets and red spider mites but, here it is, you did it!
ReplyDeleteAs much as I'm fascinated (and confused) by insects it was the hot rivets that struck a chord...
...As an innocent, wet behind the ears, young engineering apprentice I, along with my fellow 'conscripts' were tasked with the job of renovating/rebuilding a vintage (1930's) dustcart. My job was to pick up the hot rivets with a pair of tongs from the brassier and crawl underneath the body of the vehicle and place the rivet, before it cooled too much, into the prepared hole where the lads on the top and bottom snaps would hammer (set) it down. All went well for the first dozen or so rivets until the proceedings were brought to an abrupt end with a loud 'crack'...yup!...whilst crawling underneath I had baldly twisted my knee!.....and near on fifty years, a career in the automotive/ race car industry and many thousands of rivets (of all shapes,sizes and materials) later, I still get the occasional twinge in my knee just as a reminder of my first encounter with rivets.
Btw..I never did get to grips with calculating what length of rivet to use where!!
That's a great close up of the spider mite having lunch...and keep looking, and don't worry, I'm sure a lace hopper will come 'hopping by' before too long!...[;o)
Trevor you were being abused. I doubt that folk would be allowed to crawl around with hot things these days.
DeleteRivetting account and images of the Red spider Mites, Adrian. That Lace Hopper looks like a rather wonderful creature.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes - - - Richard
Richard, I will try for a sharp Hopper. I always try for sharp but get excited when I see something new.
Deleteso close that we can see the details of the spiders ! really great and interessant !
ReplyDeleteMarty, I love seeing them close.
DeleteYes the occasional harvestman pictures I have taken have had mites on them. Sorry. The grammatical construction there was terrible but I'm sure you got the drift.
ReplyDeleteGraham, I notice the mites but not the grammar.
Delete