TOPIC:

I'm currently working in Germany (Loerrach, near Basel if anyone is nearby) and a couple of doors down from the factory where I am working is a large DIY store (by the name of Bauhaus) and I have to say, it's FANTASTIC!
It has everything ... a huge range of fasteners, including cap screws (priced by the kilo), Dremels, air compressors and tools, ally and steel profile in all shapes and sizes, personal safety equipment etc etc. It has a "drive through" where you can pick up heavier items straight into your car and pay at a kiosk on the way out. They will even loan you a trailer to take stuff home.
We have a newish B&Q Superstore in Milton Keynes and it knocks that into a cocked hat!

I used to travel a fair bit in Europe for work and I've always been impressed by the quality and range of stuff in German the "baumarkt", but this place is on another level.

Sorry to wax lyrical, but I wanted to get it off my chest.

(Taking photos is strictly "verboten", but I managed to snap a couple)

yeah those stores are nice, they even have girl departments for painting and doing things creative with paper and stuff
Some of them are quite huge and have loads and loads of stuff, only downside fasterners mostly start at M4 or M5 so not much use for vintage tamiya.

I do like the aluminium profiles they have in store.


have fun 'heimwerken'

We have a couple of places like the here in Australia , 1 called Bunnings warehouse

and on the weekends various social groups do a sausage sizzle out the front as fundraisers

, and another is called Masters

, Bunnings catch phrase is " At Bunnings Warehouse, lowest prices are just the beginning" and Masters is "I made it with Masters"

This is what I was working on by the way. Large prize* for the first person to tell me what it is.



^{* This is a lie}

Is it a flux capacitor for your DeLorean?

I think that I know waht it is.
I make this type of table.
That is a "table CEM" In french.
It is a electromagnetic compatibility table.
We make the same for electromagnetic tests for car systems. .

stingray-63 wrote:

I think that I know waht it is.
I make this type of table.
That is a "table CEM" In french.
It is a electromagnetic compatibility table.
We make the same for electromagnetic tests for car systems. .

Interesting, but no.
Funnily enough, I think Edou is marginally closer

Looks like some kind of transformer to me?

It has a transformer in it, but that's not it's main function. The transformer steps up 415V 3 phase to approx 25KV, which is then rectified to DC - hence the very prominent High Voltage stickers and interlocked perspex covers (not so obvious).
25KV transformer-derived DC is VERY dangerous (the tx is capable of delivering a couple of amps at that voltage).

The machine does convert electrical energy into another form of energy though.

cathode ray?