David,
I've been hit and miss machining for too long. I found this very interesting, common knowledge to some, but clarifying. I particularly liked the angle of the tool compared with butter and the angle of the knife spreading! I'm not sure about what you mean about " if you need information regarding uncommon materials for Model Engineers, it can be found on the internet, just Google your requirements." "unknown metals" in my workshop are pieces of metal that I've gleaned along the way that I can't identify, there aren't many that I don't recognise, part of my work is steel construction. I don't really see myself as a Model Engineer, I don't make models! I build machinery for theatre and television, most of my machining is pretty basic!
Regards, Matthew