Member postings for John Rutzen

If you change the motor from star to delta connection as Jim Cox explains in his book on Electric Motors then the motor is running on 240 volts.

Hi , buy the MAP publications book on Electric Motors. There is a chapter that tells you how to run 3 phase motors on single phase. I have had my lathe running like this for the last 25 years with no problems.

Thanks , the suppliers never make it clear that the inline ones will work horizontally. Often they are pictured vertically.

Thanks that's an idea, just move it away. Why didn't I think of that. Probably because there are always two clacks, one on the pump and one fixed to the boiler . It's only about 3 inches from the crosshead pump to the boiler clack so do I need another clack at all?

Hi, Please could anyone tell me if clack valves will work horizontally? I have a clearance problem and it could be solved if I could fit the clacks horizontally but i don't know if they will work!

Hi All, I have some experience of furnace making and have made my own wheel castings in iron. I have tried several of the home recipes and found that they were no good for high temperatures and did not last even for aluminium. Buy the castable refractory , I used 1550 degree C which I got from a chimney lining specialist. It only cost about £30 for a bag and that was enough. I used the waste oil furnace design from the Artful Bodger's Waste Oil furnace and found it worked well.

Thank you Neill, I've done that.

Hi Julian, The valves I have made are the PSV2A, which have different springs to the PSV2E. I made the shroud to the max dimension and checked it with a micrometer. These blow off at 115 psi, not 100. I want 80 psi but none of his valves go down as far as that. I need the 5/32 bore size but don't want high valves. Any help would be much appreciated, Thank you. I've told Polly over the phone.

Hi Thanks everyone. Polly have supplied the correct spring to the design so I guess they have done all they can. I think the design is faulty and needs a weaker spring. I have looked online for stainless steel spring wire but haven't found any. I have got them working because I bought a 12 inch length of 5/32 spring from Polly and have made springs from it that are only 8mm long instead of the 11.1 mm specified. They now blow off at 80 psi but I don't think the pop action is very good.

Thank you. But how can I get a spring the same dimensions but thinner wire? The only source of thin wire I can think of is steel guitar strings but they aren't stainless.

Hi, I have just made two PSV2A safety valves to the Gordon Smith drawings and used the springs supplied by Polly ME. However they won't blow off even at 100psi and with the adjusters wound out. I have checked the spring spec on the Lee springs website and it is correct. Can anyone please tell me if they have experience with these valves and what I can adjust. I want 80psi.

Thanks for posting that. It's difficult to see but the seats look conical - the wrong way!

The other place I have leak problems is on the Salter spring balance safety valves which have cone shaped metal valves. Is it possible to use O ring seats or shuttles on safety valves or would there be a danger of these sticking?

Thanks David and Windy. What is a top hat style valve please? Is it the same as a shuttle with O ring. Can you do a drawing please? Windy I don't understand how you make that shape valve seat without it being a separate piece?

Thanks for the feedback, I might try the nitrile balls or viton balls. Do you machine the chamfer on the seat during making them or what please? I read the article on making them with O rings in ME and might try that. It sounds like not all commercial clack valves are equal. Perhaps we should have tests on these in ME since they seem to cause a lot of people trouble.

Thanks Jason, I hadn't noticed that.

Thanks Neil. i didn't know about hovering the mouse over , tried it and it gives you the date but not the year. The index works the best - the one Richard gave me a link to.

Thank you Richard and Thor that's most helpful. The first one seems the easiest to use, I don't have Access or Excel. It's a pity ME have never made an 'OFFICIAL' index because they did publish one every year. How about it ME?

I've just got the digital archive and would like to know if there is an index anywhere. Sometimes on the forum people reference a magazine by date and its very difficult to find it. Thank you

Thanks Maurice. If I have to remake them It sounds like a good method. I presume the ones you buy don't leak does anyone know how they achieve that?