Here is a list of all the postings Redsetter has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.
Thread: New here, just bought myself a Myford ML10 :)! |
09/06/2021 07:22:44 |
Joshua, I have owned and used a variety of lathes over the years, and bought an ML10 recently when I had to downsize, It was the best option available locally at the time and ideal for my newly restricted space. I like it, and will be keeping it even if I have room for a second, larger lathe in future. Like any machine it has its quirks and you have to get used to them, but it is an excellent compact lathe which will do most of what an ML7 will do. It is far better designed and built than the Chinese equivalents. ML10s have usually been owned by modelmakers or clockmakers, have only had light use, and been well looked after. This makes them a much safer buy for a novice than a 7 series, many of which have had an absolute pasting. Usefully, they are easily dismantled into their main components for transport and can be reassembled again without loss of accuracy. Two disadvantages - one is that some parts are relatively scarce and expensive. The other is that for some reason, there is always someone ready to pick holes in them. |
Thread: Jig-drilled holes 1/16" out - plug, slot drill or replace? |
07/06/2021 15:12:14 |
I take it the misplaced holes in the baseplate are those for the screws holding the standard? If so, your method 3 is simple and practical, and it is not really worth plugging and re-drilling the holes. The important thing is that the standard has to be aligned with the bottom end of the engine. If you make and fit the crankshaft, bearings, con rod and crosshead, you can use the assembly to position the standard correctly - drill the standard first, offer up, then enlarge your base holes accordingly. The screws will usually locate the standard adequately, but if concerned about this you could insert a couple of dowels from underneath. However the most complicated solution is usually preferred on this forum, so others will disagree! I have built 3 Stuart 10s to a good working standard without any jigs, and so have a great many other people.
. Edited By Redsetter on 07/06/2021 15:13:32 |
Thread: Boiler Test Fitting |
31/05/2021 17:42:22 |
Posted by Shaun Johnston on 31/05/2021 16:33:14:
I did think that connector was a long shot, In regards to the side tank pump, I had considered that and tried it briefly but if anything it just highlighted some leaks along the copper pipping up to the boiler inlet valve. Perhaps if try and sort the leaks I could give that another try. Shaun You will need a properly working hand pump for your steam test, so best to get that sorted first. |
31/05/2021 16:19:41 |
Can I point out that the loco's own hand pump is perfectly adequate for a basic hydraulic test? Edited By Redsetter on 31/05/2021 16:27:27 |
Thread: Compressed air for initial engine test |
29/05/2021 12:13:27 |
Not sure how portable the engine in question is, but presumably it will go in the back of your car. Why don't you speak nicely to your local garage or tyre fitter, or even just connect it to the air line at the petrol station?
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Thread: facilitas 3.5 gauge |
16/05/2021 14:22:54 |
The only Facilitas I know of is a freelance 3.5" gauge Pacific built by H.E White in the 1950s. It was exhibited at the Midlands show maybe 5 years ago. I think it was a one-off, and no design was ever published. There may though have been some descriptive articles in the M.E. Edited By Redsetter on 16/05/2021 14:25:53 |
Thread: Raglan 5 inch lathe |
17/03/2021 08:26:26 |
Colin, Can I point out that you do not need a complete set of change wheels - or indeed any at all - to get started, and it is perhaps worth perfecting the manual skills first. It is nice to have a powered carriage feed, but seldom essential. Likewise, screwcutting is a fascinating and satisfying business, but generally you won't need to do it very often.
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Thread: How do I get the bearings out of this? |
10/03/2021 10:34:51 |
Pgrbff - Why the overwhelming urge to take the bearings out anyway? Are they obviously worn or noisy? If not, they are probably best left alone. Remember you will have to put them back in correctly and without without damaging them. Assuming you want the machine to work again, of course. |
Thread: Oilite bush cylinder |
07/03/2021 20:51:13 |
If you can bore a block accurately enough for an interference fit, why don't you just use that as the cylinder? |
Thread: Alternative valve mechanism |
22/02/2021 17:59:38 |
John, I think you should study some existing simple 0 gauge designs. For example - LBSC's "Bat" and "Mollyette," and Dave Watkins's "Wild Rose," and "Brick." - four different types of loco, all with different mechanical layouts. |
Thread: cut off - display engines |
20/02/2021 19:18:25 |
Posted by JasonB on 20/02/2021 18:36:50:
I really don't give it any thought, just tend to start with the eccentric's max throw at 90+30deg ahead of the crank and see what it runs like from there, seldom needs further adjustment. This is for display on air not steam. Do have a couple with reversers so you can notch them up or down if you want. But find it's easiest to set the compressor regulator to a low sub 5psi setting and use an inline valve to regulate air volume. Cut-off is a function of port width and valve lap, so how much cut-off do you design for? What you are describing is valve setting, which is not quite the same thing. Edited By Redsetter on 20/02/2021 19:18:54 |
20/02/2021 18:18:59 |
I have built a few Stuarts and been surprised at the relatively long cutoffs, given that on a small locomotive you can use around 75 percent and expect it to start under load, so that should be satisfactory and economical for display running. |
Thread: Alternative valve mechanism |
18/02/2021 11:04:25 |
John, Is your loco going to have one cylinder, or two, or more, and where on the loco are they to be mounted? Also does it need to be reversible? All this affects the choice of valve gear. Ease of manufacture also comes into it - what are the smallest parts you are prepared to handle, and especially, what are the smallest holes you are prepared to drill? Looking at your diagram, the timing wheel will certainly create the 90 degree phase difference - BUT - I do not see any provision for adjustment - in practice it won't need to be exactly 90 degrees - and with a single link driving the timing wheel, surely it will only rotate 180 degrees before it jams or reverses?. I can see some good ideas there, but it is all getting more complicated than a normal slip eccentric gear, which is easy to make, and is all you really need in a simple 0 gauge model.
Edited By Redsetter on 18/02/2021 11:22:09 |
16/02/2021 13:42:29 |
John, I am not knocking what you are trying to do, but I don't think you quite understand how the valve works, and you need to go back to first principles. It isn't simple, and there is too much to go into here, but you have to consider both the opening and closing points, and what the exhaust is doing, as well as the steam. It is well established that for the basic form of valves without lap or lead, the valve and piston need to be 90 degrees out of phase. The linkage you have shown will match the stroke of the piston to the stroke of the valve, but they are in phase with each other.
Edited By Redsetter on 16/02/2021 13:43:08 |
Thread: WM180/DB7 mini lathe to cut 32TPI |
14/02/2021 18:45:57 |
Posted by Lainchy on 14/02/2021 18:06:28:
It would be way quicker to use a die, yep, BUT, this is for gland nuts. I want it to be a really good fit in the steam chest, otherwise, it'll undo itself over time.... according to the articles.
If you use a split die you can get the threads as tight as you like. In practice they seldom unscrew because there is enough friction from the packing to retain them. |
14/02/2021 17:33:42 |
Wouldn't it be quicker to use a die? |
Thread: Alternative valve mechanism |
10/02/2021 12:26:38 |
The OP should read Norman Dewhurst's "A steam locomotive for 0 gauge" if he hasn't already. Dewhurst was a clever man, and I believe a self- taught engineer. He built some very interesting locomotives. He pointed out that most 0 gauge steamers needed a push to start, so you didn't really need two cylinders, and he mounted his single cylinder outside, to avoid a crank axle. He did not find that the unequal thrusts were a problem in practice. Food for thought. |
10/02/2021 12:06:15 |
Posted by Nick Clarke 3 on 10/02/2021 11:51:54:
Posted by Redsetter on 10/02/2021 09:22:10:
The most difficult part of building the loco in question will be making the cylinder and piston. In comparison a single eccentric or slip eccentric valve gear is an easy job and will work well. Or as an alternative what about the slip return crank as used by the Hackfly locomotive? No reason why not, though perhaps a bit fiddly in 0 gauge and of course only suitable for outside cylinders. It depends how well it fits in with the overall design. It is sometimes overlooked that valve gear is three-dimensional, and has to fit in the space available.
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10/02/2021 09:22:10 |
The most difficult part of building the loco in question will be making the cylinder and piston. In comparison a single eccentric or slip eccentric valve gear is an easy job and will work well. You could consider using an oscillating cylinder engine with a geared drive but this is not really much easier. Oscillating cylinders are not quite as simple as they look, and have to be accurately made to work properly - perhaps more so than the slide valve equivalent. I would suggest that if a good "alternative" valve gear for small models existed, then it would have emerged already in the 100 or so years that we have been playing with steam engines.
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Thread: Butch - can it come back to life? |
19/01/2021 11:49:02 |
Butch is a good working design. They are almost always well built, perhaps because the design was not aimed at beginners. They steam well, and are powerful and easy to drive and fire. Perhaps lacking in adhesive weight, but on the other hand light enough for one person to lift. I wish I still had mine. Clearly your boiler will have to be inspected and tested, and for this it has to come out of the chassis which is not a particularly difficult job. Do not dismantle the chassis just for the sake of it. If it turns over freely, there probably isn't much wrong with it and you can test it on compressed air. Many locos end their lives taken to pieces for an overhaul that never happens. .
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