Member postings for Brian John

So I have modified that top piece of aluminium so there is no overhang obscuring my vision (photo1) and I finished milling the first cylinder (photo 2). You can see where I had a bit of a dig in but when the steam chest is fitted this will not be visible as it will be underneath. It should not affect the operation of the engine. Hopefully my next two cylinders will turn out even better than this. Definitely only 0.25mm cuts on my machine !

The cylinder still has to be drilled at tapped at each end for the cylinder covers then two holes drilled in the milled flat surface. I will then have to smooth out the inside of the cylinder after the drill bit has gone through and remove the ragged edges from the holes. I should have left polishing the inside of the cylinder until last !

Edited By Brian John on 01/08/2017 08:06:40

Is it acceptable to strip these old machines back to bare metal and repaint them or should they be treated like antique furniture and violins ie. leave them alone and appreciate them as is ? Removing the original varnish from a violin is a huge no-no !

If you know what you are doing.....

Yes, I was thinking that myself but can you even buy a filing rest now ? How much do they cost ?

I found some small aluminium strips today at Norweld but they have still not solved the problem of the top coming slightly away from the milling vice.

I have to make the flat 4mm from the edge of the cylinder. How do I measure that without removing the work piece from the vice ? I cannot get my digital vernier in there and I am trying to avoid removing the cylinder all the time.

I am advancing the carriage by 0.25mm at a time, How much of the 12mm cutting bit should I be using when taking a cut : 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 ....the whole thing ? Using the whole bit tends to cause it to dig in as you can see from the photo.

This is my practise cylinder so I can afford to experiment a little on this one. I still have two more cylinders to mill after this ( I am building two engines at once).

Edited By Brian John on 31/07/2017 08:25:42

I bought some new flux today from Bunnings. The EZI-WELD 602 silver brazing flux has been replaced by CA 602. It is the same composition but by a different company according to a few websites. The result is a big improvement over yesterday.

I am surprised the old flux had gone ''off''.

I was worried that if I took the bottom packing out then the steel jaws of the vice might leave some sort of mark or indentation on the brass. I am going to try a larger piece of thick, flat aluminium for both top and bottom if I can find something suitable from NORWELD tomorrow.

Edited By Brian John on 30/07/2017 14:01:30

Lawrie : I wonder how long it would take to file the flat by hand ?

It is progressing slowly : the only problem I am having at the moment is the top of the cylinder is pulling slightly away from the mill slide towards the cutter (about 0.5mm). I will experiment tomorrow with better mounting methods than the brass bars I am using now.

''A one inch square on a round shaft'' : Was that brass or steel ? Did anybody on this forum have to do that in their apprenticeship ?

Please check out how I have mounted the cylinder in the mill slide and comment if this is correct. I have removed 1.0mm from one section taking 0.25mm at a time. I am using about 600 RPM on the lathe ; it seems to be working.

Wonder of wonders : Bunnings had some M6 X 45mm socket caps on the shelf. I used two washers to get a good fit and it looks like it is ready to use.

What sort of cuts should I be taking with equipment like this : 0.5mm or 0.25mm at a time ?

Do I lock the carriage in place like I would with parting off and remove Xmm from the whole face before unlocking and advancing the carriage to remove another Xmm ?

Or do I remove all the required 4mm from one part of the cylinder and then raise the mill slide to remove the next section.

These may seem like dumb questions but I have not done this before and I do not want to race in and break something.

Edited By Brian John on 30/07/2017 06:37:20

That was interesting : I just tried the old solder. It was a bit better... but not much better. I wonder if the flux has gone off ? It is EZI WELD 602 and there is 1/4 of a jar left. I would have thought it would be good until the last drop !

Here it is with and without the bush :

Why did they make the bush so long ?

Edited By Brian John on 29/07/2017 10:46:51

Trying to fit the vertical mill slide. I removed the top slide from my lathe. It looks like the supplied steel bush fits in the hole on the mill slide then using a washer and a M6 X 44mm socket cap it will be screwed onto the cross slide. Unfortunately I do not have an M6 x 44mm socket cap or an M6 X44mm bolt of any type so things will have to wait until I source that.

Am I on the right track here ?

Sorry : I should have taken a photo showing the hole in the mill slide which takes the bush.

Edited By Brian John on 29/07/2017 10:09:33

Edited By Brian John on 29/07/2017 10:10:39

The vertical mill slide arrived today and I have been watching some youtube videos on milling in the lathe. Some people seem to think that holding the milling bit directly in the lathe chuck is a bad idea and it should be held in a collet to avoid damaging the chuck. Is this correct ? What type of collet should be used ?

No, it does not come in any packing : I can give no details or description. I was told over the phone that it was 45% silver.

What should I be asking for ?

Edited By Brian John on 28/07/2017 12:57:13

My old solder supplier (Miniature Steam) is no longer selling solder or bar stock. But he has assured me another supplier has the same solder (with cadmium to aid the flow ) so I purchased about $80 worth from him. I tried it for the first time today and it did not go well : I had to heat the copper up much more than usual and even then it did not flow very well. It seems very similar to the plumbers silver solder I tried a few months ago which had no cadmium at all. I did not end up with a nice shiny fillet of solder. It will probably do the job but it looks very unprofessional....''rough as guts'' is how I would describe it.

1. I am using LPG gas and this has worked for me in the past with the old solder. Should I be using a hotter gas ?

2. What colour should the copper be when the flux melts and it is time to apply the solder ?

3. Some people soft solder their boilers. What temperature of soft solder would be safe enough to use in a tiddler boiler ? I do have some 240 degree soft solder but I would think it would have to be higher than that.

Thanks Peter, I was not aware that Allied Bearings sold that. I called them just now and they have some 1/2'' gunmetal bronze in stock which seems to be the smallest available. He said they do not keep brass and but they can get it in on special order. Is that what you ask them to do ?

Another holdup : I have spent the last two weeks moving house (wife's idea) and cleaning the old apartment to vacate standards. The new workshop has much more room than the old living room ; lots of cupboards and storage space.

The drill press seems a bit wobbly for some reason and that will have to be looked at. The lathe bench is firm and stable. I have spent the morning rereading this thread and working out where I am at. I don't even remember making some of these parts !

For Australian residents : Now that Miniature Steam are no longer selling bar stock, who are you buying your brass and gunmetal bronze from ? What is the smallest diameter gunmetal bronze that you can readily buy ?

Edited By Brian John on 25/07/2017 04:47:36

Edited By Brian John on 25/07/2017 04:50:50

Are spiral fluted M2 taps likely to be any stronger than straight fluted M2 taps ? There can't be much difference.

Why do we make straight fluted taps if spiral taps clear the chip better ?

Edited By Brian John on 17/07/2017 05:56:27

The charts I have used in the past give the tap drill as 1.6mm. That PDF gives the tap drill for 2 x 0.4 as 1.7mm. So should I still be ''going up a size'' to 1.8mm when tapping into steel or use 1.7mm for all metals including brass ?

Edited By Brian John on 16/07/2017 14:02:34