Member postings for Stephen Wessel 1

Can anyone tell me whether this company is still trading please? Their website looks active but the phone number doesn't work. They did close during Covid but did they reopen?

Thanks for any news.

After much discussion with the owner we have decided to present the engine parts to a member of the RR Heritage trust at Bristol who is known to me personally and more than able to progress at least one of them to completion.

I am sorry to disappoint you Bill and your son but the matter is really out of my hands.

S.W.

I have the fundamental components for two of these fine engines to give away to someone with the ability to finish them. There are two beautifully made crankcases, 28 cylinders finished apart from fins, pistons, con rods and a large number of small parts. The workmanship is of a very high order. The collection of drawings however is far from complete, those we have seem to have been scaled directly from FB's originals. The builder, a former toolmaker, is suffering badly from stroke and dementia so cannot communicate at all, leaving his wife anxious to find a good home for his beautiful work. I cannot take it on myself but have offered help in its disposal. Anyone interested?

Stephen Wessel

Hi Greg

Just seen this thread 3 years later! I wonder if you ever built your Ajax. I made mine in about 1968 as a first loco and it has given wonderful service, although in recent years rather pushed aside by bigger machines and a much longer railway.

I agree with all the commentators, including the fact that the bore is too big. I don't know about the valve gear - seems fine to me, notching up evenly in both directions. Looking at it now I would say it is not a beautiful engine but a dockyard work horse. Mine has a few leaking stays now and needs restoration including a repaint. Trouble is, it keeps going to the back of the queue!

Back in the 1960s I was a student in London and used to walk past a shop called 'Steam Age'. Knowing nothing about ME and having very little money, one day I plucked up courage to go in. I must have shown some interest in building something as the proprietor took me over to this little 5" tank and said: "here is the one for you - easy to build and get your bits from Fred Stone". A life changing moment although I never knew it at the time. Eventually I got a tiny workshop, made the engine then lost all interest for about 20 years. But it finally emerged from storage and gave pleasure for many years.

I hope whatever you decided on has gone well for you.

Stephen Wessel

Hello Jeff. Neil drew my attention to this forum post.

What you need is a small, cheap power supply. The one I use came from www.rcpitstop.co.uk and is called Fusion 200W twin output adjustable, PS201ADJT, cost £35.95. This was the cheapest supplier I could find but the same model is offered elsewhere.

In my previous electroforming work I used a 12V battery with various resistances in series (light bulbs etc) to get the current I wanted. The current is your starting point so you must have a ,means of measuring it. I used my multimeter. Then you can use really any source of DC power and it doesn't matter what its nominal voltage is. The Fusion will show you the actual volts & amps and the volts will probably be around 1 to 3 depending on the size of the job.

I cannot emphasise enough that getting a Fusion or one like it will remove so many headaches and constant hunts around the shop for resistors and bits of wire, connectors, bad joints etc etc. I found the current remained absolutely stable despite changes of temp for hours on end. OK it's 40 quid but I don't think you would regret it as it removes a kind of mental barrier to all sorts of plating you might want to do in the future. Just plug in and go!

You must calculate your current density in advance using the area of the cathode. Industry usually quotes in A/dm (amps per decimetre) but I prefer A/ sq inch. Keep this lower than advised by industry sources, especially if using copper scrap as the anode, to ensure a fine grain smooth deposit. Any sign of nodules means that current should be reduced.

Another tip is to stir the electrolyte and avoid air bubblling which creates a fine mist all over the place, corrodes your connectors and depletes the solution.

BTW Gateros Plating is a good company, very approachable and friendly. They are writing a book about plating and about to run classes as Neil said. Also they realise that their website and instructions sent out with kits are a bit sparse on info, so are taking steps to improve all this.

Good luck with your project

Stephen Wessel

Thank you all for your kind comments! I didn't know about the RNZAF engine but that wasn't the first cracked c/shaft. I stiffened mine up a shade and made it from EN24, so hoping for the best.

I will put some more photos in the album to show the internals.

Stephen

OK point noted. There are now 5 photos taken shortly after the first run.

Stephen

This engine has now been run successfully for the first time. It will be on show at MEX, Sandown Park, next week. The drawings are also about finished and will be for sale in PDF format. Castings will also be available by arrangement.

Stephen Wessel

Kieron

Do write to me direct if you need more info on this. The engine is nearly finished and undergoing various tests before actual start-up. It still needs a prop.

The drawings are nearly done as well. There will be about 50 sheets in various sizes, A1,2,3 4 etc.

Regards

Stephen

Thanks both of you. I decided after reading the link to have them nitrided. This results in practically no growth or distortion so is safe. Gauge plate is entirely suitable for this process and there are companies prepared to do small jobs like this reasonably.

Stephen

The 2 cam plates in my radial engine are made of gauge plate which I had always intended to harden in the usual way. However, they are thin rings (5/32 x 4" approx with many lightening holes and I am afraid they might distort or, more seriously, develop invisible cracks during the process. So they might be better left in the natural state. The tappet rollers are very hard and all surfaces are polished.

Given the engine will never be run for hours on end but only a few minutes at a time, are the cams going to be OK?

Can gauge plate be nitrided, as this would be the best way to harden them?

I would appreciate the views of anyone with the relevant experience.