Member postings for Bruno Taylor

Hi,

Sorry you appear to be having problems comunicating with Western Steam but please be patient. Yes 2 yrs delivery does seem a long time but it will be built and almost certainly excellent. Bear in mind, they like many others of our suppliers are very small businesses. It is well worth popping in to see them, Weston is not exactly the moon and the M5 is very close.

If more of us took the plunge (and l am) to build their own boilers waiting could be less!!

I have one of Helen's boilers and hopefully in steam next year. Luckily Western Steam could suuply from stock after my previous supplier (Cheddar Valley Steam) disappeared taking my deposit with them.

Best wishes.

Food for thought. I am having very early thoughts about "what next" The cylinders are at the forefront. I am thinking in terms of inside cylinders machined from steel and then lined. Theory is that the ports (slide valves) can be cut right through to the bore, hence steam passages can be parrallel to the bore. The press fit/locctite liner then sealing the ends of the ports. My current plan is a cast iron liner with 3mm wall thickness. But the earlier post here suggests PB. What do you all think.

Regards, Bruno.

Kevin,

Dont want to sound too negative but to save a lot of grief buy one. Preferably the pop type. Its too important a part to take chances.

Bruno

I had exactly the same problem for my first attempt at a number of holes on a PCD.  So l read the instructions again where it clearly said for a circle of n holes enter n+1 as the number of holes required. The DRO logic appears to be first and last hole in the same place. No probs since.

Edited By Bruno Taylor on 15/03/2018 17:45:27

Gary, the drawing model is a dwg file which is an industry standard. I use Draftsight to draw with but TurboCad etcetera use the same format. If you pm me a can send you the drawing.

Regards

Bruno.

Hi Gary

You may struggle to get drawings. But l am rebuilding a 3.5" gauge Maisie and as part of that project have digitised LBSC's drawing into a 2D model. If you have suitable software you are welcome to a copy to scale up.

Also l can't see anything special or peculiar about the castings. You would just need to hunt around the 5" gauge suppliers for suitable substitutes. Good sources could be Flying Scotsman or Green Arrow. Identyfying the cylinders probably the trickiest. But ouside cylinder/inside steam chests of the right bore and stroke should be findable. The steam cheats coukd be cut from stock material anyway, they are pretty simple.

Bruno.

Edited By Bruno Taylor on 05/03/2018 17:15:07

Edited By Bruno Taylor on 05/03/2018 17:37:34

A member of the Bristol Club demonstrated an adapted hydraulic crimping tool. Basicly made an anvil and head former to fit between tbe jaws. Only a cheap make was used and the results excellent.

Aha, If I show the whole thing, perhaps it helps. I am going to put two short inlet pipes in the top like this. The plan being to put the regulator body through the backhead flange and then insert the short pipes in through the safety valve bushes, taking care not to drop them! The idea is to collect steam from the highest and dryest part of the boiler. The boiler is domeless so cannot do the taller style of collector pipe.

I don't think it is too complicated. I will drill through in several diameters to form the step for the PEEK valve face to be pressed in, the valve cavity and finally for an M10 thread. Reverse in the chuck and then drill and tap the other 5/16x32 ME for the steam pipe. The PEEK valve face being a press fit from the M10 threaded hole.

As promised here is an image captured from Fusion 360 which I have used to develop my next regulator. The body has a PEEK bearing face pressed in and an O-Ring at the Backplate. I have put a 15 degree chamfer on the valve itself.

There is nothing wrong with the regulator on the drawing per se, but l have chosen the screw down type. However the issue is the steam pipe connecting the regulator to the smokebox flange plate bush. Curly simply did not include it on the drawings or accompanying text. Leaving constructors to work out their own.

Bruno

Following the recent thread on What Regulator Type l thought l would ask opinions on a related subject.

The boiler of my current project (LBSC Princess Marina but with piston valves) is tapered. This means that the smokebox steam pipe flange is lower than the backhead regulator flange.

So far l have thought of three options.

1. Do no nothing and hope it doesn't leak too much.

2. Provide a suitable joining piece below and fixed to the top feed bush in the boiler.

3. Put a joggle in the steam pipe so that both regulator assembly and steam delivery pipe are perpendicular to their respective flanges.

Any advice gratefully recieved.

Bruno.

Thanks to all for their contributions after my modest start. I have taken the percieved wisdom and re-designed the regulator for my current build (Princess Marina) accordingly. I have modelled it usjng Fusion 360 so all l need to do now is work out how to share it.

Bruno

Hi James,

I will upset a few by saying niether. I have built both Stroudley and disc type. Both leak. I have now converted to a simple screw down type. Easy to make and dont leak. Most useful at boiler test time.

Regards

Bruno

Hi Billy

Just done the same, did the first bend in the rolls, the second free hand using the end plates as formers. The copper must be kept well annealed then it bends like paper. Judicious taps with a planishing hammer gets the nice tight fit you need.

Keep on bashing.

Regards, Bruno

Hi David

I had the same internal debate before deciding on the VMC. Basically it came down to the fact that a moving knee is the same configuration as larger industrial mills so good provenance. In use it operates like a real mill, whatever that is, and with 3 axis DRO, which is esential in my opinion very easy to use. I am extremely pleased with mine.

A drawback l have heard of WM18 and their like is that you are forever reaching up high to the vertical movement wheel. Even on the VMC its a bit of a reach to get to the drawbar, and l am 6ft+.

I know there are similar from other supplliers but paying for delivery/install from Warco was well worth it. The mills are suprisingly large once in a small space. Another feature l thought was optional, but has proved essential is longitudinal powerfeed.

An expensive purchase and l am not sure that "she who must be obey,ed' has forgiven me yet.

By the way my mill is the latest with variable speed. Again another reason not to be accessing the top of the mill quite so often.

Best wishes in your deliberations.

Edited By Bruno Taylor on 28/01/2018 19:03:36

Edited By Bruno Taylor on 27/01/2018 17:17:03

Good Evening Everyone

Is anyone else building (or recently completed) a Princess Marina? and like to share their trials, tribulations and progess?

I am 50% through building the rolling chassis, that is wheels and coupling rods but no cylinders and valve gear.

I am combining LBSC's design with Martin Evans piston valve cylinders. lt all seems to work on CAD!

Anyway it's a start.

Bruno.

Many thanks for all your responses, in particular Steve, it's nice to know I'm not alone.

The lathe is the modern one with inverter drive and therefore no gearing to the headstock. The noise is usually initiated whilst machining but can also be there immediately on start up. The lathe does not have to be operating so the problem is unlikely to be the main drive motor. The only solution ever is turn off/turn on. Today I machined an out of balance piece including an intermittent cut but the noise did not manifest itself.

Consensus is that the cooling fans are the cause, whether they are faulty is also a possibility. It would be a shame if the fans are faulty after only a years hobby use. In a couple of days I will move it off the holding down bolts to access the back and check all the wiring, fans for looseness and all the electrical components and see if that makes a difference.

I have not had any response from Warco but will phone in a day or so.

Thanks once again, all ideas welcome.

Edited By Bruno Taylor on 15/11/2016 07:40:04

Thanks Alan, I also have sympathy with service departments and I have no real problem with the way Warco are dealing with it.

I have video'd the noise and sent it to Warco, I had hoped to link the video to this post but could not find a way to do so.