Member postings for Jim Nic

I've got one of those on my Stew Hart mill engine mounted directly to the steam chest thus:

and here on the finished model:

I initially drove it with a Mamod traction engine drive spring but, not surprisingly, found it a bit "springy" giving an erratic drive. I have now replaced that with a flat rubber belt 2.5mm wide and 0.25mm thick. Unfortunately no picture of that. And before you ask I don't recall where I got it, probably from e-bay. The pulley size was, for me, trial and error until I got the governor spinning at a rate that I thought suitable. For me that was 12mm dia.

Just had a search in a few safe places in the workshop and found the left over belts I have.  Definitely from the bay, the packet label has a load of Chinese looking writing.  I have a few spare varying from 260mm total length down to 90mm so if you let me know how long you need I can possibly help.

Jim

Edited By Jim Nic on 30/07/2021 20:24:40

Very nice Rod, a real good looker and fine running too.

Jim

What do you mean when you say "turn it on". Do you mean when you apply power to the machine from the mains supply, in which case there is a fault because as far as I am aware the machine is fitted with an NVR switch. Or do you mean after power is applied and you press the "Go" button on the NVR switch, it is normal for the machine to then start and run at its slowest speed. You stop it by pressing the "Stop" button on the NVR switch.  Using the Emergency Stop button is not normally necessary unless there is an emergency.

HTH

Jim

Edited By Jim Nic on 21/07/2021 17:12:04

What a pity. I was delighted when it was announced a short time ago that it was on for this year and was planning on definitely going. Clearly, and understandably, there is too much uncertainty about what restrictions may be reimposed in a moving situation to be investing a lot of money in public events.

Maybe next year.

Jim

Amazing indeed.

And I still hear folk hankering after the "good old days" when you had to thumb through your supplier's catalogue, post off your order to the supplier with a cheque or postal order and then sit back and wait for a couple of weeks for your item to arrive.

Jim

I believe that Warco recommend starting and stopping their machines at low revs to avoid damaging the electronic control unit.

Jim

Bill if being a member here means so much to you I'm sure we can all accept a small slip here and there which matter not when set against your very useful advice in many threads. You are not the first, nor the last, to misread a post.

Let's face it, many of us will undoubtedly suffer your fate in due course and we then will wish for a little forbearance from other members.

Please don't leave.

Jim

Onwards and upward with the Norden. This is the end product as built by Neil Wyatt, our esteemed editor, who designed it:

This update shows my almost completed cylinder with the crocodile type crosshead guides:

and a family shot of progress to date:

The next item on the agenda is the slide valve. The steam chest is quite shallow at 10mm so a bit tight for my preferred slide valve mechanism of a valve rod operating on a bar a in slot machined across the valve. Neil has shown an alternative on his drawings so I may accept that he knows best and make that.

Jim

Hi Mark

Those connectors look to me like Model Engineer (ME) threads, a common thread for steam/air connections in the model engineering world. 1/4" is a common size but beware, they come in 32 and 40 threads per inch.

I use an airbrush hose to run my engines with one airbrush connector cut off and the rubber inner hose pushed over an adaptor similar to these (with some cyanoacrylate and a couple of small cable ties) to connect to the engine.

I may be able to help you sort out what you need, where are you based?

Jim

Good man Windy. Keep it up.

Jim

Well done, a good looking result, I particularly like the chunky base which sets off the brass very well. Are you sure it needs paint?, it looks good to me as it is.

Jim

A sad, but not unexpected, loss.

John had not been well for many years but soldiered on as long as he was able. One of my early modelling adventures was his Paddleduck design from which I learnt a tremendous amount, not just in the way engines work but also in how to think through construction methods. Thank you John.

Jim

Nicely done Pete.

Jim

Well done smf, a good looking version of Steve's design.

This was my first engine too, although not as much modified as yours.

Jim

I use water soluble coolant quite a lot although not the brand you quote. I find that if left to drain, the water that doesn't drain away evaporates from the mixture overnight leaving an oily film on the machines and swarf trays. The only problem, if you see it as such, is that where it gets trapped under slides or vices etc it leaves a harmless (as far as I know) stain in the metal. Never ever had any rust develop.

Jim

Making some more progress on my Norden engine. This is what I'm aiming at:

The frame and crankshaft bearings are done, latest fumblings involved making the cylinder. Here's the main components which replace the casting of the original model, the top and bottom flanges will be fixed with Loctite and the port face with JB Weld.

Here's the first scrapped attempt:

You may be able to make out the top of the broken off 8BA tap. I haven't broken a tap for ages but my mind wandered while I was doing the eighth one and that was that.

So I recovered the top flange, the rest went in he bin and I started again:

It's not easy to see why this also bounced off the wall but it moved in the vice when I was milling the brass port face and it ended up too thin and not square. So I started again again.

At last I successfully completed a cylinder and even got the cover done as well:

Steam chest next.

Jim

Nick

The notion of winding in a hand held wench intrigues me no end.

Sorry, not normally pedantic but I couldn't resist.

Jim

Good to see you got it done, got any pictures?

Jim

That's a good runner Rod. Well done.

Jim

If it's on then I'll be there. Like Howard, probably not to buy much but exhibitions and exhibitors need to be supported or we'll lose them all.

As always, I expect I'll arrive home with a few bits and bobs I didn't know I needed until I saw them.

Jim