Member postings for Henry Artist

+1 what he said.

So very, very true.

In the event that you are unable to obtain a Peatol (Taig) lathe there are a couple of alternatives you may like to consider.

• Sieg C0 ** LINK **
• Sherline model 4000 ** LINK **

Sherline lathes are a similar concept to the Taig lathe. Plenty of accessories available including DRO and CNC options.

Sieg C0 is the latest incarnation of the Unimat 3 (which was derived from the Toyo ML 210). As supplied it is a very nice, though small, plain turning lathe that can be lifted by one (strong) hand. Accepts all Unimat 3 accessories making it a very versatile machine and can become the heart of a small workshop. I would strongly urge you to obtain and read "Unimat 3 Lathe Accessories" by Bob Loader (#43 in the Workshop Practice Series).

I've been using a C0 for several years and am very happy with it.

More pictures in my albums.

I buy the sets of brushes sold in larger supermarkets for children's arts and crafts projects. They contain a selection of brushes of suitable size for clearing swarf from machines in the workshop and the bristles are of a synthetic material that resists oil and solvents. There are often a couple of sponges on sticks that I find handy for some jobs. These sets are not expensive - usually a couple of quid.

Ceramic paper is wonderful stuff! I use it as firebox insulation in my small stationary engines. It's a much better choice than asbestos. Available in various thicknesses from 1mm upwards.

Other materials to consider are Nomex and plumber's mat. You can get plumber's mat from B&Q or any good hardware store. Here at Генри Конструкторское Бюро we use Nomex to protect parachutes from the ejection charge on research rockets.

Using gas offers some significant advantages. You can run a boiler indoors and the heat is instantly controllable. Also, no smoke, soot, or bad smells.

I would strongly urge you to telephone Phil at Forest Classics to discuss your requirements.

** LINK **

Can you paint it?

Can you obtain soft jaws for your existing 3-jaw chuck? That might be the least expensive option to obtain concentricity.

I do like the type of soft jaw chuck favoured by Taig Lathes. The 'soft' part of the jaws are aluminium and replaceable.

** LINK **

It is important to consider the length of the chuck. A rotary table and chuck can occupy a lot of the available head room especially on smaller milling machines.

It is also worth considering direction of rotation whilst milling if using a chuck that is threaded onto a spindle. This is unlikely to be an issue for the OP but could be of interest to others.

It is important to remember that we were all new to this once and things that are blatantly obvious now may not always have seemed so.

The milling machine is the only machine in most* model engineering workshops that uses a drawbar.

If you have never ever owned or used a milling machine before the prudent thing to do would be to read the manual before you use it. Helpfully, Machine Mart have the instruction manual on their website and you can download it in pdf format before you buy the machine. ** LINK **

So I had a read and tried to see it as a novice would. I think the instructions are concise and clear so a first-time user should have no problems. However, I can also see where a novice could go down the wrong path due to ignorance.

The instructions do clearly state that before attempting milling the drill chuck should be removed and replaced with a milling chuck. Section 8 ends with "...unscrew the draw bar completely until the chuck can be removed, store removed parts safely." Section 9 states: "IMPORTANT: before plugging in and switching ON, ensure all items such as chuck keys tommy bars etc are removed."

Since the only times the drawbar is referred to in the instructions is when removing or installing a chuck it is conceivable that a total novice may regard it in the same way as the chuck key and tommy bar, i.e. its only function is to install or remove a chuck. They may not realise that the drawbar is supposed to stay in place and that it is the one and only thing that keeps the chuck from falling out while the machine is running and possibly causing injury!

*Yes, I know, 5C collets. But not everyone uses them.

Hmm... a 500w motor with a speed controller for £60.

I can think of a few vintage lathe owners who could easily adapt such a motor for their own lathes.

William,

if you look in the description box below the video there is a link to the build log for the engine. This should answer some questions for you.

Before building your first toy steam engine it is very easy to overthink things. It is important to remember these are simple mechanisms that are easy to construct.

Vertical boilers are easier to make than horizontal ones and take up less shelf space - an important consideration once the collection starts growing. However, horizontal boilers are more efficient (or rather, less inefficient).

I have seen many toy steam engines successfully made using K&S brass tube for the cylinder.

This is why my workshop is located, for the most part, within my house. I only go out to The Shed for activities that would seriously destabilise domestic harmony e.g. spray painting and silver soldering boilers.

< SIGH >

The Tubal Cain of YouTube fame is a 'merican gentleman who I believe used to teach machining in a high school. The author of the books was T D Walshaw, an English engineer, academic, and prolific contributor to the Model Engineer magazine.

Only one engine in the book is double-acting (Hercules). The others are single-acting so only require the cylinder to be closed at one end. There are many "rites of passage" in the world of model engineering and one of them is making a Polly. Even I have made one -

** LINK **

These days most people use gel fuel for their toy steam engines. No bad odours like you get with Esbit tablets and more convenient than Meths. In UK you can get gel fuel from B&Q.

The engines and boilers in Stan Bray's book can all be made with a lathe no bigger than a Unimat 3 or Sieg C0. The final project in the book is a locomotive.

Most toy steam boilers operate in the 10 - 20psi range.

The engine suggested by David George is an excellent project but will work better as a pneumatic engine than one run on live steam because there is waaaaay too much material in the cylinder which results in priming.

Edited By Henry Artist on 30/11/2020 11:04:22

My small workshop is in my house. In the interest of maintaining domestic harmony I have found it invaluable to have a bag type vacuum cleaner (made by Numatic) to hand. I also have a "sticky" doormat at the entrance to the room so I don't trail swarf throughout the house.

Many have looked at this thread but none have bitten so I'll have a go...

The liquid fuel most commonly used in lighters with a wick and flint ignition is called, unsurprisingly, "lighter fluid" (a.k.a. Zippo fuel, Coleman fuel, light naphtha, etc.) and does not react adversely with any metal or solder you could conceivably build such a lighter from.

Any type of brass can be used though a free-machining one like CZ121 might be preferable.

The availability of fully pre-machined kits for any kind of live steam engine is a bit limited. The bulk of the cost of production is in the machining of the parts so the difference in price to the customer between kit form and ready-to-run is not as large as you might think. Those customers who lack any form of workshop tend to prefer ready-to-run items anyway and those with a workshop generally machine their own, often from a casting kit.

Beyond a certain price point many people find it more cost-effective to buy a lathe and a milling machine, set up a small workshop, and build their own steam engines or refurbish second-hand ones.

So let's see what you can buy right now, today...

The simplest and cheapest model traction engine kit that you can get is the Wilesco D415. It can be obtained from Forrest Classics - ** WILESCO D415 LINK **

Yes, I know, it's toy steam but they are generally better than the offerings from Mamod and will run at a more realistic speed. Very easy to modify and upgrade with even very limited workshop facilities. Here's one I modified several years ago. There are more pictures in my album.

Also from Forest Classics there are the D.R. Mercer kits - ** D R MERCER LINK **

These are really nice engines and are loads of fun to build though they do require a bit of fettling to get them running well and can be temperamental at times. Very easy to modify and enhance. Like the Wilesco engines, if you plan on running one outdoors a gas burner is desirable.

Maxitrak, Kingscale, and Steam Traction World have also already been mentioned. It is certainly worth telephoning all of them to discuss your requirements. I have always been happy with the service provided by Maxitrak and Maidstone Engineering.

So there you go. Your options for kits are basically Wilesco, Mercer, Maxitrak, and Steam Traction World.

I think it is only fair to point out that for the cost of a 2" scale traction engine kit from Steam Traction World you could fully equip a very nice model engineering workshop. My own small workshop which has two lathes, a milling machine, drill press, bench grinder, and belt sander (all bought new) cost less than a Maxitrak 1" scale Fowler but my needs are modest and I only make small engines and boilers.

For many model engineers wanting to make their own traction engines, making the boiler usually proves to be the most challenging part. Happily there are several very good companies that offer ready made boilers and a boiler making service including Maidstone Engineering, GS Model Supplies, and Blackgates Engineering.

There is always the option of buying a second-hand traction engine and refurbishing it yourself though you may find that you will need to make new parts. I would buy direct from a reputable dealer, never from any of the well-known auction sites, and ONLY if it came with a valid Boiler Certificate. Most of the companies already mentioned have second-hand engines from time to time so it's worth phoning them. You can also try Station Road Steam and Preston Services .

N.B. Anything that is coal fired can ONLY be run outdoors!

When I need to cut intricate shapes in sheet metal (and thin wood) the best thing I have found is an inexpensive fretsaw and a bird's mouth bench hook. Works surprisingly quickly and it's easy to be accurate. It requires very little effort to cut metal this way. When sawing a "sticky" metal like copper it helps to rub a candle on the saw blade.

** LINK FOR FRETSAW **

** LINK FOR BENCH HOOK **

The problem I have found with scroll saws at the budget end of the market is that changing blades can be frustratingly fiddly. Scroll saws intended for trade use are much more "user friendly" but consequently cost significantly more. Only you can decide if the investment in such a tool is justified for what may turn out to be a one-off project.

A small bandsaw may be of more use in general in a workshop. Use it to remove the bulk of material then go in with a fretsaw for detailed cuts.

P.S. The secret to the successful use of a fretsaw or piercing saw is the bench hook yet they don't seem to get mentioned much these days...

Going to a museum is a wonderful way to learn how things were done in the past and to gain knowledge of how devices were constructed. Since it is not always possible (particularly at present) to visit museums in person having a museum that exists entirely online can be quite handy...

The Museum of Retro Technology is a work of almost encyclopaedic proportions that encompasses all that is strange, weird, bizarre, or just downright odd in the history of mechanical engineering.

** LINK **

Like all good museums it manages to educate and entertain in equal measure.

A word that has fallen somewhat from popular use in recent years is "artisan" and when it does get mentioned it is usually in the context of rural or pastoral handicrafts.

However, an artisan is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand.

For the purpose of this discussion an artisan could be, for example, a blacksmith, watchmaker, jeweller, locksmith, gunsmith, stonemason, or even a Model Engineer.

Can you show a diagram (with dimensions) of the part you wish to make? Doesn't have to be anything fancy - quick sketch on the back of an envelope will do.

It would also be handy to know what the metal is and what the part is for.