Member postings for Henry Artist

Progress continues...

With the burner intalled beneath the boiler and the boiler connected to the engine we have the basic elements of a functional steam plant ready for a test run.

A Mamod flywheel was fitted to the engine and connected to the line shaft with 2mm nitrile rubber drive band. This works waaay better than the springy metal drive bands. I affixed some Wilesco workshop tools to a board for the test run. So much more interesting to watch an engine driving something...

Edited By Henry Artist on 02/05/2017 20:52:33

Perhaps plans could be published in Model Engineer magazine for a stirling engine powered gramophone? Such things really did exist and would appeal to the Hipsters out there with vinyl records being all popular again...

Some young people can be very creative and the "maker" movement should not be dismissed out of hand. Showing how the principles of model engineering can be applied to other hobbies can get people interested in engineering in general.

I think making an ordinary bicycle would be a fascinating subject for a "build thread".

Are you going to make a standard one or one of those American contraptions with the small wheel at the front?

Breaking taps may be more down to technique rather than brand...

Using a slightly larger tapping drill can make a real difference e.g. for M2.5 I would use a 2.10mm - 2.15mm drill in preference to the recommended 2.05mm depending on the material. YMMV.

Using a lubricant like Trefolex can also help.

Without a little more information it is difficult to give a meaningful answer...

What are the dimensions involved?

What is the material?

Can we see a picture?

P.S. If you want to get young people interested in model engineering going down the live steam route may be more successful than running something on compressed air. There's fire involved and the (albeit remote) possibility that the thing might explode...

"Oh, but that's DANGEROUS!"

Well most machine tools found in a workshop will maim or kill if you give them half a chance...

Just remember not everyone who might have an interest in model engineering lives in a home with a garage... nor have room for a shed. Some people live in apartments and a lot of stairs may be involved.

Stuff to "get you started"...

• Safety glasses.
• A robust table or workbench. A Black & Decker Workmate can be very useful in the absence of other suitable work surfaces.
• Drill press - in UK the "Silverline" brand machines are inexpensive and good quality.
• Drill vice.
• A compound drill vice is not expensive and will help with accurate hole drilling.
• 100mm bench vice. If it swivels that can be a bonus. Inexpensive jaw protectors can be made from aluminium angle bought from B&Q.
• Small and medium size engineer's square.
• Scriber and some BIG felt pens for marking out. A Sharpie pen is also useful.
• Automatic centre punch.
• Small adjustable spanner. (The best you can lay your hands on.)
• Hacksaw and junior hacksaw.
• Steel rule and digital calliper. If you can afford a small digital height gauge you will find it super useful.
• Set of needle files.
• (Soft) Soldering equipment - butane plumber's torch, pen torch, electrical solder, flux, Vermiculite tile at least 250mm x 250mm x 30mm.
• Various hand files, spanners, screwdrivers, drill bits, centre drills, taps and dies, clamps, wet 'n' dry paper, etc. as needed.

"Building Simple Model Steam Engines" Books 1 & 2 by Tubal Cain and "Making Simple Model Steam Engines" by Stan Bray contain lots of super helpful "How to" information for novices.

Sooner or later a lathe will be required though you'd be amazed how far you can get before you feel the need to invest in one. A mini-lathe (e.g. C3, CJ18, etc.) is ideal. If you do not have the room for a mini-lathe something smaller like a Sieg C0, Unimat 3, Taig, etc. will do just fine. ALL of the designs in Stan Bray's book can be made with a drill press and a Sieg C0.

So how much does it cost to set up a workshop? Without a lathe you can do it for around £500 or less at today's (2017) prices even if you had to buy everything new. With a lathe £1000 - £1500 is a realistic estimate. But of course very few people set up a complete workshop all in one go. Workshops grow and evolve over time which helps to spread the cost.

The above steam engine was constructed from the Opitec 420 kit (with a few modifications). The Opitec 420 can be built with hand tools and a drill press, no lathe is required. It is designed to be built by schoolchildren.

**LINK**

Something else to think about...

Most budget hobby lathes (including the C3/CJ18A, etc.) turn too fast for thread cutting even on their lowest speeds. To cut threads many owners find it easier to use taps and dies held in the tailstock and turn the chuck or workpiece by hand with the power off.

Of course there is always more than one way of doing things and half the fun of learning to use a new machine is finding which methods work best for you.

Posted by Christian Sprog�27/04/2017 10:35:41:
Ohhhhh , completely ran over the Sieg c0 lathe. Have Been lurking for months now, and what i have learned so far, is that it looks like the majority og the lathes avalible , Are All made in China. Im having a craving for buying the used Emco 5, the 8 is too big for my workspace, dont know if the c0 is too small, and the c1 clones here, Are allmost as expensive as the Optimum. But for half the price of the Optimum, i can get a Sieg c0 + the top slide + drill Chuck + some tooling and delivery. But the c0 lacks auto fred.
Boy oh boy, This is Harder than i thought,

Most of the parts I make on my C0 are less than 25mm diameter and less than 50mm long. I do not think the lack of auto-feed is a handicap. ArcEuroTrade do sell an auto-feed for the C0 but I have never felt the need to use it.

If you do choose to buy a C0 I would recommend you buy the tailstock adapter sold by Arc to solve any tailstock alignment issues you may encounter.

It is an excellent little lathe for hobbyist use. Because it is so small it is very rigid and I get a really good finish on the parts I machine with it. For the money, it is surprisingly accurate. However, if you intend to use a small lathe to earn a living you may like to consider something more "up-market" like a Cowells, Taig or Sherline.

Proxxon also make very small lathes but I have never seen a review from an owner...

I have a Sieg C0 and it's an absolute joy to use especially when making small parts in brass, aluminium and mild steel. I added an Emco QCTP which allows me to use 8mm indexable tools. For some jobs it is quicker and easier to use than my C3.

Like any tool if you can work within its limitations you will be happy. Trying to go beyond the limits of a machine leads to frustration so think carefully about what you want to achieve.

Using a lathe or a milling machine is a bit like making love. Best results are obtained if you pay attention to the feedback.

Ooops!

Are the glasses filled with beer or vodka?

If you want something like a Victorian steam toy you could always build a Birmingham Dribbler - no need for any track!

Meths (or if you don't mind the smell, Esbit) would be safer than paraffin and simpler than gas.

32mm track is cheaper than 45mm track to buy new though you stand a better chance of finding second-hand LGB track on eBay.

You may like to look at Mamod locomotives for inspiration though, as I said earlier, a Kraftlok would be the easiest to build.

I'll assume you intend to run on 32mm track. ("Gauge" and "Scale" do not mean the same thing.)

De Winton type locomotives are a popular subject particularly with those wanting to build something from scratch. If you want something that looks more like a regular locomotive (i.e. horizontal boiler and cab at the rear) a Kraftlok is about the simplest design.

I still use blowlamps for some jobs. Gas torches are very convenient for most soldering and brazing tasks but for boilermaking the soft bushy flame of a blowlamp is wonderful for getting heat into the copper.

I use modern blowlamps rather than antiques. Yes, they are still made because butane and propane gas are not readily available in all parts of the world.

The blowlamps I use are made by Motor Sich. They are made from steel and while they are primarily designed to use gasoline, by changing the jet size kerosene can be used as an alternative fuel.

The very comprehensive instructions include not only how to use the lamp but also maintenance, troubleshooting, and complete testing procedures. Helpfully, they are bilingual being written in both Ukrainian and Russian.

Those of a nervous disposition who have only ever used butane powered DIY gas torches may find a sudden and pressing need to change their underwear when using one of these for the first time...

Most Wilesco engines use a slip eccentric.

The Maxitrak Allchin uses Stephenson's linkage on a piston valve engine.

If you want a reverser valve (i.e. it swaps the inlet and exhaust) go read "Making Simple Model Steam Engines" by Stan Bray.

That looks like a super useful tool.

Back to building a steam plant...

The Bix 009 burner has been installed in the firebox and tuned in accordance with the comprehensive instructions that came with it. You can buy Bix burners here - **LINK** (Shameless plug! )

The boiler has been test steamed. It works! Yay!

The boiler was then temporarily connected to an MSM Tyne marine plant for further testing. Since it ran the Tyne engine in a satisfactory manner I felt more confident about this project. (Well there are always those nagging doubts... Will the boiler be big enough? Will it make enough steam?)

Using the procedures detailed in the previous post, the VR1A has finally been connected to the boiler.

The engine is mounted on a block of wood to give clearance for the flywheel.

Between the engine and the block of wood there is some aluminum sheet. This prevents the engine becoming stuck to any varnish or paint that will be used on the block. (Been there. Done that. Had to use a gas torch...)

A T piece has been fitted at the steam outlet from the boiler so orphan engines can be run in future.

Some thoughts on plumbing. (For novices. Old hands can skip this bit.)

The most common sizes of pipe that I use on my little steam engines are 3mm, 4mm, 1/8" and 5/32". Pipe benders like this - **LINK** - are great. They are available EVERYWHERE and prices vary wildly (from about £10 to over £30 for the same <expletive deleted> tool!) so shop around. For tighter bends I like to use Du-Bro pipe benders which you can get from all good Radio Control model shops. Just remember to anneal the pipe before you try to bend it.

Silicone hose is a handy way to make temporary pipes. If you get the right size it can be a push fit on existing metal pipes and be steam tight. (Usually about 1mm undersize on the internal diameter for the silicone hose.)

Unless you are playing with real, honest-to-God, superheated steam you don't need to use silver solder for plumbing connections. Soft solder will work just fine and it's easier to correct mistakes. Solder paste is a popular alternative to electrical solder and flux.

How to make neat pipework without tears.

Many people seem to struggle with making neat plumbing on model steam plants. Often this is because they fasten all the components down to the base board first then try to connect them. It can be a devil of a job to get pipes to fit. I take a slightly different approach. (Other methods are available. Just go with whatever works for you.)

I usually start with the boiler as this often has the most pipes connected to it. Having worked out roughly where everything will go - see previous post - the boiler is fastened to the base. Then I select a component I want to connect to the boiler. Let's use the hand pump as an example.

The hand pump is placed on the base board in approximately the position I want it to be. Then I make the pipe from the boiler to the hand pump. Only when I am satisfied with the pipe and it has been connected from the boiler to the hand pump is the final location of the pump marked, holes drilled, and fastened to the base board. And so it continues... First place the component on the board, then make the pipe, then fasten the component to the board.

Time to start putting things on the base board. You can just see it in the picture with the minions.

You can use anything you like for a base board. Generally whatever you happen to have to hand. This one is actually a wooden chopping board bought in the local supermarket. It measures approximately 40cm by 28cm and is made of beech which is a nice hardwood.

It comes shrinkwrapped in plastic which saves me from having to wrap it in clingfilm before glueing sheets of paper to it. (A spray adhesive like 3M Craft Mount works great.) You can glue the paper directly to the wood if you like. To get it off later just soak the paper with white spirit to release the adhesive. Obviously this works best on unvarnished wood. Cartridge paper is ideal but inkjet printer paper is fine too. The point of all this is it gives me a convenient surface I can draw marking out lines, scribble and jot notes on without marking the board beneath.

Some time is spent placing the components of the steam plant on the base board and then moving them around until I'm happy. If this bit goes here will I have enough room for that bit there? Can I reach a valve without buring my fingers on an adjacent steam pipe? Will there be enough room for everything? Pipecleaners are a cheap and easy way of simulating pipework. Tin cans, blocks of wood, and bits of tube can all be used in place of components yet to be built.