Member postings for John Andrews 2

Why bother with shellac and wax? Super glue is better and so is double sided sticky tape

Some months ago this magazine suspended deliveries of the REAL magazine to Australia on the excuse that we would be better served by getting the digital version.

"Live Steam" continues to arrive here from the USA (their mail service is usually much worse than the Poms) and the last edition was posted apparently from Jersey in the Channel Islands It arrived hereafter only about 4 weeks.

So, As I hate reading the mag on line - so much so that I have not bothered more than a few times - would the Editor please recommence deliveries with real paper magazines including all of those missed after cancelling mail delivery.

Other mail from overseas still gets here, though not as quickly as it used to. I cannot help suspecting that this is a money saving plot dressed up as a service to clients,

Alternatively if you will not resume paperr delivery cancel my subscription and refund the balance from when the online business started.

John Andrews

I need approx 2500 3/64 dia x 1/4 long brass or copper rivets.

I have emailed the ME advertiser "Sapphire Rivets" twice, but no reply.

They advertise in nearly every edition of ME, but do not answer. Does anyone know if the firm is still in business?

I had expectations that given the largish quantity I might get a better price than the usual $5 -$7 (AUD) per hundred most suppliers here quote.

Any ideas?

John A

Thanks everyone.

A friend in Brisbane has sent me a photocopy of the article. It looks easy enough to make, so that is on the list for soon.

John A

I have about 2500 brass rivets 3/64" diameter to set on the tender of my new loco.

On the first loco built, I set them with a home made set and a small ball pein hammer. But it only had about 300 rivets, and they were 1/16" dia copper.

BUT, I'm sure I have read somewhere of a tool - probably a squeeze tool of some sort - which might allow the job to be done more quickly. Most of them will be used to attach 1/4' x 1/4" x 1/16" angle to flat plates.

Any suggestions, either of a design to build, or of a tool to buy.

I have been looking at an old vyce grip tool, and considering how it might be modified.

John Andrews

I have rigged up lighting for the cab of my new 2-8-0 Baldwin 5 inch gauge using strips of LEDs (the kind you put in the kitchen cupboard), but because the boiler projects so far back into the cab, I cannot see the gauge glasses, and cannot get these LEDs any further to the rear so as to shine on the glasses.

Someone showed me a photo of a Victorian Railways steam loco cab which had lights at the side of each gauge glass, projected via a slit in a pipe onto the glass.

Does anyone have a photo of this arrangement, or something similar, or indeed any other suggestions for lighting the glasses? (There is an arrangement in the latest Australian Model Engineer for lighting the glass of a traction engine, but this is too large for this model)

Thanks

John A

Hello John,

I live in Melbourne, and I have followed your attempts to come to grips with this hobby with interest.

It's pretty obvious that you will be struggling to build the Simplex and you need some help.

What is being offered via the forum is excellent advice, but I feel that some personal contact would be very useful.

I don't know in which part of Tasmania you live, but there are three clubs ther of which I am aware.

They are at Evandale, near Launceston, Morven Park, Barclay St., Every Sunday, (Mail address PO Box 1422, Launceston),

Hobart, Lindisfarne, 289 Flagstaff Gully Rd, 1st and 3rd Sunday ( PO Box 930 Rosny Park 7018),

and North West, Ulverstone, Maskells Reserve, 51 Alexandra Rd, 1st and 3rd Sunday.

I only know one person in Tas in the hobby, and that is Peter Lawson at Evandale, and I'm sure he would be able to advise you. Tas is pretty small so no matter where you live, you should be able to find a club. You could also buy Australan Model Engineer - the January-February edition 2016 has a listing of all clubs in Aust and NZ.

Best of luck.

It is a long job. My current loco build has been going since 2008

John A

Thank you everyone.

As usual I have found this a very useful and friendly forum

Best Wishes

John A

I am planning to use a hydrostatic lubricator on my 5" gauge 2-8-0.

Can anyone tell me where to get a small quantity of glass tube about 1/2" to 3/8" in diameter. I cannot find it any of the suppliers lists.

G'day,

I am building a 5 in gauge loco. Boiler is 150mm dia by about 800 mm long.

Cylinders (2) are approx 42mm dia x 56 mm stroke.

Drivers are 109 mm dia.

I wish to fit two injectors. Can anybody recommend what size they should be?

Can anyone recommend injectors that actually work? I have tried two separate types (different makers) in my Marie E, and neither work.

Hi John,

I'm calling from Melbourne, Australia. I would strongly urge you to visit several clubs while in the UK, and check out what is running there. You will find places and dates in "Model Engineer" magazine, or perhaps on this website.

I started in this hobby after retiring in 1998, and it has kept me busy ever since.

If you intend to build your own boiler, I suggest you get copies of the Australian Codes for Model Boiler Making. They are available from "Australian Model Engineer" website, at about AUD $25.00 each. Recently produced is one for DUPLEX stainless. This is the only acceptable type of stainless steel usable in boilers. I would though recommend copper. I have built two boilers since retirement. One for an 0-4-0, the other for a 2-8-0. Not too difficult, just time consuming. The Boiler codes give a number of useful hints as well as specifications.

Best of luck

John A

Thank you everyone for your replies.

John A

I am about to design a coaxial superheater, with 1/2 inch outer stainless pipe and 5/16" inner copper pipe.

Question - Should the input steam go down the outer or the inner pipe?

I have seen learned discussion promoting both. Does anyone have any practical experience?

ALSO - I will use Stainless steel for the outer, copper for the inner. How do I stop them from sagging?

John A

Thank you all for your advice.

Michael, I received the same advice here. Trouble is I cannot tell where is the porosity, except that it is hidden deeply inside the casting. What you suggest would surely be foolproof, but extremely difficult.

Simon, your reply got the old brain cells going. I had been told that Loctite 209 (or 290?), the "wick-in" variety, did the job for the other loco built in NZ with the same castings. The chemist at Loctite in Melbourne recommended the same, but with the twist that the casting should be put in a tin, and a vacuum applied with a vacuum cleaner, and then heated to about 50 -70 deg C for about 30 minutes.

An internet search turned up two firms here which did the job commercially. I engaged the services of one, and the job was done in two days - I picked up the castings today. For $55.00.

They use the same idea, but with a bit more elaborate equipment. If it fails, then I guess major surgery is the only answer. The chap said it is used on turbine blades for turbochargrs, and he was confident it would stand up to the steam. The temp of saturated steam at 100 psi is about 170 deg C. Everybody claims that superheating does not increase the temp significantly at our sizes. I guess I will find out. The stuff used is rated to 207 deg C.

Thank you all for your advice

John A

Hello Tom,

I presume you are not in Australia.

The Australian Association of Live Steamers (AALS) publish standards for copper, steel, stainless steel (All up to 50 litres capacity) and also for very small boilers.

Visit the AALS website, and you could purchase a copy for about AUD$20.00.

This will assist greatly with your design.

John A

G'day All,

I am building a Baldwin C15, Queensland Railways 1879, virtually same as New Zealand "T" Class of the same vintage.

The bronze cylinder block was cast by a friend in NZ, and has steam passages and exhaust passages cast into the block, which is also a major part of the frame and has the smokebox support cast in also.

Cast Iron cylinder liners are fitted and all machining on the block is completed. The wheels and valve gear is complete, and it will run on air.

HOWEVER, there is leakage between the steam inlet and the exhaust outlet inside the casting. I have eliminated all other possible sources of leakage, and I can only conclude that there is either a small hole or porous bronze between the inlet and outlet passages.

I have canvassed club members for a solution, and two have been suggested.

I would particularly like to get advice from anyone who has actually had this problem (and fixed it) or who knows someone who has), with whom I can get in touch.

Of course, advice is always welcome from anyone else too, but I need a solution.

Many Thanks

John Andrews2

Thank you all for your suggestions.

The problem with your first suggestion Jason B is that I need to hold the drill to drill a hole to hold the drill...........etc!

I like the second idea better, and the micro drill adaptor will be very useful as will the small chuck.

I have ordered from ARC Euro Trade in the past and their service is astounding. On both occasions I placed an order on Thursday night (Eastern Australian Standard Time) and the items were delivered on the following Monday morning to my Melbourne address. And the prices were about 60% of what I would have paid here, even after air freight of about $45 per kilo. And the delivery was quicker than when I ordered from a firm on the other side of Melbourne.

I have a number of pin chucks, and have used them in the past for small drills, but none are concentric and they can only be used with a hand held drill where they centre temselves. A bit too fraught for 25 thou.

There is insufficient clearance for locknuts, but the split nut is a thought. Any comment on that!

I had not planned to file or flatten the wire - I can barely see it, hence the hole twice the diameter, plus it's less fragile.

Thanks all of you.

John A

I need to drill some very small holes in the end of a shaft (# 71 drill, which is .026" diameter). The purpose is to allow the use of a split pin (cotter pin) through slits in the end of a nut (ie a Castellated nut) to prevent it from coming off the shaft.

The shaft diameter is 5/32" and the castellated slits are about 20 thou wide.

I propose to make split pins using some soft iron wire from the centre of plastic bag ties (It is about 12 thou in diameter).

I propose to make a drilling jig by drilling a hole for the shaft in a 1/2" square piece of BMS, and then at right angles drill a # 71 hole at an appropriate distance from the end.

Two Questions:

1. Is this a good way o do the job? Is there an alternative (better) approach. (I am not sure Loctite will work).

2. How do I hold the very small drill? None of my chucks will hold a drill that small, and my smallest collet is 2 mm?

All suggestions gratefully received

John A

How do I get rid of the annoying adverts on the right hand side - right in the middle of the forum posts?

John A