Member postings for Brian G

Is it my imagination, or does the glass on the oilers look rusty?

Brian

I've been wondering about the same problem for 16mm locos as I unsure of my ability to file or broach square holes accurately enough to replicate the method (squares on squares) used on commercial locos. Rather than assembling, drilling and pinning, would it be possible to first drill holes in all the cranks on a single setup (with rods passed through the axle and crankpin holes to maintain alignment)? You could then follow IanT's method to drill holes at 90 degrees in the axles, pinning the cranks to the axles on assembly.

Incidentally Geoff, regardless of how you choose to quarter the axle, would it be possible to pin across the cranks rather than inline with their throw?  That way you could drill right through, allowing you to heat the cranks and make a tool to push the pins out.

Brian

Edited By Brian G on 15/04/2017 09:56:15

Have you tried the estimators on www.custompartnet.com **LINK** ?

Brian

Edited By Brian G on 29/03/2017 11:14:32

With commercial aircraft there is a cheat available. My son became curious about airliners flying over us, installing "Plane Finder" on his phone let him identify the aircraft and its destination.

Brian

Digital and physical aren't exclusive. My son works in a computer game studio, yet last year he wanted a lathe for his 21st birthday.

Brian

I wonder if any problems from ethanol in petrol only affect post 1968 vehicles, as before then Cleveland Discol was readily available? If so, could it be due to the use of plastics instead of cork?

Brian

Possibly a good thing, many motorists have the same difficulty as Father Dougal with "this is small, they are a long way away".

Brian

For the workshop or just as the perfect way to crack a breakfast egg?

Brian

Rather than gloves which could get caught up and do some real damage, how about replacing machine handles with wood or plastic so they are less efficient at sinking the heat from your hands? Away from rotating machinery, gloves with a "Thinsulate" layer may offer the best compromise of warmth and feel.

Brian

As we do not possess a test certificate for the tank or boiler, we decided to test both before presenting the boiler for testing. An earlier thread carried a link to this test schedule, so our intention was to test to 185 psi and to use only pure butane.

**LINK**

The tank is in a well ventilated position right under the roof of the open backed-cab and in operation is unlikely to be affected much by the boiler, but it could become heated in the sun as the model doesn't have the double roof of the prototype.

I had wondered about a round tank concealed in a box, but didn't want to make any change to the gas capacity until we know the run time of the loco. As the tank/valve/jet assembly is easy to remove, one option might be to do this as a display tank, with an alternative longer cylinder (perhaps rated for mixed gas) for extended running, although the off-axis location of the filler (dictated by the existing hole in the cab roof) could be an issue.

Brian

Hi Jason, the tube is 16 gauge, my drawing is right (or at least matches the materials I have bought), my posting is wrong. On the original tank the ends are also thicker than the tube but this is the only stay fitted.

Brian

Hi

My son and I are returning a 25-30 year-old Steamlines "Rheidol" 16mm locomotive to use and decided to start with hydraulic testing, under which the butane tank sprang a leak at just over 100 psi.

The tank is a square 20 gauge brass tube 1.25" x 1.25" x 1.625" long. A 6BA stay connects the two 18 gauge brass ends and is nutted externally. We would like to make a new tank that resembles this closely as it is visible in the cab of the locomotive.

The planned replacement uses 18 gauge tube and 1/8" ends, with a single 1/8" bronze stay. This should both increase the stiffness of the tank and more than double the area of the silver soldered joint.

Should we also add cross stays to the tube or just build and test this design, (Or is it better to exactly copy the failed tank as it is an established design?)

As far as I can see there should be 12 divisions, with the additional one being either 0 or 12 depending on your preference. That way the spacing between selected numbers will be constant, i.e. 1...5...9...1 with three spaces between and 1..4..7..10..1 with two spaces. For 8mm pitch you can use any two opposite divisions as the 4mm thread passes twice per revolution. On the chart it says 1.....7.....1 with 5 spaces between, but any opposite pair would work.

Probably easiest to think of it as the numbers on a clock face, pick any point to be 12 o'clock and mark it up from there. There won't be an absolute right place to start, it's just about repeatability.

Brian

There is a name for the US system Tim, the United States Customary System (which, just to muddy the water, they often call "English units".

I'm not sure it would help however if there was a general name for non-imperial units as there are so many of them. I drew an Austrian railway station for a (postponed) model, and realised that despite metrication in 1871 the dimensions were round numbers of feet and inches (just like timber here in the UK). Except of course, they would have been Austrian Fuß and Zoll (316mm and 26.34mm), with just as good a right to be called "Imperial" as ours. With a quick web search I found there were dozens of different pre-metrication units, particularly across the German lands.

Brian

Canadians use imperial gallons Michael, hence the difference in mpg between Canadian and US versions of the same car. One forum I belong too has a majority of North American members and there the US system is often referred to as "customary units" avoiding confusion with imperial (which replaced customary units across the empire in 1826, hence its absence in the US).

Brian

Is a demolition screwdriver (the kind where the shaft goes through the handle so you can hit it with a hammer/stone/forehead) the ultimate multi-tool?

Very O/T for model engineering but bang on for this topic

Brian

If not too large, would the gong from a rotary fire alarm be suitable (although it would need drilling for the centre operating rod)? Alternately, although shipping adds a bit, the signal bells formerly used in US filling stations are common on eBay.

Only concern is, would a bell be legal on a new-build vehicle? I understood that they were reserved for emergency vehicles.

Brian

My son has one of the cheap "Evolution" chop saws from Screwfix (very cheap - 110V in their sale was half price) with a TCT blade that will cut timber as well as metal (although remember to remove any sawdust from the bag before cutting steel). Works OK although the clamping seems to have been designed for partitioning etc. so it doesn't hold smaller materials or round bar that well - making a vice for it is on the "to do" list.

In the past I am sure both RDG and Chronos had them, as well as M12 x 1 chucks, but I cannot see any now. There is one on eBay though **LINK**

Brian

If there is enough space between the tailstock and the workpiece for the 3MT drill and its shank, you might use a "Jump Sleeve" like this **LINK** (usual disclaimer - I am sure there are plenty more out there). If you haven't got one already you will also need an extraction wedge.

Brian