Member postings for julian atkins

hi allan,

i wouldnt have taken anymore off but added some light graphite oil or 2 in 1 oil - assuming you had not already done so. makes a huge difference. otherwise the 'O' ring is acting like an eraser - try an ordinary eraser on your cylinder bore and see what it does to the eraser!

you have made a superb job of the valve crosshead - a very complicated assembly.

i use the 4-jaw for chucking piston rods with the material overlength and the piston end supported by tailstock centre. if the jaws leave any marks (which they sometimes do) then i can cut off the excess. appreciate you probably didnt have sufficient material to do this. anyone else had difficulties getting collets to tighten sufficiently for machining piston rods, screwing onto the pistons, and finishing the pistons? ive got the standard myford collets.

cheers,

julian

Edited By julian atkins on 25/12/2013 22:21:05

i like the 'final' solution, and the engineering discussion that ensued beforehand!

if you want any ebony ive got quite a bit. in fact ebony being so dense would avoid the need to use aluminium, and avoid any potential resonating frequencies you wont want to have.

cheers,

julian

hi dave,

difficult to know without examining the loco myself. one dose should be enough. the only sure fire method is to add some hot water to the boiler, jiggle it about, and then unscrew the whole of the blowdown fitting in a good light and catch what comes out (and inspect same) and then inspect what crud may be around the blowdown boiler bush on the inside. i would try the regulator gland test first, as best not to disturb boiler fittings if at all possible.

cheers,

julian

if this instrument is on a "higher plane" it doesnt deserve a great big hole being drilled into it!!!

a most interesting thread with some wonderful engineering solutions and ingenuity!

i dont play the guitar, and my eldest daughter who does (professionally), doesnt use a strap. i play the ukulele banjo (george formby style), and the thought of using a strap is anathema to players of same. it is very difficult to hold same when standing up, but that's the way it's done. the thought of drilling the neck heel on some of my very expensive ukulele banjos just isnt worth considering, even though playing of same would be far more comfortable and easier.

ive done all sorts of other jobs on same in the workshop including re-fretting, and fitting planet tuners. i notice that with a quality instrument the neck resonates and you can feel same. anything that might affect same ie drilling it might be detrimental as well as affecting the potential re-sale value of same.

i think there is something to be said for learning how to hold the instrument and putting up with the lack of a strap. a completely non-engineering solution im afraid!

cheers,

julian

my eldest daughter who is a very good guitarist says no way should you even consider drilling the neck heel, instead tie a shoe lace around the head just above the nut like everybody else does. and depending on how your neck is fixed to the body plus if there is a truss rod there may be an awful lot that mustnt be disturbed in the neck heel.

cheers,

julian

Edited By julian atkins on 21/12/2013 13:20:04

hi rod,

if you use the old fashioned slot drills (of which i seem to have quite a few) then i would disagree. they are basically 2 sided 'D' bits with straight sides.

'D' bits, pin drills. counter bore cutters etc can all easily be made out of silver steel and make the life of building the smaller locos much easier, and easily made in the home workshop and will last a life time. i dont know what i would do without mine even though ive a dore westbury mill etc. as a simple example it is much easier to make the knuckle joints of 2 parts coupling rods with a counterbore cutter. ive made a whole set of special 'D' bits for making unions of all sorts of ME sizes that you wouldnt get commercially in any event.

cheers,

julian

hi douglas,

perhaps a bit late but you could make your former out of turned candle wax then melt out.

cheers,

julian

hi roy,

the instructions are (if i remember correctly, as my original tin has rusted) is to heat to red heat then plunge in the powder, then reheat to red and plunge in water. ive never quite understood this method. i coat the work in kasenit mixed to a paste in water (not a lot of water mind you). i heat to red heat as long as i want then plunge in water. very good quite deep case hardened surface this way and no scale either.

look after your kasenit as it isnt available anymore!

cheers,

julian

hi dave,

do try the regulator gland drip test when you next get a chance.

i would suggest that when the regulator gland starts to drip and you have just over half a glass in the water gauge, that looks to be about the very maximum you would want to fill the boiler anyway. firstly you need steam space above, and secondly (as LBSC used to say using a pan of water on the stove analogy) the less water you have in the boiler the better will be the steam production.

the top of your glass is far too high. this is a problem sometimes with elbows for the top fitting on the boiler.

please always blow the boiler down after each steam up.

cheers,

julian

i do like these old lathes! a most interesting post and links!

cheers,

julian

hi dave,

there is a simple method of proving the water gauge reading from your pic (which is very useful). if the regulator gland isnt tight (if so slacken it off) see when the water gauge reading gets to the regulator level. a slow drip of water should disappear and turn to steam (perhaps easily seen on a cold day than a hot summer's day!). similar to the GWR try cock arrangement..

my initial thought from your pic confirmed my view that the water gauge reading is perfectly ok as the bottom fitting is quite high. check via the inside of the firebox with a rule allowing for the thickness of the inner firebox wrapper - the water gauge reading should be 1/4" dia above same when the water level is at the firebox crown ( the water gauge usually showing a reading 1/4" above the actual water level when in steam).

i do like the manifold/turret and steam valves - you have done a very tidy job which looks very good!

cheers,

julian

Jason get there before me with a fuller explanation!

thanks Jason! glad the 'tip' is of help and surprised it isnt more well known and not mentioned on the drawings etc

cheers,

julian

hi roger gray,

i was very sorry to have been the omen of bad news, but it is extremely difficult to repair old boilers, let along new ones with defects. no point beating about the bush with these things im afraid. your SPEEDY loco boiler obviously wasnt built to the drawings hence the variation in the superheater flue tube diameter.

TIG welding of boilers as a repair is very dodgy unless you know exactly what type of copper the boiler was made from - it should be de-oxidised copper. i am not surprised that other leaks developed, and in fact may have developed anyway and not be related to the TIG welding.

glad to hear you have ordered a new boiler. they arent too difficult to make IMHO, though not cheap, but considerable less costly than a commercially made boiler. hope you get the loco running again soon.

cheers,

julian

hi allan,

you have done extremely well with the valve spindle. well done! i hate making these things in stainless.

you need to file a small flat on the 3/32" end.

cheers,

julian

michael's advice as always is excellent.

perhaps fill the boiler with boiling water from lots of kettles with sodium hydroxide added? (drain cleaner from wilko's £2.50 a bottle). it is recommended by johnson matthey for removing flux deposits.

cheers,

julian

hi roger gray2

leaking superheater flues on an old boiler? not a 'cracking boiler' in my book! not for re-sale either other than to the scrapman. you should get £40 for it scrap.

if your club boiler inspector reads your posts he wont be very happy.

there is nothing wrong with LBSC's return bend design on SPEEDY unless you made the blocks oversize. you should have bought a smaller flue brush and regularly kept them clean. in 1" flues there is ample space around well made return bends to sweep the flues and keep them clean.

no sympathy whatsoever im afraid.

cheers,

julian

hi dave,

can you post a pic of the backhead and gauge?

sorry to hear of the further problems. my suspicion is that when in steam the boiler level is showing accurately. why would you let the boiler 'cool down' instead of blowing the water out of the boiler using the blowdown valve at 15 psi? you should never leave water in a new boiler or any other time when cool.

cheers,

julian

for a flash steam boiler i would be inclined to use silverflo 24 silver solder, or sifbronze. sifbronze is what i use on superheater return bends (non-radiant type).

cheers,

julian

hi Lofty76,

i dont know for for how long and how often you run your TICH and MAISEE, but portsmouth water is the same as supplied to much of the IW, and it is definitely a hard water area. you wont necessarily notice a problem, but please keep under review!

cheers,

julian