Member postings for Paul Lousick

Hi Andrew,

Have not used the heat shrink tape. Only saw it in the store. They also have a liquid insulation tape which is painted onto a cable.

Paul.

Doug,

If there is moisture in the surrounding air, it will condense in the compressed air lines and drip out the end of the gun. ( the air cools as it expands, like in a refrigerator). I use a moisture separator, attached to the compressor outlet to trap moisture. Important if you are spraying paint.. If high air humidity, I add a second separator to the end of the air hose before it goes into the spray gun.

Paul.

Heat shrink tape is available in Australia at Jyacar Electronics. (should be available at electronic part shops in UK)

Specification: Ideal for emergency repairs or when you aren't able to use a piece of tubing. It conforms to odd shapes that heatshrink tubing is unable to, and has a low melting point adhesive for easy installation. It also remains flexible at extremely low temperatures.

• Operating temperature: -40 - 105°C
• Shrink temperature: 125°C
• 25mm wide x 5m roll

Hi Phil,

I am not familiar with the Boxhill but the choice of using the interior or exterior dimensions should depend on which is the best fit with the mating parts.

Paul.

Hi,

This type of boring bar is available which takes HSS inserts at the end. One end has a square hole which is perpendicular to the axis and another hole at the other end at 45 degrees. The HSS cutter is held in place by a grub screw in the end of the holder. They are available in different sizes to accept 1/8", 3/16" 1/4" and 5/16" square HSS cutters. Just bought one for 3/16" cutters for $25. The cutter tip is easy to sharpen and a little practice will get it right.

Paul.

Good one Neil. I am still perfecting the design. (got the idea from a book about Arabian knights and carpets)

Will post an article when I get the bugs ironed out. Paul.

Thanks Jeff,

The DRO image was done in Solidworks but the images of the mill stand with trolley are photographs. (Have been designing in Pro-Engineer and Solidworks for about 10 years but have not built anything with 5,000 parts). My mill trolley does not have any jacking or levelling but a jacking screw could easily be added at each corner.

Paul.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 14/05/2015 08:34:27

Hi Neil, (Levitation accessory) What are you looking at ? Paul.

Mark,

Casters only swivel but remain stationary on a flat floor. I was lucky enough to have a steel beam above the ceiling of my workshop and attached a block and tackle to lift the mill.

Paul.

Hi Clive,

The SX3 cabinet which I bought has 2 shelves inside. Mounted the clamp set on one side and added racks in the front door for storing tools. It only has swivel casters (not jacking) and is stable when milling. Coolant pump and tank is now mounted on the rear of the cabinet.

The support arm for my DRO attaches to the back of the mill

Paul.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 13/05/2015 14:19:45

Hi Mark,

When I bought my SX3, also ordered a support stand for it (From Hare & Forbes in Parrammata). I then fabricated a frame for the wheels. (disregard the battery. was for my first coolant system using a car windscreen washer pump)

Paul.

The working length of the scales should be longer than the maximum travel of the mill. If the scales bottom out they could be damaged.

Paul.

Unless you are building the boiler to engineering certified drawings and have it checked by a boiler inspector, I can only say one word:- BOOM !!!!

Hi Simon,

Julian's suggestion to join a boiler club is the best way to start your project. Your loco will have to be certified by a club inspector before it can run on their tracks. The 5" and 7 1/4" gauge for locos normally refers to the width of the rails, not the diameter of the boiler a 7 1/4" gauge loco has a boiler about 10" diameter, similar to that on my 6" Ruston Proctor TE.

Steel is a suitable material. Anti-rust treatment and storage procedures are used to prevent corrosion. Copper is better but more expensive.

I am in Australia and have to build the boiler to the AMBSC Boiler Code – Part 2 – Steel Boilers. A summary of the requirements are:

250-700 kPa (36-101 psi), Fire tube boiler – 50 litres max., Water tube boiler – 25 litres max.

Barrel diameter 4” – 14” Dia., Barrel thickness not less than 6mm

AS 1074 pipe fittings are not suitable (standard pipe fittings from hardware shop)

Good luck with your engine, Paul.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 12/05/2015 00:43:07

Hi David,
The first thing I would check is to see if the tapered hole in the RT is on centre.

You did not say how the chuck is then attached. Is it to a backing plate ? If so check if this is concentric with the taper. A photo would be good to see how it is mounted.

Are you able to mount the chuck on a lathe and check run-out ?

Paul.

My LED's are just connected to a 12v DC power supply from an old cordless phone.

Hi Dennis,

Your strainer is probably not removing all of the dissolved solids and the blockage could be a calcium build-up. (very hard deposit, like the build-up in a coffee maker or a steam iron which has to be flushed with a cleaner to dissolve the calcium).

A gauge glass blow-down test should be performed at every start-up (and change of operator) to ensure that the passages are clear. Water sample tests and boiler blow-downs should be performed regularly to remove rubbish at the bottom of the boiler.

Paul.

Another option to telescopic gauges is a dial bore gauge. Available in different ranges and comes with a dial indicator.

Paul

Hi Nicholas,

That is what we are saying. The dimensions for the legs are missing and have not been dimensioned by whoever made the drawing. In Autocad I have to click on all of points than need dimensioning. In Solidworks I can automatically add all of the dimensions but the software does not always position the dimensions where I would like them and therefore prefer to do this manually.

Yes, R3 = 3mm radius

Paul.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 21/04/2015 13:23:28

Not a failing of the drawing program but one of operator error.

CAD is only another tool and still requires the input from the drafter. Some packages can automatically dimension a part but it is normally left to the operator to correctly layout the drawing and dimensions. (Missing dimensions can also exist on hand made drawings.) This is one of the common problems with drawings, especially for model engines which are made by un-experienced operators.

You may be able to obtain the missing dimensions by using the mating parts.

Paul.