Member postings for Paul Lousick

Some full size engines use aluminium with cast iton rings to reduce the mass of piston.

Car engines have aluminium alloy pistons and cast iron rings.

Got mine from

http://stores.ebay.com.au/dreammacys6au?_trksid=p4340.l2563

Search for: 48 SMD White LED Light Panel T10 Festoon Ba9s Dome 12V

Michael,

A bargain and better than the lights which I had already added to the mill. The originals were mounted on flexible arms and mounted to the side of the column. (you can see one of them in the top photo) They originally had incandescent lamps fitted but they would not stand up to the constant vibration and quickly failed. Replacing the globes with LED's solved this but they were always getting in the way of the drill lever and the electric cables powering the drive motor. These do a much better job, there is no glare from the lights and they are directly over the work area.

Paul.

These are 48 white LED panels which I have mounted on my milling machine. Bought them on e-bay for $2.59 each which included free postage from Hong Kong.

Powered them from an old 12v plugpack. They come with double sided tape which I stuck to the underside of the mill head. (shown below iluminating work area)

Hope that thus was useful.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 30/01/2013 11:15:22

Hello Berra,

All steam engines have drain cocks on both sides of the cylinder to drain any water that may be in the steam lines. When you first start a steam engine you leave the cocks open and only close them after the engine has been warmed thru and all of the water disappears.

Water does not compress and if the cylinder is full of water when the piston is advance you will either bend a piston rod, crack the cylinder head or blow the end off your cylinder head.

Hope this was useful, Regards, Paul.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 29/01/2013 08:26:53

I have not driven a loco so can only talk about experience with injectors and pumps on traction engines and road rollers. Often we tow a heavy trailer loaded with water, wood and coal and find that the injector is temperamental about changes in steam pressure when going up and down hills. The injector normally is reliable when the engine is stationary. (like outside the pub).

I too am a "belts and braces man" and prefer at least 2 different ways to get water into the boiler. The Ruston Proctor which I an building is designed for an injector and a Moore pump (like a Weir pump) but I want to add a mechanical pump as well.

Regards, Paul.

Hello John,

I drive full size traction engines, Fowler, Aveling and Porter, Alchin and find it is much easier to use a mechanical pump. Just turn one valve to supply water to the boiler. Injectors are a bit more finicky. And yes, there are problems with air locks and leaking seals. Good maintenance required !

With injectors, you turn the water on and carefully throttle the steam valve to inject the water. Often does not work the first time. Some injectors also work best at different pressures. Sometimes there is a low pressure and a high pressure injector. If the injector is too hot it will not pick-up. Injectors require a steady steam pressure and if you are rolling you have to back off on the throttle or the injector will drop out.

I doubt if you could use your injector to run continuousy for a track run. They are sized to deliver a set volume of water, normally much more than a pump and cannot be throttled. A pump works continually and dumps the water back into the tank when not required. When you turn the pump valve, water is diverted from returning to the tank and is fed to the boiler. It is possible to throttle this valve and only divert some of the water to the boiler.

I am building a 6" Ruston Proctor which only has an injector and a steam operated pump to supply boiler feed water. Others that I have seen in steam articles have a mechanical pump. But i intend to add a mechanical pump to my engine because it is easier to operate.

I need a drawing for a mechanical pump suitable for a 6" Ruston Proctor (10" dia boiler) if anyone can assist.

Regards, Paul.

Hello Johan,

I made my coolant sytem from a 12 volt car windscreen washer pump and a 4 litre plastic bottle. Power from a 12v battery and variable resistor for speed control. Plug pack charger to keep battery topped up.

Suction for the pump is from the side of the bottle, not the bottom so any swarf is not picked up.

Paul.

Stuart,

The Eccentric Engineering site is: http://www.eccentricengineering.com.au

(another great Aussie invention !) There is also a link to a UK supplier.

The tool is a excellent to use and a breeze to re-sharpen and leaves a good finish when turning steel but I prefer to use carbide tools for machining cast iron castings because the HSS inserts do not stand up to cutting the hard outer layer. I intend to get one of the crobalt inserts which are much tougher and will hold an edge longer. Hopefully will be better for machining castings.

Regards, Paul.

Can anyone recommend a supplier for 5/16" or 8mm round head steel rivets in Australia. (Alternatively someone in the UK who can ship to Australia)

I need them for my 6" R&P traction engine.

Poison works. Use a surface spray. Lasts for months.

Get a set of drills with Titanium coating. They are normally a bronze colour and will stay sharp for a lot longer and only cost a little extra.

I have not seen the hydraulic press article in ME but have built one of my own from a 12 tonne pipe bender which I purchased for $80. The press will work vertically in the inverted position or horizontally. Shown below bending wheel spokes for my 6" tractin engine.

Hello Bob,

I have fitted inexpensive DRO's to my SX3 mill. Would like to use better ones but these are OK at the moment. Have had them for about a year now. Only had problems on a couple of occasions when the reading bars had some oil on them. A wipe over with a clean rag fixed the problem. If one does fail to work, I will replace it. They only cost me less than $80 each.

Also made a coolant system from a car windscreen washer pump.

Paul J.

Thanks Jason,

Grinding the corners of an old milling cutter is a good idea.

What is the best way to machine a "J" preparation with a 3mm radius for welding 10, 12 and 16mm plate ?

I am building a 10" dia boiler for a 6" Ruston Proctor and have a Sieg SX3 mill.

My first thoughts were to make a special cutter or to use a bull nose cutter and tilt the milling head.

Paul.

Hi Frank,

If you fabricate a stand for your lathe and cannot guarantee that it is perfectly flat, only securely bolt the lathe at the head end and leave the tail end bolts finger tight so no tensional load is imposed on the bed otherwise you may twist it.

Paul.

I have 2 of the cheap DRO's fitted to my SX3 mill for the past year and have not had any problem with them. But at $70 each I will get a replacement if one fails. Like the $20 digital calipers they do not like getting wet. The only problem that I have had is with the one factory fitted to the Z-axis.

Even though they are not as robust as other DRO's and can only measure to 2 decimal places of a mm, they do make milling a lot easier.

Being new to machining I made HH's grinding rest. It is inexpensive to make and I learnt a lot of new skills while making it, giving me confidence to tackle bigger projects. I am now building a model traction engine.

As a previous reader has said that the Australian code favours boilers built like brick outhouses.

The Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committe Code Part 2 is for steel boilers having a working pressure not exceeding 700 kPA and 50 litre capacity. (separate code for copper boilers).

Boilers built under this code are overdesigned for safety because they can be built by the hobbyist and can be inspected by boiler inspectors appointed by registerred clubs.

I have a design for a 6" traction engine which is certified for use in ther UK but does not comply with the Australian code. The Aus code has more requirements, thicker steel for the boiler barrel and tube plates and more inspection ports.

Paul.