Here is a list of all the postings Paul Lousick has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.
Thread: Reversible Marine Engine |
29/04/2022 04:20:45 |
Reversible Marine Engine Part 2 The eccentrics on a standard steam engine with a slide or piston valve are fixed to the crankshaft with a key or clamp screw and the direction can be reversed by rotating them by 180 degrees. On an engine with slip eccentrics they are not fixed and is free to “slip” on the crankshaft and are driven by a pin on an adjacent boss that is fixed to the crankshaft. Manually turning the crankshaft in the opposite direction moves the pin but it does not contact and drive the eccentric until it has moved thru 180 degrees. A slip eccentric is one of the easiest ways of making a steam engine reversible and is ideal for use on a small boat.
Assembly of Engine, Painting and a Wooden Base The boiler for running the engine is a $35 ALDI steam cleaner and much better than running a noisy air compressor. Link for video on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygG549zQDqI Edited By Paul Lousick on 29/04/2022 04:24:37 |
29/04/2022 04:19:41 |
Reversible Marine Engine A friend gave me a set of castings for a small marine steam engine which he had started when he was an apprentice machinist in the early 1970’s but never finished the project. He got side tracked and joined the Australian navy to see the world and became a senior officer. His work involved the commissioning and operation of steam turbines on the navy ships. The drawings and castings were sold by HobbyCo Pty Ltd, a model supplier in Sydney and is similar to the Trojan engine sold by Reeves. It is a vertical marine engine with a 5/8” bore and 5/8” stroke, fitted with a slip reversing eccentric. Only the steam cylinder and the base had been completed and all other parts had to be made to finish the model. Castings after machining and grit blasting
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Thread: How many chucks does one person need?!?! |
25/04/2022 23:07:03 |
🎼♪♬ How many chucks can a Wood chuck, chuck ? If a Wood chuck, could chuck wood. |
Thread: Why the need to "Regen" when usIng AutoCad 2000 |
25/04/2022 14:02:05 |
In the early versions of Autocad, when working with large drawings it is better to make the value of REGENMODE system variable to 0 to improve the performance by avoiding unnecessary automatic regenerations. But you will have to do a manual regen after zooming, etc. The default value is set to 1 which allows unnecessary regeneration in drawings and may deteriorating performance. |
Thread: Work Holding for Facing |
25/04/2022 00:13:24 |
Why do you want to use and old truck leaf spring ? A description of what you want to achieve will allow us to give better advice.
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Thread: Which Grease |
22/04/2022 00:35:52 |
How hot do the bearings get ? I have used grease to lubricate the bronze bearings on my traction engine because they are slow running and there are no seals to stop oil running thru. (messes up the driveway) The hornplates where they are attached do get warm but nowhere like 80 deg C and I use the same grease that I use on the wheel bearings for my car trailer. |
Thread: Ping - and a screw is lost |
20/04/2022 02:55:03 |
Felt sheet is a good surface for working on. Old style was made from rabbit fur but now sheep wool and synthetic material. Available from haberdashery stores. |
Thread: jiggered lathe |
20/04/2022 02:46:21 |
When turning an ACME thread DO NOT plunge cut the tool into the work in a square cut by using the cross slide. Instead turn the compound to a 14.5 degree angle (half of the 29 degrees for an ACME thread) and only use the compound screw to advance the cutter. This reduces the load on the tool as it is only cutting on the leading edge and 1 side, instead of 2 sides. Lots of Youtube videos showing this method |
Thread: Source of brass treblet tubing as used for making a whistle. |
19/04/2022 10:36:46 |
I only used hard and soft solders in my whistle construction because of the different melting temperatures and did not want to re-melt the disk when I soldered the base. Whistles can be made from many materials. eg. Children's wooden whistles make a loud but dull sound and do not have the timbre of one made from thin brass. It is difficult to get a good, deep sound from a model whistle. Sound cannot be scaled down. The pitch of the sound is dependent on the length of the whistle and the volume is dependent on its diameter. The height of the mouth cut-out is dependent on the steam pressure for the whistle to resonate properly. My whistle has a sweet spot and sounds good at 70-80 psi but wheezes when the pressure is greater. (not sure if I should enlarge the mouth opening. Easy to make larger but not to make smaller if not needed). My other problem is that I get condensation in the supply fittings to the whistle and have to purge it before I get a clear sound.
Youtube video of my whistles: **LINK** The 5-chime whistle has 12mm and 16mm dia tubes of fixed length and the Lunkenheimer has a 38mm bell which is height adjustable and can be tuned to the steam supply. |
Thread: Matching mystery Jaws to chuck |
19/04/2022 10:04:56 |
3-jaw self centreing chucks normally come with matched sets of jaws. Internal and external. and have to be assembled in the correct order The Pratt Burnerd (not sure about the Crown chuck) should have numbers 1-3 on the slots and the jaws should also be marked. If they are are not the correct set of jaws and are not exactly on centre you will have to grind them. You will have to make a special spider to hold the jaws while they are ground. Do a google search for how to do this. |
Thread: Source of brass treblet tubing as used for making a whistle. |
18/04/2022 01:05:41 |
My whistle material is brass and are made by mounting the tube in a jig and milling the cut-out. (copper is too soft and will not "ring" like hard brass). Then silver soldering a disc into the tube using 45% silver solder which comes in 1.5mm dia sticks and seems to flow better than the normal plummers grade. The whistle base is soft soldered (the contact area is large and melts at a lower temperature). The cut-out extends below the disk to prevent the silver solder running all of the way around and closing off the gap for steam flow. The base extension supports the tube and compensates for the whistle mouth cut-out.
Edited By Paul Lousick on 18/04/2022 01:15:19 |
Thread: cutting pyrex tube to length |
17/04/2022 22:46:23 |
Link to a Youtube video of cutting glass tube with a hot wire. (although a bit too long like a lot of amateur videos) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU0ryjs-Tas And a video of the score and snap method.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ukVa0oW0xA
Edited By Paul Lousick on 17/04/2022 22:49:05 |
17/04/2022 13:19:27 |
I use a special glass cutter for shortening the glass on the water column for my steam engine. It has a small hardened cutting wheel and clamps around the tube. It does not cut thru the glass but produces a scratch around the tube. The tube is snapped at the scratch by holding in both hands with your finger and bending. (have not cut myself yet). (Google glass tube cutters. The only cost about $15) I have also used the corner of a file to score a scratch around the glass tube. Wrapping both sides of the cut with tape will help to stop it shattering. The cut end of the tube should be smoothed to eliminate sharp edges and stress points that could start cracking. I use an oxy torch to melt the ends but could also be ground with wet & dry paper. |
Thread: cut-off |
16/04/2022 23:23:08 |
I have no problem cutting 90mm dia steel with my little band saw. I use the same bi-metal blade that I use for cutting small sections. Have you tried a new blade and checked the roller guides ? |
Thread: Big Boys CAD shootout for SOD |
15/04/2022 23:22:39 |
Are there a few basic dimensions that we can use ? |
Thread: Acme internal threading |
15/04/2022 13:27:36 |
Acme threaded nuts are available which could be used in a fabrication as an alternative to machining one but they are expensive. An alternative is to butcher a G-clamp and weld or braze the female threaded part into the job. G-clamps are cheap and you may even be able to utilize the screw. Clamping units for making wood vices are available on ebay. |
Thread: Before calculators |
15/04/2022 10:18:37 |
Still have my slide rule and does not need batteries. |
Thread: Hello from New Zealand |
15/04/2022 08:32:49 |
Hello Leon, Welcome to the forum. I'm just across "the ditch" from you in Sydney. Good luck with your Stuart model. Lots of help available here if you need it. Paul |
Thread: Acme internal threading |
14/04/2022 22:53:06 |
As stated above, it is best to use a 2 stage tap because it takes a lot of muscle to cut an acme thread. I have cut a 1/2" Acne thread in brass and I had to use extension bars on the tap handle to turn it. Luckily, I did not break the tap.
Edited By Paul Lousick on 14/04/2022 23:02:47 |
Thread: condensation |
12/04/2022 22:57:13 |
The drawings in our design department (old days when we had drawing boards) would go mouldy in winter and we installed a small strip heater at the bottom of the storage cabinet. It only drew about 50 watts of power but stopped the mould. Even an incandescent light bulb should be enough to keep your cupboard warm. ( 2 bulbs in series will produce heat but not as much light) |
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