Old School Projects

That's ok Bosun as long as you got fixed up, they're good robust egines,I bought my copper tube from a local plumbers merchants as it's a commercial size,cast base cost nothing as we used the schools foundry,when you have your own foundry people get to know & all sorts of brass/alloy bronze & iron turn up free or for the odd favour,brass cast at home & sheet steel from autojumbles,I got the price down to £18.00 good luck with the build.

Graham.

Hi Graham,

It's good to hear that other schools had foundries. I cast the base and flywheel for the Hot Air Engine in my school foundry. I bet there aren't many (if any) these days. It might be why I went into the foundry industry myself.

Hi Bosun, we had an alloy flamefast crucible furnace which I helped 6th formers to produce castings for their major projects & then they machined them on the lathe & milling machine,[they loved it], the steam engines were made in our lunch hour [not part of the curriculum] unfortunately when I eventually retired I offered to leave my jigs etc for the steam engines but alas not wanted, ps I'm the technician not a teacher & as a model engineer it was like getting paid for doing your hobby, I loved the job,

Graham.

It would be interesting to know what students get up to these days with respect to metalwork and woodwork. I think it was called something like CDT (craft, design & technology I think). No doubt something completely different now. Perhaps there's a teacher out there that can enlighten us.

This is a 40 year old school project, still in regular use. A great insight for us at the time into sand casting.