Stuart S-50 build problem

Hi all.

I'm a long way into my first build of a steam engine - an S-50 - and thoroughly enjoying it, but I've just hit my first issue making the valve chest and wondered if there was an easy solution.

The plan calls for a 0.07" hole in the far end of the chest from the rod entry, for the end of the valve rod to ride in (this is incidentally wrongly dimensioned as 0.7" on the plans - I wonder if anyone ever tried that).

So the problem - there no way that my 1.8mm drill is going to be long enough to reach through the chest and drill this hole.

I could drill it bigger and fit a bush, but is there something simpler I'm missing?

Thanks all.

Phone Tracy Tools and order a long series drill

Another option that you may just get away with though easier if you drop down to 1/16" or 1.5mm is to drill the end of some 3/32" rod with your drill and then Loctite it into the hole which gives you a long reach drill. Gentle heat will get it back out again.

A few other options in this article hidden in the depths of the ME site, changing the pdf number will give you all the parts of the article

Thanks for the ideas and the link to the article.
(I had seen the Tubal Caine article mentioned in various places but I wanted to go on my own to see if I could - stubborn me).

I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with that thin a drill over that distance so I may go with my initial idea of a bush.

Thanks all.

I’ve now finished my first steam build, my Stuart S-50.
Heres the finished model. Hope you like. Comments gratefully received.

I

Very nice looking job Jim. Have you tried it on air or steam yet ?

regards

Hi OldIron.
yes I’ve run it on air successfully. There’s a bit of a knock at one end of the stroke but being a novice I’ve not got enough knowledge to know what’s causing it immediately.

Sadly I don’t have a boiler to steam it on which would be ideal.

jim

That looks great Jim. Well done.

Steve.

Thanks Steve.