I see some Steam Enthusiasts on here! (1 Viewer)

[bigwood]

I have had an on and off interest in things steam from my school days spent watching locos struggling up the pennies from the class room. Our Honeymoon involved the steam trains in Cumbria and North Wales. Management has an understanding of steam, military museums or aircraft collections and tolerates my interests.
After I came out of the army my father persuaded me to try model engineering. Not easy on a tight budget but I bought a very old worn out Myford. It had been treadle powered but converted to electric sort of, it was a bit lethal with exposed belts.
I started a 5” gauge 040 tank engine but a combination of a first house and children it had to be given up.
Many years later I started a Clayton Undertype steam wagon. My father built the engine and I worked on the chassis. The engine needed altering and it went back to my father.
Sadly my father passed away and the engine was not found in his workshop so I sold the Clayton chassis.
It was an odd time. He gave his American Rivet lathe to his friends son before he died without telling me.
I found he had bought a Warco Min lathe so I took that home. Eventually I got time to re-start the workshop with buying another part built Clayton. As a side project I built a Steam Pump and Stuart 10V.
Now I am retired between motorhome travels I am getting things moving again. My retirement present to me was a small milling machine.
Enforced staying at home means I can hide in the workshop, it’s good therapy.

 

[olley]

A small mill is my next bit of gear to buy, would you mind saying what make and what do you think of it?

 

[John Barrett]

This machine gets some excellent reviews, and is great value for money, but your choice does depend on the size of your projects. We had a long discussion on this mill on our MECH forum recently, but to read it you will have to register on the site,
As an adjunct to my EMCO FB2 mill I have a Proxxon BF40/E for the small work. It is a model engineer's dream!
Regards
John

SIEG SX2P HiTorque Mill (Discontinued) - Arc Euro Trade

SIEG SX2P HiTorque Mill - Belt Drive with Brushless Motor

www.arceurotrade.co.uk

 

[olley]

A Congreve rolling ball clock is what I would like to make, I first saw one in a jewellers about 50 odd years ago and said to myself then "One day" Now I am pretty much retired except for the jobs she keeps finding me, I want over the next year or so to begin.

 

[bigwood]

After a lot of thinking and research regarding cost and available space in my 10x8 workshop I bought a Warco WM14.
For the smaller type of work I am doing it works fine. I was as tempted to buy something with a brushless motor like the mini mill but it would need alterations to make it more user friendly.
The Warco came with digital readouts for all three axis in metric and imperial. The table is also bigger than the mini mills.
Another selling point with Warco, the price quoted is to youre door. In my case that was to my workshop door.
I have bought a decent milling vice and a set of end mills and holders in the six months since I bought it and so far havnt realy needed much else.
I havnt used a milling machine since the early seventies during my apprenticeship so I am building a Stuart S50 as a starter project. Compared to building the Stuart 10V using a vertical slide on the lathe this is a much easier way.
At first I was concerned how noisy the geared drive was but I have got used to it now, its may have worn in a bit with use.
There is a good review of the WM14 on journeymans workshop. That might be wrong but I found it from a google search. Also there is an American website, Mnilathe.com, Frank Hoose I think.
Being retired gave me a lot of thinking time. God luck with youre search.

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[Ditcha]

Here is a couple of videos of our five axis Hurcos in action doing prosthetic parts (forgive the choice of music)





And our cnc cmm checking parts

 

[Garratt]

bigwood, I’ve got a Warco WM14 with DRO, and have been very pleased with it. Does everything that I want, although for big jobs I can use the Bridgeport at the model engineering club.

 

[John Barrett]

Here's a blast from the past - 2004. I saw a picture of this Swiss lake launch called Der Seekadett, and wanted to build it, but the kit with engine was over £2000 so I had to make it from scratch! It took only six weeks as I was on the wagon at that time...
There's a Stuart 10V in the wheelhouse and a gas fired boiler/condenser in the front. I tested it on the river and sold it the following week on ebay for £1100.

This is the original.

My copy!

 

[olley]

Very nice looking model.

 

[Emmit]

My other main hobby is model engineering: boats, stationary steam engines and miniature locomotives. Here's my 3 1/2" gauge Britannia that I finished last year. The build took ten years, but it was interrupted regularly by full size boating and our previous motorhome!
View attachment 364075

I'm working on this one: a 5" Stirling Single. It is clad in 26G Titanium: I had some lying around and it looks so much better than wobbly thin brass! I'll restart it when I've finished updating our Hymer E510.
View attachment 364077

Didn't use College Engineering to source your materials, did you.?

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[John Barrett]

Didn't use College Engineering to source your materials, did you.?

Mainly from expos and various mail order such as Polly and Reeves.

 

[Emmit]

I only ask because our friends were the original owners of that Co.

 

[bigwood]

That was a successful day. Hedge trimmed Reienza part washed and an afternoon in the workshop. For what it is sometimes the Mini Lathe proves it’s self. I managed to part another slice of 11/2” diameter cast iron for my cylinder covers. I don’t think my old Myford would have liked that sort of task.
As much as cast iron is correct for the job it sure is messy. The lathe was thick with grey dust. The cylinder block on the Clayton is Gunmetal. A bit strange to drill small holes, the drill grabs, but not as messy.
If this weather keeps up I will wash the rest of the Rienza and maybe treat some more of the fence panels, maybe the shed.
It certainly helps to keep busy in some way. At this rate I will miss all this workshop time when we get back on the road again.

 

[jockaneezer]

My Myford gets taken to its limit too often, having to repair agricultural stuff for my son.
I made a rear mounted toolpost for it and fitted an insert type parting off tool, I made the blade from 1" x 1 /8" ground stock, parting off is a lot less stressful with this setup and a decent coolant flow.
I fitted a clutch too, from an industrial sewing machine which is a big help, especially when cutting non standard threads.
Don't have many pics of it in action, but here's one of it turning down a length of EN24T to make a pin for an hydraulic bucket and another easy one of making a 6" aluminium drive roller for my belt sander.

 

[bigwood]

My Myford was a bit of an odd ball. It looked like an ML4 but was mounted on a cast stand from an ML2. The main shaft was the same as the ML7. The cross slide was the same as the ML7.
I made a rear tool post but it still struggled to part anything serious. You had to keep you’re hand on the power switch ready for it to lock up.
I still wonder how I managed to build the chassis for my Tank Engine without major disasters. Boring the cylinders between centres was going well until the bull gear spat a tooth out. That’s why my father took on the engine for the first Clayton.
I think all model engineers must have dreamt of owning a Super Seven. The likes of Warco stepped in with imported lathes that helped a lot of people start in the hobby.
As I said before a Boxford would be my choice if I could find one that you could guarantee it’s been well looked after not dumped in the corner of some engineering firm and used to death without even being cleaned or oiled. For now let’s see how the Mini Lathe survives in the near future.

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[John Barrett]

I've been working on the Stirling Single, stripping it down to bare metal and painting everything! Here's a short video done today following the chassis reassembly that proves that it still works...
John

 

[bigwood]

Nice work John, My father had ideas of building a Crampton for a garden railway. I found the driving wheels amongst his belongings in his workshop. There were a lot of models missing, an Altchin Traction Engine, a four cylider petrol engine and the engine for my Claytron. We think they went to his old school friend, his son had the Lathe. Sadly we could find no trace of him or the models.
My fathers clocks have sometimes been seen on auction web sites. Any one interested in clocks look up Eric Watson- Odham. The latest one was an Orrey at Sotherbys. I was posted abroad most of the time these were being built so I know very little about them.
Meanwhile I am plodding along with my S50 build. At this rate we will be back on the road before have it running.

 

[John Barrett]

Nice work John,
SNIP
Meanwhile I am plodding along with my S50 build. At this rate we will be back on the road before have it running.

I will have a look for your father's clocks. Completion date for your S50? Any pics?
Here's a Stuart Beam diorama that I constructed last year.
John

20190309_143813 by inkaboat, on Flickr

20190307_200229 by inkaboat, on Flickr

 

[bigwood]

At this point I must say that computer skills are not my strong point. I have daughters boyfriend at hand when I get stuck. I will look into this matter, I might surprise myself.
The S50 was meant to be a diversion from the Clayton whilst I save up for the rest of the boiler tubes and silver solder. Then work up the courage to braze it all together.

 

[John Barrett]

I have a good friend with a Clayton boiler for sale at sensible money. I got it tested recently at our club so it is certified safe! Interested?
John

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[bigwood]

Thanks for the offer John. I would rather wait and build my boiler.
When I bought the Clayton it came with a complete chassis, cab and water tank. The engine crank case and innards were finished. There was a nearly complete boiler kit and castings for the cylinder block and guide tubes.
I bought it five years ago when I took early retirement and slowly made bits and the trailer between other interests and motorhome travels.

 

[bigwood]

All I planned to do today was drill and tap the holes for the cylinder end covers. Marked out and drilled the first
end no problems.
Marked out and drilled the second end then things became interesting. The 7BA bolts supplied with the castings looked ok and the first six went in ok. Bolt number eight wouldn’t start in the threads !!. The bolt had no threads cut on it. Not a problem to run a die along it.
The last bolt wouldn’t go through the clearance hole in the cover !!. That bolt had a 7BA head but 6 BA threads. I had some 7BA bolts in stock so it was easier to cut one to length.
The S50 has been an interesting project to practice using the milling machine and has thrown up a few challenges.

 

[John Barrett]

I was quite fed up with attempting to understand the circular arguments proposed by those who get up early to pick a fight so I went back into my workshop to work on a thing of beauty!
Splashers and blower fitted, soon be finished.
I'll sell this one this year, the £7K will pay for a nice winter somewhere warm! If that ever is possible...
John

 

[olley]

£7000 wow never realised you could get that much for them. Do you build from a kit? Looks very nice by the way.

 

[John Barrett]

£7000 wow never realised you could get that much for them. Do you build from a kit? Looks very nice by the way.

No kits available for this sort of thing. Castings for cylinders and wheels only. The rest is hacked from solid!
There are plenty of 'dogs' out there, but a properly made one will make £7k easily.
John

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[bigwood]

The S50 is finished.It needs the valve timing tweaking but runs on air. Until I can get paint I think thats it for a while.
The Southworth Pump I built a while ago needed some parts re- making to improve the way it runs so I made use of the milling machine. The block for the cross link and the link arms were not not very well made the first time, one lock screw was snapped off. Also the water piston was hitting its top cover.
It now starts in any position and lifts water quite a long way proving the timing is right and the water piston must be getting more travel. The bottom water cylinder gasket leaks when I restrict the flow, hence puddle on floor.
I like the steam pumps. The Southworth tandem pump appeals to me. They are hypnotic shuffling back and forth. Maybe that’s a future lockdown project.

 

[olley]

Pictures? I am the saddo who stands for ages just watching the big horizontal engine in the science museum and the same in Manchester, the wife just doesn't understand the beauty of them.

 

[Garratt]

bigwood I've got the smallest of the Southworth casting sets in a box, and someday I'll build it for my Sweet Pea. I've heard that they can be tricky to get running well.

No model engineering for me at the moment, as I'm pretty much full time on this:-

Obviously I've found a bit of time to run a few times on the garden railway in this lovely weather we've been enjoying.

 

[bigwood]

The pump I have is the 6” vertical, the middle size. I know some one with the smallest 3” pump sat in a drawer that has been abandoned. He said it is finicky needing to be built well to have any chance of running well. He also has a Stuart pump in the same drawer so me thinks some of the problems may lie with the builder.
If the Clayton ever gets in steam I might use mine to feed the boiler, it might be a bit too big to look right.
Whilst we were in New Zealand I stood and watched a weir pump slowing chugging on the side of a shutter in a museum. The shunter was built in Glasgow so I presume the pump was built by Wier.
Having an empty drive from the corner of the house, van won’t fit. I thought about a track from the workshop to the gates. Maybe a battery shutter.
When we are let out we won’t have time for all these projects so I will keep thinking for now.

 

[John Barrett]

The pump I have is the 6” vertical, the middle size. I know some one with the smallest 3” pump sat in a drawer that has been abandoned. He said it is finicky needing to be built well to have any chance of running well. He also has a Stuart pump in the same drawer so me thinks some of the problems may lie with the builder.
If the Clayton ever gets in steam I might use mine to feed the boiler, it might be a bit too big to look right.
Whilst we were in New Zealand I stood and watched a weir pump slowing chugging on the side of a shutter in a museum. The shunter was built in Glasgow so I presume the pump was built by Wier.
Having an empty drive from the corner of the house, van won’t fit. I thought about a track from the workshop to the gates. Maybe a battery shutter.
When we are let out we won’t have time for all these projects so I will keep thinking for now.

You mean like this one? I'll get around to running it one day!
John

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