The Steamboating Forum

Little by little!

It's easier to list what's been done than try to show everything,

With all the holes for covers plotted and drilled, they have been tapped.

The covers have had their holes opened out to clearance size.

Gland holes plotted, drilled and tapped along with the exhaust flange holes.

Studs for the glands have been made, and a load of nuts, screws, washers, and bolts have been ordered on-line.


Meanwhile I have also found up some nice material for the cross-heads and semi-finalised the design/shape. (Oh yes, and a couple of brews drunk. )

Another spell in the w'shop today, sees 300 hours broken.

Having started to the cross-head material amongst the many bits the other day, I cut the groove to full depth for the guide and brass slipper.

I then attempted to cut the piece in two with a slitting saw and gave up, far too slow. Finished it in the power hacksaw. Cleaned one end, the other end will do for a tomorrow job, getting kinda stuck 'til I get a delivery.

I love the look of freshly machined grey cast iron. It'll be a wonderful engine.

Steam Captain wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 23, 2020 8:48 pm

I love the look of freshly machined grey cast iron. It'll be a wonderful engine.

Ha ha! Yes it's one material I find it difficult NOT to get a finish on.

A little done today, not really worth the reporting, all the bolts (x12) for the Cross-head caps have been cut and fitted, and material preped for the brass slippers. Not sure I will follow through with the method yet, I have an alternative which might be easier.

Late Sunday afternoon, definitely past 'beer' o'clock, so I've quit for the day.

Progress has been satisfying. I reduced the bosses on the bottom covers, no point in carting about more weight than required.


I've finished off the cross-heads.


And attached the con-rods to check there was sufficient swing, i.e. nothing was going to bind when all assembled later.


Not sure quite what comes next, but no doubt some '03.00am engineering' will clear that up.

Hello Mike,

will you also fit a gunmetal sliding plate inside the crossheads?

Best Dietrich

dampfspieler wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 29, 2020 7:18 pm

Hello Mike,

will you also fit a gunmetal sliding plate inside the crossheads?

Best Dietrich

Yes , Dietrich, I left space under the slidebar for a 'slipper', yet to be completed. The top coverplate is hard brass.

Mike, definitely off topic, but what is the model of your lathe?

TriangleTom wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:16 am

Mike, definitely off topic, but what is the model of your lathe?

No worries, it's a rather old, getting, Warco 13/27, that I had slightly s/h in 1986. I say slightly, as it had only done about 10 hrs I was told.

It does a turn, as they say!

I also have one of their VMC mills.

(39416)
Progress has been made. Unfortunately not all of it forward. Somehow the Gremlins seem to have gained access to my w/shop again. I hope they have now been exorcised again, one visit a year is one too many!

A suitable lump of lumber came my way so I hacked it about (it's wood! ) and fitted same to the bottom of the Base-Plate.


I then tried to carry on with Slippers of Dietrich's query, for the Cross-heads, and that is where things went a touch wrong. I got two made and fitted them mostly by hand, apart from trimming to length, and the first one snagged on the cutter and bent. I decided I was trying to make them too thin, so returned the Cross-Head bodies to the mill and cut the slot another 0.050" deeper. Cutting the new Slippers was much easier as I cut the basic groove and then thinned them on the running face to fit.

Two good 'uns, one bent!


I will lightly relieve the entries with a file, so that oil is dragged in rather than pushed away.