The Home Machinist!

Thanks for the tips guys! I’ve got some more research to do.

How would y’all suggest constructing a stainless steel tank? I’m hesitant to weld it because I don’t want to warp the sheets
And what gauge do you recommend?

Great work, good to see it up and running, it sounds great! Thanks! Sounds better than I was expecting for a shay, and it'll pull the paint off the wall. More work done today too now that things are settled back in from running last week. Got two overflow pipe adapters made for my injectors. Took a...

Tristan My injector valves are PM Globe with the threads machined off the stem. The valves are installed opposite of normal steam flow. i.e. the steam holds the valve seat closed. My first valve this way I made a new stem with no threads just in case my design didn't work. But no problem, they work...

Well, the shay is home again. Few things to fix, mostly replacing lost hardware though so should be pretty easy to fix. Other thing is some kind of fast acting, turret mount valve for the injectors. Thinking either AMES 5/16 ball valves or taking some PM Research globe valves and converting them to ...

I dont know about their email, but they always answer the phone number on the website

I tell the new engineers here at work "After you finish a new design that you think you have correct, try it out. Then listen to what the parts have to say; their opinion is much more valuable than yours!" Your Shay (and Steve) are telling you all that you need to know. Tough to hear about the crud...

More info from today! I opened up the cylinder heads to find a less than pleasing sight. The inside of the cylinder had almost no oil on it and there were traces of coked oil on the head. My cylinders are getting too hot for the 320 and its cooking rather than oiling. After finding that I got a retu...

The squeak can also come from the slide valves, assuming the engine in question has slide valves. Steve Alley mentioned in his post, about damage on the D valve (slide valve). David It may be from the valves, but Im not sure. It seemed to line up pretty well with the cylinder movements. I can't ima...

Tristan, Re: water filter for your injectors. I’ve been researching the same thing for my injectors. Here’s an interesting strainer that might work with your Loco. Cheap and looks pretty rugged. There are sold through marine hardware stores. Made by Shurflo. https://www.fisheriessupply.com/shurflo-...

The shay is not superheated, not that superheat in this scal is true superheat anyway. I have 6” drivers and a 2:1 gear ratio, so that’s the equivalent of a rod engine with 3” drivers. Doing the math, for 3mph my pistons are moving almost 2ft per second on average. I don’t know what the peak speed o...

I think the squeak is the rings on the cylinder, which is iron on iron. The packing is square graphite yarn from McMaster-Carr.

I’m wondering if the speed of the engine is having an effect. My engine has to turn 100rpm per 1mph, more than double that of something like an Allen engine.