The Home Machinist!

this seems to be the new norm with suppliers...I've had calls out to several, and cant get any responses

Stores and gas stations need a special checkout for people who gotta hold up the line buying lottery tickets and cigarettes

Building a live steam locomotive, it's nearly impossible to get a commercial foundry to pour a one off iron casting, from a loose pattern that's molded up by hand with coreboxes. Is there anyone on this chaski site, that takes on pouring iron jobs in there own home foundry ?

Aaaaahhhh..ok, thanks

Is tom bee still in business?....I been waiting weeks on a small order, and get no response to emails or calls ?

No flares, just silver soldering too the tubing connectors for the injector and check valves

Was looking on msc catalog for some 5/16 copper tubing to plumb up my injectors. They have it with .049 wall thickness and .032 at almost half the cost of the .049......I'm wondering if .032 would be ok ?

I think your right..2 injectors is plenty.....this my first go around with an axle pump after building several engines. It's a hastle too get to too plumb up, let alone if it starts leaking, and your on your back under the steaming bay tinkering with it...I think I am going to take the eccentric str...

I wish now, I would have put another check valve up on the boiler, for the axle pump...but oh well.....right around the corner from the blow downs, I have washout plugs on the throat sheet...was planning on running the pump into there, putting water in down low near the mud ring....has anyone else d...

I get my flux at a local welding supply house, made by harris.....I found an item called, sparex2 for cleaning solder flux....mix a few spoonfuls, with about a quart of water.....it's a dry mix pickling compound, safer than acid, and does a good job cleaning brass..and removing flux

Yeah, between the valves, I put a cross from pm research, with a plug, so I will be able to remove the plug and blow the lines out

Got the cylinder drain valves on my mikado plumbed up today. This is my first go around with steam operated cylinder drains. I have always had mechanically operated ones, for years, until now. They look nice, I was able to get a set of the superscale ones, but I wonder about that 1/8 inch m.t.p. thr...