The Home Machinist!

Bob, I will show it off at GGLS for sure. I seem to have a hard time carving out time to get there these days. I used to go and run every weekend but that was ten years ago when I lived in Berkeley and didn't live on the other side of the bay like I do now. Further progress to report on. I have been...

Hi Jim, In "Hudson Honey's" thread called "My Project" you posted an image as a tattoo suggestion for her. It is an illustration of a pin-up girl shoveling coal into a boiler. I am looking for more information on the illustration. Your source, artist name, etc. I just thought it ...

Interesting topic. I think most people have covered all the important points and for the most part I agree with what has been said so I will simply share my personal thoughts being that I have both 3.5" and 4 3/4" gauge equipment. My roster includes: The original Bill Harris Shay which is ...

Good point from Kimball on the fuel/water proportions. For the Mercer there is no problem. The boiler has a pretty huge capacity and I am using an Accucraft ruby gas tank in one of the rear coal scuttles. It only has about 15-20 minutes of burn time. There is always a large amount of water remaining...

I have a D.R. Mercer. It is sort of the Cadillac of small steam traction. They make both rollers and tractors. It has proper Stephenson link valve gear, slide valve and gear drive. I have Americanized mine a bit. I also have a thresher that I use as a piece of "rolling stock" for it. The M...

A little progress to report. A while back I disassembled the boiler from the chassis I had to remove the blast pipe and some other plumbing. After removing the boiler I noticed a severe problem with the chassis. The longitudinal frame plates were pretty badly bent, or wracked, to one side just behin...

Just wanted to say thanks for the nice comments. Bobby, it is funny that you mentioned doing models in Hollywood. I actually am a professional model maker though I am in the SF bay area. My most famous employer was Jamie Hyneman from the TV show Mythbusters. I no longer build special effects models....

Thanks for the comments. Dan that is interesting to hear about the carts in the copper mine-- almost like fossils! Fred, unfortunately I have no drawings or building photos at this point. I suppose if there was significant enough interest I would consider doing some as-built drawings. I have had ano...

Thanks Jim. It is definitely strong enough. The tub is made from 1/4" thick ABS so it's pretty tough. It was not really intended for serious use though. I have some all steel V-dump skips for ballasting and actual hard use.

Regards,

Eric

Years ago I purchased some vintage victorian pocket-door wheels from an architectural salvage store in Minneapolis. I always knew that I could do something with these wheels but was never really sure what. My friend David Wegmuller helped me out by drilling out the hubs for 1/2" axles. But stil...

I have a Falk project going as well. I would love to get my hands on the builders plate and a few more sets of link and pin coupler pockets as well.

Regards,

Thanks for the comments! Eric seems to be learning a trick or two from Henner... Maaaaaayyyyyybe 8) Henner and I have been friends for over ten years now. If there is any "family resemblance" between our projects, it is no coincidence. I help Henner with paint, weathering, woodwork and the...