Golden Gate Meet

For the Buying/Selling/Trading of items of interest to those of us in the Live Steam Hobby.

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Steve Alley
Posts: 216
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:30 am

Golden Gate Meet

Post by Steve Alley »

Allen Models is going to the GGLS Golden Gate Live Steam meet in Sept 23-24 if you need castings or plans give me a call. Going to meet with the TCT railroad and my American to run. Some day I will get a Allen Model Engine to run. That would be nice.

Just staying ahead with what I got is tough. We are working on many new items and still just keep the inventory level is hard enough. Many do understand when patterns are run and make parts then they need work on the patterns to make good parts. Cylinders and rods are being work on right now. Core that don't fit well as in the saddle is get rework. Just to give insight to what it takes. Trying to product the same products over and over again is interesting at best.
Steve Alley
Mike Walsh
Posts: 955
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 10:14 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Golden Gate Meet

Post by Mike Walsh »

Steve, are you still using wooden patterns or aluminum patterns (whether they are pressure cast or machined out of billet)??

Just curious. Don't have to answer if you don't want.
Steve Alley
Posts: 216
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:30 am

Re: Golden Gate Meet

Post by Steve Alley »

Yes most all is wooden patterns, just a few are alu, match plates. Wooden patterns are always get lose and need to be clean up and repaired. Sand is tough on these. As you may know the sand is pack tight to be able to keep the shape. But sand get to the point it try to work under the pattern and lift the pattern up and then the gap of the sand underneath it makes for bad parts. Also causing shift in pattern too. Core boxes are another problem. Seem no two foundry's are the same. They have different methods of doing things. One will what different gating and spruce are ask to be change to run the pattern or material pouring is slightly different too. Big learning curve to this. Its more about making patterns correct then to supplying the hobby with parts. If anyone thinks you buy a company and it has patterns and you just have them produce products again and again. well Your wrong. Keeping up with the patterns is key and no way around it. Like I say no two foundry's are the same. You lesson to them and make changes to get the part to come out correctly. Don't think there wrong, There is trick that they know and different ways to produce the parts. They seen it time and time again.

I have the saddle pattern here now. It is producing a lot of flashing at the core exit of the pattern. Seems that the core is loose in the pattern. Measure it and find the core needs to be wider and all directions. 1/8 of an inch in all directions. How can this be. Looking at the old casting I revived when bought the company, it show this and lots of grinding done at the openings. So this has been like this from the beginning. This is lost of material. and cause the pattern to shift. Tight core tight alignment of finish product. When the metal is poor it expands and the temp of the pore cools it shrinks. This can make the pattern shift and move the two half's of the mold. All fun and games.
I got one pattern that is the fourth time I made changes to it. Trying to make the core tight but fit and yet reduce flashing. More flashing more work for me to clean up part to sell. If I am buying a casting, I don't what to see a lot of grinding. I once order a couplers from a supplier. Sand cast iron coupler. The whole thing had grinding marks all over it. Fact is there was no spot I could see that was not ground on. Sure paint it black. no one will know the difference. Well Now I am the supplier and have to hold to a good product. There is a point where you have to hold the line on your product and its tough to do.
Steve
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