water glasses

[Bill Shields]

an o-ring on the face of the glass....fits in the groove between the body and the 'center pilot'. All force on the glass is along its axis...VERY DIFFICULT to crack without really trying!

glass has to be very square and very smooth...the solution for which is so stupid as to be obvious..

wrap the glass in masking tape, chuck it in a drill press and spin it against some emery cloth on the table...while pressing down very lightly. I am sure there are other techniques, but this was the first that came to mind....and dumb enough for me to understand.

[jscarmozza]

You anticipated my followup question, I wouldn't have figured that out if I live to be 100. Thanks Bill.
John

[Bill Shields]

it was the first thing i had to learn to do when i created one of these glasses. Unfortunately BvB as a few years gone by then, but somewhere, in the back of my mind, years of lapping mechanical seals came to mind...and where there is a blacksmith there is a way....

[jscarmozza]

Bill, is there some type of port in the center pilot to allow steam and water to fill the glass? It seems like a snug fit between the end fittings' ID and center pilots' OD. Also, is the lateral hole in the end fitting 1/4" on the top end fitting and 5/16" on the bottom end fitting? I see the note but I'm not sure how to apply it, I'm having a little perception problem tonight.
John

[Builder01]

I think the glass and the O ring sit in the counter bore in the top and bottom fitting, not all the way into the bottom of the fitting. - David

[Bill Shields]

you are correct...the glass sits in the groove between the piece of tube and the housing and you 'notch' the center pilot as needed to allow water to flow...or press it in place, then DRILL THROUGH the water fitting...whatever works for you. I put the pieces in with Loctite (imagine that ), then drilled through...doesn't need much of a hole.

Need some better pictures? I have one of BvB's original water glasses here in a box that I can try to photo.

[jscarmozza]

Bill, the sight glass turned out good and was straight forward to make. After grinding the lathe tools and making a trial piece to get the moves down and flush out the bugs I was able to make the two end pieces, including silver soldering, in an hour. Just waiting for the high temp o-rings and angle valves to get delivered and I'll put it on the engine. Thanks Bill, I really like this glass.
John

[Bill Shields]

viton o-rings will be just fine there....

looks very pro-fessional.

be prepared for slight leaks along the center -pipe until it gets hot.

[Harlock]

my experience is limited to the 6 foot joints of brass and hard copper one gets from mcmaster carr.
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That's some very neat plumbing work! It's nice when people take care to make proper tube bends and make geometrical plumbing runs that look nice.

And yes a small leak will mess up the level. I prefer copper rather than brass for tubing, much easier to work with in that respect.

Best,

-Mike