Best Bronze for cylinders

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Slipped Eccentric
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:44 pm
Location: Nanticoke, Pa

Best Bronze for cylinders

Post by Slipped Eccentric »

Have been shopping for material for cylinders. What type of bronze would be best? The cylinders will be for a small loco with a 7/8" bore and slide valves.
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gwrdriver
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Location: Nashville Tennessee

Post by gwrdriver »

Will you have these cast, or are you building up?
GWRdriver
Nashville TN
Slipped Eccentric
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Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:44 pm
Location: Nanticoke, Pa

Post by Slipped Eccentric »

I'll be shaping the cylinders from a solid block.
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Dick_Morris
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Location: Anchorage, AK

Post by Dick_Morris »

If you want to consider a fabricated cylinder, Don Young wrote a construction article in Model Engineer in 1973 and Bill Van Brocklin wrote an article in Live Steam in 1977. Don shows piston valves and Bill shows both piston and slide valves. Send me a PM if you would like to see how they did it.

Several people swear by bronze bushings for cylinder liners and Bill uses them in his design.

An option if you want to carve your cylinders from a block is to use brass for the structure and bronze cylinder liners and valve faces.
marinesteam
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Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:15 pm
Location: Colorado, USA

Post by marinesteam »

You mentioned that you will be carving from a single block so this may not apply.

If you need to do any built up assemblies using silver brazing techniques you will want to avoid Aluminum Bronze (alloy 642). This stuff is impossible to braze without using specialized flux.

Alloy 630 bronze should be great for cylinders, It's a high strength bronze that's resistant to corrosion and has good load bearing and wear characteristics. Should braze well, but test first.

Ken
Slipped Eccentric
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Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:44 pm
Location: Nanticoke, Pa

Post by Slipped Eccentric »

Would like to avoid brazing or soldering if I can avoid it. I can get aluminum bronze in the sizes I need, but don't know how it wears.
Bruce_Mowbray
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Location: Pennsylvania

Post by Bruce_Mowbray »

You could use continuous cast iron bar. Machines easy and is inexpensive compared to brass. Good material for cylinders.
Bruce Mowbray
Springville & Southern RR
TMB Manufacturing & Locomotive Works
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