Hello Jack,
Just had a closer look to your topic Disney American for the first time. I mostly prefer 'Big Engines' , soory ! But your work is Impressive as always!
Just wanted to note that the check valves you made were of the same construction as mine. They worked reliable for years with no issues.
Asteamhead
I have not seen this degree of craftsmanship since the models I remember in the British Museum of Science. Remarkable and inspiring, thank you for sharing!
JBodenmann wrote: ↑Mon Feb 04, 2019 11:29 am
Hello My Friends
Greg is right a drill blank is hard enough. The problem with this is there are threads cut on both ends of the crank shaft rod. #5-40 on the eccentric end and #4-40 on the driven end.
Jack
Oh, Jack, you never do things easy!
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Hello My Friends
Thank you for the compliment MsChrissi, it is very much appreciated. And to my friend Greg Lewis, my ability to complicate things is both a blessing and a curse Here is a bit more on the air tank lubricator. This first photo is the filler cap guide being machined using the aluminum block clamping device that was discussed earlier. I thought there was a picture of this completed little trinket but there wasn't....next time. The second one down is looking in the end of the tank at the bulkhead that the pump mounts to. The third photo is all the bits gathered up ready to be stuffed in. The bottom one shows the operating lever hanging out the bottom of the tank. There will be a link between the lever and one of the Stephenson links. The oil line to the branch pipe runs out the bottom. There will be some dummy air piping connected to the tank ends. The tank end is held in place with four #1-72 round head brass screws. The heads of the screws are the same size as the 1/16" copper rivets. Now it's time for the mounting bracket that fits under the boiler right behind the smoke box. Nothing is easy Greg....if it was easy everybody would be doing it, ha ha, too much fun!
Jack
Hello My Friends
Thank you Grant. What are you building? Here are a few more shots of the lubricator-air reservoir. The top one is the mostly completed air res. The second and third photos show the spring loaded filler cap. You just push it over with the oil can spout. This would not be such a good system if this engine were a coal burner, but this one burns propane, nice and clean. The piping out the ends is just dummy air lines. The oil line comes out the bottom.
Jack
Jack,
I am trying to build an 1871 Baldwin 4-4-0. The full size original engine known as the Countess of Dufferin sits in a railway museum in Winnipeg Manitoba. I have no plans for this specific model and I am trying to use two similar sets of plans to build.
Grant
Hello My Friends
To answer Grant's question the American in this thread is 1-1/2" scale. Some of the little trinkets on this engine are available. The dummy lubricators, the brake heads and shoes for wood brake beams, the brake beam fulcrums, brake wheel and the brake wheel latch plate and pawl. The drawbar pockets on the rear of the engine and front of the tender. The link and pin coupler pocket on the back of the tender. I also have link and pin couplers. Also water hatch hinges, and a variety of butt and strap hinges and hasps, assorted grab irons, round fire door, tender water outlets and valve assembly with operating handles and ramps for the top of the tender, and soon the 1870 Westinghouse brake valve and dummy 1870's Westinghouse pump. There are probably some more little goodies but that is all I can remember for now. I don't have all the items in stock right now but I can get them.
If you are building an early engine some of these items may be useful.
Happy Model Building
Jack
JBodenmann wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:21 pm
Here is the set up for soldering. Surprisingly little solder is needed. The tender is turned upside down sort of on it's side. A couple fire bricks were set under the tender to get it to set the way I wanted. Gravity is your friend, us it to get the solder to flow where you want. Very small diameter electronic grade rosin core solder was snipped into short lengths and placed every inch or so. This solder has tremendous flow characteristics and melts at a low temperature. Then gently and evenly heat the area with a propane torch. Heat the sheet metal from underneath. If you heat the beading more than the sheet metal it will expand and try to buckle. Give each screw head a little extra shot of solder. Do one side of the tender, let it cool a bit and then re position the tender to do the other side, then the back.
Jack, I am beginning the beading work round the periphery of my cab roof (the tender will hopefully be sometime in the future). I appreciate your help in this area. There are some differences so I have some questions. My cab roof is 16 ga sheet steel, not brass, and my beading is 4 mm (.157 inch) brass sliced in half. The beading will be abutting the outer edge of the roof so I believe that I may have to place short lengths of solder along the upper junction and that whole area will be visible when looking down on the cab, not partially hidden as it would be if I applied it to the bottom junction. Placing the solder below would be better but I'm not sure I can do that effectively. If above, I cannot have any filling or rounding of that junction--the solder has to flow completely into the junction. With that in mind, what kind of solder should I use? I see 60/40 rosin core solder is readily available in two diameters, .031 and .0236. Is that the stuff you use and what diameter should I get? Since the top is steel, should I paint additional flux at the joint for better flow before attaching for soldering? I will be using a MAPP or propane torch. Any other advice? I will be practicing on some scrap first, so should be able to come up with the optimum solder piece length and spacing. Photo attached. The roof is large with a circumference of over 70 inches, so I expect this to take some time!
Hello My Friends
That cab roof is looking good David, as a matter of fact all you work looks really top notch. The solder used was 1/32" rosin core electronic grade. After the half round is fitted up with #0-80 or #00-90 screws and is looking good take it all apart and clean everything. I would use red Scotch Brite on the brass and #220 grit paper on the steel. Then butter everything up with No Corrode flux, even the screws. Do this right before you plan on soldering as No Corrode really isn't No Corrode and will make the steel rust if left there for a couple days. Place tiny bits of solder perhaps 1/2" long every inch or so. I think your idea of doing a test pice is a good one as it will let you figure out how much solder to use. This solder wicks great and you shouldn't have any problems with too large a fillet. Acid core solder doesn't wick near as well and would leave too much fillet. After soldering give everything a good scrub with a small tinners brush and lacquer thinner and then metal prep to clean all the remaining flux off and to brighten things up. And as mentioned before heat from below. Too much heat on the half round will cause problems. This method has been used many times to stick brass half round to steel cabs and tenders.
Happy Model Building
Jack
Another idea might be to tin the areas of contact first. I just did that with some very tiny hinges. By tinning first the solder is already adhered to the base metal so the final attachment goes much easier.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
! But your work is Impressive as always! 
Here is a bit more on the air tank lubricator. This first photo is the filler cap guide being machined using the aluminum block clamping device that was discussed earlier. I thought there was a picture of this completed little trinket but there wasn't....next time. The second one down is looking in the end of the tank at the bulkhead that the pump mounts to. The third photo is all the bits gathered up ready to be stuffed in. The bottom one shows the operating lever hanging out the bottom of the tank. There will be a link between the lever and one of the Stephenson links. The oil line to the branch pipe runs out the bottom. There will be some dummy air piping connected to the tank ends. The tank end is held in place with four #1-72 round head brass screws. The heads of the screws are the same size as the 1/16" copper rivets. Now it's time for the mounting bracket that fits under the boiler right behind the smoke box. Nothing is easy Greg....if it was easy everybody would be doing it, ha ha, too much fun!