New York Central Streamlined Hudson

[JBodenmann]

Hello My Friends
Here is a bit more on the throat sheet and back head wrappers. The throat sheet form was taken out of the clamps and trimmed after careful measuring as seen in the top photo. Measure seven times cut once! I'm not joking here…In the second photo the form has had the edges zoomed with a router and round over bit. Some shaping of the form was done with a file. It was then measured with a dressmakers cloth rule. This cloth rule is very handy when working with curves. The copper sheet was then cut out annealed, and clamped to the form. In photo 3 you can see a wrinkle starting to form. This is where the metal is gathered as it is formed to an inside curve. This wrinkle can't be worked out on the wood form, so the workpiece was removed from the form and the wrinkle was worked out on the steel table with the rawhide mallet as in photo 4. Then the workpiece was annealed again, clamped to the form as in photo 5 and the rawhide mallet was used to snuggle it up against the form.

[JBodenmann]

Here is some more. The throat sheet is only partly done. It still needs the flange where it fits to the bottom of the boiler. In the top photo the boiler jacket spacer band that the wrapper will fit to is being measured. The throat sheet wrapper will fit up against this band from below. In the second photo an old form is being marked to fit the spacer band. This old form was just laying around from a previous job. The form was then cut on the wood cutting band saw, and in photo 3 the fit is being tested against the spacer ring. Then the copper throat sheet work piece is being marked out with the dividers and a sharpie. These dividers were made to hold a pencil, so a zip tie is used to hold the sharpie, go with what you got! This bit being marked out will be flanged over, and will fit against the bottom of the boiler. And in the last photo the throat sheet is being trimmed using the Beverly shear.

[JBodenmann]

In these photos the work piece is clamped to the form and the flange is whomped over with the rawhide mallet. The fourth photo down shows it being test fitted to the spacer ring on the boiler. And the last photo shows the formers for both the throat sheet and back head wrapper.

[JBodenmann]

Here are a few snappies of the back head wrapper. This is a much simpler part as it is just a flat sheet with the edge whomped over. In the first photo another old former is being re used. One again, measures seven times…lay out the form, trim in the bandsaw and zoom the edge with a router. Now I like to joke around about this measure seven times bit, but that is where I will mess up, measuring. So I am always very mistrusting of any measurements that I make. We have to know our shortcomings now don't we. Clamp the copper sheet in the form and use the rawhide mallet. It had to be annealed twice. Now both work pieces will get a good scrub with metal prep to clean off the oxides from annealing. This is a cool process and you can make a variety of parts this way. Just remember copper and brass will work harden very quickly, so you will have to anneal often. Especially if you are working your parts on a wood form. Aluminum or steel forms can take a lot of abuse but not wood. Give it a try. Next up, mounting the wrappers to the boiler, and then the boiler jacket.
See you in the funny pages…
Jack

[sabin]

Hi Jack,

I so enjoy following your projects. The big "DUH" moment for me is the use of the dressmakers cloth rule. How many times have I used paper, string, wire, you name it, laid it flat and tried to measure it. A real "why didn't I think of that" moment. I just have to make sure not to leave any oily residue on my wife's cloth rule.
Jim

[SF2900]

What is the ounce or thickness of the copper sheet that you are using? Most interesting! Thank you.
Ward

[redneckalbertan]

I just have to make sure not to leave any oily residue on my wife's cloth rule.
Jim

Don't do it, they aren't that expensive! Buy one for yourself or buy a new one for your wife and take her old one earning some brownie points!

[JBodenmann]

hello My Friends
Been out of town for a while, working on the new shop. Yes the dressmakers rule is a very handy little trinket. They sell them at Wally's, (Wall Mart) for a few bucks. The copper that the throat sheet and back head wrapper are made of is 1/16". Thinner copper has been tried in the past but it tends to wrinkle more easily when you try to gather it than 1/16" material.
Jack

[Mike Walsh]

I just have to make sure not to leave any oily residue on my wife's cloth rule.
Jim

Don't do it, they aren't that expensive! Buy one for yourself or buy a new one for your wife and take her old one earning some brownie points!

That is, assuming she has no emotional connection to said used dressmaker's rule... Better check first!

[JBodenmann]

Hello My Friends
Here is a bit of progress on the Hudson. First up are some better shots of the throat sheet, and back head wrappers. They have each had a good scrub with metal prep and red scotch brite, that's why they are so nice and clean. And now they have been hung in place, the throat sheet wrapper with a great big hose clamp, and the back head wrapper with some little flat head screws. Next we have a photo of the fire box end showing some of the supports and mountings for the wrappers. You may have noticed that there is some green masking tape on the mount-support bracket for the back head wrapper. Use two thicknesses of masking tape to allow for the thickness of the paint when fitting up things like these wrappers and the boiler jacket. I have spoken about this before, it's important! You would be surprised how paint can change the fit of things. So two wraps of masking tape on the spacer bands that the boiler jacket will fit around, and also under the wrappers for all fit up. Then, before you paint, remove the tape, easy peasy. The last photo here shows a start on the draft pan. Although the full size streamliner was a coal burner, this one will be an oil burner. Instead of an ash pan we will have a draft pan lined with some sort of refractory coating with a dummy ash pan. One thing nice about a draft pan is that it is much simpler than an ash pan. It can also be made very easily removable, and as it has no hopper hanging down between the rear cradle it can be made to slide right out sideways. So in this last photo we have, a strip of sheet metal that has been squirted through the slip rolls and tested for fit between the mud ring and cradle.

[JBodenmann]

Here are some more snappies of the draft pan. The top photo shows the main parts of the pan. The bottom has been rolled using the slip rolls until it matched the pattern made before. Then the outer edges were bent up using the sheet metal brake. The front and back were also made. The front and back were angled slightly, the front to clear the rear fame extension, and a hole was cut for the oil burner in the front. The rear was angled to help direct the flame path. The air inlets in the bottom of the draft pan will also be located to help direct the flame path, where you let the air in, and how much is most important, more on that later. Now before anything is welded together the main part of the draft pan was slid between the mud ring and the cradle, just to make sure it would actually fit, and slide out sideways. Rather than weld the whole mess together only to find out it would not fit! I hate it when that happens! The third photo down shows the back being stuck on with the TIG welder. When welding sheet metal like this it is always good to stick it down to something to avoid distortion. Here we have it clamped down to the welding table with some simple home made clamps. The bottom, front and back are all #16 gauge cold rolled. The bottom two photos show the welding of the brackets that will hold the pan to the mud ring, also the brackets that will hold the dummy ash pan. I have a little trick for mounting up things like this. I have often joked around about buying the mounting holes and welding them on…!? No really, well not quite, in this case I didn't buy the holes, I made them and will weld them on. Next time I will show you what I'm talking about.
See you in the funny pages..
Jack

[JBodenmann]

Hello My Friends
Here is the bit about welding the holes on. In the top photo I am holding the mounting pad with the hole in it that we will be welding to the bottom of the mud ring. Now these mounting pads could have been welded to the mud ring and the draft pan held in place to spot the holes and drill and tap them but it's much easier to do it this way, as all the drilling can be done with the drill press instead of under the fire box and the draft pan will locate the pads for welding. Photo two shows all the mounting pads stuck to the draft pan with #5-40 stainless socket head screws ready to be welded to the mud ring. And the bottom photo shows the draft pan wedged under the fire box with a stick. After the alignment is carefully checked the pads will be tacked in place with the MIG welder. When the stainless screws are removed the draft pan will slide right out sideways. Some hot rod hi temp thermal insulation for the draft pan just arrived from Mc Master and after the air inlets in the draft pan are installed it will be fitted up. The next time the boiler is off the engine the mounting pads will have the final welding done. Next up, the fire box side sheets with their dummy rivets and stay bolt caps. A minimal amount of this detail will be added as the streamlined skirting covers most of it.
Happy Model Building
Jack