The Home Machinist!

Gave it a paint job today, and I made a neat find, I found a sheet of embossed aluminum from an ex storm door, looked a lot like diamond plate, and was even reasonably close to scale to boot. So, now I will have a little extra detail.

Oh, a few pics of the chain setup.

Last week I made quite a bit of progress, got the wheels on, got the rest of the sprockets made, and more or less got it assembled. After a few alignment issues (chain wouldn't stay on... ) it was ready for a powered test. Hooked all the electronics up, and scrounging up a couple of batteries I trie...

Thanks. I fully expect to remake these axles at some point, we'll see how they do in the meantime. After putting the wheels on, they look a little small proportionally to the body. But, they are all I had, so a little mismatch will have to do until I cast some more.

Thanks Harold, good info as usual. Just out of curiosity, would using a backing plate with the sandpaper help, or does that lead to some of the same issues as using a file? I checked the axles as I trimmed them up, and made sure the diameter was consistent. I think my problem was that I just made th...

Success! After a little judicious file work, and more wheels on the barbie, they are all assembled! Wheelsets done, on to chains and motor mounting!

Some pics of the springs, etc.

Houston, we have a problem... Did a test fit on one of the wheels yesterday, didn't quite make it. I put the wheel on the barbecue grill on high for an hour or so, gave it a good soak to make sure the temp was even. Put it on the assembled axle and gave it a few whacks to help seat it. Not quite. It...

I put my town on the loco, right on the grill where everyone can see. Orrington, just south of Brewer.

Been a while, got some work done on it. I have a deadline, I want to have it done and running by a meet I plan to go to later this month, about three weeks from now. I've gotten major portions of the tough parts done (I think...). I have the wheels and axles turned, the journal boxes and slides more...

Wrong clay, I can almost guarantee you. The clay you need for k-bond or petrobond is different than naturally occurring clay. It is chemically treated to make it organophyllic instead of hydrophyllic (pardon if I have the spelling wrong...). It absorbs oil instead of water. Google bentone, or petrob...

It will work just fine, Dave Gingery used the technique extensively in his workshop book series. If you never want the cog to slip on the shaft, either rough up the mating surface of the shaft, or better yet cut or file a couple of flats on the shaft. The aluminum will conform to the cuts, and you w...