Argent Lumber 3 spot

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Fender
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Fender »

Here is a page from Baldwin Locomotive Works literature on the Rushton stack. The center section was indeed cast iron, with the upper and lower sections rolled from either steel or copper.
Also, a photo of a broken Rushton stack at the Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Longleaf, LA.
Finally, a drawing from the 1925 Locomotive Cyclopedia of a Rushton stack,
Attachments
Smokestack_Rushton.jpg
Rushton_stack_Longleaf.JPG
Rushton_stack_drawing_1925LocoCyclopedia_scaled.jpg
Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
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rudd
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by rudd »

Dick,
I suppose an English wheel would be a good way to do it, but I understand it takes a good bit of practice to use one successfully, my shop is about full, and I don't know anyone that has one. I was tossing around the idea of turning some rolls on the lathe and making a sort of ring roller on steriods.

Fender, thanks, a bit more detail than Mal's drawing. I'm guessing the broken stack is off the scrapped Shay at Long Leaf. What a wonderful place.
Soot n' Cinders
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

If I remember correctly, the centers on the originals were cast. Maybe get a piece of pipe and find someone with a CNC lathe to turn the shape. This is why I went with a Radley-Hunter on my shay, cones are much easier! That being said, I had the center cone 3D printed from Shapeways and can give you the link to have one printed yourself if it’s about the right size.
-Tristan

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-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

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rudd
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by rudd »

Update: The experiments with silver solder for joining the steam chest and cylinder are over. I got ahold of some silver solder containing nickel and manganese, BAg-22, same as what the article I had read described. It worked really well on joining (2) 1" x 2" x 1/4" cast iron coupons. I tried it on a full size mock-up of the cylinder steam chest assembly, and just could not get the whole mass hot enough, this with the largest rosebud tip my tanks will support, I think it is a 3. I'd have to lease a larger tank and buy a larger torch body, my shop is made of wood, and this is past my comfort level.

I can get at least 6 No. 10 SHCS's in the joint, Unbrako's shear table gives 1700 lbs each in single shear. I figure that with 100 psi the piston will apply a force of 240 lbs, but the joint needs a safety factor for slug of water/derail etc.

I bought some Deacon 770-L high temp sealant, supposed to be good to 950 degrees and 11,000 psi. It takes heat to cure it, so right now the mock-up is in the oven at 500 for a few hours. Interesting aroma.

Being not married has advantages. I'm curious if anyone else has used similar products.


https://www.jetlube.com/product/deacon- ... g-compound
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Bill Shields
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Bill Shields »

Interested in how the soldering goes. Doing something somewhat similar => I sent mine to a guy with a furnace who does it for a living..and got back a very nice job that has zero interpassage leaks.

Considering the work involved...for me was the only choice since a solder failure would mean total rework...and I have much less work in my cylinder set than you do...which is really beautiful
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Harold_V
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Harold_V »

rudd wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:01 pm I'm curious if anyone else has used similar products.
As close as I can come is when I built the adapter for the exhaust stack of my fume hood when I refined precious metals. It had to be heat as well as acid resistant. It was made of Transite (cement bonded asbestos) and had to transition from a rectangle to a round Transite pipe. I made the adapter members tapered and assembled them with a heat curing epoxy. Worked great, and held up for the duration of operation of the refining business (more than ten years) until I retired. I was totally impressed with the product, the name of which I do not recall.

H
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rudd
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by rudd »

Bill, I'm curious, were your cylinder sets made of cast arn or bronze?
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Bill Shields
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Bill Shields »

Steel for cylinders and spreader.

Cast iron liners and phosphor bronze for the valve contact surfaces.

Cylinders, spreader and valve contact surface all soldered together together. Liners slide in with o-ring seals
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Glenn Brooks
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Glenn Brooks »

I wonder if you could build a small furnace, using insulated wool blanket material wrapped inside a metal drum?

Put heat into it with one or two 100,000 btu propane weed torches, and silver solder away.

People that stock and sell 1/2” chain usually have plenty really nice size 30 gal metal drums available for free. I built one up this way and have successfully heated a bunch of cast iron wheel sets and sweated them onto axles with such a set up.

A local master craftsmen uses three weed burners with a U shaped wall of fire brick to do repair cast iron engine blocks that are cracked or broken. Just takes a nice reflective furnace and the right quantity of heat.

Iam sure you could braze your cylinder parts together with a similar arrangement. Something to think about, perhaps.

Glenn
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Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

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Greg_Lewis
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Greg_Lewis »

I silver soldered some stuff about the size of lemons using a weed burner and a hutch built up from fire brick. The heat coming back at me was intense, but it got the job done. It didn't have the mass of a cylinder block, but the concept is there.
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.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Bill Shields »

I spent $200 and sent it to a professional...even though I have all necessary to build a furnace as described..I lack the experience on something like this to get it right the first time.

I you have an internal leak there is no way to find ot fix it.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: Argent Lumber 3 spot

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Bill Shields wrote: Tue Mar 30, 2021 6:03 am I spent $200 and sent it to a professional...even though I have all necessary to build a furnace as described..I lack the experience on something like this to get it right the first time.

I you have an internal leak there is no way to find ot fix it.

Good move. Sometimes the best way is to just pay the money and have the experts do it.
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.
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