dscott
Elder Statesman
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Post by dscott on Aug 22, 2014 9:34:09 GMT
Yes the left hand blow down cock. Had the same problem on my Gmma with the clack in the way, just did the tap or valve to the side and ran a pipe to the edge of the footplate, it takes ages to make a cup of tea from it though!!! David.
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Post by Doug on Aug 22, 2014 18:49:09 GMT
That's a shame a bit higher and it could fill a scale tea can #BrewOnTheMove
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Post by modeng2000 on Aug 23, 2014 8:41:51 GMT
I am not alone with the Terrier fire door flapping open inwards. Now I just dream of getting enough done to fire her up. For the valves I do them from an article Valves My Way, way back in the first few years of Engineering In Minature, and an idea from someone who ran every weekend with several locos. "Make all your valves the same, and have spares." David. The article was in September 1980 John
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jma1009
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Post by jma1009 on Aug 24, 2014 20:12:13 GMT
ive made a bit more progress today and yesterday with the water gauges. the blowdown valves are underneath the bottom fittings silver soldered in position, and clear the tray above the firehole door. a somewhat unorthodox arrangement but best i could think of trying to squeeze everything in! a bit more tittivating to do and removing a bit of metal off the firebox ends of the blowdown valves in the mill tomorrow. all the caps are made, with hex ends filed 7BA, plus the spindles for the blowdown valves fitted and made with filed square ends. i would like to have fitted 'bent handle' type blowdown handles, but ive fitted captive valves and impossible to fit these through the 'gland nuts' if bent, so will have to fit ordinary stainless handles as per the left hand hydrostatic lubricator valve handle already made and fitted. i do abhore ordinary plain hex caps! with a little bit of extra work something like 'scale' caps can be fitted which have a much smaller hex plus relieved underneath the hex head which i did with a thin parting tool made out of a hacksaw blade brazed to a bit of 3/8" steel in the toolpost. cheers, julian
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
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Post by jma1009 on Aug 24, 2014 20:20:29 GMT
incidentally the above water gauge fittings are a staggering 5/8" shorter protruding from the backhead than the martin evans design for Boxhill!
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Post by Roger on Aug 24, 2014 21:00:46 GMT
I can see why you've gone your own way with the scale fittings if they are that much bigger on the plans. That looks so neat the way it's done now.
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Andrew C
Part of the e-furniture
Posts: 447
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Post by Andrew C on Aug 24, 2014 21:10:33 GMT
They certainly look the part. Nicely made Julian
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greensands
Part of the e-furniture
Building a Don Young 5" Black Five
Posts: 409
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Post by greensands on Aug 26, 2014 9:00:16 GMT
Hi Julian - As a matter of interest, do you use the so called silver solder paint or paste for brazing up your backhead type fittings? Reg
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
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Post by jma1009 on Aug 26, 2014 9:23:34 GMT
hi reg, ive never used silver solder paint or paste and use small dia easyflo rod or wire for small fiddly bits. i tend to be a bit over generous with the silver solder - you can always file off any excess when cleaning up the job afterwards. blowdown handles made out of stainless and fitted yesterday. cheers, julian
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
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Post by jma1009 on Aug 28, 2014 22:50:11 GMT
ive made a start on captive boiler blowdown valves this evening (cf water gauge blowdown valves). unfortunately my digital camera seems to be producing 'washed' out pics recently (apologies for the poor quality of the recent pics) so must have a play with the settings to get some decent pics again. i dont recall seeing a design for captive blowdown valves in ME. i made a couple a few years ago but they were hidden underneath the cab floor, however STEPNEY's are far more prominent being on the sides of the boiler so need to be as small as possible within limits of practical operation in service. cheers, julian
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uuu
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Post by uuu on Aug 29, 2014 6:29:12 GMT
Why are you choosing to make them captive, Julian?
Wilf
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dfh
Hi-poster
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Post by dfh on Aug 29, 2014 9:32:04 GMT
Why are you choosing to make them captive, Julian? Wilf I thought that was a requirement of the Boiler Test Code David
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
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Post by jma1009 on Aug 29, 2014 9:39:29 GMT
hi wilf, david is almost right in that the previous boiler regs required captive valves on all new boilers. under the current regs this has been relaxed to 'recommended'. i see no reason not to follow best practice, even if making captive valves requires a bit more work. cheers, julian
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uuu
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your message here...
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Post by uuu on Aug 29, 2014 16:03:02 GMT
If I'm looking at the right document, it may be looser still: ...recommended...valves fitted on the backhead of the boiler...
So no requirement for valves on the side?
But I can quite understand a preference for captive spindles - especially if your blowdown could pass a high flow.
Wilf
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
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Post by jma1009 on Aug 29, 2014 16:31:24 GMT
thanks for clarifying that wilf!
last ones i made were on the backhead and captive (though underneath the cab floor). i will crack on with captive valves for STEPNEY.
im not to sure why there should be a distinction between a boiler blowdown valve fitted to a backhead and one on the side of the boiler!
i havent got the previous blue book boiler regs to hand.
cheers, julian
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2014 20:23:17 GMT
Hello all-----------Valves on the side ??-- WILF, you're quite right...In another existence of mine (GPO Engineering Trades Union Area Secretary) you very quickly learn the modern mantra that says}--"The words are the words"......I suspect what was intended was that ALL valves handling steam be of the captive type ?? and as you say}-- understandably so............And this was only to be applied to NEW boilers I believe ?? So that begs the question}----- Define "NEW" within this context ??...I have been asking this ever since those regs. first came out because I have 3 brand new boilers that I've held "in stock" for a few years now pending the completion of their chassis..So do they come under the blanket heading of "New" ??.....Ah, the more we try the less we succeed it would seem.......
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Post by Roger on Aug 29, 2014 20:52:58 GMT
You could probably argue that anything that has been completed before the new regulations came into force don't have to comply. You could probably also argue that any boiler that hasn't been issued with a boiler certificate before must comply to the new regulations. I suspect that this is an area that can be at the discretion of the boiler inspector. Who knows!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2014 23:02:56 GMT
Certainly NOT those who write-up these codes, that's for sure !!---------- As JULIAN says}--- it's now been changed to "Recommended" which is another way of saying]--"You don't have to if you don't want to--"......So what was the point in the first place ??...........It was a piece of "Safety" legislation for legislation's sake......As far as I'm aware there never was ---or has been, any Death or injury ( serious or of a lesser nature) caused solely by someone unwinding a Non-captive valve to the extent that steam was allowed to escape in an uncontrolled and dangerous manner......... If this style of bureaucracy continues ie}---- The "it MIGHT happen" approach, then how long before a compulsory Drivers Aptitude Test is introduced ........After all, in the Driver/ Locomotive/Passenger train operations triangle, he/she is the only one so far who isn't subject to any compulsory rules....EDIT}-- and that would not be "fitting", eh ?? ( See what I did there ? We're back in-line with the thread heading now !)...
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
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Post by jma1009 on Aug 29, 2014 23:22:51 GMT
i dont quite agree with alan - i remember some idiot who ought to have known better completely unwinding the spindle of a non captive blower valve. we never found the spindle and he was lucky not to have been badly scolded. ive also had to stop idiots completely unwinding injector steam valves in the mistaken thought that removing the spindle with a retort would make the injector work!
it is some 40 years since roy amesbury first described 'scale' fittings for our miniature locos, yet i still see the most horrendous needlessly chunky commercial boiler fittings on most locos. most are non captive.
cheers, julian
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 7:59:24 GMT
I suppose I'm not really surprised to hear of that JULIAN...Alas it's usually the Human side of things that's at fault.......Similar to your experiences I've seen a "Senior" club member ( running under Light Engine) just stop "in section", walk away to the club-house to use the Gents. leaving his loco unattended and two service trains, complete with fare-paying passengers, backed-up at stop signals !!--------- Then there was the piece of Kitchen sink plug chain used to couple a loco and it's tender that---surprise,surprise---- BROKE with the loco ( a 5" 4-6-0 ) romping away down a 100 yard straight and a wayside Halt platform where the preceding train had stopped........I, and a few others, shouted and waved our hands but just received a cheery wave back..This suddenly stopped as the 4-6-0 arrived "Ahead of schedule" you might say, and we all heard the "SMACK" as it hit the rear truck with great gusto !!.............Fortunately this was a Club-only day....Are commercial fittings still being supplied as Non-captive then ??...Surely it would be in their interest to change ASAP in lieu of current thinking ??
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