JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,990
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Post by JonL on Apr 16, 2019 19:47:25 GMT
One thing I would advise - don't rivet in the front ring to the smokebox, leave it as is so you can remove the whole thing in one. Grandad did this and it makes access in a small smokebox so much easier for maintenance and cleaning! Adam Thats a very good idea Adam; maybe I could use un-slotted round head screws instead of rivets. |
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Post by Cro on Apr 16, 2019 20:11:51 GMT
The smokebox barrel still has rivets they are just all flush inside. The whole thing slides out no need for any fixings is a light push fit. I'll get a photo Friday when at workshop.
Adam
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Post by simplyloco on Apr 16, 2019 20:29:14 GMT
The smokebox barrel still has rivets they are just all flush inside. The whole thing slides out no need for any fixings is a light push fit. I'll get a photo Friday when at workshop. Adam My Brit is the same. Not that I'll ever need to remove it for maintenance... |
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Post by Cro on Apr 16, 2019 20:33:45 GMT
The smokebox barrel still has rivets they are just all flush inside. The whole thing slides out no need for any fixings is a light push fit. I'll get a photo Friday when at workshop. Adam My Brit is the same. Not that I'll ever need to remove it for maintenance... Heartbreaking.... |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2019 7:53:58 GMT
The smokebox barrel still has rivets they are just all flush inside. The whole thing slides out no need for any fixings is a light push fit. I'll get a photo Friday when at workshop. Adam My Brit is the same. Not that I'll ever need to remove it for maintenance... Light that beaut up sir....I bet once you do that and see her wheels spin under her own power, you'll soon have a tender and be all ready to go at your clubs steaming bay. Go on John, as the saying goes, 'we only really regret the things that we didn't do in life, not those that we did'. I expect an update in due course....  Pete |
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stevep
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,073
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Post by stevep on Apr 17, 2019 7:57:46 GMT
I concur on the removeable ring. Although in 5", I did the same on my Stanier, and cleaning the smokebox was a doddle.
In fact, my door and ring were made in one piece, out of a big disc of steel. And as the steel tube I used for the smokebox was quite thick, the ring in fact had a small lip that overlapped the edge of the smokebox, which of course, improved the seal.
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,990
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Post by JonL on Apr 17, 2019 14:21:24 GMT
Well that seems to settle it. Is it really enough to just leave it in place or is some kind of retaining mechanism preferred?
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Post by Cro on Apr 17, 2019 15:00:23 GMT
Leave mine in place, its a light push fit.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2019 15:50:28 GMT
Mine is a push fit, I've also used silicon around the joint for a better seal. I don't think that I'll ever need to remove the ring though, I can easily get my big hands into 4472's pretty big smokebox with the ring in place.
Pete
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Post by Cro on Apr 17, 2019 16:07:07 GMT
Mine is a push fit, I've also used silicon around the joint for a better seal. I don't think that I'll ever need to remove the ring though, I can easily get my big hands into 4472's pretty big smokebox with the ring in place. Pete Wait till you try fit superheaters and you want hands spanners and so on in there....the 9f is removable otherwise the superheaters and pipes won't go in. I did leave 1 rivet long in the top and a slot in the ring to align it correctly but it wasn't really needed. Doesn't need any sealant though the minimal leak you get won't effect its steaming and if you have it as a sliding fit up to a shoulder chances of an effective leak are so low. Adam |
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stevep
Elder Statesman
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Post by stevep on Apr 17, 2019 17:16:23 GMT
I used a normal dart and crossbar to keep the whole smokebox door/ring assembly in place - the supports for the crossbar were attached to the smokebox drum, rather than the ring.
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,990
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Post by JonL on Apr 17, 2019 18:46:53 GMT
Thats a good idea Steve, that may be the route I go. I'm sorry for the quality of these images but I do have a new phone coming soon (free upgrade from Tesco...)  I used the vertical slide to make the square end of the dart, then drilled a small hole in some mild steel bar stock. This hole I then enlarged with a home made broach, something I've not done before. It went fairly well, but I did the final tidy with a needle file.    It's a tighter fit than this photo suggests, I'm not making excuses but it really is a snug fit on the square section of the shaft, cubs honour.  Shaft machined down to circular again and a thread cut for the locking nut (? don't know the terminology), I was worried it would be a bit small but it seems ok in service.    Some minor finishing required to get it looking right but overall I'm happy. The only thing I would say is now its all together the profile of the smokebox door reminds me more of a Hall than a Brit. |
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Post by simplyloco on Apr 17, 2019 19:21:41 GMT
Excellent! You're getting there! BTW if you look in your needle files you might find a square one, which, when fitted in your plllar drill chuck, makes a perfect broach... John |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Apr 17, 2019 19:23:38 GMT
I think it's looking good, Nobby.
Personally, I couldn't tell the difference between a Hall and a Brit! :-)
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,990
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Post by JonL on Apr 17, 2019 19:35:17 GMT
Excellent! You're getting there! BTW if you look in your needle files you might find a square one, which, when fitted in your plllar drill chuck, makes a perfect broach... John Ah, thats a top tip! I did use the square file to finish the job, didn't think of using it in the chuck. |
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stevep
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,073
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Post by stevep on Apr 18, 2019 8:24:09 GMT
Laurie Lawrence had a series in ME many years ago, called (I believe) "Turrets and things". In that, he described how to make steam valves that didn't unscrew, and because of the way they were made, didn't leak.
As part of the series, he described making handles for the valves, and he used a square needle file, held in the lathe tailstock, with the blank handwheel held against the face of the chuck. I have used this method many times, and it is really effective.
Once you have driven the needle file through the blank, you open the chuck jaws so the blank will pass through, and when it is behind the jaws, you close them up again. Then you can wind the file back out!
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mbrown
Elder Statesman
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Post by mbrown on Apr 18, 2019 13:18:46 GMT
I use that method too. But it can be asking a lot of a small needle file to broach a square hole in one push, especially as the spaces for the chippings to fall away are tiny. If the file starts to bend, even a little, it's time to back it out, clean it and try again.
I find it is best to file out the hole a bit first so that it is approaching the square but undersized - then use the file as a broach to finish it to size with the method above.
Not worth breaking a file with the job part-time, in my view!
Malcolm
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,990
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Post by JonL on Apr 18, 2019 13:42:04 GMT
Fantastic ideas, I'd always wondered how it was done. I'm glad I'm finding out before I have to do the valve wheels...
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JonL
Elder Statesman
WWSME (Wiltshire)
Posts: 2,990
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Post by JonL on Apr 22, 2019 18:41:52 GMT
 Just a bit more fettling of the smokebox saddle tonight. For the life of me I can't find any reference in the drawings or words and music as to how high the saddle should sit, and therefore how high the boiler should sit. It looks like it sits on the flanges for the exhaust pipes, but that can't be right. |
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Post by simplyloco on Apr 22, 2019 19:42:48 GMT
Just a bit more fettling of the smokebox saddle tonight. For the life of me I can't find any reference in the drawings or words and music as to how high the saddle should sit, and therefore how high the boiler should sit. It looks like it sits on the flanges for the exhaust pipes, but that can't be right. Your smokebox top should be 1/4" lower than the front of the firebox, which should then slope back by1/8" . Everything else is just relative. John |
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