Help with 'Speedy' valve gear and other issues...

[Roger]

Nov 19, 2018 22:38:48 GMT simplyloco said:

Nov 19, 2018 22:02:39 GMT Roger said:

This is the supporting piece being attached to the removable section of the backhead, it's just held on with Soft Solder which is plenty strong enough for the purpose...

20181119_183039 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

What's this 'ere then?

Hi John,
The sensible answer is that it's the back of the removable piece on the top RH side of the photo below..... but.... maybe you're meaning it looks like an Ear!



20181119_215032 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

[simplyloco]

The latter...

[jon38r80]

Ear, ear, eye nose you!

[Roger]

I've already made one of these, it's the top part of the firebox cladding.... however... it didn't quite cover the side sheets far enough to be able to use a single bolt to go through both to attach everything, so this is 4mm wider.

I've added the four M1.4 clearance holes at the far end which will hold everything tightly to the backhead. That's handy because it's going to hold the removable backhead piece much more securely.

20181120_221231 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

I've had to take the side sheets off and file away part of one of the clinch nuts because it was fouling one of the Phosphor Bronze screws that held the boiler together while it was being Silver Soldered.

It all needs to be gently held in the right position while I spot through the 1mm holes for the fixing bolts. They are Brass and not really strong enough to be much use so I'll probably soft solder the infills in place to beef it up a bit. There's no reason to ever take them off, they can become part of the backhead cladding assembly.

20181120_221123 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

[jon38r80]

You can never have enough clamps of different sorts and sizes. Those bands with a ratchet are invaluable for odd shapes. Somme times a loop or two of string/wire and a stick gets you out of trouble too.

[ettingtonliam]

Oh, its a ratchet clamp is it? My first thought was that Roger was using the dog's lead.

[Roger]

Nov 21, 2018 7:47:03 GMT ettingtonliam said:

Oh, its a ratchet clamp is it? My first thought was that Roger was using the dog's lead.

It's not actually a ratchet clamp, it's one of those straps with a sprung set of dogs that stops the strap from pulling back through.

My Son would dearly love us to have a dog, but I know who would be doing everything for it, so it's not happening! I've played that game before and it takes too much of my time. I'm soft so I know I'd be walking it twice a day and fussing over it, so I know I'd get nothing done.

[Cro]

I can drop Berry round and you are welcome to have a practice run at it? 11 month old Collie doesn't want much exercise so you'll be fine!!

[Roger]

Nov 21, 2018 8:47:41 GMT Cro said:

I can drop Berry round and you are welcome to have a practice run at it? 11 month old Collie doesn't want much exercise so you'll be fine!!

Not a chance! Much as I love dogs, I've done my fair share of walking and caring for them.

[andyhigham]

I love dog walking, I can't wait until Dio has had his jabs and we can go out walking
20181110_185509 by Sigma Projects, on Flickr

[ettingtonliam]

Nov 21, 2018 8:45:14 GMT Roger said:

Nov 21, 2018 7:47:03 GMT ettingtonliam said:

Oh, its a ratchet clamp is it? My first thought was that Roger was using the dog's lead.

It's not actually a ratchet clamp, it's one of those straps with a sprung set of dogs that stops the strap from pulling back through.

My Son would dearly love us to have a dog, but I know who would be doing everything for it, so it's not happening! I've played that game before and it takes too much of my time. I'm soft so I know I'd be walking it twice a day and fussing over it, so I know I'd get nothing done.

ah! so thats the reason why I don't get anything done on Locomotion! Border Collie just over a year old.

[terrier060]

Sorry Roger I replied to some comments only to find out they were several pages ago so were irrelevant! 

In in fact it was your page 1!!!

[Roger]

With the M1 bolt holes in place, here the infill has been bolted on with M1 Brass bolts.

The Tippex is to stop the Soft Solder from flowing everywhere. I've cleaned the joint thoroughly and fluxed the joint before bolting it up.
I've laid a cord of Soft Solder in the joint...

20181121_193253 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

... then gently heated it with a blow torch until it's flowed into the joint.

20181121_193628 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

The outside was protected with Tippex too.

20181121_193714 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

The same treatment was given to the other side. The top piece is being clamped to keep that cool else it may well come off.

20181121_201339 by Roger Froud, on Flickr



20181121_201601 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

All this made a bit of a mess of the Brass, with Copper coloured marks all over it from stray flux and the flame.

I've cleaned it up with needle files in the joint to remove a little excess Solder and also used a wire brush on the back. That's too aggressive to use on the front, so I've used some fine wet and dry paper with water and finally some toothpaste and a stiff brush to clean around the dummy rivets.

20181121_214059 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

The back is reasonably clean and tidy after that. I've also put it in the ultrasonic tank because I want to make absolutely certain there's no residual flux left anywhere.

It's all pretty strong now, I'm pleased I took the trouble to Solder it, the Brass screws are pretty feeble.

20181121_214109 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

[Deleted]

'Superb'...

[don9f]

+1

Don

[Rob]

Roger, what do you use in your ultrasonic tank?

I have carburettor cleaner in mine that I'd like to stop using after it gave me a chemical burn.

[Roger]

Nov 23, 2018 11:10:34 GMT Rob said:

Roger, what do you use in your ultrasonic tank?

I have carburettor cleaner in mine that I'd like to stop using after it gave me a chemical burn.

Hi Rob,
I use "Concentrated Ultrasonic Cleaning Solution - Ultra+" US-SO-ULT from allendale ultrasonics which I bought from eBay. I seems to work tolerably well, and can be used on just about anything. It cleans off flux residue pretty well. I use it hot, the tank can get it up to 40C

You'll have to try it on a sample to see if it's aggressive enough for what you need. Years ago we used Arklone and other nasty solvent which worked amazingly well for degreasing and cleaning, but you can't use that sort of thing any more.

[Roger]

With hindsight, I realise that I should have made all of the threaded stays 1mm longer than the final size so I could file them after the boiler was Silver Soldered because they don't end up level.

To compensate for this on the top corner, I've got to add a small spacer to the back which will be filed to suit instead.

20181121_224315 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

The clamp stops the shoulder from melting while I do it.

20181121_225329 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

The same issue has arisen on the bottom LH corner support, so that's getting a washer too.

20181124_104947 by Roger Froud, on Flickr



20181124_152334 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

I've used a nut and bolt on the shoulder piece to match the functional one on the other side. The clearance in the bracket also serves as a location.

20181124_163350 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

I've screwed together as much as I can and taped it up so it's all aligned as well as I can judge by eye ready for spotting through from the top firebox cladding sheet.

20181124_171021 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

That worked out pretty well, the Brass shoulders are 3mm thick so they hold this really firmly. The holes go through the side plates too. They're over scale, being M1.4, but it's a compromise I can live with to make this a practical assembly.

20181124_174918 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

The four M1 bolts were going to be cosmetic, but I've decided to put a couple of nuts on the back and drill the side sheets to that the nuts act as locations for those.

20181124_175734 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

The heads of the hex bolts are only 1.7mm across the corners, so I've made these 1.8mm

20181124_180617 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

I had to be careful not to end up drilling into the boiler while opening them out!

I'm pleased with the idea of attaching the shoulders to the backhead pieces, it makes the whole assembly much more rigid.
Obviously the one under the turret is likely to require the turret removing to get that removable backhead piece out. It's a small price to pay for making it a more robust assembly. I can't stand things wobbling about when they ought to be fixed.

20181124_180702 by Roger Froud, on Flickr

[Oily Rag]

I am dim, I am slow, I am blind in one eye and cannot see out the other, however I have never seen in my 40 years of reading ME, EIM etc a description and cladding done with such care and detail and I do not underestimate the time required to share this with us. This thread is a marvelous reference for the future and an inspiration.
Bravo Rodger and thanks.

[Roger]

Nov 24, 2018 20:49:56 GMT Oily Rag said:

I am dim, I am slow, I am blind in one eye and cannot see out the other, however I have never seen in my 40 years of reading ME, EIM etc a description and cladding done with such care and detail and I do not underestimate the time required to share this with us. This thread is a marvelous reference for the future and an inspiration.
Bravo Rodger and thanks.

Thanks for that Daz.
It all seems a bit rough and ready to me, I like things tied down to very close tolerances and I hate spotting through because to me that's bodging. 

Unfortunately, unless it's made in quantity and all jigged, sheet metal work in one off quantities is going to be a knife and fork affair.
I'm glad you find it useful. Making things as accurately as possible does take time, but in the long run I think it saves a lot of heartache.