# My 4" scale steamroller project



## Allen (Jun 27, 2010)

I thought maybe you guys might be interested. It is a 'freescale' 1/3 sized steamroller built from this and that. I started on this... maybe 10 years ago? But hadn't actually accomplished much on it since a couple years before my big D..... 

Well, we (my GF Kim and I) FINALLY went to get the boiler last month from where it had been stored for about the last 6 or 7 years, rescued the wheels from my ex's basement, and scrounged the engine and governor parts from out of my van....... So, what I have is all in the same place for the first time EVER!

I still don't have a 220v circuit run for the welder yet, or gas for the torches, but at least it is a START, right?. Anyway, rather than have the neighbors upset over a bunch of scattered rusty junque in the yard, Kim and I threw a coat of paint at some of it this afternoon. ----- It may still be scattered junque, but at least it isn't rusty anymore! Kim and my daughter Sara picked the paint scheme. The rolls and gearing will be a dark blue, the engine and bunkers Case 'LC' Grey. -- of course just as we almost finished the sky opened up and it POURED for half an hour...

Boiler, smokebox and flywheel all looking rather snazzy. The boiler built to ASME section I part PMB specs, and is 10-3/4" in diameter and 4' long. I'd also love to get a curved spoke flywheel instead, but haven't found the right one yet.






A 1/2" injector, and a 2" bronze hand pump will have to do for my 2 means of adding water. The firebox door is smallish 5" x 6" -- I've thought about firing it on kerosene. The grates seem to have gone missing, so I might have to look more into that.





Rear rolls are a pair of threshing machine pulleys. Not what I really wanted, but they were affordable. I may need to bolt sheet rubber or old bald tire treads to them to keep them from jarring and breaking.





Front rolls are from a 3-ton or so gas roller. A little large, but for $25 I couldn't resist! I'll be cutting down the frame so the boiler will sit about 4" above the rolls.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




A face only a mother could love? Kim and Sara have both laid claim to it!





Half a Mason steam car engine will provide power. It's the 'wrong' half, so either the flywheel will be on the left, or the cylinder will be towards the rear... all depends upon what gearing I scrounge up, yet.





This 3/4" Gardner governor is really too large, but it's here. Yes, I need to get new weights for it. Luckily they are still available.





Still needed: gearing, bunkers, lubricator, canopy, and a money tree..... But I hope to at least have the boiler mounted on the wheels before Fall so we can move it around without an engine hoist!

So, just what will it look like when it's finished? Something like a mirror image of this:





Thanks for looking! Comments, ideas, suggestions always welcome


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## SAM in LA (Jun 28, 2010)

Allen,

This is quit an ambitious project.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

SAM


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## b.lindsey (Jun 28, 2010)

That is some SERIOUS modeling Allen. Good luck in finding/adapting the parts you need and please do keep us posted on your progress. Traction engines and steam rollers are always fascinating things, especially in this size. No all you gotta do is find a 1/3 scale road to pave :big:

Regards,

Bill


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## Dirty_Vinylpusher (Jun 28, 2010)

Wow.
Just ...... wow.


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## Allen (Jul 1, 2010)

Kim was having a bit of trouble visualizing how it would look (She has an artist's eye for taking photos and drawing, but I guess she can't quite do it in 3 dimensions...), so I did a temporary mock-up last night. I need to make a minor change to the upper water column valve piping, so the engine can go down another inch and back about two....... 






I'm hoping to find some needed bits at the Ashtabula engine show (Wayne Center, Oh) this weekend.... They have a great flea market for a smallish show.


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## Allen (Jul 6, 2010)

Went to Jamestown, Pa today to get some old manure spreader wheels to use for the rear rolls instead of the fragile pulleys. Anybody recognize the manufacture on this thing? 





One wheel was stuck fast to the axle, so we decided the expedient thing was to just take axle, pillow blocks and all. Then soak it all down with Kroil at our leisure. It cost us gas, plus $10 and a couple zucchinis for the parts....





The front axle, and one from a husker shredder, will be rescued as well to make a wagon to mount a couple steam pumps on. The rest of it is pretty rough, so the scrap man will probably get it unless somebody has a parts request.


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## Dirty_Vinylpusher (Jul 6, 2010)

Zucchinis - the leading currency in the scrap business.

 :big:


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## Allen (Jul 7, 2010)

Dirty_Vinylpusher  said:
			
		

> Zucchinis - the leading currency in the scrap business.
> 
> :big:


He actually wanted tomatoes, but they weren't ready yet.


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## Allen (Aug 14, 2010)

Being on disability means I don't have much (if any) spare money, so progress is slow. Thanks to some donated steel :bow:, I finally had enough bits on hand to start welding up a frame last week. Most prototypes didn't have a separate frame, but it will make the local inspectors happier, and more importantly, save me a couple pages worth of stress calculations. :big:
Mock-up with the wheels... I think this will work.... maybe?





Not my best welding, but considering I hadn't struck an arc in over 5 years, acceptable.





Better with a little grinding and a coat of paint. It will probably go black, eventually. I still need to mount the front bolster, and brace where the chain steering bolster mounts, once I decide to mount it high or low.





The bolster - from a 2-ton gas roller... It needs cut down to fit under the smokebox. - It's HARD, as in spit dull red sparks and trash the saw blade hard. - I may end up fabricating a new one out of steel....





With luck it will be on wheels before the snow flies...


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## zeeprogrammer (Aug 14, 2010)

That's some project Allen.
I've never welded but have toyed with the idea of learning.

With respect to your thread's title...My 4" scale steamroller project...
What does the 4" refer to? Or 'scale' for that matter.
My inexperienced eyes see a full scale steamroller.

Thanks.


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## Allen (Aug 14, 2010)

zeeprogrammer  said:
			
		

> That's some project Allen.
> I've never welded but have toyed with the idea of learning.



Welding is easy. Making good, clean, pretty looking welds with no inclusions is what takes the practice. If you really want to learn, see if your local tech school has evening classes. Teaching yourself is possible but has a sharper learning curve. Also, if you are trying to learn with cheap (mostly 110v or 'pocket') equipment it will just frustrate you. Most of the budget stuff has a very short duty cycle (%-age of time you can weld vs time needed for the machine to cool to prevent failure), and the volt/amp settings are often WAAAY out of proper balance for making really good welds..... An experienced weldor CAN even stick weld with a car battery and jumper cables - when absolutely necessary - but trying to learn that way.....





			
				zeeprogrammer  said:
			
		

> With respect to your thread's title...My 4" scale steamroller project...
> What does the 4" refer to? Or 'scale' for that matter.
> My inexperienced eyes see a full scale steamroller.



4" on the model = 1 foot on the prototype, or 1/3 scale.... Actually it's probably closer to 2/5 scale with the larger wheels, but that doesn't give quite as nice a round number.. The boiler is 10-5/8" in diameter and 4 feet long (plus another 8" for the smokebox). The rear wheels are 36" in diameter, the front rolls 18". When completed it will be about 34" wide and 7 feet long.....


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## zeeprogrammer (Aug 14, 2010)

Thanks Allen.


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## Allen (Aug 14, 2010)

I would have offered to help you learn how to weld, but it would be just a bit of a commute for somebody....


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## Dirty_Vinylpusher (Aug 15, 2010)

*Allen*
I'm loving this project. 
Big and chunky.
 ;D


*Zee*
I'm a novice welder myslf and am battling along with a cheap-ish arc welder.
I'm ok as long as both pieces of material are the same thickness and composition.

It's all about getting the settings right, using the right sticks and having a steady hand.

There's only one way to learn and that's to have a go.
As Allen said, maybe do a course, but there's plenty of good information on the web and most likely you know someone who's been doing a bit of welding who can give you a couple of pointers?

I say Go for it!


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## Allen (Sep 2, 2010)

Yesterday, a friend if a friend cut the yoke piece off for me. It took about 20 minutes with a power hacksaw....

Since I no longer had an excuse to not make progress. I spent the evening mounting the front pedestal bearing brackets and some other bits that absolutely needed to be welded to the frame.










Today I finished up welding on the frame and got some help to heave the boiler into place.










After looking at it, I need to lower the pivot point on the front end a little over an inch - easy enough; Jack the frame up, pull the front rolls, cut the ears off the top of the roll bracket and drill a new pair of holes through the hollow bracket itself... then reinstall. If everything co-operates (yeah right!) it should take less than an hour


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## Allen (Sep 5, 2010)

We were at Tractor Supply Co to get grade 5 bolts when I noticed that they had cast iron fireplace grates in 2 sizes. 10-1/2" x 22" and 7-1/2" x 21"... the spacing between the bars was a bit wider than I really wanted at about 3/4", but the smaller set fit perfectly after I trimmed the last section off. Plus, they were less than $20! :bow:

If they last even 5 years at that price, I won't complain... much. :big:

Don't you love it when something goes right for a change?

Debating on side mounted water tanks for a larger reserve (the bunkers, as originally designed, would only hold about 12 gallons, square side tanks would hold about 20)... also whether to build the scarifier (basically a long bar with stakes through it that was used to rip up the old road so it could be graded and resurfaced) that mounts under the platform. It would LOOK really, really cool, but I sorta worry about it getting hung up while loading or some idjit managing to get hurt on it. I need to decide on this BEFORE I cut the rear axle as to whether to leave an extra 1-1/2" on each side for the outer mounting brackets.... input either way is requested on this.......

My 'next' project has already been suggested... I was told I NEED a wagon grader to pull behind the roller. THAT could be built in about a week, IF I can find a husker/shredder cart, a pair of worm boxes, a junk garden tractor snowblade and about 12 feet of heavy 2" channel... but it would take up a LOT of room (about 3' x 5' with the tongue removed) to store. The jury is still out.


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## Allen (Sep 10, 2010)

Spent part of yesterday reworking the front roll mount and welding up an engine bracket.





It's starting to look like a roller... maybe.... if you squint? lol





Definitely thinking I need the larger flywheel, or maybe one even a bit bigger yet





Still looking for gears that I can afford.


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## Deanofid (Sep 10, 2010)

I don't have to squint! It's gettin' there.
Do you think a sealed bearing would be better on the crank pin? Just a thought.

Dean


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## Allen (Sep 10, 2010)

There's supposed to be a dust cover that bolts over that bearing... I didn't get it with the engine and simply haven't scrounged up a fender washer to make a new one yet. The bearing balls are semi sealed, that's a sheetmetal cover you see.

With luck I might get to test steam the boiler and run the engine before the snow flies..... but I don't expect to have it done before next year this time.


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## Dirty_Vinylpusher (Sep 10, 2010)

Yep definitely no squinting required. 
This is such an awesome project.
 :bow:

I love it!


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## Allen (Sep 12, 2010)

Today, I want to talk a bit about visualization, adaptive re-use and reverse engineering. 

Back when I sold model engine kits, I'd occasionally have old part built models, usually just the pieces without drawings. Guys would get annoyed because there were no prints, and even more upset if I'd say that any machinist worth his salt shouldn't NEED plans to finish them....

Today's project was to start putting together the steering gear on the roller. No plans, not even a sketch. From miscellaneous parts accumulated from many different places over the last DECADE.....






Visualizing how things might go together is a skill most people can learn. Thinking in 3 dimensions really isn't that much harder than reading a blueprint that somebody else drew -- by thinking in 3 dimensions.... mocking the parts up is one way to practice, sooner or later you can do it all in your head. I temporarily mocked the steering shaft up to see how long to cut it, and what size spacers and bolts I needed.
It's just being held in midair by a big clamp and a stray lever that was handy.





Many guys go through all sorts of contortions over model gears. Scratch hobbing exact scale gears from billet. Pouring over catalogs to get a perfect match from Boston Gear. I found this worm and gear at a flea market in a surplus vendor's bin for $10 or so. Then I reverse engineered everything else from there. These gears took 3/4" shafts, so while I was getting the spreader wheels I raided Wilbert's scrap pile for a couple stray chunks of that. Then I got some super cheap Chinese bearings off feebay.... and then made the rest to fit the frame.... the winding drum itself will be a bit of 1-1/2" pipe made to FIT the space. No drawings there, either - just a tape measure and a saw.





Which brings us to adaptive re-use. I needed a steering wheel. I could have gotten a fancy model casting from someone selling kits. Or I could have made drawing and fabricated one from bar. Instead I found this large valve handwheel in another flea market for the princely sum of $5. About the right size, all it needs is a steering knob, and the lettering ground off. I made it fit the shaft by simply squaring off the rod by eye with an angle grinder. If I get ambitious I'll put in a set screw or maybe I'll just peen the end of the shaft to hold it. Is it perfectly true? It's closer than you'd think..... and perfectly serviceable.





Back to the salt mines....


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## Dirty_Vinylpusher (Sep 12, 2010)

Allen this is exactly how I build my large radio controlled cars using bits and pieces from the scrapyard.

Find a couple of key components and "work around them".


The visualization stage is good, but I always spend a lot of time at the mock-up stage, and there never seems to be enough clamps and little blocks of wood to prop everything up with.





> all it needs is a steering knob



I'd look for a place that services large machinery and see if you can get a ball from an old ball bearing for a steering knob.


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## black85vette (Sep 12, 2010)

Awesome. I love adapt, recycle, reuse and use it if fits / works.  Thm:

Looking great.  Keep those photos coming.


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## Allen (Sep 14, 2010)

Is there anything more frustrating than knowing EXACTLY what you want to do, how to do it, where to get it.... and not even having GAS MONEY to get there?......

Meanwhile, I put the steering chains on today.





And then I piped most of the steam line. Yes, I need new governor weights and springs from Mr. Woodworth, but they'll have to wait for me to find $50...





And for $4 Kim couldn't resist


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## Dirty_Vinylpusher (Sep 15, 2010)

Haha love the sticker!


 :big:


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## Allen (Sep 26, 2010)

Some progress pictures,

Steering gear - I don't think it needs a lower support below the worm, but we'll see.





The knob is from a Case L tractor. Yes, it's oversize for a model, but the size works well with Kim's malformed hand.





The factory Mason engine's Stephenson reverse... It LOOKS spindly because it was designed for high speed. But it will do the job.....





I tried this flywheel for size. I don't think I'll use it because the rim is cracked around one of the spokes. I need to find one about 15-16" x 4" wide


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## winklmj (Sep 27, 2010)

Allen  said:
			
		

> Steering gear - I don't think it needs a lower support below the worm, but we'll see.



AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...nothing like loosing control of a steam-roller. Warn the neighbors. Rof}


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## Allen (Sep 27, 2010)

Honestly? I think a tooth would break before the 3/4" shaft flexed enough to jump the mesh.... And there are springs on the ends of the chains to absorb most of the small shocks and jars. Besides, how "out of control" can one get at <3MPH?


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## lugnut (Sep 28, 2010)

Great project, looks like the real thing. But you need to plant some more zucchini so you will be able to finish it.
Mel


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## winklmj (Sep 29, 2010)

Allen  said:
			
		

> Honestly?



No way. Just stickpoke I think it's looking great.


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## Allen (Sep 29, 2010)

winklmj  said:
			
		

> No way. Just stickpoke I think it's looking great.



Several neighbors have already gotten the bright idea that I'm going to roll their driveways when it's done....... just to 'test it, mind. 

Guess I need a couple brass plaques that say "Not for Hire".... wonder if they'd understand if it said "Ná Fostaítear", instead? ;D


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## Allen (Oct 2, 2010)

Score! :big:

Today was a very busy scrounging day. I found a 16" x 4" flywheel for $15, a pair of 16" #80 sprockets that will work in place of bull gears for $5 each, and a pair of matching (#80) 10 tooth pinion sprockets for $11/pr... now I just need to find about 10 feet of half decent used roller chain, cheap.

Jury is still out on whether the primary drive will be chain or gears. I'm figuring I need +/- 20:1 total reduction to get 3-3.5 mph at 300rpm.... the final drive reduction is a bit less than 6:1 (I think I counted 58 teeth on those big sprockets)... so roughly 3.5:1 plus a pinion clutch? on the primary.... My brain is fried at the moment. But I'm happy

Ed Phillips preparing one of my $5 sprockets for boring out to 2".


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## Allen (Oct 5, 2010)

Some pictures - I just sort of slid everything together because it was starting to sleet :-[

New flywheel.... looks real good as long as nobody gets the bright idea of hanging a too heavy belt on it.





Bull sprocket installed. Pinion sprockets haven't come yet... about 10 feet of #80 chain will have to wait for another payday or two.





Left side after minor frame adjustment - no more weird geometry.


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## Allen (Oct 6, 2010)

The half Mason came from the consignment area at the Cabin Fever Model Engineering Expo in York.... for something like $800 back around 2002. I got it at the end of the show. Quite possibly no one else wanted it because it was the 'wrong' half. I assume the previous owner used the other half. The valve gear came from another partial 'wrong' half Mason that I got from feebay for $500, removed the valve gear and resold the rest at Cabin Fever for $450..... (It would cost more than $50 to fabricate the link, hanger, and rods, so I thought that was quite acceptable)

The bore is 2-1/4" the stroke 3-1/2" on these, which makes them about perfect for small traction engines and shays, and small enough collectors and hoarders don't need a forklift to move them. The LEAST expensive complete Mason I've ever seen was $1200 (when I was flat broke, of course) They are usually $1800+........

IIRC Mason built engines for both Stanley and Locomobile, plus others The twins were rated at 10HP or so at some crazy pressure and rpm.... not sure what this one was in. 

While we are on the subject of sources and costs, the code materials alone for the boiler were $1100 back in '97. The governor came on an engine I resold without it at a profit, otherwise it would have been about $400. The injector I got for $125 at the Coolspring engine show in the mid '90s - they are about $300 today. The front roll came from an estate auction down near Pittsburgh for $25 plus $10 for a big burly lad to help load it. Much of the rest came from friends' scrap piles for a nominal sum. If I had to pay retail, I'd not be able to afford all this in 40 more years....

Yes, I know, I'm not really 'machining', just fabricating.... humor me, my lathe and mill went for bills after the big 'D' ....... and I've noplace to put any here. :-[


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## Allen (Oct 11, 2010)

Success! and/or failure.....

Tried a test fire on the boiler last night. After 2 hours I got up enough steam (about 10psi) to toot the whistle before the 3/4" tubes plugged up with a bunch of nasty tar stuff. (What I get for firing on scrap 2x4s - even dry rotted ones, I guess.)

It simply doesn't draft nearly as well as I'd like - especially when cold. We'll try using a compressed air hookup on the blower pipe to force the draft. If that doesn't work I'm probably going to have to replace at least half the tubes with 1" ones (which will involve dismantling a bunch of stuff to pull the boiler again.... and getting a heavier hand drill)


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## Allen (Nov 13, 2010)

Just to bring this up to speed...

New governor weights and springs installed. New larger pressure gauge acquired and installed.

3 pinion sprockets acquired. Final drive chains acquired. heavy angle to support differential shaft onhand.

110v steamup fan given to me.

110v stick welder acquired ($40!), needs a cooling fan installed and new plug before I try it.

Weather expected to start going to crap soon. Probably about time to mothball it until spring.


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## NickG (Nov 13, 2010)

Allen, I love it!

Great work - are you planning on firing totally on wood or will you need something with more energy in it to get the required heat?

Nick


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## Allen (Nov 13, 2010)

The small tubes don't like soft woods or the local soft coal. It's looking like hardwoods (allywood aka oak pallets, etc) and lump charcoal.... perhaps with anthracite or coke mixed in. 

I thought about making a kero/diesel burner but I haven't found a decent gravity feed design for a long skinny firebox, yet.


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## Allen (Nov 14, 2010)

Pat J  said:
			
		

> .....
> We want to see it run.
> 
> Can you post a video?



If it quits raining I'll see if I can't at least get a vid of the engine running on air next week.


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## Allen (Jun 23, 2012)

No this isn't a "zombie topic".... I just FINALLY got around to some progress pics. If it doesn't look like I did anything for a year (or two), it's probably because I really didn't get much done on this last summer. (I scrounged some more parts, but that was about it. Blame it on negative cash flow)

Since our new landlord was being a pain in the butt about it anyway, we had a friend haul it to the Portersville Pa steam show grounds. It will be on display in the steam building there during the summer show for those who are interested in examining it. Nothing like an "open house" to motivate you to get to stuff you've been procrastinating about. Anyway, to the pix!

A minor project, but it needed doing. I made a bracket to hold up the inside end of the lift for the Stephenson's link reverse. It's just a bit of bar with a bushing welded to it - on the original Mason twin, this part was cast in on top of the other engine frame. It took me a while to figure how to do the offset without it looking totally cobbled. A diagonal brace will get bolted to the hole and further help hide the joint





This photo shows the end result of about 10 hours work just to get things back looking almost exactly how they did before I started.... I never liked the way that the front end sat higher than the rear (I mis-measured the offset needed on the frame when I built it, and didn't notice until the boiler was already mounted. Lesson learned!) Since I couldn't lower the front without a LOT of reworking because of all the stuff that would need removed, I decided it would be "easier" to relocate the rear axle. All I had to do was cut about 1-1/2" reliefs into the channel frame on each side, make sure everything was square, and weld it all back together. The boiler sits within about 1/4" of level now..... Oh, the things we do just for aesthetics. LOL





While I had the welder out, I (hopefully) permanently mounted the steering gear. Since the recycled 3/4" shafting was a little sprung, I decided a center guide might be a good idea. If it LOOKS like a 3/4" bushing welded to a 3/8" bolt... it probably is. Sometimes the simplest solution is also the most elegantly functional.





I'm not sure what this old casting came off of, but I just had to use it for the upper steering bracket. And rather than peen the wheel in place, I welded a washer to the shaft. Just in case I ever need to disassemble it. (Yes, I considered cutting the seat deeper then threading the end of the shaft, but the wheel has very little dish.





I have most of the parts for the driveline (differential, pinion clutch, etc), and the drawings made for the water tanks, but those things will have to wait for another post....


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## ShedBoy (Jun 23, 2012)

Love it, What a great project
Brock


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## Allen (Jun 28, 2012)

Don't it figure, I made some good progress today despite the heat, but forgot the camera.....

The big project was a new crankshaft. I got to use the big lathe in the 1892 Hoffman Machine Shop at the Portersville Steam Showgrounds to do it, too! (see the sprocket boring pic above!) --- The Mason engine has a 3/4" shaft. The McCormick thresher pulley I'm using for a flywheel, and dog clutch a friend gave me are 1-1/4". I thought about making a sleeve, but it would have needed to be about 7" long, and I was worried about the possibility of bending the crank if somebody hung a belt on it, anyway. Sooooooooo, since I had a 2 foot piece of 1-1/4" shafting "seasoning" in the shed, I decided to polish it up, then turn it down on one end to 3/4" for about 8" and be done with it. It looks kind of funny (the governor pulley is at the transition, so the shaft is skinny on one side and fat on the other), but it's totally functional. I'll probably use two pillow blocks on the flywheel end since I have them to keep as much stress off the small part as i can (overkill? nah....hehehehe)

The other project was boring out a #40 sprocket to fit the nice riding mower differential I have (Jacobson? it's orange anyway)... it's only 40 tooth, but the one that was on it was 32 tooth, so it's at least a bit larger. I did the math, @ 250 rpm it should go about 3MPH... A little faster than I'd prefer, but I don't have a 50 tooth sprocket.

There was no fan in the shop. I probably lost 10 pounds in sweat, so I quit after I got those done. Maybe I need to lose a little "insulation"?


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## Allen (Jun 29, 2012)

It was just too miserable hot by 9AM to even consider going over to work today. So I assembled the differential sitting on the livingroom floor. I was careful not to make a mess but Kim still wasn't amused. What is it with women and that old bearing grease smell? Men don't (usually) complain about their stinky flowers..... ???

At least I'm still allowed to sleep indoors, and I even got a couple pics to share!
This is the twin brother of the #40-40T plate sprocket I cut yesterday as a "before" pic:






And how my amateurish machining job turned out:





This is business part of the pinion clutch I was given. I "milled" mating dogs on the inside end of the flywheel hub with an angle grinder, then dressed everything up with a file to reduce the stress risers. The hub casting is about 7/16" thick, and the roller is only intended to pull itself, so I'm hoping to get away with it. If it breaks I still have the mating part from the clutch in the shed. I'll be turning down the taper part to mount a 15 or 16 tooth ring sprocket. which will give me a about 2.5:1 reduction to the differential countershaft. I'd prefer at least 3:1, but simply can't afford the asking price for a new 50 tooth sprocket!





More pix coming when I get them....


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## Allen (Jul 8, 2012)

Some new progress (Hope I ain't boring you!), even with the miserable heat of late

This is what the new crankshaft looks like. I need to ream the bearing bushing to fit better - as my "interference fit" completely interferes with it even thinking about going together at all.





I almost talked myself out of these stainless hotdog cart coolers 3 times. Mostly because the guy wanted $50 firm for the pair.... Kim finally had enough of my dithering and bought them for me. She says they look perfect. I tend to think she might have a point, even if they do only hold about 4 gallons each.





We also got a real good deal on 20 feet of 6" wide canvas belting to put on the rear wheels until finances allow us to get 1/4" x 7" flat bar rolled.


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## Allen (Jul 11, 2012)

Sooner or later I might get the hang of using the smaller lathe. For now it's about all I can do to get the bloody belts to stay on! (I think they need tightened, but it isn't my call)
I needed to enlarge the bore on the crankshaft bushing. I'm sure I probably did it all "wrong", but this accomplished the job with very little trouble





The next project on the agenda was to turn the dog clutch to accept a ring sprocket. I got lucky there were no hard spots in the old iron casting. The sprocket is a 17 tooth #40 - the smallest that would fit without needing reboring.









A quick mock up to double check everything shows I must not be quite as dumb as I look... It's actually gonna work!


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## Allen (Jul 19, 2012)

One of the really nice things about "freescale" model building is you can change your mind, tear things out, even start over in a different direction, and it's still "right"....

When I built the frame two years ago, I knew I was running the beads on the rear crossmember a little cold - unfortunately, with an AC box that also meant minimal penetration. So when a short weld broke (in it's and my defense I WAS doing some "precision adjustments" with an 8# hammer), I took it as permission to rethink the entire platform/bunker area.

When I first envisioned this thing it was to be a true 1/3 scale traction engine. That meant rear wheels in the 25-28" range. The wheels I ended up using are 36" - making this pretty much a small boilered half scale.

It also meant the platform was well above knee level. With not much room for 1:1 scale feet, either.

The re-design will be a two level platform. The rear part will be about 5" lower than the front. Possibly allowing a lower canopy..... and more importantly it will also be nearly 3" wider. (or enough to sit sideways or turn around without twisting an ankle for most folks!)

I started cutting stuff out on Sunday, and re-welded enough yesterday to ensure I'll remember what I had in mind..... Unfortunately, with Portersville's 50th show coming up in just 2 weeks, I doubt I'll have much in the way of time in the near future to finish anything up on it!

I also had a large "durrrrrrr!" moment concerning the smokebox. I had been trying to decide for days whether it would be better to use a hole saw and hand drill or acetylene torch to cut the 3/4" hole in the side for the exhaust line. It suddenly dawned on me last night that it's just BOLTED to the boiler.... as in "simply UNbolt the thing and stick in the big drill press"....

On the plus side, even unfinished, the little roller WILL be on public display in the steam building August 2-5 for those who want a closer look. Those who've looked at it already have proclaimed it "cute as a button"... Just how cute ARE buttons supposed to be?


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## Allen (Jul 27, 2012)

I was supposed to be helping the electrician over at the showgrounds today... He was late, and it was raining anyway, so I had some time to kill. 

I found that the spacer collars from the manure spreader axle fit inside the wheel centers. They'll hold the wheels on just fine and also give it a nice, finished look.





I'm not a fan of welding during a thunderstorm, so I did other things. This is 5/4"x 6" deck stuff. I haven't decided whether to clear coat it or paint it grey.









Drilling the 7/8" hole for the exhaust line took a while... but then the smokebox is the same schedule 40 as the boiler (almost 3/8" thick)





The piece needed for the exhaust pipe is an odd length. No choice but to custom cut and thread it. Luckily the club has a nice Ridgid vice and threader.









All that for this. The electrician finally showed about 3 hours late, so I didn't get the elbow and nozzle inside the smokebox installed. But I got the nipple that runs through the side screwed on, so at least it shouldn't snap the pipe off if someone leans on it.


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## velocette (Jul 27, 2012)

Hi very Naughty using Galvanised pipe on steam lines will have some strange and wonderful geysers when the electrolitic corrosion gets underway

However I think it is an inspiration to us all to get out and build something that is achallenge to us. keep us posted love your work

Eric


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## Allen (Jul 27, 2012)

I really don't know where you think you are seeing galvanized. There is some old brass that's gone green and grey painted black iron pipe on this. That's ALL. (If it's the piece I cut yesterday, it is in fact "new" black iron that was painted at the same time as the frame. It was put on, then removed again when I had to re-route the feedwater lines to clear the engine mount. If you go back to the first photos of the boiler in this thread, it's on it then.)

While I thank you for your concern for my safety, I would also like to say that I'm NOT stupid. And yes, I DO get kind of touchy when folks who look at that it's built from various bits rather than a kit or commercial plans and ASSume I am.  I had a boiler inspector kick once on the big 20th Century over "galvanized"... until I made him climb up and scrape the vintage brass (red bronze with a light verdigris from being on there for a decade or so) fitting with his pocket knife. 

Feel free to come and inspect it. If you can find galvanized piping on this, I'll EAT it. literally.

AND just so everyone is on the same page. The boiler was designed and built to meet (actually exceed, I HAVE the relevant 1993 code books with the 1994 supplements) code, in an ASME training facility under the supervision of TWO certified code weld instructors, I did all the calculations, had my ASME welding certs, and EVERY joint setup was destructively tested multiple times before construction began.

In short, please, please, please never ASSume, always ask instead.


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## mnay (Aug 2, 2012)

Allen, I'm impressed.  That is quite a gathering of parts and it looks like a wonderful creation.  Can't wait to see it put together.
Did you design the boiler yourself?

As far as I know in Utah where I live, there are no special boiler codes for models and it is not legal to just build your own without the proper credentials and state boiler inspections etc.
I am a welder and machinist by trade and have built a small vertical boiler but can't take it out in public.

The locomobile engine I building will have to run on compressed air or be steamed in secret on my own property....

I wish they would do some standards for just models here, but I'm afraid there is not enough interest.

Is the engine literally a Manson cut in half?

Mike


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## Allen (Aug 3, 2012)

Yes, Mike. Literally. It looks like they simply ran the cylinder through a bandsaw then brazed a plate across the opening. Best I can guess is the other half went for a model traction engine.

I also had a second half Mason (both the same side) that someone else had done similar, but even less skilled things to. Then ANOTHER guy started to fabricate the missing cylinder from pipe and bar. I bought it to get the Stephenson's valve gear parts. Oddly enough, I resold that one for more than I paid.


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## Allen (Sep 11, 2012)

Finally, another mini-update - Today I built the front roll scraper. It may not look like a major project, but it took me almost 4 hours! This is one of those parts that has to be slightly oversized for durability's sake.

The first step was to make the 2 actual scraper bars. Some 1/8" x 2" strap welded to a piece of 1-1/4" pipe. Getting the amperage right so the 6010 rods would neither stick, nor burn through was a bit tricky with the ancient Forney AC box I was using!





Then the 2" channel side brackets were welded to one of the scraper bars.





Set in place and welded to the roll bracket





And finally the front scraper bar was welded in place and the sides were cut to length.





By this time I'd lost the light.... again


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## Allen (Sep 13, 2012)

Today was a day to make what looked like a lot of headway just because the pieces were huge. I was looking for 3/16 sheet to make these two platform sides, but I found some 1/4" plate at a really good price. I decided to use solid pieces instead of open bracework for one very good reason - I didn't want kids getting tangled up in the driveline. Since I had good sturdy plate, I decided that the best way to mount the countershaft would be to drill the upper front corner and mount flange bearings. It took me about 2 hours to lay out and drill all the holes. One of them had to be 1-1/2" in diameter to clear the differential (so the chains line up). It was probably a good thing I had access to the machine shop at the showgrounds! 





The left side also got the 1-1/2" bore hand pump mounted before getting welded in place.





Clamped in place and ready to weld.





The actual top side welding took about 20 minutes. I'll need to pull the rear wheels to do the lower welds. After that I'll mount the countershaft


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## Allen (Sep 15, 2012)

Yesterday I spent a whole day working on this. Well, more like work a bit, sit and think, spend a goodly while digging around trying to find where you just set down the part you need, sit and rest, err, daydream, err, think again, then work a bit more. Part of the reason I'm on disability is I gotta "think" so much.... I'm like a young old geezer.

A quick mock up of the hotdog cooler bunkers to get an idea of how to proceed..





A start on the support framework - I used up what angle stock I had along... Good thing there's a bit more in the shed.





With the coolers temporarily set back in place it's starting to look real good





This bit of leftover manure spreader steering axle bracket will perform a very important function... helping to keep the front roll from trying to fold on rough ground





Since it started to thunder I decided the wisest course was to disconnect the welder. So I spent a bit painting the front roll bracket black... Unfortunately, the can of Rustoleum had frozen at some point, so it was kind of like painting with pudding.





After the rain stopped I added this brace made from a leftover short bit from the scraper bracket. I doubted the bearing mounted in the plate is gonna move, but the engine bracket was a different story.





And yes, I also assembled and installed the differential (often referred to as a "compensating gear in the old literature) - good thing I was planning on relocating that injector anyway...





I ran out of light and it was starting to rain again, so that's as far as I got. And today I HURT.


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## Allen (Sep 17, 2012)

Today was sort of a half day. And I got a lot less done than I wanted to. I probably spent 3 hours plus just trying to re-route the injector lines. Mixing and matching various length pipe nipples to get things to line up.  Two are done, leaving just the suction line to figure out... and all the hand pump lines.









I made a bracket for an outboard bearing on the countershaft since I wasn't sure about 3" sticking out unsupported.





Well, the coolers still aren't fastened down, but they are nearly ready to. I need to cut a few bits yet, but all the teeth wore off the sawzall blade I was using.I threw a quick base coat of paint on the rear end even though it isn't finished because I needed to use up the end of the grey.





Once again I ran out of light. Now It'll probably be Friday before I get back to it again.


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## gus (Sep 18, 2012)

This is a big job.Would love to see it running. Please post updates.


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## gus (Sep 18, 2012)

gus said:


> This is a big job.Would love to see it running. Please post updates.



Here is mine that nearly look like a steam roller.

Took three months to build and complete.

The steering has yet to done but Mini Tractor Engine can run.


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## Allen (Sep 18, 2012)

Cool Gus! I can't see the tiny stuff very well (as a "watchmaker" I'm a fair blacksmith), so I'm always amazed at what you guys do.


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## gus (Sep 19, 2012)

Blacksmiths are my heros.Used to watch my neighbour forging knifes,forge welding etc.Their hardening and quenching was so fast 
was so fast and I saw nothing and understood nothing. Went to technical college and heat treatment was on the learning list.
Too bad my instructors taught from the book.Workshop instructors were third grade.Singapore was a third country in the 50s and 60s.
Then came the challenge 20 years later and eventually bought heat treat furnace to heat treat die tools.Tool steel salesmen gave some tips and enough reading material and that was about all.There was still so much to learn. Quenching Oil------Fast-----Medium-----Slow.You cannot quench carbon steel in oil. Some tool steels cannot be quenched in water.


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## Allen (Sep 21, 2012)

Biggish update! I got a lot of weird little things done, some I have pix of, some didn't come out.
One that the pic didn't come out was the exhaust piping inside the smokebox. It was pretty much a 3 handed job with room for none. Things got really interesting when the stupid channel locks slipped, hit the trouble light and sprayed broken glass and sparks in my face... there's a REASON I always get polycarb lenses!

If you remember the test fire from 2010, then you'll recall this boiler doesn't draw worth a hoot  (it was originally designed for an undermounted, with the typical short chimney) So in order to help the boiler draft better I decided I needed to lengthen the stack.... Just how tall was the question. The piece I had to splice on was just a LITTLE BIT too long





I cut it off the same height as the top of the governor. But it still wasn't right. (A spark arrestor will be made from this wing fryer basket I found at a flea market for 50c, more on that in a day or three)





So I tried once again, this time I think it looks acceptable. If you've ever used little Ridgid pipe cutters to do household plumbing, here's one on steroids... It will cut up to 6"





On to something interesting. I got this lever off the same manure spreader the wheels came from. It will make a dandy Johnson bar.





And hooked up. The notches for forward and reverse are only about an inch apart.





Some very light used 3" channel made a good looking countershaft shield





Then I worked on the feedwater piping some more, but didn't take a pic

I thought long and hard about how to do the depressed section of the platform. I really wanted to use 5/4 wolmanized like the upper platform, but also needed to make the whole thing strong enough to be used as a tie down point when the roller gets trailered. Well, I had this bit of diamond plate seasoning in the shed, so I decided to go the lazy route and just use it to make the depressed section. I may bolt wood to it later.





The bunker supports are done. They hold my weight without moving. I need to get a couple bulkhead connectors yet, before I mount the hotdog coolers, but I'm actually pleased with how it looks so far.





I had to quit early because I had a meeting, so that's all for this update. thanks for looking!


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## Allen (Sep 24, 2012)

I promised to get back to the spark arrestor, so that is today's update. Guys who run the live steam in the grand scales are quite welcome to borrow my design....

This thing is a real high dollar deal.  50c for the wing basket, plus $3 for a weather flange. The stainless basket will probably outlast 3 or 4 flanges, but that's OK. Both will be easily replaceable.






The axles just snapped off (some baskets don't even have them), then I cut a hole the size of the chimney internal diameter in one end and removed the internal paddles





Six screw holes drilled in the weather flange will allow it to be attached firmly to the basket, yet still easily separated.





I also bent the excess flange up around the edges of the basket to make it look a bit more 'professional"





approximately 20 minutes work, and it was done. When I go over next I'll mount it on the stack.


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## gus (Sep 25, 2012)

Please post video when up and running.


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## Allen (Sep 29, 2012)

Weekend Update (And no, I'm still not Chevy Chase):
The weather flange was a bit oversized, so I 'cold forged' an adaptor ring out of flat bar





I also bent the handle for the hand pump to go through the 'window' in the side plate while I was in the blacksmith shop.





Aaand, spark arrestor installed. I'll drill it for a couple retaining screws when I mount the bunkers.





The final drive chains took an hour or so to get them both right.  Mostly because there's no provision for a tightener. We had to run to the store for half (offset) links.  I'll mount wick lubricators later to keep the chains from wearing too much. Oil is always a LOT cheaper than hard parts.





About twelve years ago I found these military surplus cable controls at a flea market. I think I gave $10 for them. They are handsome, but useless to me as-is





So the first order of business was to tear it apart. The frames are aluminum and won't be used, but the levers themselves are good cast with brass hardware.





One was stripped to use as a throttle





Installation started. This was the best solution I could think of that didn't require attaching them directly to the boiler.





The cable plate from the levers just happened to be drilled with the proper spacing to use it on the cylinder drains. I'll probably grind it dogbone shaped just for looks before we're done. 





Meanwhile, I gave the coolers a base coat while I had grey out to paint the supports under them. Next time I'll fasten them down with sheetmetal screws.





Next weekend is Portersville's Fall show, so whatever I get done Monday will be whatever it looks like for a while. We'll have steam cooked apple butter and steam pressed cider for sale during the show, too.


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## Allen (Oct 1, 2012)

Well, today was probably the last uninterrupted day to work on this thing until after the fall show (Tomorrow starts apple peeling for apple butter). So I got some stuff done that I had been putting off.
The first order of business was to change out the throttle valve. Why? Because somebody "made me an offer I couldn't resist" for the butterfly valve... and it simplified the throttle reach rod geometry in the process, anyway.

Old layout with butterfly throttle valve: throttle reach rod and pressure gauge would have tried to occupy the same space.









Butterfly valve (right), and the steam rated ball valve which will replace it.





To get the handle to point in the right direction, a little cut and weld was in order. 





Now the handle, when fully closed, is just beyond parallel with the pipe rather than perpendicular to it.





The reach rod now runs alongside the gauge with just a bit of room to spare.





I also timed the engine (I simply hadn't reset it after I made the new crankshaft) and installed the governor belt. Every step towards completion reminds me of 3 more things I still have to do. 

One thing I'm having a bit of trouble locating is bulkhead fittings for bottom of the coolers.


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## Allen (Nov 14, 2012)

A couple weeks ago Ben brazed the sprocket to the dog clutch for me (I'm out of gas, and too broke to buy more)





Cleaned up and ready to install





One of those many little parts that needed made, the front roll brace is 5/8"x 1" solid bar. 





Kim had a director's meeting this evening so I went over to finish up a few things before they got misplaced. Today may well have been the last day to work on this until spring. It was 39*F in the boilerhouse according to the thermometer hanging on the wall. My fingers got so numb I didn't realize how hot a piece of metal was until I'd already burnt them. So I spent the remainder of the evening trying to work wearing welding gloves... 

First I fitted the #40 primary drive chain. I thought I did good with cold fingers, I only dropped it 3 times





Then I ground a custom key for the crankshaft (and burnt my fingers with it... Who needs fingerprints anyway?). I still need to change the bolt in the flywheel hub for a shorter one or a setscrew.





And finally, I started to assemble the clutch throwout before I forgot how I wanted to do it.  The brackets and linkages will be built in place because of all the stuff they have to clear.





Maybe we'll have a couple nice days in a row in December to work... Unfortunately, even if we get them, it will probably take 2 or 3 days to pull the chill out of the metal. (I don't have a torpedo heater, and little ceramic cubes don't put out enough heat)


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## Allen (May 22, 2013)

Well, winter was longer and colder than expected, and I spent much of my  spare time and $$ helping a friend who was having health & marital  problems, anyway.

But I found a few small needed pieces in some  scrap and swarf that was headed to be recycled this week. So I finally  made a little progress. Starting with the mounting bracket.





A bit further along. One man's useless junk is another's "just what I've been looking for"





Still needs a quadrant and handle (and oiler), but is already fully functional.





Next up? Finish the hand pump and see about side tanks.


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## ShopShoe (May 23, 2013)

Allen,

Glad to see that you're back. I have been enjoying your posts.


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## velocette (Jun 2, 2013)

ShopShoe said:


> Allen,
> 
> Glad to see that you're back. I have been enjoying your posts.



I echo that, pleased to see  you back in the workshop enjoying better weather.

Art or Engineering?  My answer is it is a lot of both.
 Keep us posted on this very interesting project.

Eric


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## Allen (Jun 7, 2013)

Did a bit more yesterday before the rains set in. Fabricated a couple  braces and the handle & quadrant for the clutch. I also built the  detent, but didn't get it installed.





And a couple apron bars from a manure spreader became rear canopy supports.


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## Allen (Jun 15, 2013)

This past Tuesday, Kim had to go to a Director's meeting at the showgrounds. So while she got frustrated with a bunch of stubborn old men, I got to take my frustrations out. Some wit pointed out a couple weeks ago that "Steam rollers don't have strakes on the rear wheels..." Well, no sh-t, Sherlock! I just hadn't gotten around to removing them.

So grind the head off 80+ yo rivets, drive a screwdriver underneath and 'pop!' lots of heavy beating to drive the rivets out tho.











I also finished (except for a spring) the detent latch on the clutch, using the one from the lever I used for the throttle.






My buddy Ben brought over a pair of these to see if they could be cut down for side water tanks... I think they're a little fat, and thin so they'll rust out in a few years - but they may have to do if I don't find 12" diameter ones.


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