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There are several good books on model boiler making available but bear in mind that if you intend to run the engine in public you will need to comply with your relevant local regulations which may even require you to have liability insurance. Boilers holding a couple of litres or more and...

Now you realise that steel dissolves rapidly in molten aluminium !

Makes one wonder how our simple tools such as D bits made from silver steel ever managed to work ! Dan.

If you are making mehanite rings the heat treatment is to "set" the ring and the temperature is not so critical that a muffle is required. A suitable gas torch is all that is needed. Dan.

I am currently experimenting with cast iron rings in my 1/32 scale steam locomotive cylinders. These have a nominal bore of half an inch. I have found that the relationship between ring width and ring thickness is very important when it come to fitting without breakage. I think my cast iron...

The transition from liquid to solid results in contraction , this of course is obvious, and for brass it is around 2% by volume. What we want to achieve in casting is for the contraction to be spread evenly The shrinkage depression in your casting is due to uneven cooling , the thick part of the...

"Modern oils have since replaced these lubricants." Thank heavens for that , whale oil was also used in lamps for indoor lighting and for quenching steel during heat treatment. Dan.

There have been hundreds of this engine built and there is a dedicated yahoo group ,it would be to your advantage to join as there is a constant email flow discussing "how to "

Not sure of the point of this thread , surely this forum is about making our own engines and tooling ! Dan.

Just to add to the story of tin , at prolonged below zero temperatures tin can change its allotropic form from a shiny silver metal to a dull grey dust. A legend is that several tons of tin ingots stored in the unheated cellars of the Kremlin for a Russian czar turned to dust during a very cold...

Pewter is now tin with a small zinc content. Many years ago I heard of a gent who made his living by collecting the square cans used for tinned ham ( thats ham in tins not coated with tin ). He simply burned them in a wood fire and collected the solder that ran off. How much silver amalgam do...

Modern pewter contains no lead , it has been banned by public health authorities , rather like lead in petrol and cadmium in silver solder. One theory for the fall of the Roman empire is that the leaders were sent mad by lead ingested from their pewter tableware. Aluminium and tin can be alloyed...

As Norman says most small engines do not have rings or have labyrinth seals but with double acting steam engines the piston is very thin when compared to an IC engine and some form of ring or seal is necessary. I am building Gauge 1 (1/32nd scale) British pattern locomotives with 1/2" bore steam...

Cast iron sparks are blood red , just like HSS , modern rings are now made commercially from sintered cast iron but they were made from cast iron bar of the meehanite persuasion. It is easily obtained from ME suppliers in the UK and is cheap too. Health and safety regulations make it illegal for...

Mike where can you buy the replacement nuts for £31 ? the cheapest that I can find are £64 . It would be a simple project to cast them using lost wax ,I have done far more difficult jobs but for one set it would cost more than the £64. I estimate that commercially it would cost around £90 for...

I used white bearing metal to cast new "teeth" onto my worn half nuts . the set up is pretty straight forward and doesn't really need a description other than to say that most of the original threads are removed , leaving just the outers for location , and holes are drilled through the castings...

Zinc flare is very common in foundries casting brass but I have never experienced it with bronze or gun-metal (red brass in the states) as the zinc content is nil or very low. The zinc oxide resulting from the flare can fall like snow , obviously not recommended for inhaling. Use the correct...

Many of us aged model engineers have large stocks of BA fasteners , mostly I suppose of the hex head variety . It makes sense from a cost point of view to use what we have . my own stock , collected over the years mainly from long gone ME's , range from 2 BA to 12 BA with 2 head sizes for the...

Might be easier to polish the mandrel ! Old lathes using a headstock with cast iron bearings the mandrel was was rarely hardened . With pb bearings the mandrel should be hardened for best results. Note that in use the shaft/mandrel should rotate easily with very little resistance because in use...

Hello Iain , are these plans for the Burrell "devonshire" single crank compound engine , I would also be interested in copies if available. My father started building this engine back in the 1960's , the castings were also available from Fred Stone. The engine was about half built before his...