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Great. Five more and we will have an order.

Hi Steve. Do you still have these engine parts for sale? I am also interested in the cylinder tap. The only source I can fine is a manufacturer who will make me one for hundreds of dollars. But if I order 6 the price falls to $50 each. If there are enough members here that want one, maybe...

Good point. I understand that zinc will cause problems in hot water/boiler applications.

Thanks for the info. I read the spec sheets and it sounds ideal for copper and bronze/brass. I will order some and give it a try.

Yes there are many brazing alloys but from my perspective the “normal” brazing rod we have around the farm is primarily brass as opposed to silver solder. I would have to do some research to see what the actual alloy is.

Nice looking boiler. Hope it works well for you. I read an account of boiler making where the builder used normal brazing rod instead of silver solder on his boiler so that the soldered seams matched the copper when it was polished. Is their any reason not to braze a boiler with the usual...

The problem was the locking knob at the top would not provide enough friction to hold the telescoping arms. Just poor manufacture I guess. Every time the gauge pulled free of the cylinder the arms would extend a bit no matter how I tried to do the measurement. If I get a better set I can...

When you say a "narrow flat" what angle are you holding the stone in relation to the cutting edge? Are you trying to increase the angle of the existing cutting edge, or make it dull? Having trouble visualizing this.

I have heard this suggestion for brass for drilling and milling but have no idea what it means in terms of tool geometry. In practical terms, how do you modify mills drills and lathe tools for brass? Looking at diagrams of rake angles on tools makes no sense to me in terms of negative angles.

My first go with a set of cheaper telescoping hole gauges on a generator engine rebuild was frustrating. I’d feed the gauge carefully into the cylinder, tighten the knob and as I withdrew the gauge the telescoping arms would pop out just a bit. Different measurement every time. No matter how I...

There is a lot of sizing of holes needed with reamers and drills plus cutting and fitting tubing and drill rod so I would have to provide some info along with the printer files. Maybe not the best project for Thingiverse. Anyone on this list would find it easy.

I picked up a copy of "Making Simple Model Steam Engines" by Stan Bray and had a look at the various models he offers in the book. Each model has a complete plan and description of the build. Since I am catching the steam engine bug I am determined to learn more about these little engines. As a...

I am amazed at the tiny circuitry in the little cubes we all use to charge our cell phones. They can take 220v down to 5v with a tiny transformer and switching circuit. Seems like some potential in these little units for charging a capacitor.

Twenty nine boilers! Did Titanic burn bunker oil? I can’t imagine shovelling coal for that many boilers but she was old enough that maybe so. You would need a lot of stokers.

Now you have me thinking about running my own steam engine exhaust into a turbine. What a great idea. Interesting historical note. I understand that the Titanic was the fastest liner of its day.

The triple expansion engine is a common marine engine. This is three cylinders. Exhaust from the first cylinder enters the second, and exhaust from the second enters the third. Each cylinder is larger than the previous one. It requires lots of pressure to the first cylinder. Very efficient...

I find in all instructional videos the problem of the presenter assuming too much about the knowledge and ability of the student. It is very hard for an expert to back up far enough to make a meaningful presentation for a rank beginner. People who can do this are rare. It all comes down to...

Sounds like your fuel is not being atomized by the carb. I wonder about pre-heating. We have engines on the farm that benefit greatly from a touch with the tiger torch. The Deutz diesels won’t start without it.

The Orrery I showed in the photo is still offered in weekly kits. In this case it is a prize in a magazine subscription drive. Looks like there is lots of info. I will have to take some time and soak through it all thanks to all who contributed the links.

So has anybody ever seen plans for a mechanical Orrery? This is a model of the solar system that shows the relationship of the planets as they circle the sun. The photo shows a small one of just the earth and moon as well. These are kits costing $1400. I would love to see a set of plans. Just...