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The Holt makes such a beautiful engine look at and yours is no exception. Awesome job !!!! I am looking forward to a video of the engine running. Larry

What a great looking engine. Awesome job !! Larry

Google "Used Lathes". You will be surprised at the amount of used machinery companies out there. Good luck, Larry

Greetings, been working on some of the pump components this weekend. Picture #1 shows one of the pump pistons with one of two leather packing rings. Yes, I am going to try what they probably used in the good old days; leather packing. Leather will swell with water and seal the piston to the...

Welcome Sir Jeff. You will find a wealth of information here from some great modelers. Please Jeff, there is no such thing as a stupid question. So ask away my friend. Larry

Greetings, thought I would share a technique I use to hold a raw casting to machine those first surfaces flat, square and parallel to each other. Picture #1 shows the "D" valve casting as received. As with any casting the sides are not straight due to the draft angle needed for the casting...

Good evening, been able to spend a few evenings this past week working on the steam cylinders and associated pieces for the LaFrance. Picture #1 shows where I am at. I still need to drill a lot of holes in the caps and do all the steam ports in the cylinders. The steam chest is to size, but...

I can tell you are having way to much fun with this rebuild :D:D It is looking awesome and better than when new from the factory. Larry

Hi Hayden, Thank you for your kind comment. Fly cutting a surface can give you an amazing surface. Be sure to put a small radius at the cutting point, 0.005"-0.010" should be plenty. Try the same thing by putting a small radius on your lathe tool the next time you turn something. Now to your...

rhitee93, you have captured the elegance of steam engines that they were so noted for. Great job and congratulations. It is a model well worth being called Model of the Month. Larry aka steamin

Greetings, started some work on the cylinders and steam chest. I generated a flat surface on the cylinder casting steam chest side using a carbide tip fly cutter; then clamped it back into the mill vise as shown in picture #1. Since there were no surfaces to clamp too with the movable jaw of the...

Greetings, First, thank you for your kind comments and I am glad to share what I do with all of you. The bell was a bronze casting with a very, I mean, very thick wall. The inside follows the outside profile quit well, so I did not even consider machining the interior. The base was machined to...

Staring to look like an air chamber :D

Good afternoon, I had a chance to get back into my big lather this afternoon and play with the air chamber for the LaFrance. Since I do not have a radius turning attachment big enough to accommodate the radius required, I took a different approach. I made an aluminum template that resembles the...

The other thing to consider is that a drill does not make a round hole. You can drill under size and then use the size drill you wish for the final hole. That will give a truer hole than if you use the exact size you needed. If you need a "precision" hole then you have to use reamers. If the...

Brian has said it all. Thank you.... My first real job was in a shop across from the high school I was attending. I was running a shaper and asked where the cutting oil supply was. The old man near by said," what cutting oil, go get a can of Crisco over there" as he pointed, so I did. I wondered...

FYI- tap drill charts indicate drill sizes for 75% thread contact. I consider this way to much for my model building. I will go at least 1 drill size and even 2 drill sizes larger for these small threads. I use a good thread cutting fluid for all my tapping. Sometimes I even use some good old...

I also am very saddened that your friend is loosening his eye sight. I can not begin to imagine his thoughts and feelings at this point in his life. Please let him know that many are keeping him in their thoughts and prayers. Best regards, Larry, Cary, NC, USA

Here is the phone numbers we used to make contact with Hardinge. 607-734-2281 For sales 800-843-8801 Dad did all the ordering of the parts needed. He usually talked with Dawn. Good luck, Larry

I will dig out my old receipts and notes and pass on the contact info I used. There was always someone there on the other end whenever I called. Larry