British 0-4-0 Toy Locomotive: he said

[doubletop]

Dean, I think you can use cotton wool for this task. If I recall correctly I think that it what my Mamod steam engine used under the mesh.

I'm going back 50years now but I'm sure it was layers of felt and not cotton wool in the Mamod burners

Pete

 

[Deanofid]

Felt I got, too. Thanks Pete.

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Finally got some quality time to do something...

Worked on the stand for running/testing the loco. I can't say I knew what I was doing...but it seems like it's going to work. Couple of boo-boos but that's okay.

Here's the parts...

Here it is put together...

And 'most' of the loco...
Seems like it'll work sufficiently well for the job.

Thanks for looking.

Oh...the boo-boos...

Messed up some of the grooves on the rollers...but that shouldn't matter.
The steel bushings were meant to be pushed into the rails and the bolts to spin within them...but I drilled the rails too big. So there's slop in the screw to bushing and slop between the bushing and rail.

 

[Deanofid]

That's a pretty neat idea, Zee. Kind of like a dynamometer without the mometer part, or something
like that. Looks like it should do what you want.
I'm anxious to see the first steam up.

Dean

 

[dreeves]

Come on Zee lets see some action :big: :big:

 

[Troutsqueezer]

That's pretty cute Zee. I'm looking at it and thinking, is that four wheel drive? Because I see you have a set of rollers for the front wheels. Are they going to turn?

-T

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Thanks Dean.

Patience Dave. You know what happens when you hurry. Could mean stitches. ;D

Ah you caught that Trout! Yeah, I was in the middle of making the rollers and realized the front didn't move...but I thought...ah what the heck...practice is good. As it turned out, I messed up those rollers anyway. :big:

Now to fix the stretcher...

 

[doubletop]

Zee

I like it, neat idea. You are an IT guy so there's a challenge for you to add 'mometer' bit

Pete

 

[tmuir]

Tony, will this stuff work in a spirit burner, too? I mean the kind of burner that looks like a rectangular
block with a screen in the top part.
I'm working on one for one of my boilers, and need a suggestion for what to put under the screen. Seems like cotton would work, but if it gets dry I think it would make a mess.

Dean

Sorry missed this post.
Don't know how good the rope would be for a vap burner that has mesh on it.
But something that would be good is Carbon felt.
This was only recently discovered by a member of another forum I'm on and he likes it.
Its actually for little hiking stoves you carry in your backpack
I've never used it yet, but it has had good reports so far.
http://minibulldesigncult.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/1231911

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Thanks Pete.
Hiya tmuir.

Just a quick update...

At first I thought it was the stretcher. But it turned out the pivot pins don't fit the frame. I've measured everything several times...all looks good...could be a typo in the drawing (there's been a few of those).

Got the pivot pins improved but now the problem IS the stretcher. I may have to redo both.

On the upside, the cylinders and pistons are working much better. Still a little to do but they may work.

On the downside, my main computer (PC-Vista) has caught a very bad cold and I can't do anything with it. I'm working on my Mac. I don't like it as well (for this application). And for some reason, the net is noticeably slower.

Been at work yesterday and today and I expect to keep doing that for a while. It's that time of the project. So my shop time is minimal. I'm managing to read everyone's posts but would sure like to comment more. There's some good stuff going on!!

 

[Deanofid]

On the downside, my main computer (PC-Vista) has caught a very bad cold and I can't do anything with it. I'm working on my Mac. I don't like it as well (for this application). And for some reason, the net is noticeably slower.

Gee, I can't imagine anything ever going wrong with a Winderz machine. You must have done
something terrible to it, like hit it with a sledge hammer, or pushed the 'on' button.

Dean

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Success! Sort of. Kind of. Mostly...well not really...
Small 'rats' anyway.

So...

I fiddled and fiddled and got the cylinders running 'pretty' smooth.
And while I fiddled and fiddled I could tell there was a good fit (resistance whenever I covered the port hole).
I fiddled and fiddled and got the drive wheels to turn 'pretty' smooth.
I fiddled and fiddled and got the pivot pins and stretcher connected 'pretty' well.

Air! Let's try some air!

Maybe 30 psi.

Right side tries to turn. Gets half-way round...then sticks.
But that means air got to the cylinder and pushed the piston!!! Yay!!
Left side spins...maybe a dozen or turns...then the nut holding the drive wheel falls off and everything stops.
But that means air got to the cylinder and pushed the piston!!! Yay!!
Did it twice. Yay!! Yay!!

I'm figuring the right side needs a bit more fiddling. I suspect the crank pin.

But the nut...those troublesome nuts. I'm always getting into trouble for those.

What can I do to prevent the nut from spinning off?
If I tighten it too much...the wheel gets stuck. I'm thinking the axle may be a tad short (somewhere). I should be able to tighten the nut and still have the wheel turn. That's probably the issue. No big deal to make another axle...but I'll see if anyone has other suggestions.

Man I'm close. I could be steaming this weekend!!!

Oh! Another question...for anyone who has built a similar loco...

What is the relationship of one cylinder to the other?
Working in sync?
180 degree out of phase?
Don't matter?

woo hoo!!!!
woo hoo!!!!
I mean...woo hoo!!!!






woo

 

[kcmillin]

Congratulations Zee!

Awesome to hear you got some life in her Thm:. It's all downhill from here, or up, depending which way the tracks take you :big: :big:

IMHO I would think for these single acting cylinders you would want them to be 180 degrees off. This would make it run smoothest.

Kel

 

[Foozer]

But the nut...those troublesome nuts. I'm always getting into trouble for those.

What can I do to prevent the nut from spinning off?

Nope not going there


Loctite

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Thanks Kel. I have no expectations for a 'smooth runner'. Just hoping it runs. ;D

Robert! Watcha been up to? Did I understand one of your posts that you've moved?

......................

Well gee...if that nut keeps falling off...let's see if it still runs.
It does!
A little bit of work on the other side...and it runs too!
I've been told nuts aren't worth much...

So for quite a while I had both cylinders pumping away!!!
It was at 30psi (too much) but it was running.

So I wired the air hose shut and grabbed the camera.
Rats.
Wheels fell off when I wasn't looking.
Can't get it to work again.

Darn it...got to get to bed.

 

[Kermit]

You could try one of those self locking type with the nylon bit inside that keeps it from backing off.

Another choice is to cross drill through the nut and shaft and put a pin in it.

Living vicariously through other HMEM members projects,
Kermit

 

[tmuir]

What is the relationship of one cylinder to the other?
Working in sync?
180 degree out of phase?
Don't matter?

In theory it should be 180 degrees out of phase, but I know that with single acting oscilating toy steam enegines a lot of people have found they run better just slightly off 180 degrees. Its just a matter of tweaking it until it runs the smoothest.

Glad to hear its almost ready to move under it's own steam.

 

[Deanofid]

Your news is getting better each post, Zee!

Just a teeny dab of Loctite on the nut threads will do the trick for those. Use the blue kind, and just a
little bit. Then they'll stay, but you can still get them off.

Dean

 

[arnoldb]

That is sounding good Carl

Like Dean said - a dab of "weaker" thread retainer should hold those nuts at bay and keep you from going nuts.

I agree with the others - 180 degrees apart will give you the most even spread of power strokes on the single-acting cylinders.

30 psi seems a bit high though, but that's a good way to use your "rolling track" that you wondered whether you needed (in another thread)... Oil all the moving parts well, stick the loco on the rolling track, and let it run for half an hour or so on the rolling track - that will help it to run in most of the moving parts - except for the front axle - and soon it should require less pressure to run well Thm:

Regards, Arnold

 

[swilliams]

Well done Zee, looks like you'll surely win now