look what followed me home

[chuck foster]

i went to my dads yesterday and he was cleaning up his shop and came across a model i started when i was allot younger.

it is a model of a 1/8th scale george white traction engine, i got the castings from a great guy (john crook) when i was 12 years old. he scaled down a full sized engine, made all the patterns and got the iron castings done at the bomanville foundry here in ontario.

it has been sitting at dads for the last 15 years in a box under his bench.

the boiler is 4" dia copper and it is 18 1/2" long. the rear wheels are 7 1/2" dia x 2 1/4" wide.

it is now on my ungoddy long list of things to do........ ;D :big:

chuck

 

[hitandmissman]

That looks like something that should be finished. Please either finish it or let someone else try. Nice start.

 

[Mcgyver]

neat find. were you cleaning it up or are parts made of stainless? i am seriously considering moving toward free cutting stainless for all bright parts, kills me doing my best on something only to see rust on it a year later.

Thats a big big addition to the do to list, probably the equivelant of 2 or 3 pages on a regular man's list ......or you could just sell the copper and by a new cnc with the proceeds

 

[chuck foster]

all the shiny parts are just cast iron that was polished years ago, there is no stainless on the engine...........yet!

what i need to know is there a way to clean the old flux and green crud off the boiler with out having to scrub it with a wire brush?

thanks
chuck

 

[Dick L.]

Hi Chuck, Wet blast with glass beads works pretty well. I use that process at work before silver brazing. Also the people that do furniture stripping around here have an acid tank they do the old copper fire extinguishers in. They come out real nice and it does equally well on the plaques riveted to them.A lot of folks make them into lamps.
Looks like a great project, looking forward to seeing it when finished.

Dick