My Cracker

[vlmarshall]

I could use some suggestions on attaching the wheels to the axles. Is loctite the approved method ?

I turned my wheels with a .200" hub on the flange side, drilled and tapped for setscrews.

 

[shred]

I am guessing it was about 5 PSI. I need a better gauge. At the compressor the regulator gauge was showing 0 PSI ( I know that is a lie). I had 15' of air hose, an air gun and some 1/8" tubing to get to the engine, so there was some pressure drop there. I went back out and did some tinkering and can get it to just tick over.
I could use some suggestions on attaching the wheels to the axles. Is loctite the approved method ?

At the moment the 'driving' wheels on mine are attached (epoxy I think) to the gears which have a setscrew to fix them to the axles. The off-side wheels are freewheeling but could be loctited on. I think setscrew stubs are the way to go, but I made my wheels before I thought of attaching them . I acquired a bunch of 1/8" shaft collars from a hobby store with the idea of fixing them to the wheels for attachment, but never did seem to need them and now they ride on the outside stubs of the axles as decoration.

 

[BMyers]

Finished up the wheels this morning. I can run the engine with the drive line at a few PSI. My compressor regulator needle stetting just above zero. I need to get a low pressure gauge next flea market trip.
Test run on track at just about 10 PSI at the regulator.
Eventually, I want to paint the aluminum frame and copper boiler, any suggestions on primer ?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYlBZdzlwMU[/ame]

 

[vlmarshall]

Wow, that's great to see! ;D :bow:

Now I want to do the same with mine.

 

[vlmarshall]

Eventually, I want to paint the aluminum frame and copper boiler, any suggestions on primer ?

I'm either going to,
(a) Set up another anodizing tank and do it myself. Surprisingly easy.
(b) Wait for a batch of stuff going to be anodized at work, and include my parts. Could be a while.
(c) Send my parts to the local plater and PAY for anodizing. Not likely.
or
(d) Remake the frames and footplates in steel, and blacken them. Stronger and heavier than aluminum, but more work, and rust-prone.


I think I've watched your video about fifty times. ;D

 

[shred]

I painted with a baking laquer right onto bead-blasted bare metal. They suggest AlOx blasting, which I think would make it stick a little better.

 

[BMyers]

I think I've watched your video about fifty times. ;D

thanks Vernon. I have watched your video more than once, also !
I need to get serious about the boiler.

 

[vlmarshall]

I painted with a baking laquer right onto bead-blasted bare metal. They suggest AlOx blasting, which I think would make it stick a little better.

Yeah, I've looked at that stuff, it sounds pretty good. I wonder what it's max temperature is.
Have you run Slightly Loco any more since completion? How's the paint holding up? What about the silver on your smokebox?

 

[shred]

Yeah, I've looked at that stuff, it sounds pretty good. I wonder what it's max temperature is.
Have you run Slightly Loco any more since completion? How's the paint holding up? What about the silver on your smokebox?

The baking lacquer is holding up ok-- a little flaked off the corners of the cab where it's been dinged, but i've run it a bunch of times and it's done well with the heat. The silver exhaust header paint is also holding up fine. The first paint I used -- Hi Temp BBQ paint, didn't stick at all well.

I've heard the GunKote or KG-Kote stuff is much tougher against dings and it should take the heat ok since it's designed for gun barrels. I may try that sometime. A lot of the 16mm crowd seem to use ordinary model paint for most of their locos.

 

[BMyers]

shred,
even on aluminum ?

 

[shred]

yeah, to make the 'lined' sides of the alu baseplate I painted the whole thing and then sanded off the edges back to bare metal. There is some very minor chipping on the edges from the sanding, but it stuck well. My baseplate was made from some slightly textured aluminum and I blasted it, but lots of guns have aluminum parts and this paint is designed for that market. I think an anodize finish would be stronger, but didn't have the facilities handy.

 

[BMyers]

A productive day, I have all the parts made for the boiler except the bushings. I have some copper I will turn those out of in the next few days, then I have to work up the nerve to soldier the whole works together.
Forming the boiler ends was much easier that I had expected.
It is starting to look like a locomotive

 

[vlmarshall]

Ha, very nice! Your boiler ends look better than mine.

 

[arnoldb]

Looking good BMyers :bow:
She'll be running soon!
Regards, Arnold

 

[BMyers]

Not a lot going on with the cracker lately. I did manage to make the boiler saddles today.

 

[vlmarshall]

Mine is going fairly slowly as well. How did you make the saddles? (what shape, location, attachment method?)

 

[BMyers]

i followed the plans for the shape, I ended up using micarta because I couldn't work the material you sent. The front one has a screw up through the foot plate, saddle and screws into a thread bushing in the smoke box. the rear one is floating for now until I get the location set.

 

[vlmarshall]

i followed the plans for the shape, I ended up using micarta because I couldn't work the material you sent.

Ha, it's fun stuff to work with, eh? A three-foot square of it runs about $600, but it's an excellent insulator. What IS "Micarta", anyway? It sounds like another mica-based product.

 

[BMyers]

Vernon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micarta
Not bad to work with but the dust is nasty

 

[J. Tranter]

Vernon what did you use for the boiler saddles? Or where can I get micarta? I was thinking of using brass but still not sure.

John T.