Wanted WTB Ball top Monitor kit

[Oldiron]

If anyone has a Ball top Monitor kit that they won't be getting to please get in touch with me, I'm lookin for one. Bob

 

[GreenTwin]

I have a set of Lone Star castings for the Ball Top Monitor.
PM sent.
.

 

[mcjustis]

You don't happen to have another set laying around do you. My bucket list engine.
Martin

 

[GreenTwin]

Nope, I got the last set of iron castings that Maury (of the Lone Star casting kit fame) had.

I had no idea that these kits were so hard to find these days.
I assumed that they were still offered by someone, but I can't seem to find them for sale anywhere.

Perhaps I sold mine too cheap.
I sold my kit for what I paid for it, in support of the hobby.

I have toyed with the idea of making some Ball Monitor casting kits in gray iron, at a slightly larger scale.
I am not in the casting kit business, but I do make my own iron castings, as well as patterns.

I have started the 3D modeling for a Ball Monitor, using photos of a real engine, but did not get too far with it.
I would 3D print my own patterns.

I am not retired, and so I have very little time for the hobby, unfortunately.

 

[GreenTwin]

I carved the logo for the tank from linoleum, and will adhere it to the gas tank pattern half.
I have a bit more cleanup work to do on it.

 

[GreenTwin]

This fellow (goes by the name of Myfordboy, as in the Myford lathe) cast his own Ball Hopper Monitor, after making his own patterns.
It is a multi-part series of how he did it.

Not too shabby for a home foundry, in my opinion.












Metal Casting at Home Part 6 Preparing the Moulding Sand

Metal Casting at Home Part 7 Oddside Mould Making

Casting and Machining a Flywheel

Machining a Casting - Boring an Engine Cylinder

Machining a Casting - Boring an Engine Cylinder

Model Monitor Engine. Complete but not yet painted.

Model Monitor Hit and Miss Engine.

 

[mcjustis]

If you decide to make some kits, I'd definitely be interested in one. Even if it's just the main body parts, I think you'd have no problem selling them. I would think a full blown kit would be a pain in the butt to produce so just the main cast parts of the body would be enough for most of us. I know about the hobby time as I'm still on the 9-5 routine too.

I didn't know Myfordboy did that one too. I have his small traction engine casting kit. He's a great guy to deal with for sure. I talked to him last year about the traction engine and he didn't have one cast. He emailed me a day or two after I sent payment for one that it was on it's way. It was less than two weeks from payment until it was sitting on my porch. That was shipped across the pond during Covid too. I'll have to check this out.

Thanks,
Martin

 

[KellisRJ]

I saw a real one that had been in the family for 100 years last weekend. Sadly I'm getting "Image is not as expected."

 

[Jasonb]

Doug at Minicastings has the patterns and the ones for the smaller VJ too but does not seem to be casting anything these days.

If you think the Lonestar one is rare then the Pacific Model Design one that I built is even more so

 

[GreenTwin]

I have been using photos of real ball top Monitors as a go-by for my 3D model, to avoid an conflict with either the Lone Star or Pacific designs.
My dimensions will be unique.

I really want a Ball Monitor with a flywheel that is bigger than what is seen in the kits that were available, such as 10" (+) diameter.
Having carried a few IC engines for the first time the other day, I don't want to go too big, as now I realize that IC model engines get really heavy really fast when cast in iron, which is what I would cast them in.

While I can make my own iron castings, I don't plan on going into the foundry casting kit business.
I do know someone who runs an iron foundry though, and so if I made the patterns, he could do the casting work.

Its possible this engine kit could be resurrected, but as I said in a slightly larger format.

There is a lot I could do if I can get caught up with work projects, but unfortunately I will be tied up for at least another year.
Every time I start to get caught up with work, I get twice as much work dumped on me.
Like treading water with a millstone around your neck, and someone keeps tossing out more millstones.
"Here is another one......catch" is what they say. LOL, there is only one of me.

.