New year, in with the OLD and the in with the NEW?

[half whitParticipant @half-whit]

Hi All

Just pottering here on new years and thought I’d give one of Dad’s old engines a first steam for many years. Made in the early 60’s when I was a young ‘un it is what I would say is a poor man’s handmaiden. No lathe work, entirely hand built with whatever Dad had in stock (or what Hawker Siddeley at the time had in stock).

The engine is of course very but the “bake bean tin” boiler is very new. They both perform well the engine still packs a punch not at all sluggish.

Does any of you older recognise this engine. Dad would probably have made it from a plan, maybe one from the U.S.A. mag model mechanics.

In case anyone is interested the steam couplings you see are from Ali express. Priced at 50p each but works out at a £1 each when you buy 6 and include the postage.

Hey to all geoff

[jimmy bParticipant @jimmyb]

Thank you for sharing. It looks like fun.

 

Jimb

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Thankyou showing us!

It’s good to see it running again!

 

“Interested” in the fittings’ source…? Concerned, maybe.

[half whitParticipant @half-whit]

Hi

Thanks for the replies.

Nigel I’m glad you showed interest in the “steam couplings”. I had a look at the order details and to my surprise discovered they are pneumatic couplings. I saw the picture and the price and thought they’ll do for me, and they have as the “steam joint” is perfect?

Pictures below, of part of the and dismantled coupling, very simple as you will see.

Atb geoff

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Thankyou!

You show that there is no obvious reason for us not to pneumatic-systems compression-fittings like those, apart from “But we’ve always used soldered unions”.

I have looked at using flared-pipe joints, as on car brakes, and have a simple flaring tool, but they still require either a solder-on union nipple of the correct taper on one side of the joint, or the fitting itself to have an appropriately coned connection-point. My mentioning these in the past invoked long-faced comments about reliability etc; but without much real evidence.

 

Actually I had made my comment in the wake of some of the reasons others have put forwards for our losing our own materials or tools suppliers, the most recent of course being Axminster.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I seem to recall that the flash steam hydroplane chaps used flared pipe fittings as the steam is so hot it can melt silver solder.

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