Shed Matters 3

[Stanley]

A bit of a cop out this morning, I only had about half an hour in the shed because of housework and cooking and as you know I am boracic at the moment so the first requirement is that whatever I decide to do it mustn't involve spending money! This limits the choices and whilst I could think of several maintenance activities I could do at no cost I decided to scratch an itch that I have had for a long time. Here's three pics that will give you a clue.....







Some of you may recognise the traction engine cylinder that my mate Newton Pickles started on in the 1930s when he was a young lad and when he showed it to Johnny, his dad, he got a shock because he pointed out all the mistakes he had made. These included too many studs and some in the wrong place. This disheartened him so much he chucked it under the bench and never did anything with it. Eventually I was there when he decided to scrap it and I grabbed it.
As you can see from the 6" ruler it's a fair lump and is more complicated than a normal steam engine cylinder. Notice that it has two steam chests, the one at the side is a normal slide valve but the other on top carries the safety valve for the boiler and includes the steam regulator, that's the small rod at the front with the clevis on. Also in the other view you can see that it's made to mount directly onto the boiler and the steam enters the casting through the holes in the recess in the bottom. I'm not sure why there are two, I'll find that out as I go forward. Then there is the piece of solid drawn copper pipe, roughly 11SWG which is an exact fit in the curve of the mounting and I think must have been intended to be his boiler.
So, quite a lot to think about! At the moment all that is clear is that I am not going to venture into boiler making at my age! I'm not quite sure what I shall do. My first feeling is that I'd like to make a 'normal' steam cylinder out of it but there are certain hurdles I will have to jump if I do that. It's an interesting problem and I have plenty to think about. I have no doubt the Design Committee has already started on the project and who knows I might wake up tomorrow morning with some sort of an idea. I have an idea that the first job will be a strip down so I know exactly what the route of the steam passages is and also just what's inside that top steam chest.... I have an idea of course but it will be as well to be perfectly sure.
So, the least thing that has come out of the morning is plenty of brain fodder.......

[plaques]

whatever I decide to do it mustn't involve spending money!

Why not? £100 will only buy you one extra day in a nursing home. Gerrit spent.

[Stanley]

I haven't got it to spend P......

[Stanley]

One addition to that P. Have you seen the price of casting kits these days? The last set for the Steam Hammer cost about £360......



Let's pull Newton's cylinder to bits and see what we can learn......



First I lifted the lid off the regulator box. No real surprises, a slide valve regulator.



When I took the valve out I had a good view of the seat, it's not finished by grinding in yet. I'm beginning to see why there are two steam passages, I suspect one of them was a failure and so Newt had to have a second stab at it. It will no doubt become clearer.



Next I lifted the lid off the valve chest. Bit of a surprise because there isn't a valve but from the mark on the seat I suspect there has been one at some time. Perhaps Newton robbed it for another engine....



Off with the valve chest. At first I thought Newton had drilled into the exhaust port but on inspection he hadn't. But he had drilled the lid and so he fitted a dummy stud.



Then off with the back lid and draw the piston and rod out. Notice the drilling in the casting at twenty five past.....



The piston hasn't got any packings in. It's a shade under 1.5" diameter and the cylinder is 3" overall. I was surprised at first, I expected a bigger bore given the size of the casting but then I realised that the reason is that he needed enough thickness in the wall for the steam passage from the base of the casting up to the regulator box.



Here's a little secret. Notice the slotted countersunk head on the base of the stud. Newton had forgotten about the steam port so this was his way of allowing a dummy stud to cover up the mistake. Good trick actually!



Here's the back end of the cylinder. I had a proper look at the threaded bore that's been puzzling me. It's direct into the exhaust port but there is already another exit out of the side of the casting. All I can think is that he cut one and decided it wasn't in the right place so he made another and was going to plug one. Could be something to do with routeing the exhaust into the smoke stack via a blast pipe to give it draught. Once again it will get clearer.



Plenty to think about and I haven't forgotten the object of the exercise. The square is there to indicate a possible cut line to give a flat base for the cylinder. This is not definitive but it's the way my mind is working.....

[chinatyke]

...and as you know I am boracic at the moment so the first requirement is that whatever I decide to do it mustn't involve spending money! ...

boracic - where does that come from?

[Tripps]

Rhyming slang - boracic lint = skint.

[chinatyke]

Rhyming slang - boracic lint = skint.

Thanks. I was thinking boracic acid and trying to make something fit!

[Stanley]

By this morning I had made my mind up. Instead of over-thinking it I am just going to what Newton would have done. Crash on and make a difference! I've set the cylinder up on two parallels so that I am registering off the face that Newton machined. I have to start somewhere so I will trust the old lad. I put some white layout fluid on the brass castings and marked both the cylinder and the piston rod guides where I have to cut them.



My marked lines didn't agree with the curved part of the casting so I checked them with the square and found that Newton's curved faces weren't quite in the same plane. That explains the discrepancy.



When I was checking my marks I noticed something. If you look at the steam port on the cylinder face you'll see that Newton had made the beginners mistake (he was only 13 remember) of getting his stud holes on the lid wrong and one of them was hitting the steam port. He must have realised this and didn't drill into it. This is the reason for the dummy stud with the slotted countersunk head.



The two parallels I had used in the measuring weren't substantial enough for a serious setup so I took some studs out and used two heavier parallels.



Here's how I held it down, a piece of lead in the bore to protect it and a bar through the bore to clamp it down to the bed.



I needed to make sure the cut was square so tightened down and used a pointer to check my line, I bumped the casting until I had it square.



I milled the casting down as far as I could with this cutter. Notice how well the vertical face agrees with what I had marked. This confirms that Newton had got his faces square.



Swap over to a longer mill, this is one I sharpened when I was doing my spiral milling. Off we go side milling in the same plane, as you can perhaps see from first contact at the bottom I was still agreeing with Newton!



The cutter started talking to me, well, screaming actually, and I ignored it. So it jagged in at the end and buggered my alignment. Time for a rethink.



I had to take all the studs out of the regulator box face and re-mounted the cylinder. Then mill it with the short cutter. This is how I should have done it in the first place, we live and learn. I had to go a bit deeper than my mark to get rid of the scar where I had jagged in but that's no matter, the depth of the cut was arbitrary all that matters is that I mill the piston guide casting to match. I shall take one last fine cut off in the morning, The finish at the moment isn't the best because I was confident enough to take deep cuts. The metal is lovely and Newton got his faces registered square with each other. Leave aside my over confidence and it's been a good morning.

[Stanley]

I wanted to take one last fine cut of the face so I dressed the wheel and touched the cutter up on the T&C grinder.



Here's the final result. I broke all the edges and took the cylinder off the mill. Then an orgy of putting stuff away, having a good chip chase and just for good measure I oiled the ways on the mill. High end mills have an oil pump delivering lubricant constantly but no such luxuries here! Remember that this mill is El Cheapo and needs all the help it can get. Then I reinstalled the vise and trammed it in using John Mills' ball bearing tool. Next I broke down the guide plate from the guides and addressed fixing it firmly and accurately in the vice ready for the next cut. It's an awkward little bugger with no flat surfaces in the right place.



Here's what I finished up with, more packing than you can poke a stick at. Lots of fiddling but I got it fixed in the end.



I started cutting but could see that the cuts were so light that it was going to a long job and in addition, white knuckle all the way. I didn't rate my chances of success at all highly. Time for a drink of tea, a smoke and a bit of rethinking.



Here's what I came up with. What could possibly go wrong?



As it turned out, nothing! I took one cut at full depth and went carefully, the saw whistled through it, I have no doubt I could have done it faster. The time I spent sharpening all these HM cutters wasn't wasted especially as this saw is very much worn, hardly any tooth depth left but it cut nicely and left a good finish.



I had cut directly on the marked line but if you remember I took a bit more off the cylinder to get rid of the scar where I jagged in so I took a couple of light passes with the end mill and broke the edges with a smooth file. I think it will be pretty close but can always measure and adjust later, any discrepancy will be minimal.
A good and successful morning, lots could have gone wrong!

[Stanley]

I only managed an hour in the shed, first because I was late in there and second.... well you'll see! I have been thinking about how I get steam into the engine. In traction engine mode this is direct from the boiler to which it is riveted and sealed. This isn't going to happen in its new guise. I did consider putting the steam inlet in the side of the base but if I did I would need to put a drain in as the space under the cylinder would be a natural condensation trap. At the moment I am thinking of direct into the side of the regulator box, in exactly the same way I would put it into the valve steam chest on a normal engine. This being the case, I need to plug both holes in the interior of the base. I'm pretty sure one of the holes is a failed attempt at a steam passage but just to make certain I shall plug both of them. So the first job was to drill the first quarter of an inch 17/64" because the main drilling is 1/4" and I want clean brass and a known size.



Here's the result, both holes opened up and completely clean. Next I went into the treasure chest, found a brass bar and made two 17/64" plugs. I deliberately parted them off to leave a spigot on the back of each of them to make them easier to hold. Than coat them with flux and drive them into the apertures. All I have to do now is get the casting hot enough to melt the soft solder and get it to flow.....



Quite a while later..... The casting is a fair old lump and it took a lot of gas to get it hot enough to melt the solder and allow it to run. But I persevered and got there in the end. I think both of the apertures are plugged!
This was where I lost a bit of shed time. I can't do anything else with the cylinder until it cools down and that's going to take a long time, I don't like the idea of cooling it with water. So, not a lot done but one more step along the road. I'm not on piece work!

[Stanley]

I started by giving the regulator box a good inspection and assessment. My plan is still to introduce the steam supply to the regulator box. There is of course an alternative, mill the box off completely , blank off the ports and put a steam inlet direct into the valve chest. But that takes so much of Newton's work out of it and the regulator box is an interesting addition to what would otherwise be a normal cylinder so forget that option, it isn't going to happen. That being said I have to deal with what I've got. For a kick off, Newton slipped up a bit with his drillings and one of them is perilously close to breaking into the steam passage from the regulator and thus buggering the function of the slide valve completely. I have considered plugging the drillings and machining the regulator valve face flat but I am going to leave that option until I am forced to do it, that is if the regulator valve leaks. If I get into trouble I can always do that later. There's another matter, Newton has never finished the face of either the valve or the slide. In addition his design doesn't allow the valve to float so that it can seal the orifice when pressure comes on it. I'll have to deal with that and find a solution later on. Mind you, later on might not be very far away! But first, I had to do some measuring and deciding about the steam inlet. I decided on the back end of the box and reckoned that if I did it carefully I can get away with a 5/16" X 26tpi drilling, just!





First job is to sort out the two taps, starter and finishing, the die and the 6.9mm tapping drill.



That done I set up under the pillar drill. The piece of soft alloy wire in the jaw is to make sure I get a square grip on the rough surface of the casting.



Shortly afterwards I had my drilling done and threaded and although I am very close to the stud holes I think I have got away with it.



My next problem was that there is no such thing as a 5/16" pipe, I shall have to make one and so I went digging in the treasure chests and found some very old and dirty 5/16" brass rod.



Shortly afterwards after some careful lathe work I have my steam pipe....



Next I decided to address the piston and its fit in the cylinder. At the moment it's too tight but I know Newton well enough to know that he got it right and what's making it tight is eighty years of muck and slight corrosion. I put a fresh piece of emery tape in my home made flapper which is simply a large brass split pin. It's a very light action, all it does is clean and polish but it was enough and after I polished the piston in the lathe it's a perfect fit in the bore.



Then I separated the 5/16" piston rod, polished it and threaded the end 26tpi because that's how it will fit in the crosshead when I make it. Here's where I ended up at closing time..... Slow but good work.

[Stanley]

I told you I was going to have a look at the regulator. Newton had never got round to grinding it in. Not the easiest place to get at! By the way, apologies to Newt, he had elongated the hole in the valve so that it can float on the face.



First thing was to get a square face in the box. So a very careful set up and one very light pass over the face. He had got it square and so had I so one light cut cleaned it up.



Here's the result, it still needs finishing but we have a good start.



I cleaned the milling marks off the face as best I could with a variety of diamond hones and sticks of abrasive. I did the same with the valve itself which was easier of course, a fine emery paper on the surface plate. Then I fixed a small piece of fine emery paper on the valve with double sided Sellotape and spent a lot of time on the face. My final cut was with WD40 and then I took the abrasive off and finished the face off by rubbing the valve in the abrasive slurry left after the last cut with the paper.



The result was satisfactory, I think it will seal OK when it has some oil on it. Then I cleaned up the operating rod clevis with fine emery on the surface plate.



Next I rubbed the face of the regulator box with a fine stick of Norton abrasive, they were made to do accurate honing of a cylinder so I think they will be a true shape and straight.



I did this pic as I left the shed. You can always tell when I have had a fiddly morning because I end up with a cluttered bench. You can't have too much tackle! Tomorrow I'll have a look at the lid and the safety valve..... We're moving in the right direction!

[Stanley]

Today is clean up day. These parts have been sat in a drawer for 80 years and have light corrosion and dirt on them. I did them all the same way, a good brushing with a freshly sharpened wire brush and if appropriate, polishing on abrasive paper. In case you're new to my funny ways, I sharpen my wire brushes on a coarse grinding wheel and it doesn't half make a difference..... Don't laugh, try it!



That looks a bit better doesn't it!



Same thing with all the surfaces on the cylinder casting.



Then a better finish on the faces that make joints. Some faces needed more attention than others, as, for instance, the slide valve face.



The easiest one was last. I chucked the lid and gave it a good polish.



Here's where I was at closing time. The face of the valve is going to need more work but I shall do that by grinding the valve in on the surface but of course I have to make that first, if you remember, the valve itself is missing. Tomorrow I shall do the front lid first and the piston rod guides.... A nice fiddly morning, all hand work and you can see where I have been!

[Big Kev]

I did a bit more work on my fireplace yesterday, I added a newel post either side and hung the Tilley lamp that Stanley gave me, the lamp is still functional but has the addition of a string of USB powered LED lights in it

[Stanley]

Is that the same stove we rescued? Looking good.......



It's the front lid and the guides this morning so out with the small spanners after spending far too much time cooking and washing....... Never mind, I got a good hour in.



This was of course the easy bit.... Chuck it up in the lathe and give it a good clean and a polish where it shows.



I did a bit of measuring up and found that Newton had threaded the gland 1/2" BSF, good job I have a good selection of taps and dies.... One point to bear in mind, I think Newton's taps and dies were a trifle worn, his threads are very tight so I shall be re-threading everything.



First the gland....



Then the gland nut, both threads needed a bit cutting out of them.



It fits nicely now which will make fitting and packing a lot easier.



This was closing time. Not a lot done but what I did do is good. The good news is that the grub for the week is all done and put away so we can look forward to some proper work tomorrow..... We are moving quietly forward, onward and upwards!

[Big Kev]

Is that the same stove we rescued? Looking good.......

It is indeed, I've been slowly tinkering with the timber surround. It's getting there, not sure if it needs anything else but I am thinking of something decorative in black metal next to the newel posts. I'll know what it is when I see it

[Stanley]

First thing was to polish the guide bars and refit them to the cylinder head. My head was full of the next stage, the interesting bit where I have to design and make a slide valve. All that I needed to do before I got to that was find the small set screws that fasten the Guide bars to the horn plate.



Then I had to clean the horn plate by using a wire brush in the angle grinder.



That didn't take long but the wire brush kicked back and got me. There's a price for everything!



Then the easy bit, identify the size of the set screws that fasten the guide bars to the horn plate. What could possibly go wrong..... God was having a bit of a laugh. First I couldn't find the three set screws that I knew I had in my pot with the rest of the studs and nuts. I knew I had lost one when I was stripping it down but as it turned out I had lost two. So, before I went looking in the treasure chests I had to be sure what thread I was looking at. I thought it 3BA but found that the set screws I had fitted a 3BA nut. They didn't and that's what set me off into thinking that they might be 1/8" Whitworth but after I investigated that I found they weren't. (I just happen to have some 1/8" Whitworth nuts and studs) The 1/8" Whitworth tap didn't fit the holes either. I decided that they must be 3BA and what was fooling me was that Newton's tap must have been worn or not quite standard size and neither were the two set screws I had. In the end I decided that I was right, found a 3BA starting tap and a broken tap I could grind to a bottoming tap, the holes are only about 3/16" deep.



Then it was just a matter of carefully tapping out the holes and fitting the two set screws I still had.



It worked with the two old screws. Now for the other side.



Then the same for the other side. I happen to have some brass 3BA stock. I'll look to see if I have any steel stock tomorrow.



Closing time. Remember what I say about the amount of tackle that you need. Get collecting! I shall look for some steel 3BA stock tomorrow, refit the guide bars and then perhaps I can have a relax with the slide valve.....

[Stanley]

My first job was to refit the piston rod guides to the front lid. I only had two of the original set screws so I fitted them loosely and then used the brass studding I have for the other two. A good little tip for you here, if you have a lot of studs to fit make yourself a little tool like this. Dead simple, it's tapped 3BA at the end and has a handle. Install the stud tightly with the nut already installed loosely, tighten the nut down tight as well and then cut the studding off flush with a hacksaw. Makes the job really easy..... Once I had the stud installed and tightened I tightened the set screw on the other side of the horn plate and then repeated the exercise on the other guide bar.



Then I tightened the nuts that hold the end of the bars to the cylinder lid and cleaned and fitted the guide for the valve rod.



The next step wasn't as easy as it looks. I had to make quite certain I knew where the next components go and put witness marks on them so that they fall into place later. I had to go back to my early images to make absolutely sure I had this right.



Then I remembered I had another matter to address before I can play out with the slide valve. I still haven't fathomed out what this extra exhaust outlet was for but know that it needs plugging.





My first problem was to decide what thread Newton had tapped this 3/8" hole. Not easy to get the TPI in the bore on a thread as fine as this. In the end I decided it was 3/8" X 32TPI ME which is almost obsolete these days! Luckily..... I have the taps and dies about me and re-cut the thread because as I suspected, Newton's tap was a bit worn to say the least! Once I had it tapped I went into the treasure chests and found a 3/8" brass pin. Into the lathe and thread about 3/4" of it, then cut it off, face the end and cut a slot in it with the hacksaw so I can fit it using a screwdriver.



I sealed the thread with PTFE tape and for good measure a drop of Loctite 638 and then screwed it home as hard as I could. I'd left a bit of a flare on the top so that it would lock down.



The plug was a touch proud because of the flare so I got it under the mill and cut it back until it was level with the face. Then cleaned it up a bit.



Here we are at knocking off time. Tidy I think and it certainly won't leak! Tomorrow I think I can get to the valve.

[Stanley]

No messing about this morning! Straight into designing the slide valve. Here's where I was at after almost an hour and half of measuring, thinking, drawing and re-checking everything. We have our plan. Part of the exercise was deciding on the thread for the valve rod and as usual I went for 3/16" 26TPI. I went into my treasure chest to check and found to my surprise that there isn't a 3/16" tap and die. I think I have hit this anomaly before but didn't do a lot of thinking about it, I just went into the ME box and found I had that tap and die. Better actually because it's 32TPI which means easier fine adjustment of the valve. Next thing to find the stock....



I went straight to my brass bits box and picked the most oddball lump I had. It started life as a large piece of hexagon stock. I could have found an easier piece but wanted to use this up. It has a nasty saw cut in it as well but I can just get my blank out of it.



I put a freshly sharpened 6" slitting saw in the HM and whistled through all the cuts on auto feed full depth. I wasn't wasting my time when I sharpened all those cutters. They say using a T&C grinder is out of date these days.... Not in this shed! Look at those lovely chips flying out of it.



Then into the VM with the rough blank and do some milling. I won't bore you!



Closing time. Not a bad morning's work, I am at the stage where I can get straight into the finishing touches, making the driving bar that will allow the valve to float and fit the valve in the final position! If you think it has been slow, try doing it yourself! Complicated stuff but not difficult, just lots of thinking and careful measuring.

[Stanley]

Today we make the valve itself and this involves machining two slots in it, one for the valve rod and one for the driver block which allows the valve to float on it's seat. Both are very precise cuts and so the first thing is some very careful measuring, there is only 1/32" margin for the cut for the driving block and the undercut for the steam passage. I also needed to put witness marks on the valve so that when I fit it and grind it in we always get it in it's right orientation.



At the moment I still have the slitting saw mounted in the mill so I cut a slug of brass to about the right size for the driving block. I'm not going to go on about it but all the different cutters I shall be using this morning cut beautifully, on full depth and all in auto feed. Just one setting and a smoke and a sup of tea while they were being cut. Luxury milling!



Here's the valve and the blank for the driver. By the way, I touched off and dialled in the depth on the adjustment for height for each cut.



The first cut was the seat for the driver, 3/8" cutter and 1/2" deep, one pass on auto.



Next was the 3/16" slot for the valve rod, one pass again and 1/32" less than the cut for the driver.



A bit of a clean up with a diamond file and the valve rod is a perfect fit.



The into the mill with the driver and mill it to the precise size for the slot. Followed by a clean up on the side of the grinding wheel.



Perfect fit! Nice.....



Closing time. I have marked the valve for the steam passage underneath and will mill it tomorrow and finish the valve rod and driver. A bit early but I have done good this morning and am not on piece work!

[Stanley]

First job this morning was to swap the belts round on the VM to give me the highest speed I have, fit a 1/8" slot drill and take out about 1/32" out of the base of the valve for a steam passage. I'll repeat what I always say, that's all you need in this size of cylinder. If you don't believe me, cut a tiny slit in the side of an unopened can of pop and watch how fast the contents escape under pressure.



One of the dangers when you're gripping the valve in order to mill it is the fact that despite all the care in the world, you'll pinch the sides of the valve in a touch. It isn't the end of the world, simply force a drill shank 1/64" above the intended size into each slot. That'll cure it!



I re-fitted both the valve rod and the driver making sure I had a perfect fit.



I marked the driver with a witness mark and then used a 3/16" transfer punch to mark the driver for the threaded hole for the valve rod. Notice that the witness marks on the valve and driver agree with the one on the valve chest.



Next was to thread the valve rod 3/16" ME which is 40TPI. I used the tailstock die holder because I wanted to make absolutely sure it was lined up.



Next I had a trial assembly and it was OK but a bit on the tight side. Then I noticed that I had ignored my witness marks! I put that right and it was OK, just nice and snug with no play. That was enough for this morning but knowing me.....



I wanted to change the mill back to my normal cutter but touched it up first. 5 minutes well spent.



Last job was to reinstall the miller to normal condition, put the bigger end mill in and swap the belts back to normal speed, 540rpm. That's enough for today. Another step forwards!

[Stanley]

Today is interesting..... I have to design and make a crosshead to fit in the guides. So the first job was a lot of measuring and decisions trying to think of everything. Once I had a fag packet drawing I had to find some stock. My first port of call was the brass ends box.....



I couldn't find anything suitable in there so I went upstairs into the big non ferocious treasure chest.... I found this slice of cast bronze. When Dick Bonser was casting big engine bearings for me we had an understanding that he used the excess metal to cast bars, both round and square, often as oversized risers, and I bought them off him for raw material price which was very reasonable. I still have quite a lot of these about my person! I hate to think what this sort of stock would cost these days. So the watchword is keep your eyes open and whenever you see a lump of non-ferocious, grab it!



Then into the VM and start getting the lump square. No sizes at this point, all I am after is square faces. By the way, recognise that when you're doing this with cast bronze your cutter will need re-sharpening afterwards because nothing takes the edge off HSS like casting skin. Just accept that and get on with it. Forget fancy carbide etc,. the best tool for this is HSS and a re-sharpen afterwards. I noticed as I started cutting that this last grind was a very good one so I made a small adjustment to the T&C grinder table while I remembered. I gave it a bit more relief from cutting tip to centre, there's an adjustment on the table for exactly this purpose. The clearances in the manuals and reference books are only a guide, the real skill of grinding is taking note of performance and making tiny adjustments. You can't beat suck it and see!



I got all the edges square. Remember that a good way of getting a square cut is to use a known face on one face of the vice and a piece of soft alloy wire on the other to let the piece of stock float. Then I wanted the faces square with the edges so I got one of the fly cutters out that I made, had a good hone up of the tool and got stuck into it.



This was the first face finished. I have to inspect it yet but it should be square. Not a perfect finish but that doesn't matter, we are only roughing out. Notice that the trailing edge of the cutter has just kissed the face giving a cross hatch pattern. This is a good sign because It's telling you that your cutter is square to the plane of the bed. This is only a cheap mill and there is no easy adjustment, always nice to see confirmation that it is milling close enough to dead square.
That's enough for this morning, it's hot in the shed even with the door open. Tomorrow I'll assess how square this face is and if it's OK I'll mill the other side parallel. Then I can get down to some serious measuring and sizing.

[Stanley]

I turned my blank over to mill the other side but before I made the cut I adjusted my grind again. I gave the nose of the tool more radius and it worked, I got a much better finish as you can see here. That's the way you learn, studying the results, working out where you went wrong and trying a change which might not always agree with the data in your reference books. I measured the result and it was only half a thou out of being parallel, not a bad result for an El Cheapo mill!



Next I marked the rough sizes and put a 6" slitting saw in the HM. A full 2" X1" cut on auto and look how the chips are flying. Lovely.....



Lovely finish as well. Then I did the other cut on the blank I was using and finished up with a square blank very close to the right size so I broke all the edges.....



I have to go into the VM next so I got a fresh cutter out of the drawer and sharpened it. I also touched up the one I was using and popped that into the ready use cutter box.



Some very careful measuring and final decisions and then into the mill and get the blank to the corrects size. Break all the edges again.



Final check and then decide on the size of the slot I need to fit the guide bars. I decided to give it a bit more play than usual. My fault is always fitting too close!



Marked up and I have found my cutter. I know that this cutter is corroded but the two essentials, the bore and the cutting edge are perfect. Important to realise, and this includes the cutters for the VM as well, that the vast proportion of my cutters are old ones culled from scrapyards after they had been discarded by regular industry. That's why my T&C grinder is essential, they are all rescue projects and it's a miracle I get the results that I do. (Self praise is no recommendation I know but I don't do too badly) It was almost closing time so I gave up, I shall set up and do the slots tomorrow.....

[Stanley]

First thing in the shed, two matters. First you may have noticed I am using a plastic gas lighter instead of my normal Zippo. I am an inveterate rescuer of abandoned engineering! I found this on the street a couple of mornings ago. It's Piezo electric ignition (LINK), refillable and what is more, has a single LED bulb in the base which is powerful and useful, never seen that before and it's perfect for illuminating a milling mark or scale. So it's getting used!
More pertinent, I thought again about the slot and decided that all right, I don't want to fit too close, but the other cutter is a bit too wide so I have swapped horses!



Another diversion! I dropped a spacer when I was changing the milling cutter and it rolled under Mrs McMaster, This telescopic magnet is brilliant and saves the day so many times. If you haven't got one go out and shop! You'll never regret it.



Back to the main event. Set up for milling the slot in one cut (I took a little skim off one side after the main cut to give me a bit of play.) I've upped the speed to 432rpm so no point doing a pic while it's running. Cut beautifully and sprayed chips all over the shop!



Bragging pic again. Look at these lovely needle chips from the cutter. Let's hear it for the Clarkson T&C grinder! Old fashioned cutter grinding is alive and well in this shed.



I've said it so many times..... We spend most of our time taking a lump of stock and making it smaller! I'd decided I could afford to reduce the width of the crosshead a bit so into the VM for yet another cut.



A few more small adjusting cuts and I offered it up, plenty of play but it will be OK.



Then a bit of ink on the face and poke a 5/16" transfer punch through the lid and the gland to get a mark for the drill and tap for the end of the piston rod (5/16" and 26tpi).



Drilling and tapping done, piston rod fitted and everything fits with a nice bit of play after a bit more edge breaking and tiny adjustments.



Next job was to drill for the 1/4" pin that will anchor the Con Rod. Very tight but I knew it would be. Just enough room for the pin past the end of the piston rod.



Next to the last job before knocking off was to put a bit of a finish on the surfaces on abrasive paper on the surface plate. Not aiming for perfect, just respectable. I say next to the last because my final blow was to do a chip chase, those bloody bass chips get everywhere when you're running them at higher speeds! Now I have to think where I go next!

[Stanley]

I have to address combining the cylinder and the guides into a unit so I popped a couple of studs in and set the assembly up on the surface plate. I think you can see the problem that has to be addressed, I said at the time when I made the cut that I hadn't got a lot of confidence in my measuring!



A bit of marking ink on the brass and a set up on the surface plate and I have a parallel. This isn't the cutting mark, just the level.



A bit of imagination was needed to get an accurate setup.



Then a sharp cutter, light cuts and a lot of patience until I had a flat surface right across the casting.



I think that'll do.....



A trip to the non ferocious treasure chest upstairs and I have some possibilities. I need a flat plate and an angle for valve guide support casting.



I settled for the smaller brass plate rather than the big piece of copper. I also did some measuring and found the gap under the casting is 70thou. The brass channel has a 70thou wall thickness so that's handy, it just needs one flange cutting off it. Notice that you can't have too many engineer's squares!



I have my marks, now all I have to do is some cutting......



It's against my religion but there is no escaping the fact this is a hacksaw job. I went in the treasure chests and decided on this 10" Starrett 18t blade, plenty long enough. Than I simply had to get going, not aiming for the marks, I can't saw straight for toffee! My eyes tell lies.... Not recommended on a hot day at my age but they tell me that shed work is valuable light exercise....



Over half an hour later..... Not a pretty sight but I stand a chance now! That was enough for this morning, I needed a sit down!