SHED MATTERS 2

[Big Kev]

15:00 in the back yard Kev. No good if it's raining.... Bring your clear goggles round, you will be doing the grinding!

I'll have to go and buy some so it may be over the weekend, is that OK?

[Magnu420]

Just a pointer guys,if welding cast iron you gonna have to get the cast iron upto a certain temp then start welding while its at that temp

[Big Kev]

Or we could do it a little bit at a time and keep it cool.

[plaques]

Its the temperature gradient that kills it. The molten weld cools and shrinks, cracks the adjacent parent metal, then more weld etc etc. Get it as hot as you can before welding then cool very slowly.

[Big Kev]

I will bow to better judgement, I'm no welder.

Is Saturday morning OK, Stanley? Friday is a non starter for me, sorry.

[Stanley]

Yes Kev, in fact it will be better, come as soon as you can, 7AM would be great! As for esoteric matters like temperature gradients, of course they are important but as Kev says, there are ways round it. The rods I use are pure nickel and 30 years ago cost £30 a kilogram. It's a machinable deposit and with care you can get away without pre-heat. There used to be a firm called Barimar who specialised in in-situ repairs to the largest castings, things like hydraulic press standards that could weigh well over 100 tons. Then there was 'stitching' often used on things like cylinder blocks. We'll find a way round any problems.....
Kev, I have been thinking about your decision to bring the entire stove. Give some thought to the following....
1) If the lid is separate we can weld from both sides.
2) Distortion can be corrected by putting the lid in the lathe and making it accurate.
3) Worst case we can make a new lid.

Later after looking at the forecast.... Lots to be said for separating the lid, it looks like a wet day tomorrow.....

[Big Kev]

I'll take a look this evening and see if the bolts will move

[Stanley]

If, as I suspect, there is only one nut, remember that I have a little nut cracker that will split the nut with no hammering. Spray the nut(s) with easing oil today?

[Big Kev]

If, as I suspect, there is only one nut, remember that I have a little nut cracker that will split the nut with no hammering. Spray the nut(s) with easing oil today?

There's 4, one in each corner on the inside.

[plaques]

Do we need tickets to watch the fun? Fortunately I'm totally deaf that is until I get the wax out of my ears so the expletives will be no problem.

[Magnu420]

Heres a bit of a guide of welding cast iron

Welding cast iron

[Stanley]

I must have got hold of the wrong end of the stick Kev, I thought it was the little round lid in the middle.... Never mind, we'll get it done one way or another.
We don't need instructions, we need a coded welder! In the absence of that, being amateurs, we will just crash on and get the job done....



Today was one of those days when you go in the shed knowing exactly what you are going to do and then finish up with an entirely different agenda. All I had to do was cut the 1/2" slot through the second valve.... I took one cut and realised that I couldn't stand it, the cutter is doing the job but it's blunt and annoying me. So I roped Mrs Clarkson in, altered the configuration and then realised that doing it this way wouldn't do....



So I tried a different way and this time it worked. The cutter is reasonably sharp now.



I'm not claiming it's perfect but if you look you'll see proper milling chips sat on yesterday's rubbish. Heavier cuts and it was using less power.



Two valves ready for more work on them. It was getting on for knocking off time, (time flies when you get diverted!), so I had a clean up....



And picked these two off-cuts from the valve making which will make the driving bars.... I liked this morning, it was different and we made progress with no cock-ups and a sharper cutter!

[Big Kev]

I must have got hold of the wrong end of the stick Kev, I thought it was the little round lid in the middle.... Never mind, we'll get it done one way or another.
We don't need instructions, we need a coded welder! In the absence of that, being amateurs, we will just crash on and get the job done....

The little round plate is on the back of mine, my chimney comes out the top, it's the actual top of the stove that's cracked either side of the chimney hole. That's why I thought it best to leave it attached to the stove. See you in the morning, I'll be there as close to 7am as I can . Been up at 4:30 this week so it'll be a lie in.

[Big Kev]

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The cracks in the top plate of my stove.

[Big Kev]

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A job well done, likened to welding a lace curtain. Thank you Stanley, should give me at least a couple of years out of it before it falls to bits. A successful morning.

[Stanley]

It was much worse than I expected. The metal was rotten, full of hair cracks and so corroded it was like welding smoke. My verdict, and Kev agreed, was that the stove top was knackered and needed replacing. However, I had a go.....



Kev did the grinding....



I did the welding. If you've ever tried welding a rotten car body with a stick welder you'll know what it was like! Amperage as low as I dared take it and build the edges up first then bridge the gap.



We finished up with the holes filled and when it gets a coat of paint it will look OK. Not the tidiest welding I have ever done but it'll probably last another few years.



The labourer cleaned up of course.....



He got his own back by doing this pic.... He always catches me looking fearsome!
Before anyone criticises, try doing it! It really was mission impossible but by starting the welds in the right place the shrinkage took the warp out of it and it went back to being flat. By the time I had done the front the weld had pulled the crack together at the back and when we finished, the cramp I had used to pull the top down was loose so there isn't any residual tension in it. Kev is pleased and that's the main thing.

[Big Kev]

I'm very pleased. A grand job in my opinion. 'er indoors gave it the seal of approval too. I'm sure Jack wanted to tidy up I had to fight him for the broom.

[Stanley]

Nice..... Thanks Kev. My back's OK as well.....

[Big Kev]

Nice..... Thanks Kev. My back's OK as well.....

That's good news

[Stanley]

And now for something entirely different.....



Back to my engines! I changed my mind about the driving bars, decided they didn't need to be full width of the valve and set into this piece. First job was to reduce it the 1/2" thick, fit it to both valves and then saw it in two.



I did all the final fitting by hand and this is what took most of the time, adjusting the fit with the file until everything fitted properly and the slot for the valve rod lined up properly.



I finished up with a nice accurate fit for both valves and at this point I marked them D and S and concentrated on the valve for Debs engine.





It was getting on for knocking off time. I measured up, made the valve rod blanks and sorted out the 2BA tap and die for the driving bar.... (I intended doing it 26tpi but realised I haven't got that tap and die. 2BA will be fine......

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley, looks like a decent welding job on the stove. Can't help thinking you look like your playing your air guitar in the workshop photo.
Nice work on the valves too, things are going well, I have managed to get two six inch slitting saws for you too, so the swag building up for the visit
Cheers Mick

[Stanley]

Always nice to start the morning with good news! I love it when Shed Matters has a response, I must explain things too well, nobody asks questions! Nice to know there are slitting saws out there! Welding the stove was a laugh, I have never seen CI so thin and rotten that it blew through like that. Almost as though it was full of impurities just waiting to combust. Not the fault of the iron, the Danes have good CI. Must be something to do with it being a wood burner. The good thing was that because I started at the closed end of the crack it was pulling itself back into shape as I welded it. The cramp I put on to pull the lid down that last fraction was loose when I came to take it off.
Just doing two hours a day so I don't overcook things before I go teaching, slow but sure!
Looking forward to the visit......

[Stanley]

First a check to see that the driving block clears the lid....



Then pop a stop behind the valve and mark the point where we need the tapped hole in the block with a transfer punch. Then make a proper pop mark...



Drill and tap 2BA.



Thread the valve rod at each end, install and pack the gland.



The valve still needs its bottom face machining and finishing but I'm leaving that for the time being as I want to do both valves at once. It's entirely different work and needs different tools.



By knocking off time Sarah is at the same stage so that'll do for this morning. Tomorrow we'll finish the valves and start on the clevis jaws.

[Stanley]

Today was supposed to be valves but the bad news is that the agenda changed when this plastic lever in the flush mechanism on the toilet gave up the ghost. Quite obvious what had to be done first!



The first thing to do was dip in the treasure chest for a piece of bronze I could cut the lever out of. This is the remains of the scabby piece of cast I used to make the crank pin brasses on the engines. First job was to make it clean and square....



Some measuring and marking.



I had a choice, either cut it out with the hacksaw, do a special set up under the HM or simply mill the excess off. Looking after my shoulder I chose the latter....



As usual I finished up with a bench full of tackle. I wanted a piece of 5/16" key steel to act as a template for the square I needed to file out after drilling it 5/16".



Some time later I finished up with this....



A bit more fitting and it was perfect and fitted. Far better action now and this will not fail me. Question is will the rest of the cistern last me out! It took about two and a half hours from start to finish, quicker and much cheaper than sending for a plumber.... I reckon that was a good morning's work! (And I love being able to solve a problem like this using a piece of scrap....)

[Stanley]

Bad news for the engines.... I have to write six articles to make sure I am covered until I get back from teaching in July and as I have a straight edge in the shed this is a good time to do it. If I don't get them on the stockpile it will natter me. Sorry Ladies!