Recent content by cncjunior

PTFE is teflon. The term PTFE is more common usage in Europe, whereas teflon is a North American name. Daniel

Hi Ante, The calculations that you have done that says 1 bar is enough maybe right in an ideal world with no heat loss, pressure loss, friction loss or steam leaks. If you could build up higher pressure the loco would be more forgiving of the losses. As others have said, the piston and...

What fuel are you running with? Methyl hydrate might be the fuel to use if you aren't already. A pressurized fuel system with ceramic burner might give you more btu. It is too bad that the main boiler part is steel instead of copper. Lagging the copper tubes to the cylinders would help a...

Hi Stan, If I may add my two bits worth here and agree with Tin, Kvom, and Philjoe5 for their various points. I used to use the brazed on carbide bars that came in a kit of 7 or so that would be in a round holder sticking straight up. They aren't the greatest as Kvom said about the tapered...

Hi Kaleb, There are many things that contribute to noise on machines. Higher spindle rpm is one of them and mills generally have higher rpms than lathes. Mills by cutter design are usually cutting with interrupted cuts. As on a lathe interrupted cuts are noisier. With carbide tooling...

There were 6 of us that built a Jan Ridders stirling "bas" engine that used two sizes of glass test tubes. We had problems with them as there was a slight taper on the ID of the power cylinder by a few tenth's in 1/2" length. The engine isn't quite as lively as I would like due to sizing the...

I have a possible work around for your burner that would give you more btu's. The only thing is that it would mean not using your haystack burners. IMHO, if you were fabricate a header with 3 tubes about 3/4 ID and drill 1/16" holes two wide separated by 1/4" x 1/4" down the length of the...

I used to work in a sign/display company that would age new things to look old. One way is to use a wood stain. The type of stain varies depending on the type of wood used. We used fir a lot so a stain with some red/brown in it was used. In other words choose a stain that will give you the...

Hi Sedge, As far as the length of the connecting rod and valve rod on a steam engine can be any length as you want. There are two things to note. The most important is that the cylinder support be spaced appropriately. The second is just a weight issue. The longer your rods are the more mass...

There is a fellow who has gone to great detail reconstructing early steam models. His name is David Hulse and a link to his web site is here http://www.davidhulse.co.uk/ He has I believe two books out showing and talking about the model builds as well as the research he put into the projects...

For starters, a regular dial indicator would work. Then if more funds are available, you can get a finger dial indicator--this can get into tighter places and is generally more accurate. For a magnetic base, there are a few styles. You might be limited to the smaller sizes so that it can...

It is funny you mention the foot brake. My first few times engineering a loco I pulled out the emergency foot brake too. I think it goes back to the go cart days with no brakes. The grate size as you mentioned is determined by the coal size, however, too big a coal chunk and you have larger...

Hi Kvom, A throttle that wants to push itself wide open is not a good thing even with a quadrant that has notches. There might have to be a redesign on the throttle assembly required as this is a safety issue. I am part of a club that has steam locos that pull passengers around a mile of...

Hi Brian, I don't have all of the answers to your questions and I will do my best to answer a few of them. There is indeed a shaft that goes through the long threaded 3/16 x40 screw. I suspect any suitable similar sized thread would work. It's too bad my memory fails at this time. I have...

Hi fltenwheeler, In terms of your question about shrinkage of silicone material I can shed some info on this. I worked in a moulding shop that made pewter and cast resin parts from rtv silicone moulds. The shrinkage of the silicone depends on whether you are using Tin based or Platinum base...