Recent content by Entropy455

TIG welding 6061-T6 will temper the base material in the heat affected zone, resulting in "about" a 50% localized reduction in strength of the base material. Tempering 6061-T6 can happen as low as 400 degrees F. (this is why you are not supposed to powder coat high-strength cast aluminum...

Some folks in Washington State got into trouble for operating scaled down steam locomotives (giving kids free rides and such, at tractor shows, and other events). If I remember correctly, they were running the model engine boilers at about 80 psig. They were fined for operating unlicensed (aka...

Lead-tin solder is a no-no (i.e. the stuff that melts under 500 degrees F). Silver-braze is the way to go (i.e. the stuff that melts above 1500 degrees F) - it's much stronger. Stay away from the cadmium stuff. . . The cad-free silver-braze is more user-friendly anyway. Note that lead-tin...

And do not weld (ever) 303 stainless. 303 has sulfur to make it free-machining, and will crack before your eyes if welded.

416 is a heat-treatable martensitic stainless steel. Works great for steam turbine blades (when hardened). 422 and 440C are also commonly used in steam valve applications. Note that not all 400 series stainless are the same. Some tolerate through-hardening with very little temper (440C), whereas...

You can machine 304/304L & 316/316L with small and light-duty equipment. You simply must know the limitations of the tooling and the stainless itself. As others have already stated - take heavier cuts (0.010" min per pass, or 0.020" is even better). If you try to skim-cut 0.002", you will...

The brittle-to-ductile transition temperature for fully hardened (non-tempered) chrome-moly steels (4130, 4140, 4340) is about 200 degrees F, making the metal very brittle at room temperature. This is why gun barrels (and B7 & B16 steels) are tempered between 1100 and 1200 degrees F - because it...

If you don't need to weld it (ever), get yourself some 303 stainless. It's got sulfur in it, which makes it machine like butter. More specifically, the sulfur keeps the stainless from work-hardening during machining - like 304/304L and 316/316L are so well known for doing. The 303 retains all...

No apology necessary. As a result of your recommendations, I purchased a 1.5 horsepower 3-phase motor & VFD for my little lathe (super excited about it). I'm also going to retrofit my drill press with 3-phase motor & VFD. If anything, I should be thanking you for turning me on to VFDs. . ...

Update: I just picked up some 1600 amp contactors (three off them) - 200 bucks for the set (surplus). This means I'm back to the phase converter project. I'm into the electric motors 600 bucks, and 200 into the contactors. Now I need about 400 dollars worth of capacitors. Then figure about...

This is a great idea. FWIW - not often do you see a person with both metal-working and electronics knowledge. Very cool.

The solar flux at the surface of the Earth on a bright sunny day averages about 1000 watts per square meter. Significantly less when it's overcast, or if the sun is low on the horizon. For comparison, a typical candle flame is 80 watts. Not sure how much heat input your engine requires, but if...

Also, make sure the pipe/tube is thick enough for cutting threads into it (normally schedule 40 or larger). It is a bad idea to try and cut threads into schedule 5 or schedule 10 pipe (the pipe is left paper-thin at the minor-diameter of the threads).

https://www.surpluscenter.com/images/techhelp/SAE.pdf Straight threads (aka SAE O-ring) require a positive seal (see above link). These types of fittings are widely used for hydraulics and air, but I suppose with the correct temperature-rated O-ring, it would hold back low-energy steam also...

Does the concrete floor extend outside the building? If not, how close can the crane get to the building? I recently had a large lathe delivered to my shop (pictured below). My concrete ends at the shop's doors (which are 16 feet wide, by 14 feet tall each). The crane operators set the...