PM Research Globe Valve Kits?

[Twmaster]

I'm looking at some of the stuff offered by PM Research. They seem to have a lot of goodies. Could one of you folks relay your experience with their globe valve kits? How tricky are they to machine and assemble?

Seems a good deal price wise to order their kit as it contains the parts for 4 valves at 1/8th the price of buying them assembled.

Thanks!

 

[Metal Butcher]

I'm looking at some of the stuff offered by PM Research. They seem to have a lot of goodies. Could one of you folks relay your experience with their globe valve kits? How tricky are they to machine and assemble?

Seems a good deal price wise to order their kit as it contains the parts for 4 valves at 1/8th the price of buying them assembled.

Thanks!

I bought the set of four too. they seem to be (and are) a mighty fine bargain. I 'm saving mine for a scale build in the future, although they could be added to any-build at any-time.

The plans seems to cover the machining dimensions with a tip on sharpening a special drill tip if memory serves me well.

Making a fixture is probably key to making multiple valves with repeatable accuracy.
Maybe some one can post a BUILD THREAD (hint-hint) and share their experience machining one of these neat little buggers! I know I would also be interested in learning how to machine these.

A while back I purposefully "standardized" my builds with the use of 3/16" model pipe as their intakes, and these valves and fittings are the very reason.

There "stuff" is generally good and priced right. I have machined pipe fittings that they offer as a "tree", with good results. And I thread short sections of intake pipe on a regular basis.

A proven step by step would help out in eliminating the usual "head scratching" associated with the first time on unfamiliar grounds.

-MB

 

[MikeR C]

I bought, a looong time ago, all three sizes of kits from PMR. When I bought them they included the castings of the body,handle castings, and brass hex for the nuts and bonnet. Missing was the 303 stainless needed for the spindle. The drawings are pretty straight forward and they show both a right angle as well as a straight thru version. I opened one of my kits and the contents are shown below:

A finished example, in 1/4", is shown on a Tiny Power H10:

The biggest problem in machining the valve parts is holding the globe casting. I couldn't find the jig I built to hold the globe, but I found my plumbing fittings jig. The jigs are the same except for the ball end mill cut at the intersection of the thru holes in the jig. The jig shown below will hold most of the pipe fittings supplied "rough" on a tree. The two blocks were clamped together with a spacer and the registration holes were drilled, pins were glued in with locktite. The lip fits over the stationary vice jaw and I put a drop of super glue on it to make it stay on the vice. Holes were drilled two sizes to hold the castings:

The jig allows rotating the parts to first clean them up, then drill them, then thread with a model taper pipe tap:

Top view showing a Tee, I did all the work thru the top hole:

End view, you can see the lip that fits over the vise jaw:

Hope this is of some use, my biggest worry is that they have changed the kit's contents over the years...
Thanks
MikeR C

 

[Twmaster]

Mike,

Thank you. That's a pretty good explanation. Do you think the stainless was missing or is it not supplied? I've never seen the inside of a globe valve. What does the 'business' end of the spindle look like?

Love the idea of that jig. I was wondering how I was going to hold those little pieces.

 

[MikeR C]

Spindle looks like below
As I remember I went to the local welding shop and bought 1/4" stainless steel gas welding rod. Stainless gas rod comes, here anyway, in 1/8", 3/16", and 1/4", all 3 feet long.
The pic in the previous post was an unopened "kit", so it did not come with the stainless. I also believe that I bought it from Tiny Power. If you get it from PMR it may come with all the raw stock, according to their webpage "3/16 Globe Valve Kit complete with four cast bronze valve bodies and handles plus all required bar stock, packing material and complete working drawings to make four globe valves or angle globe valves."
So I would expect to find the stainless for the spindle included...

 

[Twmaster]

Mike, Thanks again. Looks like plain turning work.

 

[bearcar1]

The kits when purchased from PMR do indeed come complete including the SS rod for the stems. Their misc. fittings tree is an economical way of acquiring most any angle fitting with just a little bit of machine work.

BC1
Jim

 

[IronHorse]

I got the globe valve kit also, but it was a few years ago. After reading the instructions, I realized I did not have most of the tooling. Also It looked like a lot of the maching was beyond my talent at the time. Maybe I will dust it off and give it a try.

 

[tornitore45]

For a cheap guy like me they are a bargain.
Do not think they are trivial consruction though.
I too had to make a fixture remarkably similar to Mike's one.
One problem is the straight knurling. Good luck on such a small piece. Blocking the handle on the spindle is tricky.
The biggest challenge is have them seal at 50-100 psi.
Good concentricity is needed, do not make them all 4 at once by swapping piece.
Make one at the time, change tooling without moving the piece to hold concentricity.
Seat by spinning in a drill with some Bon Ami as mild abrasive. I found it useful to use a flexible coupling tube to spin the shaft during seating.

Mauro

 

[cobra428]

Twmaster
I to have made some valves by PMR. I never did a 90 valve like the previous post. I did straight through's. Now here is where I get yelled at. Take the drawings for the body and toss them. They have you do some crazy no need for this maching. They want you to make an internal undercut after the threads and......
I went to the big box hardware store and looked how the big boys do it. One hole low into the valve area the other side the hole is high in the enter and exit pipe holes.
It was a beautiful thing. I got some small (I mean small O-Rings $1 for 100) cut an extra grove on the stem after the needle and wa-la ....a working valve. Did the valve in 2 hrs no fixture. I made about 6 this way and not a problem with a one.
Oh Keep the drawing of the body so you can figure out the hole angles

Alright you purist guys have at me!!

Tony

 

[Twmaster]

Cobra...

Tiny O-rings as in fit over the stem under the packing nut? Where'd ya find them??

I need to stop by Ace or Lowe's tomorrow. I'll wander by the plumbing aisle and peek at a valve there. What a great idea for getting an idea!!

 

[cobra428]

Twmaster
For that kind of stuff I go to McMaster Carr. They stock all sizes and material.
Tony

 

[Reed]

After reading many moons ago, I remembered the jig when I needed a globe valve for a steam hammer model. I drew a set of diagrams based on this thread and it is posted at:

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=17069.0

Many thanks to those posting on this thread.

- Reed
Raleigh, NC

 

[dalem9]

For really small o-rings .Take old cigeratte's lighters apart you will find some nice ones . Dale

 

[Tin Falcon]

IIRC mcmaster carr sell any a full line of o rings about $ 3.00 for a pack of a hundred in small sizes .
tin

 

[IronHorse]

Cobra428........your idea worked perfectly. I did away with the undercut and drilled a passage at 30 Deg. I have had this kit for a couple of years and never got around to finishing them because of this undercut.


Thanks
IronHorse