Start on a long term project

[ozzie46]

I had to take break from all the milling of the wheels and made the eccentric fpr the feed pump.

I had some unkown stainless steel I got from the scrap yard that I had been afraid to use after I had read about the work hardening properties of stainless. Cut off a chunk with the band saw and it seemed to cut really well so stuck it in the lathe and went at it. Man it cut really well. I totally surprised.

These will be the steel tires for the aluminum wheels. They are cut from hydraulic cyl rams donated by a good friend that runs a Hydraulic repair business. Still need enough material to make 2 more.

I would like to have it setting on its wheels by January. Maybe it will happen maybe it won't..

Oh yeah, I started to get some sores on the palm of my hand from using the riffer files so much as they are double ended. I asked my wife if she could make me a leather palm protector. Oops no leather, so she found an old mitt style pot holder and cut the finger area off up past the second knuckle of the fingers and cut the thumb out too. I used the cut off finger area as more padding in the palm of my hand. I just stuff it inside the pot holder into my palm. It works great.

Ron

 

[hobby]

I like the profiling work you did on those wheel blanks using a rotary table.
I also like the idea of pasting patterns on to your workpiece to work too.

It makes me want to start getting back to using my turbocad for making patterns again,
after seeing the nice details you achieved with those loco wheels.

The more I look at that post of the pattern on the wheel blank, the more I'm thinking of possibiities of fine details that can be machined into workpieces.

Those wheels are going to look superb, when its all put together.

Keep up the great work....

 

[ozzie46]

Thanks for checking in Hobby. Your comments mean are very much appreciated.

Ron

 

[arnoldb]

Hi Ron - That is a magnificent effort :bow: - Your perseverance and effort on making these wheels is truly inspiring :bow:

I remember you asking about a press fit a while ago; if it is for these wheels and their rims, then I'd definitely suggest erring on the side of a "lighter" press fit, as the steel tires could easily crunch/crack your aluminium wheels, and I'd hate to see that happen to you after this work

Looking forward to the rest!

Kind regards, Arnold

 

[ozzie46]

Thanks Arnold, I will diffidently heed your advise on the shrink fit. I'm kind of anxious to see the finished product myself, but I don't want to rush things and make a masive boo boo. :fan: :fan:

Ron

 

[joe d]

Ron

Those wheels are looking really good. Another one filed away for the day I get to a locomotive...

Cheers, Joe

 

[ozzie46]

Thanks Joe, 3 1/2 done, 3 1/2 to go.

Ron

 

[ozzie46]

I've done some more on the wheels.
I got the steel tires heat shrunk onto the wheels. I made an arbor to mount the wheels on to turn them to size.

It is a very close fit on the axle bores and will stay in the 3 jaw until all work remaining work on the wheels is done. If I need the lathe I will just pull the 3 jaw off and mount the 4 jaw.

The wheels were turned to .002 more than the inside dia of the steel tires.

I stuck the aluminum wheels in the freezer and let them get good and cold. I then turned on, are you ready for it,SWMBOs' electric cook stove and laid the steel tires on the heating element. SWMBO was there while I did it and I'm still here to talk about it. :big:

I let the tires heat up till they got blue then put them on 3/8 plate steel on a little stool and took the wheels out of the freezer and they fell into the steel tires with no effort.

This is what they looked like after cooling down.

I had to see what they looked like on the frame.

Now I have to grind up a HSS cutting tool to the 3/32 radius called for on the tire tread near the flange. I need to read up on how to turn the treads as well as it seems there are some angles involved.

Thats it for now I guess. Oh I laid out the dimensions on the steam cyls too. Will be working on them soon but I want to make a holding plate to fit my cross slide on the lathe so I can line bore them on the lathe.

Till then I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy and Joyous New Year.

Ron

 

[1hand]

Real nice! Thm:

Matt

 

[ozzie46]

Some observations on turning hyd ram steel following a question on another board. The steel turns well but creates stringer chips a mile long. I have to keep it cleared out or it gets really dangerous. Using HSS I can only take about .020 at the most or it gets so hot it ruins the cutting edge. I'm turning at 150 rpm as that is the slowest my lathe will turn and feeding at the slowest my lead screw will turn. I don't have flood coolant so I brush on, of all things, "crisco" for lube. I tried turning dry and had to resharpen very often but after using the crisco I think I had to sharpen once on the remaining 4 wheels.

Had a bit of a disaster on my last operation on the wheel treads. (Wouldn't you know it!) I set my compound to cut a 3* taper on the tread and WHAAAT? It didn't look right at all. Got to checking and my protractor scale on my compound is marked off in 2 1/2* increments. So what I thought was 3* was actually 7 1/2* Cut the tire off and today will make another one to replace it.



Ron

 

[ozzie46]

Well I finished turning the wheel treads and painted them.


I ground up a 3/32 radius tool bit to turn the radius on the tread.

Heres how it turned out.

set the wheels on the frames to get a motivational shot. ;D ;D

I turned some spring pins and single pointed the threads on them and will be installing them and looking for some springs at the hardware store.

A little off topic, but I gave myself Kozos' Pennys A3 Switcher for Christmas. That book is full of neat ideas on jig, setups and such.

Ron

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Wow...I've missed a lot on this thread.
Neat stuff.
The wheels look great and I learned a lot from your postings.
I didn't know about tires. Do people actually end up having to replace them?

 

[ozzie46]

Zee, Thanks for looking in.

I don't know about model Locos having tires. I know that full sized ones did.
The wheel castings I've seen for model Locos are cast iron with no separate tire.

I used steel tires as my wheels were aluminum and I don't think they would hold up well on track. I could be wrong here.

Ron

 

[coopertje]

Hi Ron,
:bow: :bow: :bow: i truly admire your patience in making the wheels! They came out really great! Very nice to see the loco coming together piece by piece. Keep on the great work and keep the pictures coming!

Regards Jeroen

 

[ozzie46]

Thanks Jeroen. I admire your work a lot.

Ron

 

[coopertje]

All I can say is that the grass of the neighbors always looks greener. Until you decide to swap you realise that your own grass was not so bad after all.... ;D

Regards Jeroen

 

[doubletop]

Wow...I've missed a lot on this thread.

Me too I've no idea what happens with the notifications, from time to time I don't get them.

Love those wheels Ron, and gives me an idea for wheels for my driving trolley. Nothing so grand though but I've got some ally for the wheel centres and steel tyres would do the trick.

Pete

 

[ozzie46]

Thanks Pete.

The aluminum was so much easier to machine. If I had used cast iron or steel I would probably be still milling them out. :big: :big:




Jeroen, Yes that grass is greener over the fence bit cost me a couple of marriages when I younger and a lot dumber. Thankfully I wised up.

Ron

 

[krv3000]

good work ;D

 

[ozzie46]

Thanks kvr3000

Ron