Author Topic: Shay Locomotive S/N 2800  (Read 83720 times)

Offline ttrikalin

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #75 on: November 14, 2014, 02:11:46 AM »
just discovered this thread


I AM SPEECHLESS...
take care,

tom in MA

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #76 on: November 14, 2014, 02:37:13 PM »
Hi Tom,
Thanks, I got sidetracked a bit with microcontrollers, but I will be casting up some new parts soon. I have to clean up the casting bench today.

Dan
ShaylocoDan

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #77 on: November 26, 2014, 05:14:23 PM »
I finally got the casting bench setup again and cast the first of the new truck parts. They came out very good. All the parts worked fine the casting numbers show and the oil hole cores were successful.



Dan
ShaylocoDan

Offline Roger B

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #78 on: November 26, 2014, 05:29:59 PM »
I know almost nothing about casting but those look magnificent to me  :praise2:  :praise2:
Best regards

Roger

Offline RonGinger

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #79 on: November 26, 2014, 11:58:21 PM »
Can you tell us a bit about the casting bench? Do you use a vacuum under the flasks? I have tried to pour a couple investments but fail to get full parts just pouring into the flask.

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #80 on: November 27, 2014, 12:31:59 AM »
Ron,
I use a vacuum table to vacuum the investment in the flasks and for casting. I will take a couple of photos tomorrow when the light is better and describe my one man operation. I just finished vacuuming a set of 6 flasks for a casting session tomorrow.

Dan
ShaylocoDan

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #81 on: November 30, 2014, 01:58:59 AM »
Here is a photo of my casting bench set up to vacuum casting flasks. The kitchen timer on the oven is to keep track of the time for mixing the investment. It has a 10 minute working time and has to be mixed then vacuumed in the mixing bowl, then poured in the flasks and vacuumed again as shown in the photo. Needless to say everything has to be in the right place because the investment will be hard as a rock 12 minutes after the powder is added to the water.



This photo shows my vacuum casting process. The vacuum table now has a flask with a red hot bronze center the photo just shows bright white. The open crucible is also  glowing red hot. The flasks pored before are stacked on fire brick in front of the burn out kiln. The orange box on the side of the kiln is the programmable controller and the display flashes between kiln temperature and hold times.



After the sprues are cut off and the investment removed the castings go in to the pickle pot. Here is the first bunch.



Upper right is the assembled brake head and shoe with separate castings below. The top left are the center plates one has a couple of bronze bubbles. These are air bubbles that did not dislodge. The vacuum table is on springs and I use a wrench to vibrate the table during vacuuming but some times bubbles stick anyway. Usually a whack with a small cold chisel solves the problem. The lower section shows the right and left truck boxes with and without covers.

The truck columns did not work as well as well. Three out of four have cold shorts where the center columns did not fill completely. The cores did work but the wax parts were leaning towards the back side so all the cold shorts are on the front. I will lean the wax the other way so if there is a cold short it will be on the back side and that is really not much of an issue because it can not be seen.



Dan
ShaylocoDan

Offline fumopuc

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #82 on: November 30, 2014, 07:42:30 AM »
Hi Dan, thanks for the pictures and explanation of your investment casting bench. The people here in Bavaria, Germany are using only one word to express their tribute, "respect".
Kind Regards
Achim

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #83 on: December 14, 2014, 10:42:59 PM »
Thanks for the complement Achim like most things it takes practice.

I have been casting new stuff for this project and now I have a complete set of castings for one truck. I solved the problem with the center column by adding sprues to the sides which are the thickest cross section. This worked and solved the problem of the thick section robbing metal as it cools. A 1/16" drill fits through the columns vertically as it should.



The line shaft bearings were cast at Shapeways in gun metal and the first set is fitted to a box in the photo. It would have been simpler if I had a inside and outside bearing printed. They are both outside bearings so I have to file the 450 angle to fit the box. On the good side the rest fit nice with just a bit of fitting with small files.

I added new flasks to my casting system so I can cast every day now with out having to use the flasks in the oven. They wanted $10 plus shipping for a 2.5" SS flask 3" long. I just bought some 2.5" SS muffler tube from ebay 5' cost me $33 with free shipping. I need a new band saw blade now... I had to finish the job with a pipe cutter.

Dan
« Last Edit: December 14, 2014, 11:27:22 PM by Dan Rowe »
ShaylocoDan

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #84 on: February 28, 2015, 09:57:21 PM »
The series I wrote about Shays in Steam in the Garden included S/N 1823. This a 3' Shay built to the same plan as the Mapleton with a very unique feature. It had the first Shay cast steel truck built. I drew this loco knowing that the rest of this size of early cast steel trucks went to Japan. I was trying to get Kozo interested in making one. That did not work but I did get a friend of his Shin’ichiro Ukitsu interested in building a Shay with the drawings.

Here is my drawing of the first cast steel trucks.


The rest of the photos are of Shin’ichiro Ukitsu's work.


















The scale of this build is 1:24 and the threads used are homade using 1.5mm brass hex for the bolts and nuts and either 1mm or 1.2mm threads where more strength is needed. It will not be live steam but the work is simply gorgeous.

More to come,
 :cheers: Dan
 
« Last Edit: March 01, 2015, 12:51:19 AM by Dan Rowe »
ShaylocoDan

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #85 on: February 28, 2015, 09:58:49 PM »
More photos of Shin’ichiro Ukitsu's work.



Check the detail on the top edge of the link...just like the drawing.










The last photo made me very happy to see my drawing in metal and so beautifully  done.

Still a bit more to come.

 :DrinkPint: Dan
ShaylocoDan

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #86 on: February 28, 2015, 09:59:55 PM »
Here is more work on the frame by Shin’ichiro Ukitsu.



















The last photo is all the work to date very nice work indeed.

 :cheers: Dan
ShaylocoDan

Offline fumopuc

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #87 on: March 01, 2015, 04:51:57 AM »
Hi Dan, it is really impressive what this Japanese guy is doing there.
Kind Regards
Achim

Offline Jo

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #88 on: March 01, 2015, 07:41:54 AM »
8) Yes, his work is very impressive.

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Shay Locomotive
« Reply #89 on: March 01, 2015, 07:47:44 PM »
I got another email this morning from Kozo that has photos of  Shin’ichiro’s tools for machining small hex head screws. I have been thinking about square head bolts now I see how to make the tooling. Here are the photos and descriptions to make screws using 1.5mm hex stock.

The tool for machining outside diameter of the screw.


The rear view of the tool with the work-holding-bearing detached.


The rear view of the tool with the work-holding-bearing installed. The work will be supported with a bushing having a hole which is close running fit over the work.


The tool for parting off the screw.


The rear view of the parting tool.


Close up of the parting tool with the tool bit retracted.


Close up of the parting tool with the tool bit advanced to cut-off position.


The parting tool and the outside-diameter-machining tool, both installed on the turret head. The turret head also was made by Shin’ichiro himself.


The outside diameter of screw is being machined. (1)


The outside diameter of screw is being machined. (2)


The screw is being parted off.(1)


The screw is being parted off.(2)


The screw is being parted off.(3)


The thread is being cut with a screw cutting die. The work is being revolved with a homemade socket wrench.


The hexagonal head is being chamfered with a conical cutter.


The machined small hex-head screws.


"The key-point for designing the tools is to keep “shortest stress-path” to machine such a small work with high accuracy. If it were long, the work could not even be machined due to its flexibility.
I hope you will enjoy these photos.
Kozo"

Many thanks to Shin’ichiro for showing his methods for making the very tiny hex head screws, and thanks to Kozo for bridging the communication gap.

 :cheers: Dan
ShaylocoDan

 

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