Author Topic: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)  (Read 242227 times)

Offline fumopuc

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #360 on: May 29, 2016, 07:05:06 AM »
Hi Kim, good to see  you back at it. Nice progress, even if it is taken shape slowly. I do know this feeling very well.
Kind Regards
Achim

Online Kim

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #361 on: May 30, 2016, 10:51:04 PM »
Thanks Achim!

Yesterday I’d said I needed to make a few more sheet metal parts, but I decided to do just one more before I started putting some of them together.  So, I did.  And here are the Fuel Bunker Inside pieces:


With that, I was ready to start assembly.
This did not go as quickly as I thought.  I spent several hours working out a method to hold the pieces in place AND being able to clamp it onto the mill to make the holes.  I tried various clamps at different angles, like this attempt:

But the problem kept being that I couldn’t make it fit on the mill. One of the problems with having small equipment.

When I finally got there, I ended up using double-sided sticky tape to hold the Platform Underframes in place, and then cut a piece of 1”x1/4” HRS to use for a clamp. This worked great, and maintained registration while I drilled the mounting holes.


Then I bent the Platform Underframes, and bolted them in place.




With the Platform height set by the Platform Underframe pieces, I decided to bend one part of the Fuel Bunker Rear sheet; the 1/8” tab that provides support to the platform.
The problem here was that using my break, I couldn’t bend the middle part without bending the outside edges.  So I came up with using the Sherline mill vise.  This worked quite well!



That is, until I went to take it out of the vise, and I found that I’d bent the sheet metal over the clamping screw. :(  Took me a while to get out of that one without damaging my part!


Here’s where the Fuel Bunker Rear will go eventually.


But, before I can do that, I needed to Rivet the platform to the Platform Underframe.  Again, I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to devise a method to hold everything square while I drilled the rivet holes through the frames.
Here’s what I came up with:  A piece of wood, carefully cut to the exact correct size, carefully squared up, then used more of that double-sticky tape to hold all the pieces in reference to each other until they could be clamped on the mill.

Here’s the top of my setup:


And the bottom (just for fun):


Then I clamped it on the mill table.  You can just see the toe of the clamp sticking out from behind the Irwin clamps. The two Irwin pistol-grip clamps are just to help the sticky tape hold the frame pieces in place during drilling.


After drilling all the rivet holes, I then proceeded to rivet the platform to the frames.  This went fairly quickly (well, it took me about 90 minutes to do 36 rivets (only having to re-do one of them!).


And even the underside doesn’t look too bad.


Then I mounted it on the horn plates.


That’s my progress for the long weekend.  It’s been a fun run, but I think it will be a bit before I get back out to the shop.

Thanks for looking in,
Kim
« Last Edit: July 08, 2017, 06:15:58 PM by Kim »

Offline joe d

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #362 on: May 30, 2016, 11:14:25 PM »
Some excellent progress there Kim.   :ThumbsUp:

Joe

Online Dave Otto

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #363 on: May 30, 2016, 11:54:34 PM »
Nice work Kim! good to see an update on your tractor. Is that Portland sunshine leaving spots on you horn plates? :lolb:

Dave

Offline Don1966

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #364 on: May 31, 2016, 12:10:24 AM »
Nice work Kim woth some intuit setups and they seem to get the job done. Good to see more progress buddy.......... :ThumbsUp:

Don

Online Kim

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #365 on: May 31, 2016, 05:40:00 AM »
Hi Joe, Dave, and Don,
Thanks for the kind comments!

Is that Portland sunshine leaving spots on you horn plates? :lolb:

Yeah, guess it is :)

I've cleaned those up some, but they keep growing spots! I've decided I'm going to have to paint the tractor to keep it from rusting like that! This plate steel seems to rust very quickly.

Kim

Offline fumopuc

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #366 on: May 31, 2016, 08:16:57 AM »
Hi Joe, Dave, and Don,
Thanks for the kind comments!

Is that Portland sunshine leaving spots on you horn plates? :lolb:

Yeah, guess it is :)

I've cleaned those up some, but they keep growing spots! I've decided I'm going to have to paint the tractor to keep it from rusting like that! This plate steel seems to rust very quickly.

Kim

I could imagine it is more the skin acid from Kim fingers.
By the way great progress.
Kind Regards
Achim

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #367 on: May 31, 2016, 01:51:20 PM »
Kim, its looking great and you had a very productive weekend for sure!!  Just a quick question. It look like that bunker rear plate has a tab that inserts into the platform pieces, but how will that be done now that the platform pieces are riveted together? Hoping you get more shop time soon, this is a fun build to follow and I know will be an amazing model in the end.

Bill
« Last Edit: June 06, 2016, 12:53:52 PM by b.lindsey »

Offline mal webber

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #368 on: June 01, 2016, 01:50:32 AM »
Nice metal work Kim, I always look forward to build progress on this project  :ThumbsUp:

Mal.

Offline Roger B

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #369 on: June 06, 2016, 11:45:57 AM »
Some good problem solving and very nice metal work  :ThumbsUp:  :ThumbsUp:  :ThumbsUp:  :wine1:
Best regards

Roger

Online Kim

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #370 on: June 06, 2016, 08:55:34 PM »
Thanks Achim, Bill, Mal and Roger!
Sorry for the long delay. Somehow I missed your guys responses!  I really do appreciate all the kind comments.

I could imagine it is more the skin acid from Kim fingers.
Very possibly, but it doesn't seem to be consistent with where/what I touch.  And I think of my skin as more 'oily' than acidic.  Maybe not?

Just a quick question. It look like that bunker rear plate has a tab that inserts into the platform pieces, but how will that be done now that the platform pieces are riveted together?
That row of rivets on the rear bunker are dummys.  And the tab is short enough that it doesn't reach the dummy rivets on the platform.  The Rear Bunker sheet will be riveted to the fuel bunker pieces, but it will be attached with a few bolts.  Rudy has designed this so that it comes apart in a few sections for easier work and assembly.  Probably a very good idea for a rank beginner like me!

Thanks everyone,
Kim

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #371 on: June 07, 2016, 12:20:06 AM »
Thanks for the explanation Kim. Hope you get some shop time and more updates soon. Great project!!

Bill

Online Kim

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #372 on: June 11, 2016, 11:23:04 PM »
I got some shop time today, but I’d told a friend I’d help him out and I spent most of my time doing that. So, no progress on my Steam Tractor today. Maybe tomorrow.

But I thought I’d share a few pictures of my mornings work anyway.

What happened is that my friend found some nice chunks of aluminum that were already carved into nice little 3x5" tables. He wanted a whole bunch of holes drilled in these little tables.  He does his own reloads, and I believe the idea is to use these trays to help hold the shells during the reloading process.

Here I'm indicating them in on the mill so they rows of holes will be parallel with the edge.  Note there are two pieces, bolted back to back here, one on top of the other.  (The pieces came with 1/4”-20 holes tapped in each corner, so I used those to hold them in line with each other, that way I could drill once for two parts.)


I spotted the holes and then went to drilling them.  The DRO was wonderful for this!


Here are the completed parts.


Hope these work well for him!

Now, hopefully I’ll get some time for my tractor tomorrow! :)
Kim
« Last Edit: July 08, 2017, 06:20:57 PM by Kim »

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #373 on: June 11, 2016, 11:35:33 PM »
Nice result Kim.  I hope he appreciates your efforts.

Bill

Online Kim

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Re: Steam Tractor 3/4" (Rudy K)
« Reply #374 on: June 11, 2016, 11:47:34 PM »
Thanks Bill!
Kim

 

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