Author Topic: Retlas  (Read 89908 times)

Offline Alyn Foundry

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1653
  • North Wales, Great Britain.
Re: Retlas
« Reply #300 on: August 11, 2017, 01:44:18 PM »
Hello All.

It is with deepest sadness I have to announce the sudden passing of Vincent Salter.

A friend of nigh on 40 years.

This thread and his creation will be his testimony. Goodbye dear friend.

Kind regards, Graham.

Offline Quadra

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 23
  • Cambridge UK
Re: Retlas
« Reply #301 on: August 11, 2017, 02:05:51 PM »
Sad to hear of his passing.

His 'Retlas' was fun to build and will be part of his legacy.

John

Offline Chipmaster

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 988
Re: Retlas
« Reply #302 on: August 17, 2017, 08:40:02 PM »
Graham - sorry to hear that you've lost a friend of 40 years. Perhaps one day if you are able could you tell the story of the Retlas, how it  was conceived and developed, how many Retlasses are there and how were they finished? I'd like to hear from other Retlas builders like Quadra how their Retlas turned out, accompanied with pictures if possible.

I have started reassembling my Retlas after the paint job. Here are some photos taken this evening of the engine sitting on a temporary mount. Four iron wheels are being cast this week to make up a steerable trolley for the engine.

Off to the Bristol Model Engineering Show tomorrow, any other Model Engine Makers going?

Andy

Building Retlas 920 by Andy, on Flickr

Building Retlas 921 by Andy, on Flickr

Building Retlas 922 by Andy, on Flickr

Building Retlas 923 by Andy, on Flickr

Building Retlas 924 by Andy, on Flickr

Building Retlas 926 by Andy, on Flickr

Building Retlas 928 by Andy, on Flickr

Offline Ye-Ole Steam Dude

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1571
  • Deep East Texas on Sam Rayburn Lake
Re: Retlas
« Reply #303 on: August 17, 2017, 09:45:38 PM »

Wow, the paint job is beautiful, just perfect on this engine.

Thomas
Thomas

Offline Dave Otto

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4693
  • Boise, Idaho USA
    • Photo Bucket
Re: Retlas
« Reply #304 on: August 18, 2017, 12:51:20 AM »
Beautiful Paint job Andy! There was a picture a while back where it looked almost blue, I think it was the table and outdoor setting that made the color appear different. I like the lighter color in the crank case area, it adds some nice detail.

Dave

Offline Jo

  • Administrator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15294
  • Hampshire, england.
Re: Retlas
« Reply #305 on: August 18, 2017, 06:35:23 AM »
That is looking really good  :)

Off to the Bristol Model Engineering Show tomorrow, any other Model Engine Makers going?

Andy

 :disappointed: I was hoping to be well enough to travel to the show but Surus's escape route is still giving me jip, especially if I dare go out in a car  :wallbang:

Jo
« Last Edit: August 18, 2017, 06:42:49 AM by Jo »
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Chipmaster

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 988
Re: Retlas
« Reply #306 on: August 18, 2017, 07:38:21 AM »
Thanks for the compliments. I also thought the engine looked a shade of blue in those earlier photos of it taken on a table outside on a sunny day. It is the same 'graphite grey' paint, the colour of the inside of the cylinder yoke is ivory.
I'll take plenty of pictures of engines at the Bristol show today and add them to MEM as soon as I can.
Andy

Offline fumopuc

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3231
  • Munich, Germany, EU
Re: Retlas
« Reply #307 on: August 18, 2017, 10:40:49 AM »
Hi Andy, this engine is a reall eye-catcher. Very nice done.
Kind Regards
Achim

Offline Chipmaster

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 988
Re: Retlas
« Reply #308 on: August 31, 2017, 08:58:20 AM »
As I machined my cast iron wheels a lot of blowholes were revealed. :cussing:
The foundry blamed the iron and are casting them again.
Andy

Offline Alyn Foundry

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1653
  • North Wales, Great Britain.
Re: Retlas
« Reply #309 on: September 01, 2017, 05:54:35 PM »
Good evening Andy.

Hmmm.... The term " Swiss cheese " springs to mind!!

I have a gift for you.... See attached.

We have been clearing Vincent's workshop, which is headed for the Anson engine museum. I'll post some photos of his last projects soon.

Geoff is going to set up a memorial plaque with pictures and engines that Vincent built. There were quite a few!

Kind regards, Graham.

Offline Chipmaster

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 988
Re: Retlas
« Reply #310 on: September 01, 2017, 10:12:50 PM »
Good evening Graham, good to hear from you. I think that's the base of a Retlas / Manchester type dynamo, excellent.
Did you  see the email I sent  featuring an Alyn Foundry Gardner 0 Type sold by Cheffins in their auction on July 15th ? It appeared to be the engine built by Mr Senior that you mentioned a little while ago in this thread.
Regards
Andy
« Last Edit: September 02, 2017, 04:21:21 AM by Chipmaster »

Offline scalemodel

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 49
Re: Retlas
« Reply #311 on: September 02, 2017, 09:21:24 AM »
Good morning
 
I don't wish to hijack andys thread on his very nice retlas but I've just read about the sad passing of vincent salter.
I liked vince alot and used to talk to him alot at the steam rallies etc he used to attend and once went to his home when a frind of mine brought a full size engine off him.
As time went on it got harder to talk to him with his hearing but he was always willing to help.
I was only thinking about him the other day as I thought I would see him at Malpas next wekend.

I think the last time I saw him he had just built a model of a petter 2 stroke don't no if he got it running.
I for one would love to see some pictures of the engines he made, the Crossley being one of the best

Jonathan

Offline Chipmaster

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 988
Re: Retlas
« Reply #312 on: September 17, 2017, 07:24:31 PM »
I want to make a trolley for the Retlas so I decided I should sort out the wheels out first. Finding suitable wheels was quite a difficult and time consuming task, eventually I bought a single cast iron wheel on eBay to use as the pattern and the foundry quoted £10 per wheel.
A friend also wanted four wheels, so I had eight cast initially. I ended up working my way through sixteen wheel castings - two batches of eight finding numerous holes as I machined the rims until I could select the best four castings, they still have pinholes in the rims but I can put up with that because I intend to stick a thin rubber strip to the rim like a tyre. However, my friend didn't want to do that.
The foundry accepted that the castings were unsatisfactory and refunded our money, I did pay for the four I would use and I still have a box of rejects.

The wheels are five inches diameter and the tread is 1.2" wide and I've bored the hubs to fit 1/2" axles.

The first pictures is a box of rejects followed by the four I will use, these castings have been cleaned up by filing and using carbide burrs in a Dremel.

Andy


 

Online Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9465
  • Surrey, UK
Re: Retlas
« Reply #313 on: September 17, 2017, 07:57:58 PM »
I suppose the rejects could always have the rim machined off and then you could fit the spokes into a bit of 5" ERW tube if bright rims were wanted. Can't see it matters that much as the first time you drag the cart over a concrete or stone surface the finish will get all roughed up.

Offline Chipmaster

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 988
Re: Retlas
« Reply #314 on: September 18, 2017, 10:03:41 AM »
Hi Jason, know what you mean about the rims getting roughed up. I did what I thought was a great paint job painting the wheels on my Economy engine trolley and took it along to a club meeting. After rolling it along tarmac the rims looked terrible with red primer showing through.
Roughed up rims looked ok on full size stationary engines that I used to have but I can't acheive that appearance scaled down. An 'as cast' finish would have suited me if the rims had been even and concentric but that wasn't an option the way these castings came out of the moulds.
Andy

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal