Author Topic: Wood cladding of cylinders.  (Read 9375 times)

Offline Gas_mantle

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Wood cladding of cylinders.
« on: December 09, 2016, 06:21:16 PM »
Hi all

I'm renovating a Stuart 10h that I got at a bargain price but the brass sheet around the cylinder is in a poor state so I thought about wood cladding it but not really sure on the type of wood.

Anyone know what kind woods work well on an engine that will be subject to steam, or can planks be ready bought and just cut to size ? I realise it's not a big job to cut a few planks but if they and be bought for a few quid I'd be happy to do that to get a decent product.

To be honest I bought the engine to sell on but it's a great little runner and very well made so I've become attached to it and would rather keep it  :)

Thanks
Peter.

Offline Jo

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2016, 08:49:19 PM »
Are you fond of visiting coffee shops  :embarassed:

When I was a visiting researcher the students learnt that I used the coffee stirrers for cladding my cylinders and by the end of the day I would go home with enough sticks to clad many engines  :naughty:

Jo

P.S. Some supermarkets also provide free coffee to go with their free cylinder cladding sticks and free paper serviettes for wiping up in the workshop  :mischief:
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Offline Gas_mantle

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2016, 07:30:22 PM »
Thanks Jo that's worth a look, I did wonder about lolly sticks but they seem a bit cheap and splintery  :D

Offline Roger B

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2016, 09:38:52 PM »
Lolly sticks (and kebab skewers etc) are actually good quality wood. giving people splinters in the tongue is not good advertising  ::) 
Best regards

Roger

Offline Gas_mantle

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2016, 08:09:52 PM »
Thanks, after a lot of searching I've found an online supply of hobby wood packages :-)

Offline Jasonb

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2016, 08:14:18 PM »
If you have a slitting saw for your mill you can make your own.

http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,705.msg17954.html#msg17954

The model boat suppliers will have various hardwood planks too

Offline Ramon Wilson

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2016, 08:20:13 PM »
Jason just pipped me to the post Peter. Some model shops specialising in ship models usually have good supplies of walnut and mahogany in quite small sections

I used 5mm x 1mm walnut for the Double 10 glued to a backing of 1/64 plywood. If you can get a small piece of that too it will easily wrap around your cylinder with the grain vertically


Hope that helps as well  - Ramon
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Offline Gas_mantle

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2016, 08:30:19 PM »
Thanks guys

I'd been considering getting a slitting saw so your suggestions are a great help.

I thought there'd be loads of it on dolls house builders sites but couldn't find any so thought I'd ask here - eventually I stumbled across this site which has mahogany in small quantities :-

http://www.alwayshobbies.com/materials/wood/stripwood/mahogany-stripwood-bundles-of-10

Since I first asked I've now lost the damned valve so making another one is my first job for tomorrow  >:(

Offline georgineer

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2016, 10:42:14 PM »
My Pa told me that the wood cladding is properly called cleading.

George

Offline sbwhart

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2016, 07:40:16 AM »
Hi Peter

I use the coffee stick route and stain them a nice mahogany colour, but the real trick is fitting them:-

I found the best way is to first stick them to a piece of cotton cloth with copydex, let the glue go off then cut to shape with scissors and simply fold it round the cylinder and fix in place with brass strips, job done.

Stew
A little bit of clearance never got in the way

Offline Gas_mantle

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2016, 01:23:57 PM »
Thanks Stew,

I did wonder about how to get them to fit neatly. At least the materials aren't expensive so I can have a few goes if it doesn't go right first time  ;)

Offline Ian S C

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2016, 03:22:50 PM »
When I did the Stuart Turner S9 I used cardboard to make a template, I used metal cleading.
Ian S C

Offline Jim Nic

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #12 on: December 12, 2016, 05:34:42 PM »
Plus 1 for the coffee stirrer with backing cloth as described by Stew Hart.  I first "discovered" this method described by Jo in a build log (I don't recall which one).  If it's good enough for the likes of Jo and Stew it'll certainly do for me.
I gently stretch a piece of cotton cloth (handkerchief weight works well and ErIndoors doesn't notice I've lost one  ;) ) out on a scrap piece of melamine covered chipboard and hold it in place with masking tape.  I then stick the coffee stirrers to the cloth with a small amount of PVA glue, minimising the glue on the edges of the wood, and leave it to dry.  Once dry the sticks and backing can be cut to approximate shape and size with a Stanley knife and when lifted off the melamine can be bent gently into wrap around shape and trimmed to fit round valve chest or what have you.  I colour it with mahogany stain after it is cut to shape so that all the edges are covered.  A couple of brass boiler bands set it off nicely.
I have clad a Potty Engineering Vertical Cross Single and an Eastern & Anderson Grasshopper this way with pleasing (to my eye) results.
Jim
The person who never made a mistake never made anything.

Offline Captain Jerry

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #13 on: December 12, 2016, 05:57:18 PM »
Historical Accuracy.

I was going to ask this on a separate topic but since this one is already talking about wooden cleading, here is my question.

Was wooden cleading used on marine steam engines in the 1860 period?  I am curious as to whether or not it might have been used on the USS Monitor Ironclad.  The appearance of the cylinder, with the raised lip at either end looks like it was intended to be clad.
NOTARY SOJAK

There are things that you can do and some things you can't do. Don't worry about it. try it anyway.

Offline Gas_mantle

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2016, 01:06:50 AM »
Thanks guys.

Jim, you made a good job of the vertical engine  :)

 

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