A simple Vertical Steam Engine.

[zeeprogrammer]

The 3rd shot using the boring head was a learning for me. Thanks.

[Jasonb]

See I told you castings are not needed

Do the drawings call for any packing to go between base and caps when the bearing holes are bored so any future wear can easily be taken up?

[Jo]

Hi Zee  one thing to remember when using the boring head to do the outside is to make sure you rotate the cutter the right way.

Jason, doing it without castings takes longer The drawings do not call for any packing but I will be thieving the packing off the Swan to pack the caps for machining the bearings.

Jo

[zeeprogrammer]

Hi Zee  one thing to remember when using the boring head to do the outside is to make sure you rotate the cutter the right way.

Reminds me of the time I installed my slitting saw upside down. Thanks for the memory.   

[Jo]

Sorry Zee 

Before starting the boring for the main bearings I decided I better see what the choice is for those bearings. I seem to have two sets of bearings castings, one from the Swan that was not used and the one for the 5A 

So time for the casting... First I found the centre of the bearing line using a wobbler and then was confronted with the problem that the bearing hole is half hole and half cast Iron this means you cannot start the bore with a drill  rather it is necessary to go in carefully with a series of slot drills. Of course that would also be too easy but there are two bearings and the second is too far away for the longest of my slot drills to reach. Having messed around for too long considering various alternatives I decided it was much easier to just open one side out to 20mm then turn the casting over to do the other side. At 20mm there is enough space to swing a reasonable diameter  boring bar

Jo

[Roger B]

Would the original kit have had cast bearing caps with a half round cutout to avoid the fun with slot drills?

[b.lindsey]

Making good progress Jo!!  What did you use as a datum when turning the casting over? Just the half hole in the base casting?

Bill

[Jo]

Would the original kit have had cast bearing caps with a half round cutout to avoid the fun with slot drills?

Yes they would have, I found a picture of a set of the virgin 5A castings, with reverser 



Thank you Bill. I used the bearing cap as the datum for both sides as they were both machined true to the mounting bolts. So the two outer surfaces are equal distance from the centre line  .

Jo

[Jo]

I was going to use the big boring bar to bore the bearing holes but found a bit of a skin on the soleplate casting so used a lathe boring bar in the head to remove it rather than damage my HSS cutting tip. As the lathe boring bar was cutting true I was lazy and used it to finish the bores  .

( If you have a lesser milling machine it would probably be best if you do this between centres on the lathe. I was just letting Tgs stretch his legs  )

Jo

[Jo]

Its Thursday which means it is casting fondling day and my new orphaned set of Stuart No 1 castings (nearly two weeks on from identifying their need for a loving new home) still have not been put in the post by their previous owner

And they will probably not be here for this weekend either   

Jo

[Jasonb]

Maybe another seller who you have rubbed up the wrong way getting their own back on you

Nevermind it is not as though you don't have other castings to fondle until the No1 arrives 

[Jo]

Maybe another seller who you have rubbed up the wrong way getting their own back on you

Odd one that: we discussed it at Stratfield Saye and a fair few of the guys had been in contact with him.... The seller claimed he was missing a couple of the castings from the set , then was reluctant to provide a photo of the castings he had and when a photo finally turned up it showed it was missing the entire bottom ends and all the gunmetal castings. I guess he had too many people contacting him only to find out that "most" meant something different from what they thought as well  The price was ok if you wanted those odds and ends of the casting set.

Jo

P.S. I think Eric upset him when he mentioned about the 5A standards only being £25 each from the local foundry 
 

[Jo]

The castings for the bearings are as expected all over the place  Two pairs have been started but they will be going in the spare drawer. The other two are new.

Initially we need to mill the two surfaces that need soft soldering together so they are nice and flat. To do this we need to first mill the two ends square. If you don't then the bearing is likely to slip in the jaws of the vice and we will get a nasty gash in the casting as you can see in the casting in the foreground.

that nasty mark was removed by tilting the casting slightly when I faced the flat for soft soldering together. A quick fettle round to remove any sharp edges and I have two pair ready for soft soldering. The ends on these bearings are currently of different thicknesses (and the spare one on the right is already under size  ) this will have to be taken into account when we machine them shortly.

This initial stage requires the two halves to be soft soldered together. I chose to use a bit of solder paint to start this joint, on other occasions I just paint the faces with flux. Heat until the joint will take solder then remove the heat and keep feeding with soft solder until it overflows - no point in skimping on the solder.

Jo

[Jo]

Off to Mr Silky and mount the bearings in his four jaw. Having mounted the bearing with the narrow outer rim in the chuck the face was skimmed and the outer made round. This allows the position of the split to be checked to make sure it was central on the bearing.

Once one end is turned round (and left over sized ) it can then be turned round and mounted in a three jaw to bring the other end to the same over sized diameter and to face the other end (leaving as much as possible on the length ). I am pleased to say that the bearings are still oversized in all dimensions   

I did think about making the other spare a spare and then I noticed it had a feature  Can you see why it is of no use  .

Jo

[Flyboy Jim]

Off to Mr Silky and mount the bearings in his four jaw. Having mounted the bearing with the narrow outer rim in the chuck the face was skimmed and the outer made round. This allows the position of the split to be checked to make sure it was central on the bearing.

Once one end is turned round (and left over sized ) it can then be turned round and mounted in a three jaw to bring the other end to the same over sized diameter and to face the other end (leaving as much as possible on the length ). I am pleased to say that the bearings are still oversized in all dimensions   

I did think about making the other spare a spare and then I noticed it had a feature  Can you see why it is of no use  .

Jo

I got it..........I got it..........that piece is not as shiny as the other two! Did I get it right? 

Jim