Author Topic: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.  (Read 3238 times)

Offline Craig DeShong

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Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« on: October 02, 2017, 02:31:00 AM »
Hello

I’m retired from a career in information technology with an engineering education.  I got stated in working metal 20 years ago when I built a 1/8th size live steam locomotive (allen 10-wheeler).  I knew nothing of metal working at the time but fortunately I had a few excellent and very patient mentors.  When I retired four years ago I planned to spend my retirement in the shop, something I’ve been doing so far.

I’ve built a few engines from casting/drawings but I’m moving toward building my own designs. 

My first design/construction was a ¼ size Otto-Langen atmospheric internal combustion engine which I took to the 150th year anniversary celebration of the original Otto-Langen at the Kinzers Engineering Association in Pennsylvania this last Summer.

Being a Lauson engine collector, the Otto-Langen was followed by two ½ size Lauson single cylinder engines; a model type RSC followed by a model type TLC.

I’m currently finishing a ½ size Lauson model type VR.   I’ve been building this engine since last January and I have nearly 1000 hours invested in the design/build.

I hadn’t heard about this forum until recently and I’m looking forward to getting to know many fellow modelers.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2017, 01:35:57 AM by Craig deshong »
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Online Kim

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2017, 05:41:23 AM »
Hi Craig,
Nice to meet you, and welcome to MEM!
After you get your bearings here you should post a few pics of your engines, and a few of your shop & equipment.  I love seeing other people's work areas!
Kim

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2017, 11:37:34 AM »
Welcome to MEM Craig. Very glad you found us and will look forward to your participation in the forum.

Bill
« Last Edit: October 02, 2017, 11:50:33 AM by b.lindsey »

Offline Jo

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2017, 11:40:58 AM »
 :hi: Craig,

My first design/construction was a ¼ size Otto-Langen atmospheric internal combustion engine which I took to the 150th year anniversary celebration of the original Otto-Langen at the Kinzers Engineering Association in Pennsylvania this last Summer.

Being a Lauson engine collector, the Otto-Langen was followed by two ½ size Lauson single cylinder engines; a model type RSC followed by a model type TLC.

Which one of the Otto-Langen engines have you built? I am doing the original Patent Engine in 1/4 scale and JB is doing the No-1 engine.

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2017, 02:35:25 PM »
Welcome to MEM Craig!

Dave

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2017, 02:44:44 PM »
Kim

As I stated in my introductory post, I’ve been working metal (machining) for 20 years.  Wanting a live steam locomotive is what expanded my interest from wood working to metal.  I still have (and run) the locomotive but it spends it’s time down at the club in the roundhouse.

I started with a hand-me-down 9 inch south bend lathe from a trade school (where the kids just beat the lathe to death), a mill drill, and a cut-off saw.  This was pretty much my shop for fifteen years and with them I built a few small models and sundry parts.  Right before I retired I realized I’d be spending my retirement in the shop and I wanted better equipment so I upgraded with the grizzly lathe and Bridgeport mill.  I also purchased several attachments for the Bridgeport that give me a lot of flexibility in how I can work.

All the woodworking tools are cira 1970’s.  I have most on castors so I can move them out of the way; currently most of projects are metal working.
I’m posting a few pictures of the interior of the building.  We’ll see how this comes out, being my first post.
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2017, 03:24:11 PM »
Jo

My Otto-Langen is what I call a ¼ size replica.  When I started looking into building this model I couldn’t locate any detail information regarding dimensions.  I knew Wayne Genning had built two ¾ size models and several smaller models some years ago.  I wrote Wayne for details but he never responded.  I don’t fault him in this- he probably gets more off-the-wall requests than he can handle, and he is running a business.  I knew some drawings had been produced from someone in Florida and I tracked that lead down, but the developer had died and the drawings were copyrighted and people who had them were reluctant to distribute them.  All I had to go on was a rough drawing from one of Wayne Grenning’s posts on Smokstak and some youtube videos.

With this limited information I designed and built the model.  Having seen the original 1869 at Kinzers and Wayne Grenning’s full size model, I now realize I built mine with the column a bit thicker that it should be, still I think it looks ok.

 I designed and built the model over an eighteen month period, then spent two years getting it to run.  Mechanically, everything seemed to be ok (though I could write several pages on the trials and problems of boring a near 14 inch long cylinder and designing and fabricating the sprag clutch), I just couldn’t get it to fire.  Trial and error, and talking to a lot of people over the two year period, finally rewarded me with a running engine.
 
I posted a video of the model on youtube and this resulted in an invitation to attend the Kinzers' engineering association 150th year celebration of their original 1869 Otto-Langen.  The folks at Kinzers were as warm and friendly group as I’ve ever met, I even met Wayne Grenning there where he brought his full size replica he had just finished building.  The engineering association at Kinzers gave me a plaque that commemorates the event and that plaque has become part of my model.  While I was there Wayne looked my model over and made a few helpful suggestions, thanks again Wayne. 

The model runs very well now.  I take it to the shows I attend here in North Carolina and it has gotten to the point where I will start it and walk away and forget all about it for a while; I can depend upon it to keep running; far better than when I first got it to occasionally fire.

I’ll see if I can post a video of it and my other models, once I figure out how.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2017, 07:55:27 PM by Craig deshong »
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2017, 03:30:07 PM »
Great looking shop space ( I am envious) and a beautiful Otto-Langen engine too Craig. Now that you have the picture posting thing down, will hope to see more :)

Bill

Offline Jo

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2017, 05:00:41 PM »
 8) nice engine. Especially when, as you say, you had no drawings to work from

Jo
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Offline Roger B

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2017, 07:06:38 PM »
Welcome to the Forum  :ThumbsUp:  :ThumbsUp: You look to be well underway with your engine building.
Best regards

Roger

Offline Alan Haisley

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2017, 07:11:39 PM »

Welcome, Craig.


Nice engine, nice workshop. Is there still a YouTube posting of your engine running? I'd certainly love to see it.


Alan

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2017, 07:59:13 PM »
Yes Alan, and I just made a post in the "your own design" section regarding it.

My youtube channel is http://youtube.com/craigdeshong
« Last Edit: October 02, 2017, 10:15:03 PM by Craig deshong »
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline 90LX_Notch

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #12 on: October 02, 2017, 11:03:51 PM »
Welcome Craig.  Those Lauson's that you built are sweet.

-Bob
Proud Member of MEM

My Engine Videos on YouTube-
http://www.youtube.com/user/Notch90usa/videos

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #13 on: April 04, 2018, 12:41:18 AM »
I take my models to engine shows and many folks refer to me as a machinist.  I take exception to this, here’s why.

Up thread I state that I spent my 45 year career with computers.  The field started out named “data processing”; by the time I retired the field was commonly referred to as “information technology”.  During my career my job took on a variety of names: programmer, program analyst, systems analyst, systems programmer, software engineer, systems administrator, web designer; even web administrator.

I started my career as the “maintenance programmer”.  This means you don’t get to write any original code, what you get to do is fix the programs others have written if and when they fail in production.  Back before the internet, this meant that when the phone rang at 2 AM in the morning (and it did a LOT), you drove into work, looked at the job that had crashed, found the offending program and diagnosed the error, fixed the error and re-compiled the program, then restarted the job.  If you were successful, the files were updated by morning and the office staff could go about their duties; if not they had nothing to do.  No pressure there!

I saw a lot of “crappy” code and fixed a lot of programs that were poorly written.  During that time I learned to write “quality” code, programs that, when they came across an abnormal situation, could make a logical decision and continue without just aborting.

Often, in a group of people I’m asked what I did for a living.  I will occasionally respond that I was a computer programmer: because most people know what that is.  Occasionally someone in the group will state: “oh yea, my high school kid does that too”.  That statement offends me.  Their high school student may be able to write code, but that doesn’t make them a programmer.   Their high school student hasn’t been in the trenches, doesn’t understand the concept of “quality code” and probably writes programs like the ones I fixed in the middle of the night so long ago.   

I may be able to turn the handles of my mill and lathe and I may have some expertise in the metal work I do; but I haven’t been in the tool room and I haven’t seen the plethora of issued that real machinists face.  To call myself a machinist, insults those who have spent a career “in the trenches” and have learned their trade as I did in my career.

Years ago I had done something stupid at work and when I was visiting a friend who was my metal working mentor I stated, “Well if I lose my job I guess I might find a job as a machinist”.  His response was that he “might” hire me as an apprentice.  I realized I had insulted the man.  I had not put in the time and effort, nor had the experience to call myself such.  I still feel that way.  So please, don’t refer to me as a machinist.  Thanks. 
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: Hello from Raleigh, NC. USA.
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2018, 11:41:06 AM »
Amen to that Graig - I fully agree.

I wouldn't even call myself a programmer even though I in my profession wrote several MB of Z80 Assembler code in the eighties  - most of this as Firmware (thought starting with the CP/M BIOS for sharing a common HD + Tapedrive, from up to 4 computers). I worked at the local University for almost 18 years as an AV / IT tech - but to me, I'm first and foremost an Electronic Technician (not quite a Master Degree, but almost). As part of my education we had to learn to construct electronic devises (they don't today) and that included learning how to solder (3 months), use metal handtools (hacksaw, presise filing, thread cutting, hard / silver soldering - also 3 months) and using a lathe + mill again 3 months in the workshop  and like you - it doesn't make me a metalworker of any degree. We had to learn it, so we knew what was possible to do in production, when we designed new gear.

I have constructed several products all the way to production, and that includes all dokumentation, like complete BOM's, drawings firmware (if needed, most has been true Analog) and test tooling / procedures. I have repaired more stuff than I care to remember too, and that has learned me a lot about how not to construct things and some ideas about what is a good way to do it.

 

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