Author Topic: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?  (Read 2874 times)

Offline Reggleston

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 33
ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« on: May 31, 2018, 07:57:06 PM »
Just received a most excellent highly detailed set of plans from the UK for a M.E. Beam Engine Plan M23 from Sarik Hobbies. They reference some castings to construct the engine with. Wondering if any of you chaps in the UK know who might be able to provide castings for this engine? The cover of each of the 4 prints indicates the plans are by G. Gentry with a revision by O.M. Smith. Nexus Plans Service, Nexus House, Boundary Way, Hemel Hemstead, Herts, HP27ST listed as address originator and postal code.


Sarik Hobbies provided the plans--sarikhobbies.com

Appreciate any input anyone can provide.
Regards from this side of the pond.
Bob E

Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9466
  • Surrey, UK
Re: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2018, 07:58:27 PM »
Reeves would be the safest bet for castings

http://www.ajreeves.com/model-engineer-beam-engine-me-beam.html

Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9466
  • Surrey, UK
Re: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2018, 09:58:55 AM »
Just had a message from somone who recently bought some of the beam castings from Reeves and the quality was not good, The beam had very bad misalignment of the two halves which meant he binned it and made from scratch and the cylinder was very undersize. So although you may get the castings from Reeves unlike the other supplier what you get may not be that good :(

Given the additional postage rate to bump the costs up you may be better off just making it all from scratch.

Offline Jo

  • Administrator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15294
  • Hampshire, england.
Re: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2018, 10:48:06 AM »
Tell them to contact Reeves and get their money back  ::)

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9466
  • Surrey, UK
Re: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2018, 01:26:47 PM »
I think they may have done on the beam but even if they get their money back on the cylinder what to do then? Ordering a replacement is unlikely to be any better and the other source is not worth going to so either alter all the other parts to fit the small cylinder or fabricate. The bosses on the beam were 4mm off side to side, should not even have been sent out like that.

Hope your elbows fair better Jo, if not a couple of 22mm endfeed "crossover fittings" and a few parted off discs for the flanges will cost you half as much and you will have a much cleaner finished job.

Offline warrenmaker

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 84
Re: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2018, 11:10:58 AM »
I think they may have done on the beam but even if they get their money back on the cylinder what to do then? Ordering a replacement is unlikely to be any better and the other source is not worth going to so either alter all the other parts to fit the small cylinder or fabricate. The bosses on the beam were 4mm off side to side, should not even have been sent out like that.

Hope your elbows fair better Jo, if not a couple of 22mm endfeed "crossover fittings" and a few parted off discs for the flanges will cost you half as much and you will have a much cleaner finished job.


OK  Jason...  I followed your link      a n d    how the hell do u make a cylinder out of THAT  :insane:    :Lol:

Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9466
  • Surrey, UK
Re: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2018, 01:19:25 PM »
I was refering to Jo's elbows that she had ordered from Reeves, you can make nice flanged elbows from the plumbing fittings I suggested, back left one



As for the beam engine cylinder it is not that hard, start with some hollow cast bronze bar for the cylinder, make a couple of flanges, valve block and transfer blocks and solder them together, could probably even JBWeld them if you did not fancy soldering. Not a lot of difference to this one if you stood it on end.



Elbow is part of the cylinder plumbing. And all made with a cheap vice ;)



This chap managed to fab the whole engine.

http://modelengineeringwebsite.com/ME_Beam_Engine.html


Offline Jo

  • Administrator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15294
  • Hampshire, england.
Re: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2018, 01:28:04 PM »
The elbow castings from Reeves were about twice the price of those copper fittings and should make an interesting machining exercise  :ThumbsUp:

Surus is hoping some nice person might have a piece of 2 1/2" dia copper tube about 60mm long that they would like to bring along with them to the Guildford show for him  :noidea:

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline warrenmaker

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 84
Re: ME Beam engine castings avaliable?
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2018, 01:34:59 PM »
And all made with a cheap vice ;)

HA... Doubt if I could do that even if I had 10 Kurt vices.. :lolb:

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal