Model Engine Maker

Supporting => Engine Ancillaries => Topic started by: Jo on July 10, 2018, 09:20:18 AM

Title: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 10, 2018, 09:20:18 AM
Whilst looking for something simple to make I came across the need to make a lubricator. Its an odd looking thing  :headscratch:

To make this I have two cast bronze end caps and have scrounged an undersized length of brass tube from my supplier - the complaints department will be writing to him not only is the outside of the tube not the requested 65mm  :ShakeHead: but it is not 60mm long either  :disappointed: So a few changes to the dimensions will be necessary.

I considered paying the vast sum that Reeves wanted for the pump casting but my natural skinflint nature decided it was better to look for a piece of come-in-handieum to make that out of  :-X

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: steamer on July 10, 2018, 12:14:44 PM
Is that lubricating the bearings or the internals?

I have a similar one lubricating the big ends on the conrods on my boat.

Dave
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 10, 2018, 02:16:21 PM
That's the pump for driving the steam oil into the steam inlet pipe.  :headscratch: It is only used on the HP steam inlet and mounts on the side of the HP Valve chest.

It has a separate lubrication tank that supplies the Big Ends, Crankshaft, Eccentrics and Small ends.

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 10, 2018, 02:20:42 PM
Why scratchy head :headscratch: :headscratch:

The oil laden steam will be carried from valve chest to cylinder to valve chest to cylinder and out the exhaust to a separator (if fitted) so no need for a second one for steam oil to do the LP cylinder.

The other tank for the bearings will be best with a regular oil not steam oil.
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: steamer on July 10, 2018, 02:44:01 PM
Correct   the steam in the LP is much cooler and will be wet which is all the lubrication you need.   You run as little oil as is possible with a condensing plant so you keep oil out of the boiler
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 10, 2018, 03:19:44 PM
Thanks Guys  :ThumbsUp:

The end caps are pot holed :facepalm: and as that is the bit everyone can see its is best to start with facing those. Mounted in the three jaw and held by outside jaws the first cut was made. You can see that the casting was slightly thicker on one side than the other on the first cut. It took two more cuts to get rid of the pot hole but it still has plenty of meat left  :ThumbsUp: I repeated with the other end.

Before turning the other sides I need a gauge that is going to be the tube, which of course has not been cut square  :ShakeHead: Holding this in a three jaw is not a good idea as it will distort the tube and as soon as you show it the tool the flexing of the tube against the tool pressure will let it move  :Doh: So best knock up some bungs, in this case I have found a couple of bits of plastic from the come-in-handies shelves and turned them to be a tight fit into the bore. One on either end and these can be used to hold the tube while it is squared up.

Did I mention the piece of tube is not the 60 mm long as ordered :Director:


I have been in contact with the very nice Lady at Polly Wobbles and she is sending me two pairs of small roller clutches for £13.90 a pair, they only charge £2.50 P&P and I have been promised they will be here tomorrow   8)

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Bluechip on July 10, 2018, 03:42:17 PM
Jo

I have no idea what the clutches you bought are but Simply Bearings do 'em.

Free PP 2

https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&keywords=roller+clutch


Dave

Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 10, 2018, 03:57:58 PM
Thanks Dave  :) But simply Bearings do not go small enough these have a 3mm internal bore.

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 10, 2018, 06:00:28 PM
The flange on the ends of the lubricator tank are not very wide but at 2mm they are wide enough to hold in a decent quality three jaw chuck  :ThumbsUp: However the tendency would be to try to over tighten the jaws to make sure it is tight and these are made of that soft squidgy metal known as gunmetal. So the first requirement it to add some packing pieces between the edges of the jaws and the edge of the end caps. Not an easy job unless you first use double sided sticky tape to keep them where they are needed  :naughty: A couple of packers behind and a bit of support just in case the just tight enough but not too tight jaws try slipping and the part that goes into the brass tube can be turned and checked it goes into the tube.

The temptation would be to leave this over length but changing dimensions can cause other issues and on this one then the spigot that comes through the cover on one end would need lengthening. So taken to the required 12mm thick I have two end covers which are a good fit onto the brass tube  :)

While it has been nice and cool in my workshop today I think it still might be Pimms weather :cheers:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 11, 2018, 01:21:47 PM
My clutches have arrived from Polly Wobbles  :ThumbsUp:

The bad news is that the outside is bigger than they advertised. Thankfully I had not machined where they are to go yet  ;D.

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 11, 2018, 01:24:05 PM
My clutches have arrived from Polly Wobbles  :ThumbsUp:

The bad news is that they are not the imperial ones I thought I had ordered but metric. Thankfully I had not machined where they are to go yet  ;D.

Jo

Well you did say in an earlier post that they were 3.0mm bore :Doh:

But whey do you want imperial as the drawings are all in metric, are you now converting metric back into imperial :lolb:
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 11, 2018, 01:27:12 PM
My clutches have arrived from Polly Wobbles  :ThumbsUp:

The bad news is that they are not the imperial ones I thought I had ordered but metric. Thankfully I had not machined where they are to go yet  ;D.

Jo

Well you did say in an earlier post that they were 3.0mm bore :Doh:

But whey do you want imperial as the drawings are all in metric, are you now converting metric back into imperial :lolb:

Someone confused me by pointing at these the other day https://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Bearings/Needle-Roller-Clutches/RC02-Drawn-Cup-Needle-Roller-Clutch-One-Way-18x932x14 as you can see imperial but nearly 1/3rd dearer  :ShakeHead:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: steamer on July 11, 2018, 01:32:16 PM
How about here....don't know about VAT or shipping though

https://www.mcmaster.com/#roller-clutches/=1dnzci8

Dave
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 15, 2018, 12:40:51 PM
I've been making lots of little bits for the Lubricator: A few shots of the more interesting machining: Cross drilling the banjo using the hex flats on the bolt, normally I use a 5C block in the vice. One of the great things about doing that is you can then transfer the block onto the UPT for tapping holes. Sexy  :Love: fluted a bit of 4mm bronze to make the valve plunger. As I mentioned lots of bits.

As there is nothing worth watching on tv for the rest of the day and it is nice and cool in the workshop I might as well look at the possibilities of using a spare casting as a bit of bar stock to make the pump casting... its either that or start thinking about the joys of another week at work  ::)

Jo

Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Stuart on July 15, 2018, 02:01:56 PM
Ok Jo I’ll bite

What’s with the colour code on the drawings never seen a reeves drawing with colours

Or is it some secret system that you use

Ok with the numbers to a sensible measurement system

Not your thing but MotoGP was good

Stuart
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 15, 2018, 02:20:50 PM
I think Jo has taken up colouring in though she really needs another shade of yellow to keep brass and bronze separate.

Good stage on Le Tour today with plenty of crashes, will watch Moto GP highlights Tomorrow
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 15, 2018, 02:43:27 PM
Ok Jo I’ll bite

What’s with the colour code on the drawings never seen a reeves drawing with colours, Or is it some secret system that you use, 

Its old age Stuart  :-[ Unless I am making and fitting bits as I go along I loose track of which bits I have made and which bits I still have to go (the two shades of green are because one of the pens ran out  :-\ ). The numbers in circles are because these are yet another set of drawings where the parts are not numbered  :ShakeHead: Being an engineer I have to have parts lists for all my engine and track progress on them.

I also use colouring in as JB calls it to track my engine designing from works GAs

I don't know you guys with too much time on your hands. Some of us only get two days a week in our workshops, the other 5 days we have to go to work to pay taxes to fund your old age pensions, we can't spend our valuable workshop time watching SPORT  :hellno:

A section of that piece of cast bronze is now masquerading as a bit of bar stock. Now it is time to redesign the pump shape to what is actually needed  :thinking: And have you seen the lack of lack of a references on that pump drawing, its all over the place  :disappointed: And all the A/F dimensions on this drawing is half what it should be  :noidea:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: steamer on July 15, 2018, 03:01:46 PM
Yeah Jo...first thing I'd do with that drawing is redraw it with proper datums   that would drive me nuts!

Dave
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 15, 2018, 03:08:31 PM
Just as well you still have plenty of time to raid the stationary cupboard at work for a few more pens ;)

A nicely water colour rendered drawing can look good but you really need to print them on a heavy paper so they don't cockle up
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Stuart on July 15, 2018, 03:58:49 PM
Jo
Thought you watched F1 it that technology or sport not sure  :stir:

Yes I understand now the colour scheme bit like a memo board, each to there own method if I can’t find a bit for the job in hand I make one then find two  :old:

Anyway nice docs as usual and great work

88’s
Stuart
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 15, 2018, 04:49:39 PM
Just as well you still have plenty of time to raid the stationary cupboard at work for a few more pens ;)

The stationary cupboard is a waste of time: There are no nice graph paper and lined Engineering note books :ShakeHead:, no ink for your Fountain pens :facepalm: All it has is Bic biros and cheap clear plastic clicky pencils with writing down the side so you can't even use the body for lubricator glass  :disappointed: Sadly due to cut backs we keep closing building/sites and every time we do they throw out the stationary as they cannot be bothered to move it and it is a free for all  ::) No I have more stationary than I know what to do with and the local nursery school did very well out of our stationary disposals as well  :ThumbsUp:

Thought you watched F1 it that technology or sport not sure  :stir:

This is the last year of F1  :'( No more will it be on License fee payers TV, instead it is on that premium service that I refuse to get ripped off by again  :Director:


I have decided that  :old: is getting the better of me and having drawn up the hole positioning and centre punched it I am not willing to risk doing any more while I am this tired so it is time to athetize myself to what I know is going to be all over the news  :wine1:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 15, 2018, 05:07:01 PM
I thought the idea of a datum was all measurements were taken from it, that looks even more confusing :-\. maybe it would make more sense after a glass or two?



As for punching the holes I hardly ever do that now, just locate an edge and side (hence the datum) and use the DRO to do the rest.
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: crueby on July 15, 2018, 05:40:29 PM
I thought the idea of a datum was all measurements were taken from it, that looks even more confusing :-\ . maybe it would make more sense after a glass or two?



As for punching the holes I hardly ever do that now, just locate an edge and side (hence the datum) and use the DRO to do the rest.
That looks a lot like the diagrams I do all the time, starting from a known point, lays out the distances from one hole to the next in X/Y increments. Drill a hole, advance that many ticks/mm/inches/furlongs, drill the next... Very handy for doing matching patterns on mating parts, or just spot drilling then drilling a whole pattern without swapping the bits on every swarfing hole.

 :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Stuart on July 15, 2018, 06:38:31 PM
What no rods poles or perches or chains ( opps that’s the distance between two sets of three wooden sticks in a field on which a rain dance is performed ) it’s 22 yards and they are chains with long links and are used in road layout

Very old UK units of measurement

Sorry Jo about F1
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 15, 2018, 06:42:22 PM
You can get metric chains now which will please Jo, 20m long though it's been a while since I did a chain survey.
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: crueby on July 15, 2018, 06:43:20 PM
What no rods poles or perches or chains ( opps that’s the distance between two sets of three wooden sticks in a field on which a rain dance is performed ) it’s 22 yards and they are chains with long links and are used in road layout

Very old UK units of measurement

Sorry Jo about F1
I had not heard of perches before, other than under birds feet or on a fish hook...


Favorite measurement is furlongs per fortnight...
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Stuart on July 15, 2018, 06:48:01 PM
They are all the same
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_(unit)

Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 15, 2018, 08:05:02 PM
I am pleased to say that Imperialious measurements were many years ago here in the UK replaced by modern measurements = metric and in the main imperialism only lingers on in the outer backwaters of the British Colonies although most have now modernised :ThumbsUp: and of course imperialous measures are still preferred by those who work in the brown stuff  :paranoia: For me the inch is idea for measuring the brown stuff because an inch here or there matters little as the substance is destined to provide cheap domestic heating  :ThumbsUp:

I should admit that I also use other measurement systems that follow traditional measurement techniques e.g. for spacing out my vegetable beds it is " will my kneeling pad fit in the gap"  ::)

Jo

 
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 15, 2018, 08:39:54 PM
Strangely some of the colonies have totally accepted metric and measure speed and distance in Km but here in the UK good old miles still prevail. Same with plumbing fittings which are still all BSP
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Bluechip on July 15, 2018, 08:47:38 PM
Strangely some of the colonies have totally accepted metric and measure speed and distance in Km but here in the UK good old miles still prevail. Same with plumbing fittings which are still all BSP

Unless you are a bbc ( hawk,spit, ptooing ) so-called journalist, in which case it's something called a 'Football Pitch'.  :rant:

Dave

BTW If you look at many semiconductor package dimensions they are quoted in Metric but are actually in Inches. ie 1.27mm pin spacing is .050"  :ThumbsUp:
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 15, 2018, 09:10:00 PM
Strangely some of the colonies have totally accepted metric and measure speed and distance in Km but here in the UK good old miles still prevail.

Yes the cost of replacing all the road signs like so many things in life was too much for the UK Government  ::) But they still chose to put £0.5795 tax on per litre of fuel + Vat @20% rather than quoting it as £2.63 + Vat per gallon which sounds more expensive. How many of us measure km per litre rather than miles per gallon for our cars?  :old:  :old:


The measurement of science is metric and if you recall I am a scientist  ;)

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: steamer on July 15, 2018, 10:34:00 PM
Strangely some of the colonies have totally accepted metric and measure speed and distance in Km but here in the UK good old miles still prevail.

Yes the cost of replacing all the road signs like so many things in life was too much for the UK Government  ::) But they still chose to put £0.5795 tax on per litre of fuel + Vat @20% rather than quoting it as £2.63 + Vat per gallon which sounds more expensive. How many of us measure km per litre rather than miles per gallon for our cars?  :old:  :old:


The measurement of science is metric and if you recall I am a scientist  ;)

Jo

No ...you're a RETIRED scientist...….
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 16, 2018, 06:19:23 AM
No ...you're a RETIRED scientist...….

Not yet  :(

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 16, 2018, 07:03:39 AM
Does that include NASA scientists :LittleDevil:
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 16, 2018, 07:20:17 AM
Does that include NASA scientists :LittleDevil:

NASA policy - NPD 7120.4.  ::)

Work time  :cartwheel:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Stuart on July 16, 2018, 08:33:42 AM
Workshop time  :stir:
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Bluechip on July 16, 2018, 09:17:32 AM
Egg and sausage butty time x 2....   :stir:

( No, it ain't a late brekky  :D  More like early lunch, been up since 04:20.

Dave
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 16, 2018, 06:52:59 PM
Sausage butties sounds nice  :naughty:


Each of the centre punches was drilled out to 1.5mm and the bypass valve extension checked before it was silver soldered on.

Then it was a case of drilling, reaming and tapping the various holes to size/depth. The pump extension had to be milled round to a height of 8mm so the return spring could fit over the spigot.

I decided I did not like the original valve design :hellno: it had a bobbin and needed a incey wincey diameter spring, instead I left the bobbing out and just used a 2.4mm diameter spring between the top grub screw and the 3.2mm ball  :ThumbsUp:

And I am not convinced it is going to pump: there is no inlet valve it is totally reliant on the pump plunger blocking off the inlet hole on its way down its hole. And the inlet was another hole that had missing dimensions  :facepalm:

Enough work for today  :wine1:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 16, 2018, 07:24:31 PM
My Minnie one that I made works OK with no ball or other valve on the inlet as does the commercial one that I bought for the Fowler. Most designs I have seen don't use one. Just need a good fit
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Admiral_dk on July 16, 2018, 09:43:23 PM
Quote
BTW If you look at many semiconductor package dimensions they are quoted in Metric but are actually in Inches. ie 1.27mm pin spacing is .050"  :ThumbsUp:

Very true .... but the latest and smaller are going more in the direction of metric decimal fractions - this started with connectors.

Still following your build Jo  :cheers:
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 17, 2018, 07:36:13 AM
JB: My guess is that the viscosity of the steam oil would help, also the high pressure steam acting something like displacement lubricator at the other end of the pipe  :noidea:

Still following your build Jo  :cheers:

Thanks Per,

Must think of something to do at work today  :thinking: I hate it when there are so many choices, so many fun things I could do  ::)

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 17, 2018, 09:51:18 AM
I probably need to drill the end covers next: The drawing is very helpful in that it shows drilling from the front, when it needs to be drilled from the rear because of the position of the camshaft support boss  :disappointed: so the first job is to redraw it the right ways round and then play spot the moving datum line. Yes two holes are offset from the centre point on the cover and the others are shown offset from the top line of holes not the centre of the cover  :Doh:

The easy way to do this is to mount it on a plate on the milling table bed using a jig made from scrap-bin-ium. The plate was approximately lined up to work out where the mounting clamps were going to go and then taken off again to have it drilled and tapped.

Back on the bed and a bit of jiggery pokery was needed using a pointy tip to locate the centre of the casting, raise the tip and then offset it to see where it came on the boss on the back of the casting. As this point it was confirmed that indeed the reference line for the top hole should not be 18mm offset from the centre of the cover... Once we have a happy location of the centre of the came shaft relative to the centre of the cover and the boss it became clear that the 3mm offset line from the centre is actually the reference line  :Director: so finally we are ready to make swarf  :)

Jo

Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: steamer on July 17, 2018, 10:36:22 AM
Yikes!!!!!   That was a lot of work to just draw the original print!!!     That could have been drawn so much easier if a bit of method was thought about.  glad your sorted it

Dave
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 17, 2018, 11:11:47 AM
I suppose when the model originally came out you would not have had a DRO and possibly had to do the drilling on lathe too, so marking out on the outside would have been easier then just pick up the 9/32 bore  to do the 10mm counterbore
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: steamer on July 17, 2018, 11:18:51 AM
Well   doing that in the lathe is possible...but I wouldn't if I had the Mill...even without a DRO...provided I could trust the mill

Still....the datum selection is NUTS on that drawing....

Dave
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 17, 2018, 11:22:38 AM
The drawing is from 1983...

I found another dimension that is different on the pump to that on the cover  :facepalm: Good job I am working hard today … rather than having got on and drilled holes. This does not bode well of the rest of the drawings  :(

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 17, 2018, 11:33:54 AM
1983, that would have been a year or two before I started my Minnie, built without a milling machine as was the beam engine that would have been made about then. As there were not so many hobbiests who mills them then and no DROs on hobby machines.

Maybe if you get a minute or two to spare between all that hard work it may be worth drawing it out in Alibre to check and find any differences











Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: steamer on July 17, 2018, 11:38:50 AM
1983, that would have been a year or two before I started my Minnie, built without a milling machine as was the beam engine that would have been made about then. As there were not so many hobbiests who mills them then and no DROs on hobby machines.

Maybe if you get a minute or two to spare between all that hard work it may be worth drawing it out in Alibre to check and find any differences


That would be time well spent!!   Cheaper too!
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 17, 2018, 01:15:41 PM
Re-drawn, drilled/reamed and I am pleased to say it all fits together. The clutches seem to be tapered more on one end than the other  :thinking: which makes them easier to insert one way than the other. Note: this being a metric clutch it needs a 6.5mm reamer which of course we all have  ::)

So now a bit more work thinking about how to machine the main tube.

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 17, 2018, 01:48:51 PM
At the rate you are going it will be pumping the red stuff by this evening, assuming your tea break is long enough to get the work done.



Do you have M1.6 brass screws or will you opt for 10BA that are more likely to be in stock

J
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 17, 2018, 05:56:18 PM
Not tonight the workshop gnome is back  :rant: I was happily assembling the clutch arrangement and I reckon he was busy with a new fangled magnet as one of the clutches shot out of my fingers and heard and saw it bounce on the floor  :facepalm: I looked and looked, swept the floor...30 mins later I heard a snigger and the little  :censored: had put it back on the bench where I had been working  :noidea:


M1.6 is an odd size: I have M1.5 and M1.8 and M2 but no M1.6 clearly it is not an avionics standard size  :-\ and I also don't have any taps/dies to suit. I quick phone call to my supplier has confirmed the availability of 10BA Brass screws but they will not arrive until next week at the earliest as he is still hoping that we will have forgotten that it was him who acquired the packet of Sticky Wotsits at the Guildford show and took them all home to scoff  :ShakeHead:

While I have set up the piece of tube ready to machine I'm going to play it safe tonight and go and find some way to recover from the shock of the return of the Workshop Gnome  :wine1:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: crueby on July 17, 2018, 06:01:51 PM
Gotta put out some cookie bribes for the gnome! Do Jaffas work on them? Dont have that kind here so dont have it in the Gnome Control Book.
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 17, 2018, 06:56:31 PM
M1.6 is a prefered metric coarse & fine size falling between M1.2 and M2. and likely why Mr Pid spec'd it on his drawing. You do find M1.4 gets used on models as well, not seen much M1.8 but both these two are non preferred.

M1.5 is very non standard though you would think it a logical size in metric.
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 17, 2018, 07:53:50 PM
I do not have taps or dies for M1.6 either so buying some is a very expensive option.

My supplier has 10BA screws available. I have taps and dies for that size so I am going to use 10BA.

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jasonb on July 17, 2018, 07:59:09 PM
I do not have taps or dies for M1.6 either so buying some is a very expensive option.

With talk like that anyone would think you have retired already and are stretching out your pension.  :LittleDevil:
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 17, 2018, 08:38:42 PM
Yes finances once retired will be a bit different  :cartwheel: At least I own my own house so I don't have to worry about spiralling rent, mortgage repayments as interest rates go up or will risk having to down grade  ;)

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 18, 2018, 12:00:21 PM
Having put a micrometer to my small metric screw collection I can confirm that only about 50 are 1.5mm by 0.35 pitch. Another few thousand cheese headed stainless screws are actually M1.6 by 0.35 so at vast expense (£2.35) I have brought myself 4 Chinese HSS taps to see if they are made out of stale cheese, instant snap-odium or possibly they could prove useful  :noidea:


In the meantime I have been hard at work: The holes to mount the end covers have been drilled 1.4mm for the 10BA tapping size (1200 rpm). Having carefully drilled and tapped the two hole for the ends the Erickson boring head  :Love: was brought out to help with the bushes holes. First the hole were drilled using small carbide drills (1200 rpm), then a series of carbide end mills (1200 RPM) before moving on to the boring head (234 rpm) with its rather nice Swiss boring bar in it  :embarassed: The problem with this head is that it only bores out to 19mm to go further you must add the extender which fits in the side of the tool holding arm.

We are now at a stage to be able to silver solder in the bushes and it probably worth mentioning that that nice shiny tube of brass is covered by a protective coating which will not take silver solder very well (copper rivets for boilers are also protectively coated  ::) ) so havign removed the burrs it is worth while using a needle file to clean up around the holes to encourage a nice fillet. Having dampened around the holes and the outside of the bushes the bushes were dipped in the flux powder providing a powdery coating round their outside. Inserting the bushes in the holes the flux finds a bit more moisture and gathers in the joint were we want it and not everywhere else like when it trys to dribble down the outside of the work  :facepalm: 

Into the hearth.  :o I hadn't realised how much clutter has built up in there... those are all old bits of steel used to keep the heat in where silver soldering ;) The tube was balanced on the big bush and two short ends of silver solder added to either side on the inside. The top bush was left without any silver solder. Applying heat to the side rather than were the joints are, the top bush heated by means of convection, it was dobbed  :naughty: with a stick of 1.5mm which had been lightly warmed and dipped in the flux until the end of the stick just started melting and a little more heat and I watched the silver flow round the joint. In the mean time the bottom joint had done its own thing and the silver had flashed round.

A very quick dip in the acid and there is very little to clean up. The bottom bush is good but the top bush is showing a little bit of over heating but more than ok for an oil tank. It must be nearly Lunch time, which means I am allowed in the workshop. Don't you love this working from home  :lolb:

Jo

Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 18, 2018, 02:29:08 PM
By using a "short vee block" the existing holes in the tube were used as a guide for drilling and then tapping the 12 10BA screw holes and then countersunk. 10BA screws have been shortened and inserted. at this point I realised that I had forgotten to put the pump inside  :facepalm: So dismantled and de-swarfed it has been put back together.


I still have to add the mounting bracket but both that and the banjo will have to wait until the rest of the engine is together so that is goes together right. So that's it for the Commander's Lubricator :)


Work time.. one has to make the most of going to work while you still can  :mischief:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: zeeprogrammer on July 18, 2018, 02:30:52 PM
 :ThumbsUp:
Good post on the soldering and helpful.
What tells you the upper bushing may have overheated?
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 18, 2018, 03:28:38 PM
Thanks Zee  :),

If you look at the second joint you will see it is dull and has a cratered surface - that is the silver over heating. Like with soft soldering a dull joint can tell you it is possibly a dry joint but for a lubricator tank that is not a concern.

How are you finding retirement now that you have had a few months practise?

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: zeeprogrammer on July 18, 2018, 03:52:37 PM
How are you finding retirement now that you have had a few months practise?

Still trying to get used to it. I'm told it has something to do with 'purpose'.
Every day I wake up thinking there's something I HAVE to do but there isn't.
Started off great...then went into a funk (which may be somewhat related to my quitting smoking).
Some family members think I'm starting to come out of it but I think it will be a while yet.
Nothing unusual.  ;D
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 18, 2018, 04:58:52 PM
Still trying to get used to it. I'm told it has something to do with 'purpose'.
Every day I wake up thinking there's something I HAVE to do but there isn't.

I thought the purpose of retirement is so that we can make swarf to our heart's content to hopefully make all those model engines we have acquired casting sets for, buy more machine tools, have time to play while not having it disrupted by having to go and work for someone else   :noidea:

Jo

P.S. Surus just reminded me of another important requirement of retirement: Having enough spare money to be able to buy additional model casting sets for his collection whenever they turn up  :pinkelephant:
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Tennessee Whiskey on July 18, 2018, 07:23:14 PM
I’m trying to follow along and it appears that you are doing a great job. I sometimes wonder though Jo, why you get all the prints with so many errors  :shrug:. On this retirement thing: funny but sad, there’s been several people I’ve known that retired and shortly thereafter, assumed room temperature. Maybe that’s why I keep working :lolb: 

Cletus
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 18, 2018, 07:49:41 PM
On this retirement thing: funny but sad, there’s been several people I’ve known that retired and shortly thereafter, assumed room temperature. Maybe that’s why I keep working :lolb: 

I thought that being happy and contented was the purpose of life  :noidea:

Ask any of my friends: you haven't seen anybody do so much as me when I try to do nothing  :lolb:

Jo
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Tennessee Whiskey on July 18, 2018, 08:03:30 PM
Oh, but, Jo, I am quite happy and contented. I have a pretty much unlimited tools and toys budget, a 22 acre farm paid for, nice heated and cooled shop, I have 18 employees that I thank for providing all of the above by paying them way above industry pay standards, and I get to drink a beer at work any damn time I please. Now, do I hate getting up each morning at 2:30 am, you damn right I do, and that’s where I start thinking retirement,  but I just ain’t ready to start “watching me pennies” : I just keep getting my old arse up  :lolb: :Jester:

Cletus
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: zeeprogrammer on July 18, 2018, 09:09:19 PM
I thought that being happy and contented was the purpose of life

While I agree that 'happy and contented' is the (or a) goal, the question is about how to get there and how to maintain it.
In my case, I'm not a casting fondler (generally).  ;D

When I talked to the doc (a female) about it, she said it was typical for males to feel a sense of loss of purpose.
She may have said that to make me feel there was nothing unusual.

Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: propforward on July 18, 2018, 11:03:51 PM
When I talked to the doc (a female) about it, she said it was typical for males to feel a sense of loss of purpose.
She may have said that to make me feel there was nothing unusual.

Not at all - it's a very real issue apparently, and very normal for retired men. I don't want to take the thread way off topic here, so I may go and start something in Chatterbox later on.

For my part, I could retire right now and I wouldn't run out of stuff to keep me occupied, not even including the wife's constant flow of "things to be done to keep him out of that damn shed".

Nice lubricator Jo. Excellent work as always. I'm following along, mostly silently, unless I sense a need to chime in unnecessarily.
Title: Re: Commander Lubricator
Post by: Jo on July 19, 2018, 06:47:22 AM
Now, do I hate getting up each morning at 2:30 am, you damn right I do, and that’s where I start thinking retirement,  but I just ain’t ready to start “watching me pennies”

If you are worried about the pennies best keep working  :stickpoke: You can pay the taxes to keep the rest of us going :lolb: I, of course, am committed to working hard for the next 12 days and retiring 16 years early :mischief:

Jo


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