My A J Reeves Bolton Triple Expansion Engine

[simplyloco]

Boring the LP and IP cylinders.

I didn't get much done today as we are getting rid of furniture to make room for the new! However, I used the boring head in anger for only the second time, and it's OK, as I could get the cylinders precisely in line and at the exact centres using the DRO, but I have to say I much prefer using the faceplate method!
I machined the bores now, as I need them in position to size the overall length. It should (!) be a simple matter to clock up the HP cylinder in line later.

The centre height on the EMCO is 108mm, and I was lucky in finding a pair of vee blocks and some 1.25mm copper plate to set the height, which put the bores in just the right place!



Just starting to get a result, but there is a lot to come off yet! The material machines beautifully...

[steam guy willy]

The construction of this engine is serializedin the model engineer starting 16th August 1985 and can be found on the web...
I also have a set of these castings that I bought recently and have started on it by making the HP part first ...It will be interesting to watch this build in Technicolor rather than black and white?!!!

Willy

[simplyloco]

The construction of this engine is serializedin the model engineer starting 16th August 1985 and can be found on the web...
I also have a set of these castings that I bought recently and have started on it by making the HP part first ...It will be interesting to watch this build in Technicolor rather than black and white?!!!

Willy

Good luck with your build, I hope we get to share ideas and experiences. I have the articles and to view them better I even bought a new printer to replace the 15 year old Canon Pixma!
Having read most of them they are quite helpful. However, I might  just paddle my own canoe on some of it...

[samc88]

Nice looking project, those castings look much nicer than the ones from Stuart

[simplyloco]

Boring Head discarded. Back to basics!

My dodgy right eye caused me to misread the divisions on the boring head, so the piston bore is a little oversize, and I didn't like the setup any way, so I've reverted to the faceplate method, as learned in 1964!

I'd already started both bores, so it was a simple matter of clocking up when on the faceplate and running a proper boring tool through. I'll just have to make the IP piston a little bigger... 

[Admiral_dk]

Ah - back to what I understand too 

Nice result though 

Per

[Roger B]

That looks to be a fine set of castings     

I would probably have tried to bore the cylinder bore using the boring head in the mill although that wouldn't have helped your eyesight problems 

[simplyloco]

That looks to be a fine set of castings     

I would probably have tried to bore the cylinder bore using the boring head in the mill although that wouldn't have helped your eyesight problems 

I would have done exactly that, but the FB2 quill travel is just 30mm, and the casting in 50mm thick. I'm happy with the faceplate method, I have more control over the finished size!

[cnr6400]

 

Like the old standby faceplate setups! no worries if the IP bore is a shade over spec size! Think of the power boost! 

[simplyloco]

Flycutting the ends to size. I have fitted two in line dowel pins at the end of the crosslide. The vice end was machined square with the jaws when I bought it, so setting up for this job was easy!

On checking the centre distance of the two bores I was slightly disappointed that it was wasn't 2.2500"
Mind you, 2.2495" was close enough...

[simplyloco]

PTFE 3mm sq. Rope Braid for piston rings?

Has anyone any experience of this material? It would save me buying a 2" bar of the stuff!
John


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222087697987?hash=item33b5755643:g:DhoAAOxyuCJRbvFX&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoGgxmet6oK83w9HtJg2Gim4YXBd6RtXEPZrddVbIr308ZPgsMqvEtfvqXbjtohfhvyhi1VyTCZAgt2HduBnRoO5zyGWIVRRPHW2FvLnbaK1jZ%2BE83dGhpHlhROTpC3sXjemWJajvdSzVPvKoMMSaZu7sjQtd0XS%2FC%2F4Sy4RDqjokGxIeAUpMqGnKIt%2BX7FcjfrgDTN%2F6KOdaTq%2FQqHBJQzY%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6L0p6-KYQ

[Kim]

I haven't used exactly that, but something very similar:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087U9DYE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This stuff looks the same except that it is impregnated with graphite.  I found it MUCH better to use than some other cheap twisted graphite yarn that I got from the local hardware store. This stuff stays together much better.  I was even able to remove one of the strands from the braid (to make it a little smaller) and it still stayed together very well.  I was impressed.  Made it very easy to work with.

Kim

[simplyloco]

I haven't used exactly that, but something very similar:

SNIP
This stuff looks the same except that it is impregnated with graphite.  I found it MUCH better to use than some other cheap twisted graphite yarn that I got from the local hardware store. This stuff stays together much better.  I was even able to remove one of the strands from the braid (to make it a little smaller) and it still stayed together very well.  I was impressed.  Made it very easy to work with.

Kim

Thanks Kim, food for thought.
John

[GWRdriver]

Hello John,
During this conversational lull let me say how glad I am to see this project begin.  Although I've never been tempted (or tempted enough) to acquire the castings, because there were already too many projects in the pipeline, I've always admired this model and I'll be following your progress, and the comments and contributions, with great interest.

I'm also pleased to hear, for their sake (and yours!) that the Reeves castings are well done.  I haven't traded with them since they were the old Reeves (for the same reasons I never bought the Bolton castings), and I always wondered if their casting quality had been restored and maintained.  Having had a friendship with one of the old directors, I was the proverbial fly on the wall during the demize of the former Reeves and I knew that one of the contributing factors was the disruption of long-time foundry relationships and subsequent castings problems.

Lurking with great interest,
Harry

[simplyloco]

Hi Harry!

Some progress! My eyesight has let me down a little, but I can adjust sizes!

The missing castings arrived today from Reeves, without prompting I might add... The girls loaded a special order to the foundry for me. Absolutely superb!



Valve chests to 1/2" thickness but waiting for the four jaw chuck to do the glands.




Some idea of the size of the thing.



The HP cylinder bore can't be done until the two halves are bolted together.



More soon!