Stuart No. 9

[Michael S.]

I bought a cast parts kit for a Stuart No. 9. The parts were cheap, but the flywheel and the base are missing.
I still had a flywheel, but it's about 15 cm in diameter, so it's a bit larger than the original flywheel.
Since I want to build the base myself, the slightly larger flywheel isn't a big deal.
I found some 5 mm thick sheet steel in the scrap bin, and I was able to use the electric welder my father built many years ago. It's definitely going to be a work of art, but maybe it won't be noticeable from the outside if I sand it well.

The tabs for the screws are welded on and soldered on the outside with soft solder. It looks like it's cast in one piece.

Finally, I'll add some epoxy resin filler, and tomorrow I'll apply the primer.

Best, Michael

[crueby]

Nice way to weld up a 'casting'. 

[Michael S.]

a few more pictures

[Michael S.]

Yes, thanks Chris.
I think if it's painted, no one will notice.
The base is about 12 mm higher than Stuart's original casting.

[Sanjay F]

That's looking pretty cool, a unique No.9 and it looks in proportion - excellent job! 

[Dave Otto]

Nice work on the base Michael!

Dave

[Charles Lamont]

Should make a nice looking engine. I have always thought the No9 standard flywheel disproportionately small anyway.

[steam guy willy]

Hi good work with the base ..when I have made welded up basses , I usually make them slightly tapered and  weld my name and the date on the inside ??!!!

Willy

[Chipswitheverything]

An excellent solution to the missing base, and it makes it possible to use the larger and more attractive flywheel too.  Finding some individual solution such as this, whether in metal or "mixed media" construction, does seem to be the way to go, better than trying to chase about to source and buy overpriced and sometimes not very impressive castings.  Dave

[Roger B]

That's an excellent piece of fabrication   

[Michael S.]

Thanks for the praise.
I enjoyed the welding and would improve with more practice.

The base is now painted black. And for comparison, it's next to a Stuart 9 I bought almost 25 years ago. It was my first Stuart engine.
Now I'm looking forward to building the number 9 myself.
A picture shows the available parts. Some have been machined, others aren't part of it at all. The valve body has a large hole in the cast iron. The caps on the crankshaft bearing of the green Stuart 9 are cast iron, and I have some here made of bronze. But I don't think they're machined properly.

Michael

[Sanjay F]

You have a couple of governors and several mounting brackets for them; an interesting mix. I presume you will a fill the hole in the valve chest?

[Michael S.]

Yes, Sanjay, I want to close the hole. I don't know which is better? Does soft solder match the color of the cast iron, or silver solder? It's the underside. And why did the previous owner make the valve box lid so slanted on one side? Maybe there's a flaw in the cast iron.

[Dave Otto]

Yes, Sanjay, I want to close the hole. I don't know which is better? Does soft solder match the color of the cast iron, or silver solder? It's the underside. And why did the previous owner make the valve box lid so slanted on one side? Maybe there's a flaw in the cast iron.

I would think that steel filled epoxy would be a better choice, JB weld or similar.

Dave

[Sanjay F]

I've tried with varying success, on decorative parts only, to mix in fine metal powder with Epoxy glue to try and match the 'grain' and colour.

The top of the valve chest below had a deep gash and I used brass powder mixed in; maybe I should try and polish it and see if it looks less grey? I think it would work better on ferrous rather than non-ferrous parts?