spikey faz
Western Thunderer
I would have thought replacement wider frame spacers is the way to go. Otherwise it'll bug you! 
Good plan on reinforcing the steps.
Mike
Good plan on reinforcing the steps.
Mike
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RichardG
Western Thunderer
I would have thought replacement wider frame spacers is the way to go. Otherwise It'll bug you!
I must at least try some wider frame spacers but clearances behind the wheels are going to be really tight.
- The frames are 0.4 mm thick, so I'll be getting most of 27.5 mm over the frames with c.26.5 mm spacers.
- A Slater's hornblock measures 2 mm from front of guide to front of hornblock, so with 0.4 mm frames the hornblocks need 1.6 mm each side.
- 27.5 + 1.6 + 1.6 = 30.7 mm . . . and this is 1.5 mm bigger than the FS B2B of 29.2 mm.
Of course, S7 does come to mind as the obvious solution
Somehow I can see why Jim filled in the gap between the frames in the first place.
spikey faz
Western Thunderer
Hmm. I guess a replacement footplate with adjusted dimensions to cover the frames is a step too far?
Mike
Mike
Osgood
Western Thunderer
As in a
too far in, or out?
RichardG
Western Thunderer
Or even, simply a [step] too far
It would be wise for me to aim for something I know I can do. So if I face off all six axle bushes so the flanges are (say) 0.5 mm deep, and set the frame spacers at 27 mm (so the frame tops are hidden) I will have 27 (spacers) + 0.8 (frames) + 1.0 (bushes) = 28.8 mm.
With the Slater's B2B at 29.2 mm, this leaves me a 0.2 mm space each side to pop in the odd shim washer, get the wheels in straight line and still able to go round and round.
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
RichardG
Western Thunderer
Madness I remember.or One Step Beyond
We are giving away our ages.
. . boiler backhead
RichardG
Western Thunderer
This a selection of the castings, they are all as clean and sharp as these ones.
I want to start this build with as many subassemblies as I can. Next is the boiler backhead, to make sure I do it. My Y14 still hasn’t got one.
There are some tiny handwheels on the frets and I thought these would look better than the ones on the casting. This is one of my first arrangements for using the RSU in anger. The working area is a sheet of card wrapped in aluminium foil, and the welding magnet is making sure the electrical connection is really good and stopping things sliding around. The RSU is on a low-ish power setting to avoid vapourising the part.
I filed off the cast hand wheels, and then managed to snap the drill bit. Unbelievable while drilling something as soft as white metal. I drilled small holes nearby so I could find the scrap of hardened steel from behind and then push it back out.
The backhead is thinner than the one on Nellie, and has a separate backing plate. The notch in the backing plate is guesswork, for the gearbox. The soldering on the handwheels is neater than I could manage with the iron.
The spindles are still loose. I have counterbored the backing plate so I can fix them in with glue after painting.
I spent much of my life writing technical specifications for readers who have English as a second language. This led me to use words in only one part of speech, and so "glue" is always a noun never a verb and so on. It's not a bad habit in terms of clarity but it certainly kills off creative writing.
RichardG
Western Thunderer
It really is so important to post all fresh mistakes, however stupid they seem. Then there is a chance of finding out what has happened and how to stop it happening over and over again.
Phil O
Western Thunderer
I've broken more small bits in whitemetal than any other material, spit or no spit, the last one only a few weeks ago, fortunately it turned out not to be the disaster it could have been, it was for the smokebox dart and I picked the one with the drumhead door, rather than the correct Dean pattern, an instant stoppage of blue language.
RichardG
Western Thunderer
I've got my doubts about spit. I have put a drop of silicone lubricant on the bits and drilled through the smokebox door, 0.95 and 0.55 mm, without breakages. This is a bottle of silicone lubricant from Wickes, useful for putting push-fit pipes together and helping curtain tracks to run.
The problem with whitemetal is that it is a very soft LMP material so drill speeds must be kept very low with frequent withdrawal of the drill to prevent the flutes getting jammed up, hence lubrication. Drills that produce chip cuttings are better (cutting faces ground differently as per Ali/brass v steel), but getting decent drills in the smaller sizes is a challenge in itself these days let alone all that malarkey. So slow and patient is the only sensible way.
Bob
Bob
Ian@StEnochs
Western Thunderer
If you make things you have to accept that sometimes, often in my case, you will break a drill or saw blade. Just be prepared and have some spares handy.
. . smokebox door
RichardG
Western Thunderer
For the smokebox door I have used a mixture of the pillar drill and drilling by hand, and nothing broke.
There is a spare smokebox dart so I had a go at replacing the handle. I drilled a hole 0.55 mm using the pillar drill (1,800 rpm) because this helps alignment. Then opened the hole out to 0.75 mm by hand to reduce the risk of breaking the casting.
The pin for the small handle is supplied in the kit.
I have put this assembly together using CA glue. I would find soldering this very difficult.
I know I have broken a disproportionate number of small drill bits over the years while drilling white metal. Now I know why
There is a spare smokebox dart so I had a go at replacing the handle. I drilled a hole 0.55 mm using the pillar drill (1,800 rpm) because this helps alignment. Then opened the hole out to 0.75 mm by hand to reduce the risk of breaking the casting.
The pin for the small handle is supplied in the kit.
I have put this assembly together using CA glue. I would find soldering this very difficult.
I know I have broken a disproportionate number of small drill bits over the years while drilling white metal. Now I know why
