This is. Tale of woe and grief .
This was purchased of TM a while ago and while I am taking a break from thenD10 compound and waiting for bits
I have made a start on this .
The castings are rough and no square edges .
Got the base started .
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Trunk guide is a Solid casting ie not cored
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Eventually got it drilled and turned and reamed .
Casting have hard spots and easy spots .
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The cylinder
A bast... bit of cast iron .
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Drilled the bore and reamed .
Cut port holes and steam ways .
Broke a tap on the port face for the retaining studs for the steam chest .
Then the final straw was while drilling the exhaust port I developed a hole in the bore .
Decide to scrap it and start a brass one .
Start with a solid lump of hex .
In order to offset it for turning the bore I silver soldered two plates on to it .
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Port holes drilled . And steam lines drilled
Can you see the issue
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I have a plan to fix it .
Cylinder head made .
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Drain cock holes done and cylinder top and bottom holes drilled and tapped .
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Now need a steam chest.
Time for some hard labour with hacksaw.
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After some hacksaw and milling
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Cheers
Dennis
Looking good Dennis, nothing worse than broken drill bits in your work, well except for broken taps
Best wishes
Ade
Evening Ade
Just waiting for some Alum to arrive so I can hopefully cook the cylinder and dissolve
The broken drill bit .
Cheers
Dennis
G'Morning Dennis
Hope it works, never tried it myself, someone said ferric chloride, total disaster, disolved the work and left the drill bit
I just found your other build thread too, great reading, good pics, thanks!
Cheers
Ade
Ah, but when it's done it will be a thing of beauty and a joy forever!
Here's my Clarkson horizontal, which I hope you will take as inspiration.
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Morning Bob
Yours may be a thing of beauty but mine is becoming the start of a prolonged nightmare.
Cheers
Dennis
Now its coming along.
Watching with interest re the alum.
Hang in there, Dennis. You will get there.
It isn't just you. Clarkson was known for great designs and second rate castings.
The cylinder needs a tidy up on outside .
Hold in vice on mill with a arbour .
Mill back and forward.
Shift slightly and repeat .
Eventually it is roundish
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And after some filing and a wire brush
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About ready to throw the whole lot in the scrap bin .
The two uprights are unusable.
Nothing square and parts are as hard as hell
ie milling along with finest of cuts producing fine swarf then hit a hard spot and
new bit instantly glows red . A new bit down the drain .even a new file has issues.
So i either make two stands from brass or use the cylinder in a horizontal configuration.
I think this might be my worst purchase for a year or two ..
Cheers
Dennis
What a shame. Guess Gil is right about the second-rate castings.
Enjoying the photos Dennis, you'll do wonders with this one.
While the castings can present a real challenge, if you can get through and beyond the process, there is an elegant engine on the other side.