Another Diversion from The Triple
My model engineering club (GSMEE) has an annual competition build. This year it is a small horizontal reversing steam engine.
So I have taken another break from the triple to build the HME. I have redrawn the plans to make my model 40% bigger, and also to accept metric fasteners.
The HME blanks for the base, the cylinder block, the flywheel pillar and the flywheel. The only stainless steel I had in my junkbox, er storage facility, had a big hole in the middle, so I filled that with brass.
All was going well, and I spent almost a day making the piston head guide. Then finished off by making the guide rod and block. I decided to take another thou off the guide block, and set the lathe going.
And heard an ominous bang.
I had forgotten to remove the piston head guide from the from the piston before I restarted the lathe. Destruction. The lump at the bottom is another piece of brass, ready to be turned into another head guide. I had run out of suitably sized brass, so I silver soldered a length of rod to some square section. A day later and the new piston head guide is now made.
At least I know from this (and other crashes), that the second part is always made much faster than the first.
And on a different subject, I recently bought on Fleabay a self centering 4 jaw chuck.
It does not replace the independent jaw 4 jaw chuck for accurate work, but will be useful for turning small square stock. Also, I plan to make a backing plate for it to fit into the tailstock, so it will hold taps.
johnsmachines 