johnsmachines

First was a trip to the boiler inspector, to inspect the first silver braze on the 6″ vertical boiler.  Passed!  And quite complimentary about the quality of the build so far.

And….  he has OK’d my plans for the Trevithick Dredger engine boiler.   Which is nice because I have already started it, and was going to build it in any case.  Only requirement is that I have to add a pressure gauge.  As far as I know, none of Trevithick’s engines used pressure gauges, just weight based safety valves.  So a pressure gauge will not exactly be in keeping with the historicity of the model, but it seems a small price to pay to get the boiler certified.   Now I am trying to work out where to place the pressure gauge so the operator can see it, but not the viewing public.

Then a late entrance to our GSMEE day meeting.  (Geelong Society of Model and Experimental Engineers).   I showed my progress on the 6″ vertical boiler.  And took some pics of some of the other items brought in by members.

A very nice lagged boiler and engine by Neil

and that firebox door is titanium!  And check out the screws in the base….  no-one is going to be able to unscrew this model!

The steam control valve for Neil’s engine.  He used a solder with which I was unfamiliar…. “StayBrite” which is said to have a melting point above soft solder, but not as high as silver solder.   Bought at JayCar.   The cap screws have BA threads… unusual!

And finally, a small steam driven pump brought in by our senior member Laurie, made decades ago by a friend.  Laurie is a club treasure, being a great raconteur, especially about his WW2 experiences in the Australian army, and having made superb models when younger which are still regularly run and exhibited.   The coin for scale is an Australian 50 cent piece; large, heavy, and it takes about 10 of them to buy a cup of coffee; much disliked.