johnsmachines

So, Xmas day was great.  Perfect weather, middle daughter’s home and vegetarian cooking thanks to her husband and all guests, and limitation rules for presents so that aspect was not gross.  And SWMBO agreed to be designated driver home.   So I could freely partake the lovely Aussie big reds.   And whiskeys.   And best of all… cigars.

Don’t remember much about the trip home.   But apparently we made it because I woke up with a dry throat but no headache. Must have been good reds and single malts.

Then best of all…. Boxing day!   Means that it is all over for another year.

A slow start to the day, then a half day in the workshop.

I spent several hours measuring various dimensions of the build to date.  Although I had been careful to keep the dimensions correct, the cross head was sticking and jamming on the slides.   Some dimensions were out by up to a millimetre…   mainly due, I suspect, to movements during the big silver soldering sessions.

So I tried various permutations and commutations to minimise the aberrations.  And started introducing brass shim strips to remove the aberrations.

And It gradually started to improve the situation.

Shims under the base, and between the base pieces and the boiler.

Then I installed the valve timing mechanism.

But…..  it fouls the domed end of the boiler.

What to do?     After a lot of messing around, trial and error, swapping components around, I have decided to remake a couple of components AND to ease the fit between a couple of the others.    At least the cross head has stopped jamming so I am winning.

Close up shot of the valve switching mechanism.

The photo shows a vertical mark where the mechanism is scraping along the domed boiler end.

where I left it for the day.  Will give it a miss tomorrow…   very hot day predicted.