- Thread starter qwakers
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as the Steam Toy and Meccano show is at Leeds Industrial museum next weekend, (28/07/24)
museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk
I thought it was best that I get couple of toy steam engines running to take with me.
I've had a Mamod SE3 twin cylinder engine for a few months now and with the idea of converting it to having double acting cylinders so that it is self starting, and I'll get round to doing that in the next few years. The standard burner they come with is a meths tray burner, which I dont like, and I prefer using wick burners at they give a bit more control of the flame by adjusting the wick length. I had a spare 3 wick burner so it was taken apart as they are soft soldered together.
a longer tube was required to space the burners further apart and move the fuel reservoir away from the engine. it just needed to be resoldered together, but as this would get warm, I decided to use high temperature soft solder so got some multicore HPM soft solder off ebay. This has a melting pint of 300c and is over 93% lead so should have good wetability compared to lead free solders with a similar melting point
to fit the fuel reservoir on the base it was necessary to move the boiler forward 25mm, with hindsight it might have been easier to drill out the rivets that hold the engine to the base (I'll be doing that at a later date). but the base needed to be drilled to move the boiler forward.
the recess for the old burner needed to be extended to fit the modified 3 wick burner, and the piece to be welded in place was cut from some 1/2" square tubing.
this was then attacked with a tig welder
and how the modified burner fits
and the engine running, and you can just about see the 3 wicks burning, it doesnt look pretty but at least it runs.
and while I was at it, I thought I may as well make a new burner tray for a Mamod steam car so that it can run for longer on gel fuel as the fuel tablets have now been banned. the handle is the original one, and has been tack welded at the height of the top of the original. the height of the new tray still needs to be reduced by 3mm so that when it is filled with gel, the gel will stop burning just before the boiler runs out of water. the new tray is tig welded from steel
it may end up being rebuilt like this one day though
Steam Toys & Meccano Show - Leeds Industrial Museum
Come along to see a range of miniature engines and classic Meccano on display in this fun family event.
museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk
I thought it was best that I get couple of toy steam engines running to take with me.
I've had a Mamod SE3 twin cylinder engine for a few months now and with the idea of converting it to having double acting cylinders so that it is self starting, and I'll get round to doing that in the next few years. The standard burner they come with is a meths tray burner, which I dont like, and I prefer using wick burners at they give a bit more control of the flame by adjusting the wick length. I had a spare 3 wick burner so it was taken apart as they are soft soldered together.
a longer tube was required to space the burners further apart and move the fuel reservoir away from the engine. it just needed to be resoldered together, but as this would get warm, I decided to use high temperature soft solder so got some multicore HPM soft solder off ebay. This has a melting pint of 300c and is over 93% lead so should have good wetability compared to lead free solders with a similar melting point
to fit the fuel reservoir on the base it was necessary to move the boiler forward 25mm, with hindsight it might have been easier to drill out the rivets that hold the engine to the base (I'll be doing that at a later date). but the base needed to be drilled to move the boiler forward.
the recess for the old burner needed to be extended to fit the modified 3 wick burner, and the piece to be welded in place was cut from some 1/2" square tubing.
this was then attacked with a tig welder
and how the modified burner fits
and the engine running, and you can just about see the 3 wicks burning, it doesnt look pretty but at least it runs.
and while I was at it, I thought I may as well make a new burner tray for a Mamod steam car so that it can run for longer on gel fuel as the fuel tablets have now been banned. the handle is the original one, and has been tack welded at the height of the top of the original. the height of the new tray still needs to be reduced by 3mm so that when it is filled with gel, the gel will stop burning just before the boiler runs out of water. the new tray is tig welded from steel
it may end up being rebuilt like this one day though
Dcal
Member
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- Antrim Northern Ireland
Today I fixed our shower rail adjuster thingy.
It wouldn't tighten and was starting to annoy me.
It had been annoying the boss for a couple of years but these things take time.
I took it apart and found the plastic gripper bit was broken.
I looked for a replacement but couldn't find anything the same so looked for a complete adjuster and while they can be had for £5 the reviews weren't great and I'd have to spent a couple of hours getting it, so thought of have a go at a repair.
I first thought about making one out of stainless but I reckoned it would scratch the rail if I didn't have a plastic liner.
Since I already had a plastic liner I went with another approach.
I cut some thin stainless and bent it to shape then tack welded it to a stainless washer.
The washer was slightly big so I made a jig to hold it in the drill and used a flap disc to get it to size.
Then cut a slot to take the 12mm plastic bolt, sanded off the excess plastic and slid the plastic bolt into the stainless reinforcement.
Put it back together and it works a treat.
It didn't take that long to do (I spent longer thinking about it) but for some reason it was a very satisfying little repair to do.
It wouldn't tighten and was starting to annoy me.
It had been annoying the boss for a couple of years but these things take time.
I took it apart and found the plastic gripper bit was broken.
I looked for a replacement but couldn't find anything the same so looked for a complete adjuster and while they can be had for £5 the reviews weren't great and I'd have to spent a couple of hours getting it, so thought of have a go at a repair.
I first thought about making one out of stainless but I reckoned it would scratch the rail if I didn't have a plastic liner.
Since I already had a plastic liner I went with another approach.
I cut some thin stainless and bent it to shape then tack welded it to a stainless washer.
The washer was slightly big so I made a jig to hold it in the drill and used a flap disc to get it to size.
Then cut a slot to take the 12mm plastic bolt, sanded off the excess plastic and slid the plastic bolt into the stainless reinforcement.
Put it back together and it works a treat.
It didn't take that long to do (I spent longer thinking about it) but for some reason it was a very satisfying little repair to do.
Dr.Al
Forum Supporter
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It just goes to show: if a man says he's going to do something, he'll do it. You don't have to nag him every single year until he does.
dobbslc
Member
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- Hertfordshire UK
After much nagging I finally got started on the ensuite plumbing that required the shower pump to be turned off, I finished the pipework and turned the pump back on but nothing nada zilch.
The PCB had popped
Moral of the story is ....
Leave it alone, don't touch it, watch TV instead.
The PCB had popped
Moral of the story is ....
Leave it alone, don't touch it, watch TV instead.
brewdexta
The biggest tool in the box
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The panel fit of the bonnet on the mule was appalling. It hinges forwards, after lifting the windscreen, the catches are on the inside.
The whole bonnet was about an inch forward of where it should be as it didn't meet the catches and it was proud of the other panels at the front
and it was about an inch high as well, slightly less on the offside.
There is no adjustment on the hinges, so took the hinge brackets off, they were complete bar stewards to get to the fixings, which were cross heads, not bolts. There are holes where the pivots need to be. You can see the old rusty pivots at the bottom, the galv washer is where they need to be.
So I welded the holes up and welded on a washer where the pivot point should be as the pivot point is raised. I forgot to take a photo of this. Here it is back together. Much better, I have no idea why the panel fit was so bad, no obvious accident damage, but the bonnet is a slightly different shade so it maybe a second hand bonnet, different year/model or whatever. The catches now meet ok too.
The whole bonnet was about an inch forward of where it should be as it didn't meet the catches and it was proud of the other panels at the front
and it was about an inch high as well, slightly less on the offside.
There is no adjustment on the hinges, so took the hinge brackets off, they were complete bar stewards to get to the fixings, which were cross heads, not bolts. There are holes where the pivots need to be. You can see the old rusty pivots at the bottom, the galv washer is where they need to be.
So I welded the holes up and welded on a washer where the pivot point should be as the pivot point is raised. I forgot to take a photo of this. Here it is back together. Much better, I have no idea why the panel fit was so bad, no obvious accident damage, but the bonnet is a slightly different shade so it maybe a second hand bonnet, different year/model or whatever. The catches now meet ok too.
Seadog
Save the planet. It's the only one with rum!
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A coal scuttle, slightly the worse for wear, found its way from Lancaster to me.
I couldn't get enought heat into it to resolder the hinges with my Solon, so cue the oxy-propane.
Job done, and after a bit of panel beating it's ready to find its way north at the weekend.
I couldn't get enought heat into it to resolder the hinges with my Solon, so cue the oxy-propane.
Job done, and after a bit of panel beating it's ready to find its way north at the weekend.
The_Yellow_Ardvark
https://www.death-clock.org/
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The last image tells most you need to change hands after 99.
The_Yellow_Ardvark
https://www.death-clock.org/
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Seadog
Save the planet. It's the only one with rum!
- Messages
- 12,152
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- NE London - UK
Had an interesting little repair job from a local chap that finds me odd jobs to do.
A 50 year old B&D drill, a DNJ250 as far as I can make out which was his father's. Intermittent and unreliable operation of the trigger switch.
When stripped it was easy to see why.
The top contact should be spring loaded, it isn't and it's also not sitting in the right position.
In fact it's stuck to the plastic where sparking has caused overheating and softening. Why they didn't use a thermosetting plastic I've no idea.
By heating with a small soldering iron I was able to prise the contact away, and remove it.
Quite a mess. That supposed to be a slot with a spring pushing against the bottom of the contact.
The sparking has caused the Paxolin switch backcover to burn through, too. This, as it progressed, would have meant more sparking and therefore more heat. Fortunately I had a piece of Paxolin from my grandfather, so probably 90 odd year old. I do love the smell when cutting phenolic products.
The original was 1.5mm, the replacement piece 2mm, so I had to file the locating ears to get them to fit the slots.
A 50 year old B&D drill, a DNJ250 as far as I can make out which was his father's. Intermittent and unreliable operation of the trigger switch.
When stripped it was easy to see why.
The top contact should be spring loaded, it isn't and it's also not sitting in the right position.
In fact it's stuck to the plastic where sparking has caused overheating and softening. Why they didn't use a thermosetting plastic I've no idea.
By heating with a small soldering iron I was able to prise the contact away, and remove it.
Quite a mess. That supposed to be a slot with a spring pushing against the bottom of the contact.
The sparking has caused the Paxolin switch backcover to burn through, too. This, as it progressed, would have meant more sparking and therefore more heat. Fortunately I had a piece of Paxolin from my grandfather, so probably 90 odd year old. I do love the smell when cutting phenolic products.
The original was 1.5mm, the replacement piece 2mm, so I had to file the locating ears to get them to fit the slots.
Seadog
Save the planet. It's the only one with rum!
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- 12,152
- Location
- NE London - UK
Next up I had to address the problem of the contact and its housing. And the little ping feckit which disappeared from the bench 
My instrument spring selection were all too strong so I turned to my amassed springs.
Lo, something that I can work with.
I filed out the damaged portion of the trigger and then glued a piece of Paxolin in to place and filed to size and refashioned the hole for the spring.
I used a high strength super glue with the addition of sodium bicarbonate to hold it together.
Assembled and tested OK.
My instrument spring selection were all too strong so I turned to my amassed springs.
Lo, something that I can work with.
I filed out the damaged portion of the trigger and then glued a piece of Paxolin in to place and filed to size and refashioned the hole for the spring.
I used a high strength super glue with the addition of sodium bicarbonate to hold it together.
Assembled and tested OK.
The_Yellow_Ardvark
https://www.death-clock.org/
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Just seen this, I have OE grease, from B&D.
May even have a spare switch
