The Home Machinist!

I think that there is a basic mistake about the spring forces needed in this solution... https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/download/file.php?id=100055 Pray tell, what is that mistake?  That turnout mechanism has been in use for decades with remarkable reliability.  Other than the replacement of ...

Ditto.  Regardless of the kind of copper flare, it should be annealed before installing.  Having soft annealed copper to "squash" really helps get a good seal.  And it’s something rare to see anyone, professional or not do. When I worked for Vapor Corp., I would spend time on the steam ge...

Has anyone used double flaring on copper tubing on live steam locomotives such as lubricator lines, axle pump lines or on steam carrying lines to things like steam operated water pumps? It seems to me that it would work given that it is used on high pressure brake lines. In my opinion, double-flari...

Is this a new locomotive (or one that has had cylinder/crosshead work)? If so, I wouldn't worry about it until you have run for several hours. If I correctly understood his post, his drag tests were conducted without the main rods being attached.  That being the case, cylinder and crosshead drag wo...

Harold_V wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2024 12:58 amIf every dimension on a locomotive was held to ±.0001" the engine would run perfectly, assuming it was dimensioned properly.

...and each locomotive would cost as much as a Boeing 747. 

On my digital scale pull force is about 1/1.5 pounds through 1 complete rotation of the drivers(10" dia).  When I put the side rods (no main rods) on the pull force required to turn 1 complete revolution of the drivers increases to 4-6 pounds. That does seem to be a significant drag increase. ...

Any quality, straight-weight, 20W, non-detergent motor oil will work in this application. The actual oil viscosity isn’t critical, as long as you don’t go lighter than recommended.  DO NOT use detergent oil!

12 dollars a gallon for an industrial chemical...geesh!  Things sure have changed from my racing days.  :shock: In the 1980s, I could buy a 55 gallon drum of technically-pure methanol (what VP Racing Fuels claims to be selling) for about $1.70 per gallon.  The commercial grade (typically 98.0 to 98....

One thing to be noted is methanol will corrode bare aluminum.  Any aluminum parts that are to be in contact with methanol should be hard anodized.

The "green energy" scam of solar and wind power is going to fade away... Solar and wind are fine energy sources...as long as the sky is clear and there’s a breeze.  :D  In my area, depending on those two things is too much like playing the slots in Las Vegas to support one’s family. The b...

Harold_V wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:39 amHere in Western Washington (Lewis County) there's an excursion train that runs on oil. The smell of that engine parallels the smell of a coal burning engine, which totally surprised me when I took the ride.

That’s because flaming dinosaurs all smell the same. 

liveaboard wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 12:55 pmTailpipe emissions are still pretty bad; apparently these old things are just that way. there is some visible smoke when it's gunned.

The smoke comes out to let you know the thing is running.