The Home Machinist!

If it were me, I'd build another car or modify the one that I had so that the bigger tanks would fit. I'd do that before I would try to fool with a bunch of smaller tanks. I'd want the largest capacity I could have, so I would make sure that two of those 20 pound tanks would fit in there. Will be a ...

Pictures of your boxcar would help. I've seen some cars where the bottom of the BBQ grill tanks stuck down through the floor between the trucks for some extra height. I've also seen people get tanks that were made to be mounted on their sides and use them inside of boxcars. It really depends on your...

Moving large equipment is a huge Pain. Trust me I know. We've been hit more than once by an impatient driver that just had to pass because we were doing 25 MPH. I usually run the rear 'blocking' vehicle, keeping people from doing idiotic things like trying to pass near the top of hills or going arou...

When building my locomotives I stamped numbers into the parts: Facing forward: Odd #s on the left side parts, even #s for the right side parts, sequencing from front to rear. That is exactly what I do. 1 is Left, 2 is right, starting from the front and going backwards. The fellow that did a lot of ...

What he said!!! I usually use the copper tubing and then make and silver solder on fittings to connect it to unions, valves, etc... Or I will drill out one side of a union and silver solder that onto the copper pipe. When you do that, use the real silver solder, the 45% silver stuff, or you will be ...

The way I've seen this valve used is this: They leave it open when starting the pump for the first time, and they let it cycle for a bit and heat up good. Then they will close the valve down until it runs at about 1/2 the speed, and leave it there. I understand about the condensate issue, but I'd tr...

I've seen people put a valve on the Steam Exhaust line out of a pump. They can actually shut down the pump by closing it off. Thus they can slow it down using its own backpressure to lower the pressure differential across the piston. Might be worth a shot.

They will change size. Let me see if I can remember this correctly... Case Carburized will actually Grow during the carburization process. Through hardened material will slightly shrink during heat treatment. I hope I didn't get that backwards. I remember this because we always had to drill and tap ...

Most of your hardware store valves for 1/4" pipe are now the miniature valves that are about 1 1/4" long and barely bigger than the pipe OD. I don't use them. I use the full-bodied ball valves. You can get them online for less than $30: https://www.grainger.com/product/41E349?gucid=N:N:PS:...

I always called those a spiral pin, probably because the #1 manufacturer of those pins for a long time was a company called Spiroil. Technically it's called a rolled spring pin. They are a lot stronger, but won't tolerate nearly as much hole size variation as a standard C-Shaped spring pin. I'd stil...

I found a better picture of the block, valve, etc...

it rubs back and forth as you move the handle in and out. No it doesn't. The 'makeshift handle' is slotted and positively engages the stem on the valve. There is a shoulder on the valve stem that the back of the handle goes up against, and the nut then tightens it all together. So, there is no move...