Back to the shop... Elmer's #43

[j45on]

Great job 

[sbwhart]

What a nice runner great beat 
 


Perspex cover adds a lot of interest.


Stew

[Bogstandard]

Arnold,

It is real nice to see you back in the shop and up to full speed.

A very nice build it has turned out to be as well.

Elmers engines, although only basic compared to other versions of the same sort of engine from other souces, do in fact make very nice and relatively easy builds for the just up from beginner status, I am not saying that you are a beginner, far from it, just explaining that there are many engines that can fairly easily be built using his directions and plans.

I still have a mind to build his #20, The Kimble. Slightly out of the ordinary.


John

[Rob.Wilson]

Nice one mate 


she's alive !


Sure do like the paint job    and as always well machined 


Rob

you won again , mumble mumble 

[spuddevans]

Well done sir!!  

Great to see another slow runner. It ticks over very nicely at 3psi.


Tim

[arnoldb]

Many thanks everyone 

Marv (mklotz) actually gets the credit for the perspex cover - I "stole" the idea from him.  Just remember, if you use a perspex cover, it's not suited for running on live steam; that's why I also made the brass one, as I will eventually run some of my engines on live steam. 

John, I agree.  What's nice about Elmer's plans is the scope for modification to give them different looks, so they're excellent engines for beginners to start from and then progress to own interpretations or add a bit of bling.  I have a half-formed idea on what I'd like to do to his #29 mine engine when I get around to it.  the Kimble is definitely on my build list as well; in fact, it was in the draw when I built this one.

you won again , mumble mumble

  Rob, cheers mate - better watch it ; I took today off, but tomorrow I'm starting another project 

Thanks Tin - I also like the engines to run slowly as one can see how they work.  This one will be run in a little more; I want it to go on breath power like most of my other ones.

Once again, many thanks to all for your support and kind comments 

Regards, Arnold

[madjackghengis]

Arnold, that is one loverly engine, and truly breath-taking.  The way she runs, you don't need that brown stuff on the bottom, and I have no doubt it will run on breath power very soon.  Very fine build in every way.   Cheers, Jack

[BiggerHammer]

Very nice build. Love the slow running view, lets you see all the good stuff happening.

[Stilldrillin]

Love it, Arnold! 

Well built. Well shown. Runs well too! 

David D

[Bogstandard]

Arnold,

I did just about everything to change the shape and how it worked on my Elmers Mine Engine.

Slip eccentric to get it running in reverse, fully ballraced throughout, speed control, and I even changed all the operating linkage so it looked a lot better and was more compact. Maybe a bit over the top with bling.
There are a few pics missing from the beginning because I had a bit of a crash on early photobucket.

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=389.0

I always said about these engines that Elmer made, they can be modified in all sorts of ways. As long as you leave the rudimentary basics where they should be, everything else is fair game.


John

[raynerd]

Arnold, sorry to get in late, caught up in my own build. It looks really lovely! And the transparent steam chest cover looks great!!

Chris

[madjackghengis]

Hi Arnold, I went back a bit, over your post on acount of your mentioning the dissatisfaction with the paint and the column, and reasured myself it was aluminum.  My time in the Marines, working on aircraft, taught me to use the paints designed for aluminum, as they are concocted to deal with the fact that aluminum oxidizes on contact with air, and for paint to do well, it must address the oxidation.  We used an alodyne solution, which is now in paint meant for aluminum, because it etches into the oxide, and makes for a smooth coat which adheres very strongly and gives a consistent film thickness.  It makes all the difference between having rattle can paint with runs, and a smooth coat that looks professionally applied.  The colors you selected offset well with the iron flywheel, all painted up, and the brass and bronze fitments, the engine looks and runs very nicely, and very well controlled.   Cheers, Jack

[arnoldb]

Thanks Gents 

John, that's a beautiful job you did on the mine engine  ; I've seen photos of it but never actually realised you added reversing and ball races to it!  And I like the bling  . 

I'll also slowly start to add more bling to some of my engines; up to now it was hard enough just to build them to actually work.  The building is getting easier and the tool finishes better, so it's slowly becoming possible for me to add the additional eye candy; there's something new to learn with each engine.  Its also getting easier for me to visualise all the parts and how they fit together before I make them; and I think that contributes a lot to making less booboos and to think how I'd like the engine to look when done.  This one actually came out pretty close to how I wanted it to look before I even started it  . 

Cheers Jack  - the column is actually a bit of hot-rolled 10mm flat bar that I cleaned up, same as the base.  I just could not get the same near-mirror finish on its paint though.  Both received the same treatment of primer - flatted down with emery and more primer till it looked good to me.  The blue rattle can did a good job on the base; about three thin coats that it added evenly and flowed together easily, but when I started on the column, it just gave me sputters on thin coats and orange peel on slightly thicker ones.  And on a single thick coat, it ran.  I made sure to clean out the nozzle after each application.  So for future painting, I'll rather try out the airbrush with multiple thin finishing coats that I can mix up as I like.  Paintwork is all new to me, so I'll be experimenting a lot 

Kind regards, Arnold