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The Craftmans Shop => Model Engineering => Topic started by: miken on July 20, 2009, 03:59:06 PM

Title: Rectifying a cylinder casting
Post by: miken on July 20, 2009, 03:59:06 PM
Hello all,
  I am building my first miniature live steam traction engine.I have just received the cylinder casting from the suppliers and the first thing i notice is the thing i was dreading.
  The cast-in (inlet) steam ports are specified as being 1/4" wide. Now i am not exaggerating if I say they would not clean up if i used a 1/2" slot drill.
  Clearly i should return them to LSM and I'm sure i would get either a refund or another casting to the same pattern.
 Neither of these options is much use to me as i still wont have a useable casting.
  I remember reading in the Model Engineer many years ago about reclaiming a port face by milling undersize and fitting a seperate screw-on port-face.
  This is quite a Big ,heavy  iron casting approx 8" cube.
  If i decide to rectify it ,how would I seal the underneath of the plate ? Would a steel or gauge plate port-face be suitable?
  Model is a 6" scale Ruston Proctor.
Thanks,Mike
Title: Re: Rectifying a cylinder casting
Post by: Brass_Machine on July 20, 2009, 04:20:19 PM
Hey Mike,

A couple of things... How about some pictures so we can see what you are talking about?

Bogs is probably going to be the best one to answer this question. Did you see his THREAD (http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=1370.0) on fixing a casting engine? He plugged some holes and redrilled them... is this something you can do on this piece?

Eric
Title: Re: Rectifying a cylinder casting
Post by: sbwhart on July 20, 2009, 05:23:31 PM
Hi Mike

Thats some traction engine at 6" to the 1' it must be a fair size when complete.

As Eric said some pics would be nice

I've made a few cylinders for the Minnie traction engine.

Any way back to subject I can recollect reading an article in model engineer about putting a port plate on an engine but I can't for the life of me remember how they sealed it. If I get chance later in the week I'll look through my back issue to see if I can fine the article.

A 1/4" error seems an hell of a mistake, a word with the suppliers may help with a solution, I take it you've spoken to them.

Good luck

Stew