SimonD’s workbench

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simond

simond

Western Thunderer
So, fretsawed ring soldered to front of firebox
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And barrel and smoke box assembled as a unit

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The lumps of solder were for the temporary fix and will be removed. There is now an internal strap holding the cone in shape.

The cone is a tight fit on the ring

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And it fits reasonably well.

image.jpg

A little more work needed but we are nearly there
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
I’ve had two goes at putting the smokebox saddle on, and there’s going to be a third. It needs to line up with the cylinders (they’re the same part!) but it should not cover the zig zag rivet line. I fear they might not be exactly in the right place, because I’ve measured everything else and it’s pretty much spot on.

We have a blowlamp…

image.jpg
Typical. It looks better in the photo than in real life!

anyway, small steps in the right direction.
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
simond said:
I’ve had two goes at putting the smokebox saddle on, and there’s going to be a third. It needs to line up with the cylinders (they’re the same part!) but it should not cover the zig zag rivet line. I fear they might not be exactly in the right place, because I’ve measured everything else and it’s pretty much spot on.

We have a blowlamp…

View attachment 259378
Typical. It looks better in the photo than in real life!

anyway, small steps in the right direction.
Click to expand...
B****y motion bracket needs to be square too!
 
Phil O

Phil O

Western Thunderer
simond said:
I’ve had two goes at putting the smokebox saddle on, and there’s going to be a third. It needs to line up with the cylinders (they’re the same part!) but it should not cover the zig zag rivet line. I fear they might not be exactly in the right place, because I’ve measured everything else and it’s pretty much spot on.

We have a blowlamp…

View attachment 259378
Typical. It looks better in the photo than in real life!

anyway, small steps in the right direction.
Click to expand...

Simon,

A couple of coats of paint, will hide a multitude of sins, if said sins exist, it looks good to me!
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
And the saddle is now mounted, correctly, on the footplate. I think we now have a pretty good fit.

image.jpg

on both sides

image.jpg


If the bottom of the boiler is not horizontal, it’s very difficult to spot. It’s difficult to see when it’s miles out, and it’s no longer that. Sighting across the footplate edge and the underside of the boiler looks good.

I have a nagging worry that the fat end of the cone is bigger with respect to the front of the firebox than it should be. I think a bit of judicious filling will make a decent job of it, but a photo here https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/threads/simond%E2%80%99s-workbench.9440/post-345528 suggests that the boiler should be marginally smaller than the firebox is wide. It measures 5’6” in diameter as shown on the GA in GWRJ 19, pg 150/1, but I wonder if it should actually be elliptical, with the horizontal axis slightly smaller, at the join to the firebox. There isn’t an obvious step out on the model.

image.jpg

I shall ponder further. I think the boiler needs to be adjusted. :'(
 
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Overseer

Overseer

Western Thunderer
simond said:
I have a nagging worry that the fat end of the cone is bigger with respect to the front of the firebox than it should be. I think a bit of judicious filling will make a decent job of it, but a photo I have studied suggests that the boiler should be marginally smaller. It measures 5’6” in diameter as shown on the GA in GWRJ 16, pg 150/1, but I wonder if it should actually be elliptical, with the horizontal axis slightly smaller, at the join to the firebox.
Click to expand...
No. It looks like the problem is the kit pressing for the front of the firebox doesn't follow the prototype accurately. The upper radius from the front to sides and top of the firebox looks OK but the same radius has been continued past and below the boiler - the prototype looks to have a much smaller radius at the boiler centre line and below. The width of the rear end of the boiler should be close to the same width as the firebox cladding. It might need some filler to build out the sides of the firebox front where it meets the boiler.
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Overseer said:
No. It looks like the problem is the kit pressing for the front of the firebox doesn't follow the prototype accurately. The upper radius from the front to sides and top of the firebox looks OK but the same radius has been continued past and below the boiler - the prototype looks to have a much smaller radius at the boiler centre line and below. The width of the rear end of the boiler should be close to the same width as the firebox cladding. It might need some filler to build out the sides of the firebox front where it meets the boiler.
Click to expand...
Thanks Fraser,

it will certainly need a bit of filler, which is a frustration, but I think maybe you’re right regarding the pressing. You’ll see that I had to make a few saw cuts in the pressing to get rid of some wrinkles, and they’ll need filling too.

I hope @Quintus (or some other kind soul with a GW mogul) can take a bird’s eye photo to compare with the one above, from which I hope to determine whether the boiler needs to be marginally thinner at the fat end.

The bird’s eye photo has been re-added, don’t know what I did there.

cheers
Simon
 
RichardG

RichardG

Western Thunderer
simond said:
I shall ponder further. I think the boiler needs to be adjusted. :'(
Click to expand...

I know this involves a lot of work and will not be terribly easy, but would it be worthwhile to cut a hole in the front of the pressing to let the rear of the cone sit inside it? Cut the hole first. Then (only if necessary!) re-do the cone to fit inside it. This would get rid of any awkward ridges at the sides, and the construction would resemble that of the 53XX.
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
RichardG said:
I know this involves a lot of work and will not be terribly easy, but would it be worthwhile to cut a hole in the front of the pressing to let the rear of the cone sit inside it? Cut the hole first. Then (only if necessary!) re-do the cone to fit inside it. This would get rid of any awkward ridges at the sides, and the construction would resemble that of the 53XX.
Click to expand...
Thank you Richard

I think “no” for a couple of reasons: the boiler and firebox are the right length and would be shorter if telescoped, and the pressing would be rather thin at the horizontal centre line.

I don’t want to make a new cone.

I suppose I could roll a ring to support the inside of the cone but I doubt I’d be better off.

If I do redo the cone, I shall rough out the disc and turn it to size, before cutting the inner hole. I had done this the other way about on the first attempt and the inner hole is large, and intentionally not concentric so having cut it I could not turn down the ring.

One learns by one’s mistakes. Hopefully!
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Thanks Fraser, Mike, Simon & Brian.

I think my conclusion is that there is a small step change in the width of the boiler where it joins the throatplate, and the widest point is somewhere just aft of the throatplate radius, just ahead of the start of the “flat” panel of the firebox. I think I’m going to have to change the cone, probably by rather less than two millimetres.

grrr.
Simon
 
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simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Thanks Richard,

yes, I could, I just fancied building a brass one….

I have a JLTRT Saint to build, that has the dreaded blue resin boiler, that eats drills and has no space for decoder or speaker. That might get a home-printed boiler and firebox.

but this one will be brass

cheers
Simon
 
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