| The Shop > Metal Stuff |
| Slowly casting up parts for a steam twin marine engine |
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| Dean W:
--- Quote ---My first set of conrods.. sort of a virgin... or was.... --- End quote --- Well, you sure took care of that! In good fashion, too. Looking good, Artie. Dean |
| Artie:
Yes Dean you could say that. Thanks for the feedback... I was just about to post when you beat me. A question for you all.... due to the boiler size contraints under the Miniature Boiler Codes I am limited to a long thin boiler unit. Isnt large enough for this engine aesthetically so Im making a dummy cover for it which will mount the cross heads and the cylinders. I want this to have a scale-ish look and want lots of rivets.. BUT.. im lazy..... Does anyone have method of reproducing hundreds of rivets without drilling holes and rivetting? In my old life in RC we used a hypodermic syringe and white glue to do th ejob. Im thinking the heat from the boiler would make this unsuitable. Perhaps drops of epoxy? Any thoughts gentlemen? Cheers Rob |
| Artie:
I thought you might like to see where this is all going. The engine is destined for an Aussie paddle steamer, a radio controlled model of a Steamer called the P.S. Pevensey which is still alive and operating today, in fact ive ridden her many times. A local company offers scale boat plans and I found a set for her listed and ordered them. Cost was $65 and are huge. The model is 5' long which I have scaled up 50% to accept this engine, so its now 7'6" from bow to rudder. The plans (2 sheets) laid out on a 10 seat table.. spoon for scale... sorry about the fuzzy pics.. and the grand old lady herself today.... Acording to the specs she was 'converted' in 1911 and capable of carrying 120 tons in giant holds, the Pevensey is powered by a 20 h.p. twin high pressure steam engine. After catching fire in 1932, she was rebuilt, but later fell on hard times and became a floating museum. Brought in for Port restoration in 1973, this great Clydesdale of the river was refloated in 1976 and began carrying passengers 3 years later. Tonnage: 136. Length: 111'5". Beam: 23'. Draught: 2' (empty) H.P.: 20 (2cyl) Construction: Wood/Steel. Fuel: 1 ton of wood per hour under steam fully loaded. Speed: 4.5 - 5mph. Here she is in 1912 towing a barge, incidentally she was originally built as a barge named the Mascot in 1909 and converted to a steamer in 1911. This wasnt an uncommon practise in those days. Unlike US steamers Aussie boats were built of steel frames and hard wood, (you guys mainly used soft woods) and this is primarily why so many of our boats a hundred years or older are still afloat today. And a hull similar to hers under construction, you can see the steel girders and upper hull steel plates with 4" thick hardwood planking on the lower hull. Cheers Artie |
| Artie:
And in case you are wondering, this is what these things did, apart from supplying outlying sheep propertys with goods, they carried the wool clip to market (ar at least the railhead at Port Echuca)... the boat towed one or more barges which where exactly the same as her and had steering to negotiate the tight river bends.... The boat itself was loaded like this.... and towed one or more of these.... To these enormous wharfes..this is Port Echuca and in its hey day was over 1 kilometere long, here its pictured at high river and this is something like 30 metres above it normal height...Its a big river wharf! Also you can see the temporary steering wheel placed after the barge is loaded.... this pic is in reverse btw... writing gives it away.. |
| andyf:
Hi Artie, Would it look OK if you indented little pips into strips of shim stock (brass or chopped up tin cans), then wrapped them round the boiler with the convex side of the pips outwards to imitate riveted boiler bands? Andy |
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