The Steamboating Forum

Lopez Mike wrote:Jack,
Do you need to use a slow cure hardener because of the heat gun?
Mike

Mike,
I find the West System slow hardener gives lots of time to work with it even when the work & epoxy are heated. The level of heat does not need to be more than uncomfortable to the touch. I have used other products that go rock hard in minutes - probably too fast to penetrate very far.
Jack

Hi Wes,

Have used the Smith's penetrating epoxy, once a person uses that, they never forget it. For woodworking, that is the most odorous substance there is. I was working on a wood boat and applying it to the interior. I started at home in the driveway until the neighbors were about to pass out and then I wound up at my shop out in the middle of the parking lot. It's great stuff, soaks in to and seals wood leaving it waterproof and much stronger. It would work great for toughening up these patterns, but I can't deal with the fumes from it. Pick a very windy day and use it outside.

What I've learned is if the MDF is sanded (or machined) first, the West System epoxy soaks in really well at room temperature. Of course our room temperature has been #$@& cold lately. I've never been more sick of winter. The great lakes are over 90% frozen right now. What we need is more CFC's

Jack, I'll try that heating it approach with a small batch and see how it works. I know it works great for varnish.

-Ron

It certainly is very odorous. While you're having one of your coldest winters, we're having one of our warmest and driest winters on record, so opening all the doors and windows is not a problem. I can get used to this.

Nothing fancy, just simple turning jobs. It's nice being able to turn the fillet directly into the piece:





I forgot to take a picture of the board before we took it to the foundry last week.

Wes,

Some good looking patterns. What are they coated with?

-Ron

Thanks Ron. Not fancy by any stretch.

The coatings we used were CPE, then high build automotive primer (pictured), then satin automotive grade rattle can paint. Sanded between coats with 120, 220, then 400 grit. Gentleman at the foundry was happy with their appearance, so that's a plus.

Glued 3/4" layers together with gorilla glue. Had a 1/4" dowel aligning all the pieces. Found it easiest to just jam the piece against the closed jaws of the chuck with the live center on the tailstock. Cut with cheap carbide tool bit at whatever speed didn't scare me.

Got to work on the body and chassis over the weekend. The body is now mounted to the springs. Had to drill 3/8" holes through the springs as that is how the originals were - not fun. Had to use a carbide drills.

Next is build the steel subframe inside to mount the engine and boiler to. This will provide strong cross members to mount to as well as provide two rails lengthwise to strengthen the wood body frame. That is not an original feature, it's to prevent the body from breaking in half, as some of these did originally. When this car came out (1901) I think the average man was about 5'6 and 140 pounds. The original car had the boiler and engine supported by 7/8" X 3 wood cross members. And that was a heavy stanley type firetube boiler weighing over 200 pounds. About twice the weight of the Ofeldt going in this one.



-Ron

Spent another Sunday on the Loco. Got the boiler mounted and the engine almost mounted (have to wait until the differential is in). Relieved that the chain will have plenty of clearance under the burner. That can be an issue with this configuration when using a taller boiler. Oh and the fuel tank is mounted too. That is an old 3 gallon air compressor tank. Should be enough for about 30 miles. Yep, that's one of the things that killed the steam car, fuel efficiency.







-Ron

Ron,

That looks like great fun! I cannot wait to see the final product up and running.

DetroiTug wrote: Yep, that's one of the things that killed the steam car, fuel efficiency.


-Ron

But you get to measure economy in "smiles per gallon"

Ken

Built the water tank over the weekend.











-Ron