Good video Preso! Getting much closer to having it completed, it will be exciting to finally see it run! It’s always very interesting to see the variations in how each individual KZread machinist tackles a steam engine build. I’m glad that we were able to talk you into filming this project 😂! The wildlife seems to be enjoying some beautiful weather! It’s always fun to watch the shenanigans of your local birds. And that ginormo pile of caterpillars made me say ‘HOLY CRAP!’ right out loud lol! Your cat (what a beautiful cat!) thinking about chasing the kangaroo made me think of Sylvester and his giant mouse 🤣 Hope you and the missus are doing well, Mark. Have a great day!

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Thanks. That mass of caterpillars show up about twice a year but we have never seen them pupate. We think they go underground to form into chrysalises. Raff the cat thinks about pouncing on the kangaroos but he soon re-evaluates the odds and backs down. Regards, Mark

Thanks for giving me something decent to watch on KZread this morning, it seems to be getting harder and harder lately.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

You're welcome. Regards, Mark

Totally over the top with the babbit bearing, I love it!

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I had some babbit left over from when I built my Conway tank locomotive. The kit of castings I bought didn't include the axleboxes which should have been bronze. I made them from steel and used babbit for the bearings. It's funny stuff to work with. I didn't think that the stainless steel would run well against the cast iron eccentric. Regards, Mark

We are making things just for fun. But if some parts decide to pick up a fight, it takes away a bit of the fun part. It becomes a challenge :)

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

This one fought me all the way. It wasn't meant to be like that! Regards, Mark

I enjoy your videos. When I work in an automotive machine shop as a part time job I learned that stainless steel doesn't like to drill, grind \' or in anyway machine unless you are aggressive. Too light a cut will get you.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Yes, I learned that lesson the hard way. I got lulled into a false sense of security after drilling small diameter holes through the part with normal HSS twist drills. Those little end mills got a much lighter touch and it killed them. Regards, Mark

Great work Preso! Stainless is an absolute PITA to work with, gotta just plunge hard and fast. It goes against almost all your machinery handbook intuition but ya gotta. Proud of you for not selling out on YT yet to those corpos! 👏

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Thanks. Sometimes I think I should just sell out and get sweet, free stuff, but you lose your independence that way. I realise now that I was being way more tentative with the feeds on those little end mills and I paid the price. Literally! I have ordered some new tooling and I have learned from the experience. It's an "old dogs, new tricks" situation! Regards, Mark

Watch Joe Pie's latest video of the use of a T-Style Tap Handle on a part. The run out was quite excessive. Great work. Love you videos.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I did watch that video and I agree but a lot of my taps don't have male or female centres so there is no way to centre them directly. One day I will go through my boxes and grind male centres on all of them using the D bit grinder. Regards, Mark

Mark, I'm surprised that you didn't "blur" the two butterflies! LOL! ;) As far as materials work hardening, all I remember from work is that in some materials like titanium, your cutter must continually cut (and make a "decent" chip to carry away the heat) or the part work hardens. I designed a cutter (HSS, I think) that our "Field Crew Machinists" used on a Ti section of the superstructure in the tail section of F-18s. Since they had to do the work on the actual aircraft and not in their portion of the Machine Shop, they had to use hand-held drill motors and did have some problems with the Ti work hardening. I also have half a memory of SS work hardening the same way, but I don't recall whether *all* SS work hardens like that, or just certain ones. However, if I had to bet on it, I'd say that they *all* work harden like you ran into. And, I wonder what your old dental burr is made of? Obviously it is high quality material!

@Preso58

Ай бұрын

Bob, yes, I think there was some sort of mating ritual going on with those butterflies. I certainly learned what not to do with those stainless parts. Trying to drill with a 1.6mm end mill in a Bridgeport doesn't exactly give a lot of feedback and I was terrified of breaking off the end mill but the end result was the same. I do have a little George Thomas sensitive drilling machine which I will use now that I have the hole started for the oil passageway. I bought some solid carbide micro drills and I am confident I can continue the hole with them. For the 2mm hole, I used a diamond burr just to cut through the hardened layer and then continued it with the dental burr. It cut surprisingly well despite it having such a slender "neck". I am always impressed with the types of field service that can be carried out on aircraft. Drilling titanium in situ must be a bit nerve wracking given the astronomical cost of military aircraft. I have a friend who used to do metal plating on F111's and it was all done with plating wands and electro solutions on the aircraft. Typically, they would touch up damage on landing gear to repair stone chips and abrasion. Evidently, even the tiniest flecks of corrosion damage could lead to an entire landing gear strut being scrapped. Regards, Mark

Hey Preso. Thanks for another great video. I particularly appreciate your commentary - no ums, ers, "kinda like"s or saying the same thing three times. Rare, sadly. Also, hats off for your stance on advertising masquerading as content. Keep it up. Geoff in France

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for that. Don't be fooled though. Talking to a camera is hard. For some reason, trying to keep your hands in the shot somehow disconnects that part of my brain that keeps the dialogue fluent. I will sometimes have to do the same shot four or five times before I am satisfied that I have said what I wanted to say and that it is halfway coherent. Regards, Mark

Couple scary moments averted 👍. I guess the prints are not too bad especially if it’s a very complicated and complex part. Would you believe it, we had some days of warmth, and boom back to winter. It was snowing yesterday and today here in Colorado. We are close to the Rocky Mountains, so the winters are long. Gotta move lol

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I thought long and hard about machining the eccentric strap and rod from solid steel. On paper it looks simple but practically it's a nightmare. The main obstacle was the oval section rod. Also, there were some sharp internal corners that would be very difficult to machine using end mills and the like. The main attraction of having the parts 3D printed was being able to print in the internal passageway for the oil reservoir and the connecting drain but I was defeated by the limitations of the 3D printing process. Still, it was a useful learning experience. More heavy rain today.... sigh!

Great video. I have read in Swedish Machinists books, Hydrochloric Acid is not very good for pickling steel or iron. Dilute Sulfuric Acid is said to be much better, for it is said to wash off better and more easily neutralized, avoiding later problems with corrosion. No Steel-Work uses Hydrochloric Acid for pickling. They say it tends to leave corrosive pits into the material, wich can not easily be removed chemically.

@Preso58

Ай бұрын

The flux I used was zinc chloride which we always called "killed spirits". However the initial pickling was done in dilute hydrochloric. I think the idea is to etch the surface so that it increases the surface area for the babbit to alloy properly. Sulphuric acid is very hard to get nowadays. I used to be able to buy it in auto accessory stores for topping up batteries but the last time I tried that source I was told it was now a controlled substance! Regards, Mark

That is amazing technology, those 3d printed parts are great. Yes you need to be careful with stainless work hardening. Quinn has mentioned that a few time in her videos. She says "get in and get out, don't let it stop cutting and start rubbing". I think you did the right thing with the dentist burs. HHS could have broken off, then you have more material that you need to try and clear out.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I was given a box full of stainless steel pins. They are about 20mm diameter and about 50mm long and it is wonderful stuff to machine. It must be one of the "nice" grades of stainless. I wasn't prepared for how easily that 316 work hardened and I sort of knew that you needed to keep a positive feed and not let the tool rub but those tiny end mills are so easily broken and I didn't have any spares. Regards, Mark

@30:50 Anyone else remember the signs we used to see in the back windows of cars? "Running in - please pass."

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Ah yes, I am old enough to recall seeing that! Regards, Mark

I feel like you've given enough info to deal with a babbitt... Realllllly good episode.

Gday Preso, the look of the printed parts look fantastic and I honestly thought the price would of been a lot higher, great job mate

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Thanks Matty. JLC3DP do offer a $10 first time voucher and for small parts it's not too pricey. I think as the parts get larger in volume the price would probably ramp up significantly. Regards, Mark

Love your channel, cheers me up no end 😊

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Glad to help. Regards, Mark

Looking very good! Thanks for the time and skills you give us.

Fascinating. Thanks Preso!

It just gets better and better 🙏

Hello Mark, As always enjoyable viewing, thank you. See you on the next one. Take care. Paul,,

Lovely work, maybe you could have made an eliptical rod with a 4 jaw chuck off centered, would be a bugger to get set up, but doable and then finish with a file to blend it all in. Have you got a miniature railway in your garden Mark?

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I guess it's one of those cost/benefit things. I did consider just using the brass part and then zinc or nickel plating it later to make it look like steel. Some utility steam engines of the type used on farms just had a plain rod used as the eccentric rod and the eye was either welded or threaded on to the rod. At the end of the day I really wanted to see how good the 3D printed part was. Regards, Mark

Very interesting. Thank you.

G'day Preso, The 3D printed SS is very intriguing. the old marbles in my head started thinking of other project uses.. Been there with the SS work hardening, once it starts it snowballs fast 🥴

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

The real power of 3D printing is when you need intricate internal shapes or passageways. Shapeways do print in brass although it's a lost wax process with 3D printed wax patterns. Regards, Mark

Thanks your videos are great

Brilliant-- as usual mate!!!

The engine is coming together and looking good. I had a similar experience with a 3D printed steel part from Shapeways. It's actually a steel/bronze matrix and it was very hard. HSS wouldn't do much more than scratch it before it went dull. Carbide was the only way to get through. I'm glad to see the technology advancing though. It is amazing what you can design and have made now, and relatively inexpensively too.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I have been helping a fellow KZreadr in Texas with a tractor part to be printed in brass. He has ordered one in FDM plastic first to be sure it fits and if it does he will go with the metal part. He has received the quote from Shapeways and it was cheaper than him having to get set up with a home foundry. I think it is the way of the future. Regards, Mark

This is where you need a small EDM sink machine, a nice project as well..

@Preso58

Ай бұрын

I'd love to have a bench sized EDM but then, there are so many desirable machines and only so much space. If we ever downsize to just one car.....!? Regards, Mark

I think PCB way does 3D printing in titanium if the stainless doesn't work out. 😊 Large steam engines had various tricks to lessen the friction on the slide valves. Thanks for the video!

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I had planned to show some of the balanced slide valves that were designed for higher pressure engines but the video was getting a bit long. Once centre admission piston valves were adopted the really high performance locomotives could use steam up to 200psi. I have a book called Audells Engineers and Mechanics Guide which is a treasure trove of diagrams and data and it must have been used as a text book because at the end of each chapter there is a series of questions and answers on each topic. Regards, Mark

Amazing thanks :)

And 24:19 ,looks like he is in some real trouble. About to catch a shank!

@Preso58

Ай бұрын

A real look of alarm! Regards, Mark

I think you live in a paradise !

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Thanks. We are very fortunate to be living adjacent to a National Park and my wife has been working hard to provide habitat for the birds mammals and reptiles. It means planting a LOT of trees and shrubs but it is starting to pay off. Regards, Mark

Hey Mark, have to just say how much I enjoy your channel. I think that might be because as a retired teacher, you can 'chalk & talk' with the best youtubers I watch. Just wanted to know, if at the time period of this engine, whether progenitor ball bearings available, or whether that occurred much later, or was unable to cope with the heat and pressure? Anyway, LOVE your channel, even though I only use Fusion360 and a Prusa printer in my adventures :)

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I love my Prusa printer. It's one of the very few machines that I have purchased that just worked straight out of the box and it keeps on giving! I also use Fusion360 but I just downloaded the latest version of Autodesk Inventor and it has the CAM component integrated now. Although I can use both, I still prefer Inventor. I must say I had never heard of progenitor bearings and after googling it I am still none the wiser. Most engines from the Victorian era up until the end of steam used plain bearings although a lot of powerful steam locomotives from the early 20th Century had started to use ball and needle roller bearings. Thanks for the positive feedback. Regards, Mark

I think your drilling operations that killed the bits were too tentative. It might seem counter intuitive, but increase your feed rate to prevent the material work hardening. This project looks lovely Mark.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I realised that after the damage was done. The normal twist drills went through fine but I was being cautious with the 1/6" end mill because it was starting on the edge of an inclined hole and I was scared of deflecting it. Same with the 2mm carbide end mill. I was feeding in Z with the knee and I should have just treated it like a drill bit and used the quill. Lesson learned the hard way. Regards, Mark

I think they have significant down sides, but did you consider diamond coated bits? You can drill glass with them, if you go really slowly and cool the heck out of them.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I did cut through some of the hardened layer at the bottom of the hole with some diamond burrs. Even the diamond matrix wore off after a while. It must have been enough to get the carbide burr started though. Regards, Mark

Hi Preso, would it (at all) be possible to do a video on printing metal parts? That is if others would also be interested. I also wonder if there are alternatives with regard to the metals that are used. Wonderful videos and thanks for sharing you knowledge and experience.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I have some more parts that I will be showing in a future video. I know that Shapeways make parts in brass but they are made using a lost wax process and I am guessing that they 3D print the wax patterns. I have been helping another KZreadr to replicate some tractor parts using Shapeways as the printing bureau. Exciting times! Regards, Mark

Please show more of the Garden Railroad :)

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Sadly it has been disused for some time now. I am considering building a new locomotive and if we ever have grandchildren it might be bought back into service. Regards, Mark

@g.tucker8682

2 ай бұрын

​@@Preso58 "bought" back into service… Freudian slip?

@jrkorman

2 ай бұрын

I saw that too! Looks as if it's been sometime since any wheels have run on those rails.

Cool video and nice collection of stickers. Do you have your own sticker? I have seen wear in full sized engines that suggest these forces you talk about are real. I never really thought about however. You mentioned “forged” steel. The ones I have seen were mainly cast grey iron.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I do have my own sticker and it has my face on it. I believe it is called a face perfect for radio! A lot of engine parts for 19th century engines were wrought iron which is almost unheard of these days. When I was training at college, one of my instructors showed us a piece of pure iron. He told us it was cut from a very old forging and it was still bright and rust free. Modern steel is so refined that it wants to oxidise back to rust very quickly. Pure iron and wrought iron are way more resistant to rust and oxidation it doesn't have the tensile strength of modern steel. The advantage of forged steel and wrought iron for highly stressed components is that the crystalline structure of the material can be shaped to follow the form of the component. This creates a part with strength characteristics required for things like spanners and long slender parts like pry bars etc. Cast iron is great for heavy, massed components like engine blocks and lathe beds that don't required high tensile strength. Regards, Mark

great vid i can imagine how much that all took ...very interesting on the metal 3D

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

One day we will all have desktop metal 3D printers! And fiber laser engravers too, I hope. Regards, Mark

Thanks Mark very interested in JLCPCB ! also the wild life is always interesting ! What was the black and white ( corvid looking ) bird having a bath ?

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

The bird is a Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen). They are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. They are fiercely territorial and will swoop during nesting season. There is an urban legend that magpies will remember individuals that threaten their nests and will swoop the same person year to year and leave other people alone! Cyclists are targeted a lot and you will often see people with zip ties sticking out of their helmets to ward off the dive bombing birds. Regards, Mark

@Fubar12341

2 ай бұрын

@@Preso58 Thanks Mark

Mark, do you have a demagnitizer for your tooling? Easy enough to make for items less than 1 kilo in mass... advantageous and can be a video for the 'masses' like me! Casting the core will be fun, winding the coils instructive, and the details are divine.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I do have a demagnetiser but it is a passive (non electrical) design that uses rotating neodymium magnets and it can be powered in a drill spindle or lathe. It works great and is really simple to build, and it's safe. kzread.info/dash/bejne/lH-Cy8mGhJPXoZc.html The thing is that they are scalable. You can increase the diameter of the head and add extra magnets for larger items. The little one I made is great for punches, scribers, drill bits and screwdrivers. I have also used it on my calipers. Regards, Mark

YOU HAVE A G GARDEN RAILROAD!! Please show it to us. :0)

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Maybe when I get around to cleaning it up and making another locomotive. My two other locos are now sitting in a glass case. When my children were little I used to run one of the locos for birthday parties and barbecues. Now that they are adults we don't get that opportunity any more. If we ever get grandchildren it might happen again though. Regards, Mark

Interesting that those 3D printed metal parts were so cheap! Enjoyed the video. And I was wondering if you were getting some work hardening from the sounds. Two questions, if you have time to answer them. 1) Do you ever feel like the kangaroos (or wallabies) post any danger? I hear they can be extremely strong. And 2) tell me more about the scale railroad track. 🙂

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

The eastern grey kangaroos that we see are not aggressive. They will take off it we get too close but the big males will stand their ground if they are cornered. They can break a grown man's ribs with a powerful kick from their hind legs. The railway track is pretty much disused now. I built it when my kids were young and I would run my Conway tank locomotive on birthdays and days when we had visitors for barbecues. It is a raised 3 1/2" and 5" gauge track with steel rail in cypress pine sleepers. If we ever have grandchildren I will break out the rolling stock and one of the locos and use it again. Regards, Mark

@MyLilMule

2 ай бұрын

@@Preso58 Maybe Quinn will visit one day with her live steam loco when it is finished! 😉

When you set up to print, did you use a partial fill on these parts? I know the plastic ones are often partially hollow to save filament and print time.

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I have a Prusa Mk3 FDM printer and I usually use the default infill settings in the Prusa Slicer. 20% infill seems to be strong enough for most parts that I make. I have used up to 75% for some jigs and fixtures but it increases the print time exponentially. I did make a little bracket to hold the dead blow hammer on the front of my Bridgeport mill at 90% infill using Prusa filament and it has stood the test of time. Regards, Mark

Hi Mark. Nosey question. How much did they charge to print that part? Great build. Thank you for putting this together for us.

@Preso58

Ай бұрын

I think I paid about AU$30 including shipping. There is a one off new customer voucher (about $10) However the cost is directly related to the volume of metal so although the part can be very complex in form it will still be the same price for a plain block or cylindrical part if it's the same volume. Regards, Mark

@Gauge1LiveSteam

Ай бұрын

@@Preso58 That's not bad. Probably pay more from Stuart for a replacement part.

Nice looking SS printed parts, though the work hardening sure is a drawback. I must be very nice to my dentist!

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

Yes, that material certainly caught me by surprise. I had somehow imagined that it would be soft and porous. How can it transform into something harder than carbide? Regards, Mark

@CothranMike

2 ай бұрын

@@Preso58 one actually two word(s), laser heat. The manufacturing requires the heat but the guys there need to do an annealing cycle, or two, for the customer since most will not have the means. You have done that if I remember correctly and still have the vermiculite for the slow cooling needed. Never mind, I posted before finishing the video... still, start the hole before you line the bore and push on through after HT?

Hi mark. What's a spring pass?

@mrimmortal1579

2 ай бұрын

Any time you make a cut, your tool will deflect ever so slightly away from the part. A spring pass is when you take a second cut without making any adjustments, as a way to very lightly shave a very small amount of material from the part, in order to get a measurement much closer to the expected measurement that you had the machine set for. But don’t call me Mark. 😂

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

It is just a secondary pass with no additional feed. It tends to cancel out any deflection from the tool. Regards, Mark

@JimLahey21

2 ай бұрын

@@Preso58 cheers

@JimLahey21

2 ай бұрын

@@mrimmortal1579 thanks

You earned those bad words

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

It was somewhat embarrassing and humiliating so I guess I was really angry with myself for making such a rookie error. Regards, Mark

@tobhomott

2 ай бұрын

@@Preso58 stuff happens. I think what I really meant to say was that you *deserved* them. Like, given the circumstances you get a pass for that.

Do you got a model train in your garden ???

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I have a 3 1/2" and a 5" gauge track on a raised concrete bed. I haven't used it for years. One day, If we end up with grandchildren I will break out the locomotive and rolling stock from storage. Regards, Mark

I really hate stainless steel. 😢

@Preso58

2 ай бұрын

I am not really a fan either although most stainless I have used for turning stock is of the free machining variety. Regards, Mark