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175 views32 pagesModel Engineer Vol 107 No 2668
The document is an issue of 'The Model Engineer' from July 10, 1952, featuring various articles on model engineering topics, including the construction of a Mark 2 engine and a traction engine. It discusses the importance of controversy in technical discussions and includes practical letters from readers sharing their experiences and techniques. Additionally, it highlights a unique inclined-boiler steamroller and provides insights into model-making techniques and modifications.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
175 views32 pagesModel Engineer Vol 107 No 2668
The document is an issue of 'The Model Engineer' from July 10, 1952, featuring various articles on model engineering topics, including the construction of a Mark 2 engine and a traction engine. It discusses the importance of controversy in technical discussions and includes practical letters from readers sharing their experiences and techniques. Additionally, it highlights a unique inclined-boiler steamroller and provides insights into model-making techniques and modifications.
Uploaded by
Сергей МельничукCopyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
/ 32
Vol. 107 No. 2668 THURSDAY JULY 10 1952 9a.
THE MODEL The MODEL ENGINEER
PERCIVAL MARSHALL & CO. LTD., 23, GREAT QUEEN ST.§LONDON, W.C2
VOTH JULY 1952
‘Smoke Rings oS 35
The Warrior” Mark 2 Engine... 37
The Allchin “M.E.” Traction Engine to
If-in, Seale... ne 39
The Steam Calliope... «. «sD
An Automatic Door Switch . 4
A Simple Photographic Rangefinder .. 46
‘A Model Steam Plant for a Coal-fired
Steamer. =
VOL. 107 NO. 2668
A. Mandrel-locking Device for the
Myford M.L.7 Lathe... 52
The Canterbury Lamb” in34-in.Gauge 35
Making Small Foundry Patterns re)
A Working Model Steanr-hammer —.. 3
Practical Letters... evs 4
Club Announcements... ss 6
“ME” Diary .. 66
SMOKE
Our Cover Picture
@ | sHoWs a model of the original steam hammer
invented by James Nasmyth about 1839 and
patented in 1842.
‘The valve gear for regulating the number and
strength of blows is arranged for working auto-
matically, The slide valve of the hammer is
connected with a small overhead steam cylinder,
which always acts in such a way as to allow steam
to enter below the hammer piston and so keep
the tup “up” ;_ but a tappet on the tup, when
a certain height has been reached, strikes a lever
which reverses the slide valve and so lets the
hammer fall!
‘A copy of the original sketch by James Nasmyth,
of his first conceptions of the steam hammer is
exhibited in the Science Museum at South
Kensington.
‘As a matter of interest, and for the purpose of
comparison, readers should turn to other pages
in this issue for an illustrated, description by
our contributor, “Northerner,” of a model
‘Massey. self-acting steam hammer that was on
show recently at an exhibition in Manchester.
Crown Copyright. From an exhibit in the
Science Museum, South Kensington.
These Controversies !
© one oF our overseas readers, in a long and
interesting letter, expresses the opinion that our
“Practical Letters ” columns contain too much
unnecessary and undesirable controversy. He
Suggests that most of the controversial topics
Which are debated at length in these columns,
RINGS
could be settled by an “ authoritative statement ”
on the subject by the Editor. We do not think the
majority of our readers would entirely agree
with this opinion. The “Practical Letters”
are among the most popular and time-honoured
features of THE Monet ENcINeER ; they have
always been regarded as a forum for the exchange
of views on technical topics, and have been a
means of bringing to light many interesting facts
and ideas which might otherwise have remained
in obscurity. Few of the subjects debated could
have been settled by dogma or undisputed fact ;
our personal experience of “ authoritative state~
ments ” has led us to view them with suspicion,
and we imagine many readers share our views.
Occasionally we may find it necessary to use
editorial authority to terminate a discussion which
hhas ceased to be productive, or promises to become
interminable ; sometimes the blue pencil must
be wielded to excise passages which encroach
‘on the borders of good taste, or may be taken as
personal innuendo, Controversy is a good and
healthy sign that readers are sitting up and taking
notice of the contents of the journal, and so long
as it is kept to the subject, is to be encouraged.
Space does not permit of publishing more than
a fraction of the interesting letters we receive,
but so far as possible, all readers who. have ahy-
thing useful to say are given a hearing. Inciden-
tally, these letters also provide an opportunity
for us to demonstrate that “the customer is
always right in other words, that the opinions
of our readers are valued, and are given due
consideration in shaping ‘the editorial policy
of this journal. THE MODEL ENGINEER
An Inclined-boiler Steamroller
© THe REPRODUCED photograph was taken by
‘Mr. J. Bryant, of Alperton, as recently as last
‘March, It shows a small road roller which was
working in the Harrow Road, at the junction
of the North Circular Road, Stonebridge. The
peculiar feature is the steeply inclined boiler,
the reason for which was, not to keep a safe
water-level when descending a steep hill, but to
keep the total length of the whole machine as
short as possible,
Wallis & Stevens Ltd., of Basingstoke, were,
we believe, the only manufacturers who built
this type of roller. The one seen in Mr. Bryant’s
Photograph belongs to Parr-Head & Clements
Knowling Ltd., of Ealing, and is thought to be
the only one of its type now at work.
An Instantaneous Recollection
@ A READER in Devon, signing himself
“C.W.N.”, has sent us the following story :—
Te was Sunday afternoon, After some years
of wark, started by discovering (after picking up
some copies of THs Mopet ENGINEER), that an
ordinary chap could, with an ordinary file and
an ordinary hacksaw, not merely shape, but cut
such immutable looking stuff as steel and bronze,
and following, by reading “ L.B.S.C.” word by
word, a completed locomotive chassis stood on
the friend’s garage bench ready for testing on
his air compressor.
36
BLY 10, 1952
The never to be forgotten moment when the
air was turned on and the wheels spun round was
disturbed by the stranger, whose line of approach
twas aeross the airline looped from the steamchest
to the far wall, dashing across to see the fun.
‘My hand grabbed the line close to the steam-
ae
chest, but the expected vicious jerk did not come.
On looking round, the friend was seen to have
jumped on to the spot where the line touched
the floor between the stranger and the engine.
“It’s a funny thing,” I said as the stranger
picked himself up, ““as that chap moved, I
suddenly thought of a story I read in THz MopEL
ENGINEER"
“Yes,” said the friend, “the one about the
locomotive wrecked on a concrete floor by a
dog running into the air line. I thought of it,
to0, that’s why I jumped on this one.”
It is hardly necessary to add thanks to the
gentleman who took the trouble to send that
story to THE MopEL ENGINEER, or to the Editor
for printing it.
To Prospective Correspondents
@ _ WE OFTEN receive letters from readers asking
us to supply the addresses of contributors and,
just as often, we have to reply that, as a matter
of form, we are unable to give such information.
What we can do, however, is to forward any
leters addressed ‘to contributors care of this
ice. The “ Warrior”
: by W.
"T is with a certain amount of pleasure and
satisfaction that I submit two photographs
of the Warrior MK.2 engine which I’ have
recently completed.
When I saw the advertisement of the Imperio
Co. for sets of castings, I remembered that I had
an article describing the building of this same
engine written by Mr. Westbury, and, therefore,
lost no time in obtaining a set, knowing that I
couldn’t go far wrong with so much technical
advice ‘at hand. :
Readers who know the engine will notice that
I have made one or two alterations from the
original plan, although the design in itself has
not been altered.
‘The slotted driving dog is flanged and bolted
to the fiywheel with six steel studs and nuts.
The flywhcel has, therefore, not been drilled
and tapped in order to fasten it to the crankshaft.
Only one grub-screw in the driving dog is used,
and the surface of the flywheel is not spoilt by
an untidy hole.
Mark 2 Engine
Cullum
‘The oil box lubricating the trunk guides and
cranks has been reduced, and two smaller ones
have been made one at each side of the engine.
This little alteration saved the bending of the
feed pipes from one side of the engine to the other,
and also gave the cylinders a better appearance
from the exhaust side.
It may be noticed that both steam and exhaust
pipes are changed over, I reversed the order of
these because the steam connection from the
boiler was situated at that side, and I wanted to
keep the steam pipe as short as possible.
‘The two exhaust pipes were soldered into a
small brass plate, and pressed into the fiting
shown on the photograph. The inside of this
fitting is taper bored, and joins up with a single
pipe which leads to the uptake of the boiler.
The pump is made from a drawing by our
friend “L.B.S.C.” and was completed many
weeks before the engine was begun. This,
by the way, gave me a little trouble because I
found that it was impossible to mount it on the
37 THE MODEL ENGINEER
engine bed supplied with the castings.
‘This was a disappointment because I had spent
many hours fettling and surfacing the casting.
Not to be defeated I made another bed out of @
piece of flat brass 6 in, x 3 in. x 4 in. and even
then I had to bolt on an extra piece to accom-
modate the pump itself.
‘The pump I made from the solid, using {-in.
brass rod for the barrel and ¥ in. for the valve
box. I first drilled a ¥,-in. hole through the
#,in. diameter round rod and turned up a piece
of j-in, rod for a tight fit, after that I followed
instructions as specified’ for the locomotive
Juliet, and believe me it was worth making.
‘With ‘the engine running, this pump shoots
water out like a fire engine
‘The gearing is “ Meccano,” both wheels being
rebossed to take the different sizes of shafts. These
bosses were first soldered into position and pinned
with-in, steel pins; the large wheel is two
wheels joined together, soft-soldered and pinned
with four yp-in. steel pins.
For the steam cocks on, the cylinders I have
substituted relief-valves. These are similar in
‘construction to safety-valves, with the exception
of the ball-valve which is pressed to the seating
by the milled wheel at the top.
‘The wheel spindle is hollow and sleeves over
a small plunger with a ball cup turned at the
bottom, and between the cup and the bottom
of the wheel spindle a small spring is fitted.
38 :
JULY 10, 1952
I find these fittings most reliable and steam-
tight when the valves are closed, and when open
the water escapes through two holes bored at
cach side.
‘They have another use which is most helpful
to beginners like myself. In theory, and even
in practice the slide-vaive should be pressed
against the port face when steam enters the steam~
chest; I have found by experience that if there
is a little tolerance between the valve nut, and
the bottom of the slot, the steam pressure will
cant the valve, and allow the steam to pass
through to the exhaust.
It does happen, of course, that an accumulation
of steam in the’ steamchest will find the large
surface of the valve and clap it to the port facc—
but not always.
‘To test the slide valves when the engine is
cold, I take out the milled wheel spindle and
leave the plunger, spring, and ball in place. If
the engine is turned slowly, these small fittings
will be lifted, but if it is turned quickly and the
slide valve is working properly, these fittings will
shoot out altogether.
T suppose air escaping from the ordinary cocks
might give the same result, but I feel sure it
could not be so positive. “Further expressing
this point, I would say, that if there is a possibility
of the slide-valve canting in the way suggested,
the engine will not work under steam, and further-
(Continued on page 41) *The Allchin “M.E.” Traction Engine
to 1h
Seale
by W. J. Hughes
AVING drilled all the holes in the horn-
plates, and filed the bearing slots and holes
Out, the plates may be separated. The screws
and nuts having been removed, the heads of the
rivets are filed off, and the rivets punched out.
‘The holes marked ““R” on the drawing of
the right-hand hornplate may now be set out
and drilled, First, there are two holes for the
draincock brackets, which are drilled No. 51
‘Three holes for the tool-tray are drilled No. 50.
A single hole—No. 4o—is drilled for the upper
rear comer of the thitd shaft bracket, and near
it is another No. 40 hole for one of the bolts
which holds the tender in place. A No. 51 hole
is tapped 8 B.A. for the damper-rod ‘bracket,
and finally two holes are drilled No. 55 and tapped
10-B.A. for the gear-case brackets. :
‘The ‘spectacle-plate is cut from 14-g. mild-
Photograph No. 9. The spectacle plate and front plate before fitting the angles
and tapped 8 B.A. Then near the front are two
holes for the footboard bracket, which are drilled
‘No. 48 and tapped 7 B.A. Behind the hole for
the third shaft bracket are three No. 40 holes
for the pump platform, which is an extension
of the bracket itself,
‘Two holes near the top edge at the rear are
drilled No. 50 to clear the 10-B.A. screws which
will hold the lubricator and gear-guard in place.
Incidentally, T omitted to mark these “R” on
the drawing, and must apologise for the omission.
If anyone has drilled them through the left-
hand plate as well, they may be countersunk
slightly on both sides, and plugged with a scrap
of iron. wire lightly riveted over at each side.
When filed off flush, they will never be noticed,
especially after painting.
Finally, there are two g-in. holes for the in-
jector feed and the blowdown cock respectively.
(On the left-hand hornplate there are ten holes
marked “L,” but two of them, which hold the
bracket for the steerage shaft, are not drilled at
this stage.
*Continued from page 762, Vel. 106, June 12
1982,
steel, and should be as flat as possible before
filing to size, 349 in. >: 2} in.
When the plate has been’ squared up, it is
casier to set out the various holes before rounding
the comers and hollowing the bottom edge to
clear the boiler ; but I do not think this needs
detailing, as it is quite straightforward. However,
the outlines of the three slots should be lightly
centre-popped at intervals, as already described
for the outlines of the hornplates.
‘The two round-ended slots for the connecting
rod and eccentric-rods may be drilled out. In
the centre of the centre-line of the slot, and
in. from each end of it, drill {-in. holes, taking
Care to get them accurately centred. Enlarge
them to 4 in, diameter, and then to 2'in. Now
change the drill to } in., and enlarge the two end-
holes first, following With the centre-hole, which
will break into the other two. However—and
is important |—if the pilot-holes are nor truly
centred, the J-in. holes would run over the line,
and it will be necessary to use finally a drill
smaller than } in,, finishing to the line with a
round file. The slots may then be finished by
filing.
For the rectangular slot, through which the
39 eee ere eee eee eee eee EE
THE MODEL ENGINEER
governor-belt passes, first of all mark centres
in, inside each corner, and drill }-in, holes
ere, which will give the correctly rounded
comers to the slot. Two side-by-side } in.
diameter holes will then remove the bulk of the
waste, but again drill the successive } in, ¢ in.,
and j{-in, pilot-holes first. Finish by filing to
the lines.
‘The holes for the rivets should be drilled
JULY 10, 1952
rather long—say, 3-in. or so—for easier holding.
Ie can be bent cold, but you may find it casi
bend it red-hot. Tn either case, the material is
placed on a suitable mandril, and most of the
hammer blows—not too hard, please !—will be
required on the edge of the vertical web.
Alternatively, the angle may be turned to
shape from the solid. Clamp securely a piece
of f-in, x {-in. or J-in, steel to the faceplate,
REINFORCING ANGLE
JIG-DRILL from H'PLATE
DRILL _N240 for 342! SCREWS
Ste x ‘ie
Setting out of the spectacle plate and angles
3/32 in. diameter, and that for the crutch for the
Fegulator-rod No. 50.
‘To hollow the bottom. edge of the plate, the
waste may be removed with a fret-saw or tension
file, or by drilling a row of holes. Personally,
I merely used a large and coarse half-round file
(and some energy), and the job was done in a
few minutes. Rounding the upper corners is a
simple filing job, too.
The Angles
‘The angles which are riveted to the hornplate
are jp-in. X_ gp-in, stee/—not brass |—and if
this size is not available, it will have to be milled
from larger angle or from the solid bar. Different
methods were described in the Allchin article
on April 17th, 1952, you will recall, While you
are at it, five pieces will be needed, including the
curved bottom piece and those for the front plate,
‘The piece to be curved had better be cut
0 :
with its lower edge 1 17/32 in. from the centre.
The piece will need to be 2} in, to 3 in, long,
and of course, the clamps must be so positioned
that they clear the tool. A packing-piece will
be needed between the work and the faceplate,
The inside curve of the angle may then be turned
with a boring tool, and the outside with a parting-
tool, using light cuts and plenty of lubricant.
Another alternative would be to bend a piece
of the larger angle to approximate shape, and to
tum that down. But it would have to be bent
at red heat !
The Front Plate
The front plate, curiously enough, is that which
comes nearest to the back of the traction-engine,
but the explanation is simple enough. The
name dates back to the days of the portable engine
(from which the traction-engine was developed).
Quite naturally the part facing the driver was THE MODEL ENGINEER
the front ; that part of the boiler which most
model engineers call the backhead is, to most old
engine-men, the firebox front. And so, in the
traction-engine, the plate which faces him becomes
the front plate.’ Similarly, the front cover of the
cylinder is that which faces the driver, and not
that which faces which way the engine travels !
1
- 36
1I6-0ntee
im N2 PLATE
fen
JULY 10, 1952
wrong! They should be on the inside of the
plates; that is, if you put the plates face up on
the bench as drawn, the angles go on the side
underneath,
It will be easier to fit the curved angle before
fitting the others, Clamp it in place with a
couple of tool-maker’s clamps, making sure that
JIG-DRIbL trom
HORN PLATE
6] f
e
x
1
|
H
a
Setting out of the front plate
After flattening the plate, set it out and file
to size, but do not round the upper corners until
all the holes have been set out and drilled.
‘This ration need not be detailed here, but
do note that where the angle fits at the left-hand
side, the central hole is not drilled 3/32 in.
diameter to take a rivet, but No. so to clear
to B.A. This is because the tool-tray is bolted
on here.
‘The two holes for the number-plate (engine-
number, not registration number!) should be
left at this stage, as castings for this are not yet
available, The ? in. diameter circle shown in
chain-line is where the pressure-gauge fits, and
if you possess one of this diameter you can cut it
away by the “ring-of-holes” method, making
the finished hole a nice push fit for the gauge.
Riveting the Angles
‘The angles may now be riveted to the plates,
using 3/32-in. iron round-headed rivets, and
making sure that you get them on the correct
side of the plates—it’s easy enough to get them
the edge is level with the curved edge of the
plate, and that it is central. Drill the middle
hole, insert the rivet, and rivet it over. Check
again to see that the angle hasn’t moved—it
shouldn’t have, but it is as well to check every-
thing !—and drill the next two holes. After
inserting and heading these rivets, remove the
clamps, and drill and rivet the twolouter positions.
‘The straight angles are fitted similarly, of
course, but here, besides watching that the angle
is flush with the edge of the plate, take care that
its upper end is exactly § in. from the top of the
plate. A simple precaution, but it will render
the task of assembly appreciably easier, when we
fit the spectacle- and front-plates to the horn-
plates.
‘Which reminds me to warn you not to do that
at this stage ; there is a strong temptation to do
so, but it should be resisted manfully, It will
be much easier when we have machined up the
bearing-brackets and the third and fourth
shafts, and the bearings will be the next operation.
(To be continued)
The “ Warrior” Mark 2 Engine
(Continued from page 38)
more the fittings mentioned above will not move
when the engine is cold.
‘My advice to anyone who would like to make
this engine is:—Don’t let the 2-throw crankshaft
deter you. To make this out of a bar of steel
6} in. x r4in, is quite an experience; and not so
difficult as all that. As a matter of fact, I found
the lining up of the engine on the bedplate the
most difficult, But even this job gives real
pleasure, because you realise you are making
something worth while, and the Virtue of patience
is yours because of it.’ Mark everything as it is
completed, not with a pencil or a piece of chalk,
paint it on, such as No. Column, No. 1 Cylinder,
No. 1 Cover and so on. It takes a little time
to complete this engine—I was at it 4} months,
In conclusion, I wish to thank Mr. Westbury
for his splendid articles published in ‘THE MobEL
ENGINEER, “Utility Steam Engines,” which has
been a great help to me, and I might say a
blessing to all steam fans, " Also, to Mr. Gansell
of the Imperio Co, who supplied the castings,
and for his friendly advice during the construction
of the engine.
4a THE STEAM
CALLIOPE
by I. Treadway (Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.A.)
[xige ofthe interest which has been expressed
lately on the subject of steam organs, and as
a follow-up of my letter which appeared in the
June 12th issue, the following information
regarding the steam calliope, which I have seen
recently at a circus, may be of interest to many
readers.
the extreme rear is a step for the fireman, next
a coal bunker, then the boiler followed by the
pipes. In front of the pipes is the console and
lastly the water tank on which the organist sits.
‘The sketch will show this layout, I would estimate
the coal bunker held 300 1b, and the water tank
about 200 U.S. gallons.
A side view of the travelling calliope
First, a brief history. ‘The opctator of this
device said it was built circa 1900 by ‘Tangley,
of Buffalo, N.Y. However, the console bears a
nameplate’ giving the maker as the Thos. J.
Nichol Co., of Grand Rapids, Mich, It may be
that Tangley built the wagon and installed the
Nichol calliope in it, but I’m not up enough on
circus equipment to know if this really might
be the case, Tt was originally owned by P. T.
Barnum. Since then it has been with several
shows including Gentry & Cole Bros, and just
this year was resurrected by King Bros. &
Christiani for use in their show.
‘The unit was originally mounted in a conven=
tional horse-drawn circus wagon but has now
been fitted with a truck rear axle and pneumatic,
tyres, the front end being hooked to a tractor
unit to make a semi-trailer of the rig. It was,
interesting to see the original hand brake wheel
still in one place, however, ‘The sides show the
usual carvings of clown heads, lion heads and
scroll work typical of a circus wagon, although
the gilt work is badly dulled and did’ not show
so well as it might,
Briefly, the wagon is laid out as follows at
a2
The boiler is a vertical fire-tube pattern about
241n. diameter. Material is steel. ‘The-engineer
on the job thought it had 22 tubes. Inside dia-
meter of the firebox is about 18 in. and is fitted
with shaking grates. Boiler fittings consist of a
water glass (no water column), two try-cocks,
injector, pressure gauge, and safety-valve. Neither
a blow down nor blower were seen but they may
be present. Boiler is lagged with asbestos, and
soft coal is used for fuel.
‘The safety-valve blows off at 110 Ib. and the
playing range varies from 60 Ib. to gob. Best
operating pressure is 80 Ib. the keys being hard
to depress at 90 Ib. and over. Below 4o Ib. the
injector does not pick up, and if the water is low
and the pressure down, it is necessary to drop
the fire. There is no auxiliary boiler feed device,
apparently. I could get no definite answer on
steam consumption but the operator assured me
it would play for quite a while before the pressure
dropped too far.
‘The calliope ‘section of this unit is most
interesting. It consists of 32 pipes which are
actually chime whistles. Each of these pipes
is arranged on a common V-shaped manifold. THE MODEL ENGINEER
JULY 10, 195
The valves controlling the
pipes I could not get data
on, but they may be similar
to ‘the usual whistle valve
with which Tam not.at all
familiar. The tonal range
covers roughly 2} octaves
from C-C-C-G. The con-
sole Keys appear tobe
made of solid brass and
are connected to the pipe
valves through linkage and
wires. See sketch of how
this is arranged.
A shut-off valve controls
the steam to the manifold
Rough plan sketch7of the steam calliope and is, located just to
wave
‘STEM
eal |
oa
BELL CRANK 7
5
ea]
valve T=
maniroug
Plan and ‘elevation, showing
the‘vae operon
i
———
4wor 7
waLve wRE pwor
Linkage in the console
(elevation)
the operator's right of the
console. Each pipe, of course, carries its own
valve, this valve being actuated by the valve
wire ‘from the console, A bell crank at the
valve transfers the motion to depress the valve
stem and thus sound that particular pipe,
There are numerous points of adjustment
throughout the console and valve linkage and
each pipe has a tuning-rod extending through its,
top for pitch adjustment.
Tt is rather difficult 0 describe the tone of
this calliope. I did not hear it close to, but
others tell me it is very shrill. I did hear it from
(Continued on page 45)
The fireman's end of the calliope
423 AN AUTOMATIC
DOOR SWITCH
by “ Artificer””
‘OST readers
VE are familiar
with the type of
switch designed to
operate by the
opening or closing
of a door; such
devices have been
used extensively
for various pur-
poses, including
the “control of
lights and burglar
alarms, but ready-
made fittings of
this nature do not
seem to be readily
available. I re~
cently ‘built a
domestic refriger-
ator from compo-
nents supplied by
Messrs. Braid
Bros., and wished to equip it with the usual
interior light to switch on when the door is
opened. ‘They offered to obtain for me a very
neat fitting of Continental manufacture, incor-
porating an Edison screw lampholder and a cut-
out switch, but in view of the possible difficulty
of obtaining lamps to suit this fitting, I decided
to construct a somewhat similar device incor-
porating the British standard bayonet holder.
‘This is arranged for fixing inside the roof of
the cabinet, in such a position that the plunger
is slightly displaced by the door at the instant it
BAKELI
conracr saps
The complete switch, with lampholder attached
STANOARD BATTEN L AMPHOLDER:
lowzs
FIXING BRACKET
side of the plate by
two 4-B.A. screws,
and” a” hole is
drilled in the plate
for the supply
Ieads to pass
through.
The contact
strips, attached
inside the recess,
are made from
brass shim stock,
9.075 in. thick by
Yin. wide, hard-
ened by burnish-
ing, and_ rolled
into a qin, eye
at one end by
bending round a
thin wire with
pliers. The 6-
B.A. screws which
fix the strips
should not pass right through the bakelite,
as “live” conductors on exposed surfaces
must be avoided. ‘The reason why the strips
are disposed at an angle of 45 deg. across
the diameter of the recess, as shown, is in order to
avoid any risk of proximity to other metal parts in
the lampholder or its fixing screws ; note that in
the sectional view these strips are shown in the ver-
tical position to illustrate the method of fixing.
‘The plunger barrel is turned from hexagonal
brass bar ; as an alternative to screwing in, it
could be furnished with a flange and fixed with
“ah
UTE PLUNGER
BRASS HEAD
General arrangement of switch
is completely closed. ‘The main component is
made from a piece of laminated bakelite: board
Hin. thick, which is recessed on one side, and
drilled and tapped through the centre to take the
plunger barrel. ‘This could be made of hardwood
with fairly satisfactory results, but the insulating
properties of such material might be doubtful
in a humid atmosphere. A standard bakelite
batten lampholder is attached to the recessed
44
screws. In either case, the screwed end of locating
spigot should be shorter than the thickness of
the insulating material at this point. The plunger
is turned from bakelite, and drilled and tapped
6 B.A. at the end to fix the conical brass head,
which may either be drilled to take a screw, oF
made with an integral screwed end. A fairly
strong spring should be fitted to the plunger,
to ensure a firm contact when the switch is on. THE MODEL ENGINEER
|
JULY 10, 1952
Lampholder detached to show switch contacts
Only about jin. movement of the plunger is
necessary to ‘break contact, and owing to the
elasticity of the rolled ends of the strips, there is
a slight wiping action which ensures that contact
4s not impaired by dirt or tarnish.
It is important that there must be no risk of
the plunger coming in contact with the terminals
of the lampholder when pushed in. Most holders
of this type have a partition of insulating material
between the terminals, which prevents this, but
if not, it would be quite easy to fit a fibre or paxo-
lin disc between the base of the holder and the
mounting plate. Some adjustment of the phinger
movement may be provided by slotting the holes
in the bracket which secures the fitting to the roof
or wall of the cabinet ; or if desired, an adjustable
“tappet ” may be fitted to the end of the plunger.
In some cases it may be desirable to make the
‘Switch entirely separate from the lampholder,
so that the latter can be fitted elsewhere than
near the door.
‘Wiring is very simple ; one of the supply leads
is taken to one of the strips, and the other to one
lampholder terminal, a short piece of insulated
wire inside the recess being used to connect the
other strip with the second lampholder terminal.
When fitting the switch, it may not be easy to
ensure that the break actually does take place
when the door closes ; this could be verified by
breaking one of the external Icads and tapping in
a continuity meter, but a simpler method, if a
radio set is available in the near vicinity, is to
listen for the slight “click” which denotes the
breaking of the contacts,
While this is quite a trifling little gadget, for
which no originality is claimed, it has proved
entirely satisfactory in use, and is offered in the
hope that it may be useful to other readers. Its
use, of course, is not by any means confined 10
refrigerator cabinets ; it may equally well be
applied to larders of store cupboards in dark
places where, ifa light is fitted, one may waste time
fumbling for the switch, or alternatively, waste
current by forgetting to turn it off. By a slight
modification of the contacts, they may be arranged
to work in reverse, so as to switch the light on
‘as the door is closed ; as, for instance, in a lift
or telephone box.
THE STEAM CALLIOPE
(Continued from page 43)
half a mile away and at that distance the tone
sounds quite pure and a little mournful, It
lacks the “dryness” of tone of an air calliope.
Once heard, this sound is not easily forgotten,
‘This has been a rather sketchy description of
this machine and it is hoped that other subscrib-
ers in this country (U.S.A.) can intercept this
circus in its travels and pick up some of the
details I have missed. In any case this will answer
your reader’s query to the effect that there is at
Jeast one steam organ still extant and in operating
conditicn.
45 *A Simple Photographic Rangefinder
by R. F. Stock
THE layout of the mechanism as designed for
one of my own cameras is shown in Fig. 7 ;
the tip of the dural lever is provided with a small
steel ball to minimise wear, and the spiral compres
sion spring eliminates backlash throughout the
system. Mx, cut with a wheel cutter and ground
smooth on its edges on an oilstone, measures { in.
% qin, and is } in. thick.
to blend with the camera profile. Fig. 7 is a
cross section through the casing on the centre~
ine of the apertures ; “it will be seen that the
cover steps down to a lower plane on the rightand
this is merely to enclose some other mechanism
unconnected with the rangefinder.
‘The secondary and viewing apertures are closed
by thin squares of plane glass (cut from cover
Fig.
‘The support for Ma is fabricated from hard
brass sheet, and the shape is shown in Figs. 6
and 7. It consists of an open supporting frame
soldered to a baseplate, and the aperture in it is
large enough to be just outside the limits of the
field of view—for which purpose the opening is
filed through diagonally as shown by the dotted
line in Fig. 7.
‘The small mirror is made quite simply by
removing the silvering from the back of a larger
piece of mirror except over the central elliptical
portion (shown black in Fig. 6). A sharp razor-
dlade held obliquely to the surface was used to
scrape away backing and silver, and the actual
mirror-spot left was finally trimmed to size by
trial and error as described later.
‘The mirror is retained against the open frame
by two bronze springs as mentioned for Mr and
is not adjustable. The angle (not quite 45°)
was found by experiment and the holding down
bolts tightened after final adjustment.
Case
‘The casing over the mechanism is made as
a separate unit in order to prevent an accidental
knock upsetting the mirror adjustments. It is
made from thin sheet brass, of a suitable shape
*Continued from page |2,
46
6
glasses) and are retained in the manner shown
by Fig. 8. A brass clip is sweated to the inside
of the case, and both are drilled to the appropriate
size for the aperture. The edges of the clip are
then turned over channel-form, and the glasses
slid into position, The final operation on the cover
is to paint the interior with a matt black paint,
and this creeps under the glasses as far as—but,
no farther than—the edges of the hole (by
capillary action) thus holding the glasses firmly
and preventing the ingress’ of moisture and dust.
‘The cover is held to the camera body by four
screws in convenient positions.
‘The glass cover over P is made from a pale
yellow photographic filter, but a piece of truly
plane perspex might be adequate if unscratched,
and tinted to a suitable colour. It is retained by
clips:in the same way as the glasses at $ and V.
If the otherwise wasted space in the body
of the cover is to be utilised for a separate view-
finder, Fig. 7 shows the method. ‘The finder is
a simple optical combination of positive and
negative lenses and approximates to a telescope
used the wrong way round.
The two lenses should be selected by trial and
error, until, when spaced the correct distance
apart, they present a clear, reduced picture of
the view. Any available lenses may be experi-
mented with and when a suitable pair are found, |
|
THE MODEL ENGINEER
may be cut down to size with a wheei cutter,
being trimmed afterwards on an oilstone,
‘The exact field of view is determined by the
size of the front rectangular aperture, and ad-
justed with reference to the picture on a ground
glass screen in the focal plane. Both lenses are
retained by clips as described above.
Fig. 7 shows a diaphragm either side of the
viewfinder, pierced by holes to permit the rays
Fig. 7. (Seale in inches)
JULY 10, 1952
In any case E thust move fore and aft exactly
in step with the lens and thus transfer its move~
ment directly to the long arm of B. It is im-
portant that the two operating faces of B are
truly radial, and that the short radial face when
projected should pass through Mr pivot at the
mid-point of travel. This can be seen in Fig. 7.
To prevent misalignment through wear, lever
B should be hard, and it was in this, case made
from Mx to pass. If a viewfinder is not fitted, a
diaphragm is stili required between Mx and Mz,
‘The aperture should be cut by trial ahd error in
a cardboard diaphragm, and adjusted in size until
it is just large enough to frame the image of S 5
the shape may then be transferred to thin brass
which is soldered into position.
Coupling
‘The coupling system must be a mechanical
linkage which moves Mx through a small angle
as the lens is racked back and forth. Neither the
movement at the tip of the rangefinder operating
lever (A, Fig. 7), nor the movement of the lens
panel is linearly’ proportionate to distance, but
over the distances involved it is sufficiently
accurate to link these two functions by a simple
mechanical lever. ‘This member, B in Fig. 7,
is pivoted to the fixed part of the camera body on
a pin at C, and having unequal arms provides the
necessary step down in movement. A compres
sion spring D keeps A firmly against B, and B
in turn is pressed against E, an operating peg
on the moving lens panel or barrel.
‘The details of this arrangement must obviously
depend upon the construction of the camera,
In this case the slide of the lens panel was adjacent
to the rangefinder so that E could be bolted
directly to the moving part. In other cameras it
would be necessary to provide a link between E
and the moving part.
i 2
from a scrap of casteiron. Pivot C was a steel
pin, screwed (up to a shoulder) into the camera
ody.
‘The operating peg E is a roughly triangular
block of steel bolted through a slot to the lens
slide 5 it can be adjusted in a transverse direction
fo vaty the ratio of movement between the lens
and A.
Adjustment
‘The adjustment of the rangefinder was carricd
put against visual focussing on a ground glass
screen temporarily fitted in the focal plane by
adhesive tape. :
‘The lens was first set at “ infinity ” by focussing
sharply and carefully on a T.V. aerial at about
400 yards distance, using a magnifying glass to
47 THE MODEL ENGINEER
view the image. To obtain critical focussing, the
glass should be ground very finely, and rubbed
over with a very thin film of petroleum jelly.
‘The images in the range finder were then
examined and brought into coincidence both
vertically and horizontally by adjustment of Mr
levelling screws.
‘The camera was then set to a near object, at
a few feet, and the rangefinder images observed,
JULY 10, 1952
Ma was then slipped into position and in-
spection showed a dark fringe around the secon-
dary image ; the position and size of the fringe
indicated where the silver should be further
removed, and this process was repeated until the
spot was reduced to its correct size, shape and
position, At this stage the spot should be
appreciable only as a dark blur in the centre
of the primary image, when is covered over 5
Filg.9.. General view of rangefinder in position on camera
to determine whether the secondary image had
moved insufficiently towards coincidence or
beyond it ; the appropriate correction could then
be applied to the position of E, moving it towards
C in the former case and vice versa.
‘The camera was then set to infinity again and
‘Mx adjusted for coincidence. Another check at
‘close range enabled the effect of the previous
correction to be determined and the above
procedure was repeated several times until
coincidence at both infinity and close range was
obtained,
A series of checks at intermediate ranges
should show that the two units are moving in
step, but under certain conditions it might be
found that accurate coincidence at all distances
is impossible to attain... If the error is noticeable
a slight correction can be applied at the point(s)
noted, by filing the long arm of B at one or more
places (very cautiously) so that B has in fact a
slightly non-linear cam action.
When the rangefinder is fully adjusted all
bolt heads should be locked with shellac to
preserve the settings, i
The above procedure has been included for
convenience with the details of the coupling
mechanism, but after constructing the rangefinder
proper some lining-up was required before final
adjustment,
All the rangefinder parts except B and Mz,
were completed and assembled. The centre of
the mirror spot on Mz could then be found by
measurement as it lies on the axis of V and P.
The silver was scraped away from a piece of
mirror measuring 2/3 x § in. except for a circle
+in, diameter around the centre mentioned above.
48
if it conceals some portion of the primary image
it may be scratched through in several places as
shown in Fig. 6 to reduce its density, and this
method should be used to balance the intensity
of the two images. Before finally reducing to
size, when the spot is small enough to show the
limits of P around it, the angle of M2 holder may
be adjusted so that the secondary image is centred
in the primary.
The angle of Mz should not then be altered
unless it is found that vertical coincidence is
impossible at varying ranges, in which case M2
is not vertical and must be adjusted in this plane.
‘When Mz is completed the rangefinder may
be operated manually by moving the tip of lever A.
‘The movement required at this point can then
be measured (between infinity and minimum
range) and this figure enables the rough propor-
tions of B to be calculated and peg E to be fixed.
‘The diaphragm may then be fitted and the
coupling adjustments made as detailed above.
Conclusion
As with many subjects, the above procedure
sounds a good deal more complicated than. the
process really is, and in fact the unit described
is simple to make and occupies only a little time.
As fitted to my own camera, I find it easy to
focus between infinity and roo ft, or between
10 and 11 ft.—distinctions which I never observed
when using “ guesstimation.”
Anyone contemplating making a rangefinder
‘on these lines would do well to construct a simple
“mock-up” in cardboard first, to get an idea
of the type of view presented and assess its
usefulness.
— *A Model Steam Plant
for a Coal-Fired Steamer
by Victor B. Harrison
A Tihis point T should perhaps explain that the
system of Mr. Rogers is that you pump up
air pressure at which you want to run, in your
water/air pressure tank, and therefore on’ the
tank is a pressure gauge. On the steam drum
receiver, is another pressure gauge.. Therefore
when you turn on the water to the boiler, the two
gauges should show the same pressure. Sothey do
the induced draught from the other boiler.
‘My son and I were delighted to see that the ex-
haust was just right to keep the fire going.
‘We noticed that the little engine was slowing
up, and discovered that pressure had dropped
very low in the pressure tank. This was put right
by a few strokes of a foot pump. I then opened
the throttle to the main engines. They too were
“p>
“ C"—Pressure water tank ;
Water tanks for feeding pressure tank ; |“ L
Oil separator ;
“
