Steam Loco Spoked Wheel Making

[Chris333]

Don't forget any amount the weights stick out you will need to space/shim out the rods so they don't swipe the weights.

[Doug G.]

Max

Amazing work.  You've gone this far make it a live steamer.   

Yeah, I can hear Max now, "I have 68 out of 100 hand valves done so far, for the cab, and I have started on the oilers. Also, I have been pondering how to miniaturize water molecules so the steam will be closer to scale"



Doug

[mmagliaro]

Don't forget any amount the weights stick out you will need to space/shim out the rods so they don't swipe the weights.

Yeah.  I had allowed for that by having my crank bosses stick out .003 to .005 past the hub and wheel rim.
But then Peteski had to go ruin all my plans.   

[peteski]

Yeah.  I had allowed for that by having my crank bosses stick out .003 to .005 past the hub and wheel rim.
But then Peteski had to go ruin all my plans.   

Of course!  You should know by now that this is my main task here on TRW!    Better modeling through peer pressure! 

But I don't care how you crank your bosses as long as there is no swiping of the counterweight!   

[Lemosteam]

Yeah.  I had allowed for that by having my crank bosses stick out .003 to .005 past the hub and wheel rim.
But then Peteski had to go ruin all my plans.   

Max, don't forget as well that any side play in the axles will allow the weight edges to get closer to the rods, so even though the bosses are proud of the weight, the side play might eat that up quickly.

[mmagliaro]

In truth, guys, the whole issue of the wheels obstructing the rods and allowing for lateral play,
will have to be solved after I make a frame, get 3 driver sets into it, and test the motion on some curves.
If the rods have to have tiny spacer washers under the rod holes in some cases, that will be no big deal.

I can tell you that I plan on giving this engine minimal lateral play.  It is only an 0-6-0 with small, closely-spaced
wheels, so it won't need much anyway, and I don't go for that 11" radius curve nonsense.  An 0-6-0 ought
to be able to take an 18" curve with almost no lateral slop at all.

The layered counterweight is on, and I cut a .010" thick one for the other side on that axle. 
I'll make the others from my .005" "patterns" as I go.   

You shamed me into it.   

LOL, Peteski, I'll tell you one thing.  I do not consider this peer pressure.
Peer pressure would be getting me to put a decoder in it because so many other people have DCC in their
engines, even though I really don't have any interest in it.

But what you guys are pointing up helps me make better models.   Criticism or not, I always consider you
to be "on my side" in this.

[mighalpern]

incredible work mmagliaro!!
I was wondering if you had thought of building the wheel from a slug of material.  What I mean is print out the shape you want, including spoke and all and then glue it on a piece of raw stock and then carefully begin by drilling out the empty space and then finish it off with a tiny end mill bit.  My father (who passed away last year) would have loved to see your work, but he also was an old school clock maker for a hobby.  He would draw the design, glue it to a slab of say copper and drill way the non- needed areas.  then with the mill he would clean up the straight portions and file the others.  lots of hand labor, but great stuff.  He also had a indexed rotary base that he would use to cut out gears.  depending on how many teeth he needed he would use that tool to make very accurate teeth.
just my opinion.  I think what your are doing is huge, and bravo to you. 
keep up the killer photos
Miguel

[mmagliaro]

incredible work mmagliaro!!
I was wondering if you had thought of building the wheel from a slug of material.  What I mean is print out the shape you want, including spoke and all and then glue it on a piece of raw stock and then carefully begin by drilling out the empty space and then finish it off with a tiny end mill bit.  My father (who passed away last year) would have loved to see your work, but he also was an old school clock maker for a hobby.  He would draw the design, glue it to a slab of say copper and drill way the non- needed areas.  then with the mill he would clean up the straight portions and file the others.  lots of hand labor, but great stuff.  He also had a indexed rotary base that he would use to cut out gears.  depending on how many teeth he needed he would use that tool to make very accurate teeth.
just my opinion.  I think what your are doing is huge, and bravo to you. 
keep up the killer photos
Miguel

Thanks, Miguel!
In this small size, I ruled out the possibility of drilling out all the voids using a pattern and a solid piece, just because
there are many areas, particularly near the hub and the radius cuts at the corners between the spokes
and the rim, where the drill bit size would be getting down to little wire drills, and the cleanup and filing
would be overwhelming.   I also don't think I could really do the filing cleanup perfectly enough to keep the whole wheel from looking a little like a Dr. Seuss cartoon.   

I don't know.  Maybe that way would have been no crazier than what I'm trying to do.

Thank you again, sir.

[mmagliaro]

The crazy outhouse cat has returned...

This installment covers three things:
- making a tool for pressing the axles into these wheels so that they are perfectly perpendicular without
any chance of wobbling

- making the counterweights a little thicker, so they stick out above the wheel rims like they should

- getting another wheel or so done


-----------------
The wheel/axle press.   

 I know... this is overbuilt like crazy, but what the heck.
You may notice that you don't see the same wheel in all these photos and some of them are shown using
a partially-built wheel that doesn't have all its spokes yet.  That's just because I was staging all the photos with
what was at hand to tell the story.




















Improved the Counterweights and Built Another Wheel

After Peteski shamed me into making my counterweights with more relief, I added another .005" on top of
the one I had already put on to my first wheel.  I am making all the rest out of .010" instead of .005"

I have to agree, the extra thickness looks better.

So, now I have 2 wheels done, and a 3rd one about halfway done (needs more spokes)

Here's a shot I forgot to include before.  This just shows how I smooth and shape the sides of the spokes
after I get them all soldered in:

[peteski]

As usual Max, excellent work!  The counterweights do look better.

[Chris333]

What's really impressive is he does this wearing a straight jacket! 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is why we don't call him "Min" Magliaro.

[mmagliaro]

At long last, the 6 wheels are done. 
Now I can do some experiments with bearings and frame halves.  This will probably continue in a new thread
for the engine construction itself. 

[up1950s]

Looks great , so much work , would you do it again ? Or would buy a 280 buck engine , even if it's foreign , to cannibalize the drivers and trim the flanges , even if it isn't a perfect match ?

[Chris333]

Or would you etch? 

They do look great and I could never do that!