| Archive for The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum The Original Unofficial Toy Steam Forum Established 2006 The biggest, most popular global steam forum around! Accept NO imitations! We have a growing community of regular posting members who chat about all aspects of toy and model steam. |
| tmuir |
Fitting a Roundhouse lubricator and a new Regulator to SL2A while ago I bought this SL2 loco of ebay for 49 pounds.
On getting it home and giving it a clean I ended up with this. 
After a large wad of cash was spent and some effort put in I ended up with this lovley SL2. 
I have an article here showing how I did it. http://modelsteam.myfreeforum.org/about1251.html After many successful runnings it's developped a couple of minor steam leaks and performance has dropped off so I decided it was time for a strip down, clean and rebuild. A little while ago I was given a Mike Chaney regulator for the loco by MM which fits in the cab a bit like this. 
This regulator gives much greater control than the Mamod standard one. To fit this regulator I have to reroute all the pipework to the back cab and I figure whilst I'm doing this I might aswell replace the IP Engineering lubricator 
With a Roundhouse inline lubricator that will also fit in the cab and is much more efficient at lubricating.  .
I've just ordered a Roundhouse lubricator for 10 pounds from Roundhouse and tomorrow will order all the new 1/8 pipe and union nuts I need to carry out the work from an Australian company. Once I've got the gear I need to desolder the pipe from inside the steam dome and pull it out from under the boiler. 
I will then need to fit a new pipe into the boiler bring it into the cab and fit a union nut and nipple and connect it to the regulator. From the other side of the regulator the lubricator will hook up and then after the regulator a new steam pipe will head back up under the boiler getting superheated by all three wicks not just one as happens now before connecting back into the Mamod regulator block. As I get the parts I will put photos up here of my progress. |
||||
| Mamodman123 |
It shouldn't be too diffucult to do Tony! The extra superheating will prevent priming too! 
That lubricator looks like it will hold a hell of a lot of oil! 
Its a shame no one on here has the PPS steam block which has been machined! Always wondered what thats like! |
||||
| tmuir |
It does atleast twice maybe 3 times as much as IP lubricator and even on my Lady Anne it would take 2 or 3. 20 odd minute runs to completely empty it so it should be good for 5 or 6 runs on a Mamod before needing topping up. |
||||
| Graham-Jilly |
Looks good Tony looking forward to more info.
I have an IP regulator which goes where the whistle is so will be doing some mod works as well soon. when the mss turns up it will be striped down and the regulator added. cheers G-J |
||||
| MTA |
Wow Tmuir, any more modifications and we are going to have to christen it Titan 2 
|
||||
| tmuir |
It still needs to have RC fitted one day. 
|
||||
| Wallace |
Nice work Tony. I can see R/C would be real handy on these locos | ||||
| Graham-Jilly |
you better stop putting ideas in my head I think 
|
||||
| Steve_S |
Interesting stuff Tony. I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes. | ||||
| tmuir |
I ordered the rest of the parts I needed today so hopefully on Friday or early next week I will get all the parts and can put it together.
I've decided to silver solder the nipples to the pipe for added strength and just to be on the safe side bought a couple of extra ones in case I melt them.
|
||||
| tmuir |
Time for the next installment.
I received my 1/8 pipe and union nuts today as they were only coming from the eastern states. I'm still waiting on the lubricator from the UK. I've just finished making up the pipework from the boiler to the regulator. I decided to silver solder the nipple onto the pipe for extra security. I used tenacity flux and my 0.4mm medium solder from my silver smithing and my mapp gas burner and it soldered up very well. Here is the results. I probably will leave the regulator unattached as I don't want to drill out the rivets in the boiler. 
Will do the rest when the lubricator arrives. |
||||
| Graham-Jilly |
will be waiting for next installment
|
||||
| Mamodman123 |
Thats very good Tony! Hope it works well for you
Glad you are putting it to good use mate
|
||||
| SillyBilly |
How mutch for your old lubricator???? | ||||
| tmuir |
You wouldn't want my old lubricator the pipe has kinks in it and I shortened the bit that plugs into the regulator to make it fit better which turned out to be a mistake. Not to mention postage from OZ back to UK would cost nearly a third of the price of a new one aswell, But saying that once I've finished my upgrade I will stick it on ebay for $5 or $10 OZ. |
||||
| tmuir |
Received the lubricator today.
Spent a bit of time bending up the pipes on it to fit exactly how I wanted it to. I had to reaneal the pipes as I fidled with it so much trying to get it right. Once I was happy I painted it with VHT engine enamel, left it for 8 hours and then baked it at 100 C for one hour. I have just silver soldered the union onto the pipe that will go from lubricator to forward / reverse regulator and it is now in my pickle solution removing the oxidation. Here is the regulator fitted waiting for the last bit of pipe work. 
|
||||
| Mamodman123 |
Coming along really nicely Tony!
Certainly looks the part mate One more pipe to go?
|
||||
| tmuir |
Just finished putting it together, a hungry then crying baby delayed me by an hour or so. 
First I silver soldered the nut onto the last pipe from the lubricator to the forward / reverse regulator. I deliberately left it about 5cm too long at this point. Here it is. 
I then installed the pipe. I then attached the frame back to the loco without the smokebox and regulator so I could mark the correct length to cut the pipe to. I then removed it, cut it to size and chamfered the outside edge of the pipe so it would push into the regulator easy. I then had an hour break dealing with the baby. I then got back to it and with a bit of jiggling of everything got it bolted back together. I then bent the pipes close into the sides and away from the wicks with my fingers and ended up with this. 
Before I could refit the burner I needed to snip the corners off the flame baffles to make room for the pipes. 
And there you have it my SL2 with a Mike Chaney regulator and a roundhouse lubricator fitted.
Its 11:30pm now so too late to test it but will tomorrow. I'm sure I will need to do some minor tweaking to the placement of the pipes and may have to apply some gasket goo to the push fit pipe in the front regulator but we will see how it goes tomorrow. |
||||
| Mamodman123 |
Very proffesional job Tony! Did you manage to fit a new o ring to the regulator? | ||||
| SillyBilly |
I might go for a roundhouse lubricator and get a mate to silver solder it! It looks great Tony, yet another Titan? | ||||
| Graham-Jilly |
Great job there Tony
|
||||
| Mamodman123 |
I don't think you'd need to silver solder that in the cab. |
||||
| tmuir |
No couldnt get a new O ring to fit so took the cheats way out, just used plumbers tape to seal it. (I hope) Soft solder would probably be ok in the cab I only silver soldered it as I could and now I don't have to worry about the solder cracking. |
||||
| Wallace |
Look smart there Tony | ||||
| steamyjim |
looks great
wish i got a Roundhouse one for mine looks much nicer 
mine was silver soldered because i could and the fact that it was stronger
|
||||
| Stitch |
Mate, you have done a fantastic job and I am impressed with the soldering skills. I have learnt something from this. | ||||
| tmuir |
I learnt something from this too. Dont try and drain the water from the lubricator straight after running it as the little thumb screw gets really hot. 
But I am very pleased with how it turned out. Would of rather had the drain screw come out from right angles from the cab instead of 45 degrees but I can live with that and it does run heaps better and I have far greater control over speed now with the Regulator. Thanks again MM for donating it to me. |
||||
| Stitch |
Nothing like a little pain to learn a lesson one won't forget
Would love to see a video of it up and running when you get it all finished. |
||||
| tmuir |
Posted a vid in the video section earlier today but to save you search for it here is the link.
http://modelsteam.myfreeforum.org/about3995.html |
||||
| Mamodman123 |
No problem Tony! glad it went to a good home
|
||||
| Stitch |
oops  I should have had a better look.
Fantastic runner  It certainly gets up a good head of steam
|
||||
| SillyBilly |
Hmmmmm, I can't soft solder either! | ||||
| tmuir |
Time to invest in a pair of safety glasses and a $50 butane soldering iron / blow torch from you local hobby / electronics shop then.
|