| Archive for The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum The Original Unofficial Toy Steam Forum Established 2006 The biggest, most popular 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. |
| andysleigh |
if you have the money and skillthen you could buy thishttps://www.modelmakingsupplies.co.uk/glr/start.html which i think is a good price when you look at them. even tho you build it your self |
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| bessytractor |
you would pay a lot more than what their asking! | ||
| MamodFan |
Re: if you have the money and skill
Interesting engine and boiler, but a bit steep, there are hundreds of hours work in that. The price of castings and raw materials really upsets me. |
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| Bogstandard |
You can't get away from the cost of the boiler bit, but you would need to double the price at least to make the one displayed, it is not the materials, but the fittings that go onto it that costs the money.
With regards to the engine, if you had a basic workshop you could most probably knock one up like that from bar stock for about £50-£60. Even less if you got your materials from scrapyards. In my case I could most probably do it for about £10. There are plenty of plans for engines like that, just for the asking. John |
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| toxx |
... it sounds like buying a kit for, say, a wooden chair and what you get is an expensive tree. 
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| Bogstandard |
Toxx,
Exactly that, build the boiler from the kit, great! Silver solder and flux - £15 Some method of heating it up to silver solder - can be anything up to £100. What pressure is in there - need to buy a gauge and syphon - £30 How much water is there left - Sight glass kit - £20 Need to control the steam - couple of valves - £30 Oh! I forgot the water is cold - Good quality gas burner and rechargeable tank and filler nozzle - £100 It doesn't look as cheap now, that is why now I would pay the little extra to buy a certified boiler from a manufacturer. John |
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| James |
Good stats there John.
It's a bit small for my liking though, I want a big engine!! |
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| Bogstandard |
James,
Wouldn't we all. But I'm getting a bit old and knackered for that sort of thing now. I use viagra just to stop me dribbling on my slippers. This is getting a bit off topic now. John |
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| James |
LMFAO! 
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| MamodFan |
I quite agree with some of your comments about machining from solid and i have done it. There is a case however that engines do look better when they have cast components. I have started an ME Beam engine and just wouldn't look the same being machined from solid. I like the look of rough castings and only machine the surfaces that require mating parts |
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| Bogstandard |
MF,
I totally agree with you, nothing looks better than a properly cast engine, and cannot be easily simulated by barstock manufacture. What I was pointing out is that simulations of these engines can be made a lot cheaper if you cannot afford the castings. A good example is my mine engine, to purchase the castings for the James Coombes engine from Stuarts http://www.stuartmodels.com/inprod_det.cfm/section/casting/mod_id/48 would cost about £250, mine is 1/2 the size and cost me between £15 and £20 to make from scrap, and mine is fully ballraced and reversible, but doesn't look as impressive. John |