The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum

steamgranny · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 2:20 am Post subject: Latimer

Had to move little Latimer to this thread & probably for a while, as base & firebox will require full strip down & repaint. This is what a dismantle & close inspection revealed - repairs & a hasty, bodged cosmetic paint job:
The firebox slot holding boiler band had corroded away & this repair carried out with a strip of brass & bolts. The band is now soldered/brazed to it making it almost impossible to remove (without breakage) despite other side being OK.

Part of the firebox base had also broken/corroded away & another repair carried out.

It was put together before the paint had dried (simply applied over rust, corrosion & existing paint) & this is the horrid result. (Note pitting at bottom left-hand corner also)

There is some dezincification on one end cap but that spot at 4 o'clock is not serious & mainly dirt in a tiny dent & this close up makes things look far worse than they are. Water level plug ferule/bush is also missing.

This could take me a while, as don't have required items at the moment such as stripper, primer, correct paints etc. And don't want to muck up so will take it slowly. And if big heat hits shortly, that will be an end to steam tinkering until the autumn

However, the SV is unstuck, cleaned, polished & back together in full working order, so some progress made

And engine seems fine.
Just won't be seeing little Latimer under steam anytime soon

IndianaRog · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 2:53 am Post subject:

SG...looks like you have your work cut out for you there...but nothing that is impossible...one step at a time as materials and motivation come together!!! I had one engine that took me 10 months to finish...but seems the longer it takes the better I love the results....have a good measure of sweat equity involved at that point.

It's really great to see a gal like yourself tackling this stuff...no reason at all this should be a guys realm alone!!!

cheers,
Roger
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steamgranny · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 3:34 am Post subject:

MooseMan · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 8:51 am Post subject:

SG, that doesn't look too awful.....looks like the work is mainly cosmetic. I don't think you'll have to worry about running it - from what I've seen of Latimer engines (I have the L5's little sister, the L4) the quality of the brass is top notch, even if the tinplate parts are a little thin.

I'm sure you'll make a peach out of that - I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the results!

Just a thought - anything rattling around in that boiler? If there is, chances are you'll find the level plug bush inside if you pop an endcap off. I'm just working on an old Märklin at the moment, which had three bushes missing - found them all in the boiler!

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Stands the glass half empty,
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Wallace · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 11:33 pm Post subject:

Going to be a good engine to restore SG, and I certainly look forward to the results.

On the bright side, if it does get hot over there, it's good weather for painting, as long as it isn't extreme humidity

Good luck
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steamgranny · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:01 am Post subject:

Sadly, no bushes rattling around in boiler Moosey (I had thought!).
And, Wallace, when it gets hot here (40 degrees +) it's not 'good' weather for anything, other than keeping one's nose inside, stuck in front of the fan. When it's cool enough to do anything, it's dark & have to do all the dirty work outside.
However, the base is already stripped back & will be tackling firebox next, when I've got that boiler off. Being somewhat corroded & pitted surface isn't very smooth. Can one use filler primer on firebox; will it withstand the heat??

Graham-Jilly · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:13 am Post subject:

I havent seen any filler available for high temp.
good luck with the resto there SG looking forward to the final presentation

G-J
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steamgranny · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:37 am Post subject:

tmuir · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:54 am Post subject:

The only way I can think of filling small rust marks would be to have the metal sandblasted to remove all traces of rust and then to melt silver solder across it, but silver solder doesnt blob up as high as soft solder so would only fill very small rust marks.

Anyone ever tried this?
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steamgranny · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:14 pm Post subject:

tmuir · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:26 pm Post subject:

It would have to be silver solder not soft solder as the soft solder would melt under the flame.
I know on cars the old fashioned way of repairing them was to use solder to fill small rust holes before car putty was around.

Silver solder requires a lot of heat to melt around 600C I think so you would need a serious blow torch to use it on a firebox.
Also silver solder I dont think could fill any hole deeper than 0.2 to 0.4mm at a guess but it could be worth a try.
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Steve_S · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:05 pm Post subject:

Ordinary filler might be OK with the temperature.... I'm not sure. You could try some filler on a bit of scrap metal, say a tin lid, and heat it to see what happens. Better wear some sort of eye protection though! It's a nuisance when an engine has hidden problems, but its all the more satisfying when you get it sorted out!

MooseMan · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 11:06 pm Post subject:

I honestly wouldn't bother with filler - just sand it down a bit, and then a good paint job should have it looking great. The pitting will still be visible, but it is an old engine after all!

_________________
Stands the glass half empty,
Or stands the glass half full?
Blast your Buddhist mantra, man,
I'll take another pull.

steamgranny · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:04 pm Post subject:

steamgranny · Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:48 pm Post subject:

For those of you wondering what happened to my little Latimer Plane L5, it hasn’t been easy! Not because of what needed doing but difficulty in obtaining quality supplies whilst living out in the sticks.
Paint was the problem. I found some on Internet but they wanted 3 times cost of can to send! Finally found some locally & although colours (base) were incorrect, decided it was easiest option but think I may be victim of ‘old stock’. It simply would not dry, especially the red ( & can't blame the weather!). Several rubdowns & re-sprays later finally produced something more or less acceptable. (I did manage to get some solder into the deepest pitting on base but it wouldn’t ‘take’ in the shallower holes)
I soldered a brass ‘thing’ into water level plug & prayed broken whistle was steam tight & had first trial steam-up today. It is steam tight, although a couple of small O-rings will be required for steam valve dome & union nut. But what is not visible in video is HT paint bubbling merrily on firebox, despite baking as per forum instructions! This was ordered, new stock & same make as other paint so am beginning to suspect quality rather than age. But as I wasn’t happy with base colour (too dark according to most photos) will wait until I have access to ‘proper’ paint & eventually redo whole thing.
Am using one of my new meths burners, as simply handling Latimer burner (painted 10 days ago) to install wicks left fingerprints that wouldn’t polish out. It is therefore in for a rub down & re-spray.
And although certainly not up to the impeccable forum standard of most restorations, rust & corrosion have at least been treated & little engine is preserved. It makes some gorgeous sputtering, steamy noises & love exhaust via chimney!