Thread: Restoring a Weir boiler feed pump

Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer

Thanks John. Going well... so far.

Phil

Phil that stainless steel shafting is still here going ''rusty'' waiting for you let me know dia so can put it under cover for you.Cheers John.

Originally Posted by j.ashburn

Phil that stainless steel shafting is still here going ''rusty'' waiting for you let me know dia so can put it under cover for you.Cheers John.

Hi John,
She is 1.5" diameter and 36" long.
Many thanks.

Phil

A bit more done today. Still on the plunger lubricator, I finished the gland nut and apart from the handle, finished the plunger.

The gland nut to be copied and the piece I found in the scrap bin
DSC_1733.jpg

I bored it out to suit the internal thread and because the old reflexes aren't as good as they used to be I machined a runout groove unlike the original.
After screwcutting I turned it around and faced the other side to correct length.
It even fits the lubricator!!
I was on a roll by this stage and machined the packing seat and follower.
I found a piece of something that looked like brass but was a fair bugga to machine hence the average finish(my story and I'm sti...)
DSC_1748.JPG DSC_1749.JPG DSC_1754.JPG DSC_1760.JPG

With that done it was time to move onto the plunger.
This involved screwcutting a thread that had was 0.815" Major diameter and 14 TPI yet it is just too big for 1/2 " BSP. Must be a special.
DSC_1810.JPG DSC_1817.JPG DSC_1824.JPG

So far so good
DSC_1825.JPG

Phil

Nice bit of cloning... that's looking pretty slick Phil, what's your opinion of the diamond tool holder?

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Nice bit of cloning... that's looking pretty slick Phil, what's your opinion of the diamond tool holder?

Regards
Ray

Thanks Ray,
it's going well so far. At the moment, finding scrap bits is the hard part
With regard to the Diamond Turning Tool, I am considering buying my third one to have a dedicated screwcutting one. I love the way once the radius is on you never have to do it again after each sharpening.
I see the bloke from Eccentric Engineering has responded in the cutting HSS thread. I have never had any problems with slipping or chipping of the HSS and I have given it a fair load as well.
Tangential toolholders are very old technology and like most of the old stuff, it has been forgotten only to be resurrected years later
I have found references to this type of tooling in old books I have.
I personally think tangential tooling is great, almost perfect for the beginner.

Phil

Tangential toolholder.jpg

Originally Posted by RayG

Nice bit of cloning... that's looking pretty slick Phil, what's your opinion of the diamond tool holder?

Regards
Ray

Yes Phil lovely job does that include the Weir ''trade marks'' on the hex too??
on another note from knowledge gleaned from a crusty old ''jock'' who served his time on the Clyde, they would jump on a lathe set up to machine the threads too lazy to set the right nominal tpi also could be an instruction from ''upstairs to make the spindle thread unique to ensure'' product security'' crafty these Scots were. Cheers John. ps will bring your chunk of s/s in out of the cold and frost just got a tinge of surface rust so it will be ok. John.

Originally Posted by j.ashburn

Yes Phil lovely job does that include the Weir ''trade marks'' on the hex too??
on another note from knowledge gleaned from a crusty old ''jock'' who served his time on the Clyde, they would jump on a lathe set up to machine the threads too lazy to set the right nominal tpi also could be an instruction from ''upstairs to make the spindle thread unique to ensure'' product security'' crafty these Scots were. Cheers John. ps will bring your chunk of s/s in out of the cold and frost just got a tinge of surface rust so it will be ok. John.

Hi John,
I had a giggle about the weir stampings and thought about putting them on and I hear what you are saying about the threads. Massey Harris used to do the same.
Ihave just measured the out-feed fitting that screws into the lubricator body and connects to the copper pipe leading to the steam chest. Another odd one.
They are both 19 TPI but the major diameters are 0.655" and 0.645". It's only 0.010" difference but...
In the pic the upper thread is the smaller of the two. I'm sure this is just to be difficult.
My lathe doesn't have 19 TPI on the chart so it looks like I will have to get the gear cutting rig made for the shaper and make a gear for cutting 19 TPI. Now, to figure out what gear I need...

Phil

DSC_1481.jpg

Lots of old canny Scots finished up at Sunshine.Ex Glaswegians,most of them off the Clyde.it was a hard life there and have lots of yarns from these old boys alas they are all in the land of the departed now.So much knowledge and skills''gone''.Mc Kay being of scottish heritage himself encouraged employment of these men.Even had their own works Highland Pipe band.Will check out the machines here see if I got a 19 on the plates let you know lots of gears here mostly 141/2 PA for a 1 off if you want to make your own.Let me know Cheers JA.

Phil is a 11tpi on the Hercasss if you want to use it 2 others here got them mars and colchester but no suitable gears 11tpi on hecus is ok it works. cheers John.
Sorry delete that is 19 tpi you after tis late Cheers will re check i daylight.

Originally Posted by j.ashburn

Phil is a 11tpi on the Hercasss if you want to use it 2 others here got them mars and colchester but no suitable gears 11tpi on hecus is ok it works. cheers John.
Sorry delete that is 19 tpi you after tis late Cheers will re check i daylight.

Hi John,
ever helpful as usual . I just checked the pitch on my lathe in the shed and it is (as suspected) 6mm and no 19 on the quick change chart. There was a thread a while back with a program that gave you gear combinations for a selected TPI or pitch but I could never get it to work. I might have to re-visit that or maybe do the maths and work out what gear I need. I am keen to cut a gear on the Douglas though as it would make a great (side) project.
The fitting as measured on one end is standard 3/8" BSP, well only 0.001" out at the top end of what they call 'gauge' which is no doubt an indictment on my measuring skills . I just don't get the other end being 0.010" under 3/8" BSP. Maybe the machinist didn't have his 'chi' centered that day .
Anyways, onward and upward.
We have a boiler 'annual inspection' on at work at the moment and it is doing my head in as the health and safety manager has just discovered us and even though there has never been a problem in any way shape or form for the past 32 years, it seems we may die doing this job from now on. What used to be a straight forward simple job is now a fiasco. Will soldier on though

Phil (with his head done in)

Yes Phil work aint fun any more is why I keep the gate locked and dont have any workers any more.Mob phone on.we are on a mission of self destruct with these ''school boys '' text book in 1 hand and fu all common sense up top are just as you say head ''doer inners''
if these people had their way nothing would ever get done. they never been to Asia to see their workplaces. never seen any of these wankers over there.Cheers

Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer

We have a boiler 'annual inspection' on at work at the moment and it is doing my head in as the health and safety manager has just discovered us and even though there has never been a problem in any way shape or form for the past 32 years, it seems we may die doing this job from now on. What used to be a straight forward simple job is now a fiasco. Will soldier on though

Phil (with his head done in)

Hang in there Phil, In a past life.. I was always impressed at how much effort people would put in to make for on the job entertainment... fiasco was too mild a word to describe the trail of unending expense and stupidity...

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer

Another odd one.
They are both 19 TPI but the major diameters are 0.655" and 0.645". It's only 0.010" difference but...
In the pic the upper thread is the smaller of the two. I'm sure this is just to be difficult.
My lathe doesn't have 19 TPI on the chart so it looks like I will have to get the gear cutting rig made for the shaper and make a gear for cutting 19 TPI. Now, to figure out what gear I need...

Phil

G/day Phil, my AL336 and Macson has 19 TPI on the charts, take your pick and you can use either one if you like when you come to pick up your pump.

Originally Posted by RayG

Hang in there Phil, In a past life.. I was always impressed at how much effort people would put in to make for on the job entertainment... fiasco was too mild a word to describe the trail of unending expense and stupidity...

Regards
Ray

Hey, you worked for CSIRO too!

I came to the conclusion that there were 2 basic personality types - the process oriented and the outcomes oriented. My group were all rabid outcomes types, much to the horror of a lot of our fellow workers.

I used to tell my manager - definitely one of the process oriented types - that a good disaster every so often wasn't a bad thing as it brought home the consequences of stupidity in rule making. He wasn't impressed by this line of reasoning.

Probably explains why my team all left to do other things in life.....

PDW

Originally Posted by shedhappens

G/day Phil, my AL336 and Macson has 19 TPI on the charts, take your pick and you can use either one if you like when you come to pick up your pump.

Hi Shed,
that has some serious potential.
I would still like to cut one on the shaper but that involves making up the indexing rig and ancilliary equipment which should be fun, but I might have to take a week off work for that.
Thanks for the offer and I will definitely keep it in mind.

Phil