I am looking for a photograph of the face of a steam gauge that bears the HK Porter name. I have seen one years ago on one of the 36" gauge Apache Powder fireless locomotives, so I know that they did exist.

My plan is to recreate a Porter named gauge for use on the J&L 58, and would rather not just start from scratch and draw up something that is not accurate.

Thanks

Rick,

http://www.bigdoer.com/6150/old-things/ ... the-world/

I think this might show what you are looking for. Its not a steam gauge, but it is H. K. Porter. You will need to scroll down quite a bit.

Bruce E. Babcock

That is great Bruce and gives me much to go on! Thanks. Looks like an Ashcroft.

Hello Rick,

A few years ago I etched a steam gauge face for a Lombard Log hauler. Fortunately a friend had an original gauge face that he scanned on a flatbed scanner. Armed with the image and a O.D. I could match the size exactly. Since finding an exact match for the font was nearly impossible I traced each letter using AutoCAD then etched the new plate. It was a fun project and came out quite well.





Best regards,

Terry

Terry,

That looks great. What is the material that you used and how did you achieve that surface finish? I am going to attempt to make a new gauge face for an Ashcroft gauge that I have with the Porter markings. Wish me luck!

Hello Rick,

I used a piece of .040 brass. For the mask I used the iron on PNP blue after cleaning and heating the brass. I etched it using a solution of muriatic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Once the etching process was complete I bolted it to a wood face plate and turned to size ( 6 - 13/16"). After turning I spray painted it black then carefully wet sanded the paint away to leave the text. I think I got down to 1200 grit followed by a gentle buffing with very, very fine steel wool.

Here is a photo of the original:


If your gauge had a silvered face that is fairly easy to do too. There is a silvering solution that works well. Here is a moto-meter face plate I etched and silvered for a gentleman in Argentina.



These are fun projects and not all the hard. Developing the artwork is the most challenging aspect.

Best regards,

Terry

Best regards,

Terry

Rick,

This might be what you are looking for.

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/slide ... K%20Porter

Bruce

No doubt this is a dumb idea, but I'm thinking that since HK Porter is still in business making industrial equipment, they might have gauges, valves, hose, etc available that would fit our engines...

Commenting on Terry's gauge face, did you know about that trick where you
a)print the image onto paper with a laserprinter and the toner density set really high
b)use a hot iron to transfer the toner onto the metal, and then
c)put the metal in acid to etch it?

For gauge face, I guess you would use a negative image.

Rick - please send me a note at rjmuldowney@comcast.net. I think that I might be able to help you out with a complete gauge with the H. K. Porter on the dial of the gauge.


Ron

Good Morning Rick,

I don't know if you are still researching the gauge faces, but here is one I ran across. It is about 6.25" to the outside diameter of the brass ring and about 4.625" diameter for the actual gauge portion.

Hopefully the photo will appear properly.

I found two gauges, took the faces off and had someone print the wording directly to the face. I now have a primary and a spare pressure gauge to use.

I have to say, I love this particular project and how rapidly it is developing.