> Glover Machine Works (being a foundry) cast
> theirs out of steel. I like the mill it out
> idea better. Cut it out automatically from
> bar stock and mill in any required fluting
> or machined areas.

> Dave

Dave:

I imagine rods welded up from plate or possibly I-beams and machined ends would work pretty well, if the FRA rules would allow it. It would sure save a lot of metal shavings. Heat treatment might be required.

What do you think?

Good Steaming,
Hugh Odom


The Ultimate Steam Page
whodom@awod.com

Baldwin did itself simply cutout rods from stock and machine as neccessary. Several of their shortline engines bear this out. F&P 2-8-0 101 being the best example I can think of now. There is actually still a little evidence of the flame cutting visible.

lorija799@aol.com

The ICS book "Rod, Wheel, & Pin Work" talks about new rods being flame cut from plate. If the blank is stress relieved, or annealed before machining, I would think that there would be no problem.

Rob Sinclair machined up a piston rod for the Heisler at Roaring Camp out of a solid blank of 4140 steel in the early '90s. We've had no problems with it since.

Tom


ironbartom@aol.com

> I imagine rods welded up from plate or
> possibly I-beams and machined ends would
> work pretty well, if the FRA rules would
> allow it. It would sure save a lot of metal
> shavings. Heat treatment might be required.

> What do you think?

No reason why a well engineered fabricated rod wouldn't work that comes to mind. I think we sometimes act as if these simple, robust machines are more like rocket science than pinned together, heat and beat iron.

Complexity doesn't equal safety or reliability, in fact usually the opposite.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

I worked on a project with Al Broadfoot about 10 years ago. We made a pair of new side rods for a mallet. The material we used was called "forged shafting" and came from Great Britain. Its real-world application is for making propeller shafts on ships. The rods were milled out of a solid blank.

--Richard Anderson

> No reason why a well engineered fabricated
> rod wouldn't work that comes to mind. I
> think we sometimes act as if these simple,
> robust machines are more like rocket science
> than pinned together, heat and beat iron.

> Complexity doesn't equal safety or
> reliability, in fact usually the opposite.

> Dave


richard.r.anderson@gte.net

>Rob and Bill Stetler also made a new radias rod for the 700 after it's first lube failure. I'm not sure of the material, but it was milled out of someting bought localy. The rod survived the second lube failure.

Rob Sinclair machined up a piston rod for
> the Heisler at Roaring Camp out of a solid
> blank of 4140 steel in the early '90s. We've
> had no problems with it since.

> Tom