HRP Fitting Cylinders

Many builders of large scale models with steel boilers prefer to fit their cylinder studs direct into the boiler shell.

This is often quite practical since the main tube is usually between " and £" thick and therefore there is ample for threading. A good policy is to use brass, bronze or stainless steel studs and coat them with an epoxy-resin such as Metolux or Araldite so as to prevent entry of water to the threads. Should one wish to use blind bushes, these will be deep countersunk and bevelled as already described above and as will be shown on your drawing.

One may be horrified to discover that a main boiler tube is not round, in fact most hydraulic tubes certainly are not, and therefore a problem arises as to how one shall mount the cylinder to the boiler with an effective seal. The simple procedure to overcome this is to first arrange your cylinder base fixings, and then thoroughly clean the boiler around them. Now apply Metolux Cold Casting Metal generally over the boiler at the location of the cylinder base; next lay a thin piece of paper over the resin, after which simply lock the cylinder in position with two or more opposite studs and nuts. Leave for half an hour, and then, on removing the cylinder you will have a perfect seating moulded to the base. (Surplus Metolux may be cut away while the cylinder is in place.) It is possible to either block up any tapped holes or re-drill and tap to clean them out on completion, or even to large tractor, the outer wrapper plate of the steel boiler is extended, and this is used to bolt the boiler securely to the hornplates, in conjunction with the powerful spectacle plate bushings, plus three hollow stays at the front of the boiler itself.

With the Fowler engine, the same method is used, employing an extended outer wrapper for main powerful bolting purposes, plus the powerful spectacle plate bolting, but employing no side hollow stays what-so-ever. The front of the hornplates are secured first to the belly tank by the brackets for this purpose mounted on the hornplates, and then the belly tanks are mounted to the boiler itself; thus achieving the object of keeping the front of the hornplates in position only. The powerful location has already been achieved at the rear and the crown of this boiler.