Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

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tom_tom_go
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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by tom_tom_go » Sun Feb 17, 2019 3:39 pm

He says he had to 'clean out' the right cylinder recently to get it going again but as there is no blockage and motion runs free I don't see what that would of done.

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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by tom_tom_go » Sun Feb 17, 2019 4:51 pm

If I pump air into one cylinder only (I have tested each cylinder this way one at a time) then the wheels move.

I wonder if the boiler isn't making enough pressure and the safety valve is faulty or not set correctly?

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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by TonyW » Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:02 pm

Could be ... my next move would be to take the boiler off the frames and run the chassis on air "direct".

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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by tom_tom_go » Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:02 pm

Removed the boiler and the chassis run fines on air.

Pumping air into the boiler itself and then opening the regulator air comes out of the outlet indicated with green arrow:

IMG_20190217_175941-01.jpeg
IMG_20190217_175941-01.jpeg (378.14 KiB) Viewed 4573 times

However, as the pressure gauge outlet marked with an orange arrow does not exhaust air despite being able to poke a pin all the way down the pipe I don't know how much pressure is in the boiler

I am not using a compressor to test just a pump with no gauge.

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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by TonyW » Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:56 pm

If the pressure gauge pipe is firmly blocked you could try this, but you might need an extra pair of hands:

Basically, you need to get some air pressure in the boiler, as high as you feel safe doing. Then gently heat the visible section of the pressure gauge pipe. It needs to be hot but not quite red hot and nowhere near hot enough to melt any metal! Hopefully the heat will dislodge the blockage and the air pressure will push the muck out, usually with a nice "pop".

That might work, it might not. I had one recently that did not clear with this method. I annealed the pipe over and over again, got it dead straight and then ran a long drill in to the end. That shifted whatever it was!

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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by tom_tom_go » Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:47 pm

Well I got the pressure gauge working this evening. I found some tiny solid core wire and managed to feed it all the way into the boiler then pop it pissed out water all over me!

Descaled the boiler, not too much crap. Put the loco back together, same issue.

I don't like ending the weekend on a problem :evil:

Thanks for spurring me on though Tony, greatly appreciated!

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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by Keith S » Tue Feb 19, 2019 5:38 am

Any news? We're all holding our breath waiting to see what happens next! Could it be an inappropriate grade of oil gumming up the line from the lubricator to the cylinders? Could it be chunks of mineral salts holding the valves off their port faces? Could it be a general recalcitrance on the part of tiny live-steam engines? Could it be operator error? The world wants to know!

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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by tom_tom_go » Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:53 pm

I gave up is the news.

There is clearly something wrong with it so I would rather he take it to a professional and have it fixed and the pressure gauge fitted (if it was me I would be taking it back to the dealer and asking for my money back, it wasn't cheap).

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Re: Finescale Engineering Quarry Hunslet issues

Post by Keith S » Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:11 pm

Oh. That must have been quite frustrating, but wise on your part.

I was wondering if it might have turned out to be an eccentric somehow having become maladjusted somehow... although that wouldn't explain the behaviour of the gauge would it?

Oh well. Let us know what the problem ended up being. I'm quite curious. ...Nosey? No just curious. :D

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