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1910 Popcorn Wagon


Bill Hudson
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STEAM ENGINE CONSTRUCTION.

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Making the fly wheel for the mini popcorn wagon. A brass rod was turned down to the correct diameter for the fly wheel. Then several blanks were parted off. A pot chuck was turned to fit the diameter of the blanks. The blanks were then faced on both sides to the correct thickness.

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The blanks were clamped in the pot chuck and in a chuck on my rotary table. The holes (for sawing) were indexed.

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The spokes were drawn in on the indexed blank and then sawn out with a jewelers saw. The blank was then placed back in the pot chuck and mounted in the lathe where the rim ans hub were turned on both sides.

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The wheel spokes were finished filed to shape. Then polished.

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The patterns for the rest of the engine were also made in brass. All parts were made over size to allow for shrinkage in casting.

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The engine was then sent to a caster where they were cast in nickel.

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Below The engine as it now looks. A sad story about the engine. I was showing it to a friend,holding it in the palm of my hand so she could see it. She quickly reached in and picked the engine up by the fly wheel. I said please don't pick it up. She dropped it and it missed my hand and shattered in pieces on the floor. It took some bending to get things right but now the engine does not move when the wheel is turned. Thankfully it doesn't have to turn but I like my stuff to work even if it doesn't need to.

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Tomorrow maybe back to the main construction. What is posted here is barely the tip of the iceberg. Much much more to come. Discussions, questions, comments welcome.

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This is incredible information, and I know if you ask Mr. Hudson questions you will get detailed answers that he will enjoy answering. After all questions may be the best form of appreciation.

Thank you for posting this.....

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Bill, this is such a fantastic project, thank you for showing us so many photos of the detail and how you made some of the parts. I am still quite new to metal work so it is an education to see how things can be made and also daunting, I am realizing just how little I know and how much I have to learn.

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Thanks Mod 1 and Elga, much more to come, some maybe boring to some but necessary to the whole build. Bare with me.

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PART 4: THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND RUNNING GEAR AND SPRINGS

After the frame was built the undercarriage was next. This is a couple views of the front axle. The three holes in the tabs by the fifth wheel are for a clip that keeps the two wheel halves together. Still not on are the axle clips and catches for the pulling shafts.

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The axles are threaded left and right hand. This is so that the axle bolts that hold the wheels on do not unscrew as the wagon moves forward.

This was taken from my progression posted in another forum.

Well I'm back in the studio again. It has been nearly three long months since my radiation treatments and recovery time. I have not I really felt like setting on the stools up until last week. It really felt good to get back into the saddle again. I spent the whole day in there finishing up my rear springs, making U Bolts and mounting them and the brake band support bracket. Of course you are looking at them up side down.

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TIME OUT: a little bit on beveling glass.


This is what I use for beveling glass. It is made for lapidary work. i have added the table and frame to it. The table tilts up and is adjustable in all directions. The upper tub is filled with water the flow of which is controlled by a valve on the black hose. A light film is kept on the wheel to wash away the grindings. The waste water flows into the lower tub. I use several grits of diamond starting out with 180 and finishing up with 2500

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These are the two signs for the side of the wagon. If you look closely you can see the bevel in the glass. They have nickel frames around them.

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These are my windows and frames for the wagon. Although hard to tell in this picture all the glass is beveled. The tape is to protect the glass from scratching while in storage.

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I am sitting here totally in awe of every part of this project. I am thrilled to see all these photos and hear about how you achieved all the elements.

I am very sorry to hear the engine was damaged. Despite that.. It looks perfect.

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I am thrilled to see the beveled glass in the forum!  Tamra/Indiana

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Back to the popcorn wagon. I had discussed problems with the springs not being strong enough. I think I have already mentioned finding spring mild steel pieces on the street from street sweeper brushes.

BACK TO THE UNDER CARRIAGE AND BRAKES.

1-5: From a couple of these I formed two main spring leaves.

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(2) spring2.jpg.

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(5) spring5.jpg

After forming came soldering on the 3/16" diameter brass tube eyes. The tube was cut long for stability and to prevent solder from getting into the hole. The finished springs have an nice bounce to them.

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(6):Flux has been applied, tube fitted and silver solder flake (pallion) is in place ready for the flame. (7) soldering finished spring leaves.

Finished rear spring pack mounted on body.

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The Brake System:

The brake leaver is constructed from nickel silver flat stock, It works. Could not find a proper spring in scale so it works on a torsion process to operate the latch dog. The correct notches will be fitted in the arc when I finish the brake system.

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This is one rear wheel with the brake drum out side brake band and mechanism and the bracket that attaches to the rear spring which holds the brake band in place. Note the 1/32' hex nuts inside the brake drum.

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The brake drum, brake band (it is adjustable by turning the little cylinder under the yoke) and mounting bracket which will clamp on the spring.

 

 

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This is the brake drum and brake band mounted (off the wheel) to the bracket that is attached to the main wagon springs.

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The complete brake system for the brake leaver side. The short leaver sticking down about mid length is connected to a shaft that runs under the wagon to a similar brake system for the other side.

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Below are some of the inside details.

1. is the burners for the boiler, the knobs also operate gas to the popper and the peanut roaster.

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2. Lower is the drive shaft to the peanut roaster. Next is the piping to the burner. On the tablet is the water supply, pump, and sight glass for the boiler. This fits on the boiler at the glass end. The pump end fits on the water tank.

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3. This is the water tank. There will be a sight glass in the cavity. The picture is a bit out of focus as I seem to be having problems with my camera.

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4. is first the boiler. The bottom inside of the boiler is to the right. The curved part is outside.

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5.Next is the peanut roaster. The sliding doors are open and the rolling door is up. You can see the paddles inside. Last is the end view of the roaster. The clown shelf fits on top of the roaster.

(5)roaster1.jpg

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Amazing! I hope everyone reading this realizes you are looking at YEARS of work here.... It is kind of funny reading this.... Sort of like you just make this part, then this and tomorrow this other thing. You have to realize all the jigs and fixtures you see also had to be made, things to bend springs, modify the glass beveled by machining out that aluminum table, etc... The list goes on and on!

Years of incredible highly skilled work...... A true labor of love.

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This is such a cool project with so many different techniques, I am really enjoying reading it, there is just so much happening here, I will come back again and again to absorb everything.

And I am glad you are feeling better and are back in the workshop.

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This is such a cool project with so many different techniques, I am really enjoying reading it, there is just so much happening here, I will come back again and again to absorb everything.

And I am glad you are feeling better and are back in the workshop.

Elga, this progression is a shortened version of one I have on another forum. That reference was from about six years ago. If I calculate correctly I am in my 12h or 13th year on this project. It is a very complicated project requiring time to learn and develop methods of producing the parts.

As Bill said it sometimes takes more time to develop jigs and fixtures that it dose to make the part from them. Developing the glass beveler took several months of research and trying to build a machine to do it on. While back in Kansas City to teach a study program, Bill took me to a lapidary shop where I found this machine. I bought it and had it shipped back to Oregon then had to figure how to convert it for beveling glass. I had to make it so that the angle could be adjusted to accommodate different sizes of windows.

Thank you all for your comments. Following this forum is encouraging me to try to get back at it.

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To put this model into a little perspective. Below is some, note I say some, of the research material involved in developing the popcorn wagon.

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Back to the service window rail standoffs. This is a phto of the rail below the service window.

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This is the start of the standoffs for the service window rail. It runs across the bottom of the large service window at the rear side of the wagon. There are six standoffs made but I only need three so I can make a mistake or two. Look closely at the center picture you can see how I place the pallion (silver solder chip) before heating. I first lightly brush the chip with a light flame until the flux liquifies then I heat to melt the solder at the joint. The last picture is of that joint after the solder has filled the joint. Just to be safe I flip the unit over to make sure the solder filled the joint on the back side. These stand offs will be longer and bent much like the seat bracket.

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The chips are down. Here I have fluxed and set the solder chips ready for the gang soldering the stand off bases in place.

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Here the standoffs have been bent and cut off, they are strung on a rod for safe keeping. NOTE: these are not made of copper the red color is what happens when you let your steel tweezers get into the pickle solution when quenching the work. It doesn't hurt any thing and will polish off.

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Ah ha caught him! Have you ever had some part just disappear from your bench while you are working and then find it later after you go to the trouble of making another one? Have you seemingly had a tool just walk off your bench while you are working? Well this is one of the little critters you can blame. Normally you can't see them with the naked eye but the camera can catch them.

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These are three of the finished standoffs. They are ready to be cut from the work stock and have the threaded studs installed. (will probably not do that until after they are plated). I knew there was a reason to make extra standoffs besides just making spared. There is a smaller service window with rail using two standoffs on the back side of the wagon.

Servicerail3.jpg

__________________

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I foiled the little critter today. I turned 12 ball end caps .093 diameter x .120 long with as 1/16" hole in one end, for the window hand rail. Also some for the front top trim. I didn't loose one.

First I turned the ball on the end of 3/32" brass rod. (See back on page 16 posting #153 for the ball turning method). Then I parted it off. Now here is where I usually loose several as they come flying off during parting. I placed a larger brass tube over the part as it was parted. This caught the part. I had to remember to keep the other end blocked. After all were parted off I reversed the ball end into the collet and drilled the recess in the flat end. Ending up with 12 ball end caps. The last photo shows how the cap fits on the end of the rail. These have not been polished out so look a little rough yet.

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Well it took me a little over two weeks to finish the hand rail (minus three days for surgery) (I'm doing fine thank you) This is the assembly jig for spacing and aligning the stand offs for soldering. The rail looks curved but it is not.

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Mounted on the model.

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In the past I have been turning balls by freehand. Not impossible but very hard to get same repeat sizes that way. since this project has so many balls and other rounded of ends I felt the investment in a Sherline radius cutter was in order. I am not disappointed but it still takes some fiddling to get repeats. Six trys to get four.

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The fixture works. It is for drilling evenly spaced holes in a tube all in line. The top holes in the jig are spaced the distance you want the holes in the tube to be spaced. First one end of the tube is placed in the fixture. The first hole is drilled (don't drill all the way through the tube unless that is what you want. Advance the tube to the second hole anyplace the pin through the hole in the tube. Drill the second hole. Keep up the process until you have drilled all the holes you need.

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Thank you Bill, I did wonder how those pesky part and tool thieves looked...now I know ;-)

There are so much really cool things you show in today's post. And I have a few questions on the stand offs.

1. Did you use hollow tube for the end pieces where the rail fits through?

2. Did you file or turn the shape before you bend them and I presume this part is solid?

3. And then, the second soldered joint, I am not sure I can figure out what you are soldering together here, I can see in the photo of the finished stand off that this part is thinner and either glued or scewed into the body of the wagon.

This method would be great to use for curtain and towel rods.

And thanks for showing how to drill equally spaced holes in tubing.

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Thank you Bill, I did wonder how those pesky part and tool thieves looked...now I know ;-)

There are so much really cool things you show in today's post. And I have a few questions on the stand offs.

1. Did you use hollow tube for the end pieces where the rail fits through?

2. Did you file or turn the shape before you bend them and I presume this part is solid?

3. And then, the second soldered joint, I am not sure I can figure out what you are soldering together here, I can see in the photo of the finished stand off that this part is thinner and either glued or scewed into the body of the wagon.

This method would be great to use for curtain and towel rods.

And thanks for showing how to drill equally spaced holes in tubing.

(1) Yes, I used the method of drilling as shown. That is the tube they are being soldered to.

(2) No I did not turn the shape. The stand offs are 1/16" (1.6 mm)tube. One end of each each tube is pushed into the hole in the main tube. I then silver solder the tube in place. I then cut rings from a large tube and slipped them over the stand off body the silver soldered all. By playing with the flame I can control the solder moment and build up the flare and shape around the rings. Then I used clock makers pliers to bend them too shape (see below).

(3) That is the setup for soldering the rings on. The pallions and flux are covering the rings so they are not visible.

Once cut off a threaded wire is soft soldered in the end of the standoff body. that is then mounted in a hole in the body and inside a nut holds the bar on.

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