Then turn on the gas and start your blow pipe, at the same time working the bellows with your foot, and by either pushing in the glass tube D, or drawing it slightly out, you can regulate the shape of the flame as required.
Now bring the flame to bear on the joint you wish to braze, having first supplied plenty of borax. Soon you will find the brass wire melting and running into the joint like water. It must then be neatly filled up and the joint will be scarcely visible.
Here are a few tools which will be useful to you in this work.
A center punch, or steel spike for mashing metal for drilling, etc., and a small riveting hammer. Three or four files of different degrees of fineness, a screw plate and taps, a small hand-drill with a set of drills to fit and a good firm vise.
A lathe is of course desirable. Curves for bending metal you can easily make from pieces of bar-iron, holding them in the vise while working on them.
When you have your tools ready get the material for your model.
Several sheets of brass and copper, the castings and various sized screws and bolts are what will be required.
All being thus prepared the time has arrived to take the
The first step toward building a model locomotive is to be posted on the action of steam in the cylinder.
Go to encyclopedia and read up on that point.
If you have no encyclopedia go and look one up in some library. You can't build your engine until you understand this.
Next draw an accurate plan of your model.
Figure 2 is the idea. It is a side view of our locomotive. Let us describe.
D. Steam chest with safety valve attached on top.
N. Set thumbscrew to fasten on the tender.
P. Tap, used to ascertain the quantity of water in the boiler.
To all locomotives there are three principal parts, the frame work, or carriage, the engine, or cylinders, and parts connected with them, and the boiler.
is the next thing in order. First we want a sheet of brass for the bed plate, 1/16th of an inch thick, cut 4×14 inches, and be sure to cut the corners square. (See Figure 3.)
Hammer this out flat, file it smooth and dress up, with emery cloth fastened upon a flat piece of wood.
Next cut a square hole in it as at C, beginning half an inch from B, and making the opening 11 × 1-1/2 inches. Be careful to center this hole on the line A B, or your engine will be lopsided, and you must take the same care in setting the smoke stack, dome, etc.