How to make an ashpan (5)

In Ashpan part 4, I'd almost completed the ashpan's flap. I wanted to add a bracket to the angle iron cross-piece to attach a chain to for raising and lowering it. (Chain links can be hooked on using any link to set the length and hence the position of the flap when used to control the primary air entering the fire).

Chain bracket welded in place
(a simple fixing hole in the angle iron would have weakened it)

The completed flap with hinges

So how does the flap work in practice?

To minimise air to the fire (and prevent ash falling out!), it is held at the highest position.

Minimum air and ash-fallout

To control the primary air flow to the fire, it is set as required between extreme positions.

Mid position

To be able to draw out the ash, the flap is released to its lowest position, i.e. flat.

Fully open.

Sentinel 7109 could be driven with the flap fully down for maximum air but Hansel & Gretel would be jealous at the result!

If it is still not clear how the flap works, try this video clip: (Also on YouTube).

About all that's left is to fit the fixing brackets in place. This will entail spending quite some time buried beneath 7109 in a pit whilst holding the ashpan in place and marking out the hole positions. When I've figured out how to do this, another ashpan 'blog article will appear!

Manual Labour? (2)

Since the last article on 'Manual Labouring', I've now got to about page 20 - some transcription can be very tedious and the worst of all is reproducing the tables in MSWord.

The Optical Character Recognition's version of gobbledygook is particularly ripe when it comes to reading the lines across a page instead of extracting the text required from each table cell in turn; the result is something that would not look out of place with other output from an Enigma machine!

So I've given up that as a bad job and just inserted some original typewritten tables as scanned jpeg images.

For example - Fuels of various types:

(Historically this is an eye opener as I doubt that many of these fuels are available today due to the closure of the UK's mining industry).

Coals for a 200HP Sentinel:

Notes
(a) Groups 1 and 2 Bitumineous Coals are mainly free burning non-caking to slightly caking and swelling. Calorific values of between 13,500 – 14,670 B.T.U.s/lb.

(b) South Wales Groups specified are similar in burning but are less volatile and contain 92 – 94% carbon, requiring a somewhat more intense draught. Calorific values of between 15,250 – 15,200 B.T.U.s/lb.

Cokes for a 200HP Sentinel:

 Manufactured Fuels for a 200HP Sentinel:

Notes:
(a) With these patent fuels, it is usually found desirable to use a 1” or 7/8” blast nozzle in place of the standard 1.1/8” - 1¼” dia. nozzles.

(b) Standard fire bars are however, quite suitable.

(c) These fuels should not be stored in an open heap as they ‘weather’ and deteriorate in composition.

I'd be glad to hear from anyone who knows the present day equivalents of these fuels.

Manual Labour?

Lately I've been wondering why I've been struggling to write various outstanding 'blog posts. I've been pretty busy tending the 28 ton mistress, particularly to do with security issues amongst other things but no 'blog inspiration. Then it occurred to me what was getting in the way - writing itself!

Much of the enjoyment in restoration work is seeing the result taking shape but there is a more serious side when the result will be a working steam locomotive - convincing a boiler inspector and others that a competent, professional job has been done in the process. This has always been one reason underpinning Sentinel 7109's 'blog.

Sentinel Manual Front Cover (used!)

Recently Richard Nixon, drawings' custodian from the Sentinel Drivers' Club, kindly loaned me a 65 page Sentinel document entitled "200 HP Sentinel Steam Locomotives - Instruction Manual". The manual was obviously typed on a manual typewriter judging from the layout and I would guess around 1950. Despite being written for a much later twin engined loco with double gears, the usefulness of the document is not lost on me as a basis for Sentinel 7109's own instruction manual.

So, laboriously, I've scanned the whole manual with an Optical Character Recogniser to produce 65 pages of complete gobbledygook which I am now trans-scribing back into a useful form. After about four days dipping in and out of it, I've reached page 12 - no wonder my 'blog writing is taking a back seat! Normal service will hopefully be resumed shortly!

As a sample, page 1 of the manual is shown below (click it to enlarge).

Page 1

It cordially invites the reader to write in and hence become part of a fraternity of Sentinel operators. Nowadays we'd probably refer to this as a social network!

It also refers to keeping the manual to "reasonable proportions so that it can be carried readily in the pocket". Bearing in mind that it is on foolscap paper, all I can say is that, in those days, people must have had very large pockets!

The importance of the manual becomes obvious as it is written for new owners taking the loco out of its box for the first time to set it to work. It's a good read to the right person!

Which Browser?

Good question!

As Sentinel 7109's 'blog author, I'm able to see various statistics relating to how Sentinel7109.blogspot.com is found via the internet, the country readers are based in and which browsers are being used (and quite a lot more).

By far (on 27th March 2012), Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser for this 'blog, then Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera and a few other contenders.

Stats Extract 27th March 2012

I do all my 'blog writing using Chrome with an occasional check to see that it's working properly on Internet Explorer. I've never looked at it with Firefox or Safari but did try briefly with Opera.

I was an early convert to Chrome and found it speeded-up page loading and transitions quite dramatically. Microsoft then released IE9 which uses graphics processing on PCs where it can to speed things up. Despite this, IE9 seems to me to be simply 'clunky' compared to Chrome; I'm find it keeps me waiting and wondering which bit will appear next and where on the screen.

I guess this is not too complementary to IE9 but it's my observation. So if you want to enjoy Sentinel 7109's adventures more smoothly, have a go with Chrome which is downloadable from http://www.google.co.uk/chrome.

My brief use of Opera was also very encouraging although Vista crashed on me and, after a Windows restore, I never saw Opera again! I haven't tried Firefox or Safari (I'm trying not to over-fill my Laptop with junk!). I now also use Windows 7 (64 bit).

In case you might be wondering if I have any connection to Google or Chrome - absolutely none whatsoever! I'm just wanting to make my 'blog more pleasant to use and Chrome works well for me.

How to make an ashpan (4) - Getting in a flap!

In ashpan part 3, I'd got as far as making the pan section of the ashpan. Now there is a 'flap' to make which allows the ash to be emptied (hopefully only when intended!). It is an odd-shaped fabrication with a hinged panel and sides to prevent spillage when Sentinel 7109 is in motion. The picture of Sentinel 9622's below shows the general design idea.

9622's Ashpan Flap

I started with the flat sheet cut out from the pan base and welded 2mm mild steel sides shaped to fill the gap when the flap is raised.

Sides in place and ready to weld the cross-piece

I added an angle iron cross-piece to provide some reinforcement and prevent the flap from being raised too high when closed. A good exercise for the Tiggling Stick!

Cross-piece welded in place

Despite Sentinel 7109 being 28 tons, these welds are really quite small. I used TIG welding because it is much gentler where space is tight. Stick welding can be a sledgehammer adding extra metal where it isn't wanted.

I needed to add a pair of ears to prevent the flap dropping out when opened for ash clearing.

Ear clamped ready to weld (sounds painful!)

Pair of ears

At this stage, I concluded that, whilst adequate, the harsh environment that an ashpan lives in would soon cause it to fall apart and that extra reinforcement would be essential for it to have a long life.

Side reinforcement

I welded two rectangular pieces between the sides, the flap plate and the angle iron. Now it feels like a rigid structure capable of the abuse it will receive in service.

Nearly complete: Screwing it all together, add the fixing brackets and a raising and lowering mechanism and apply a coat of smoke-box paint (which I doubt will last very long in service but it makes me happier with the end result!).

To be continued.