Thermostat and heat storage questions

[hotater]

Here's a scary set-up that came out right--

http://community.webshots.com/photo/2405449880028237237GPagOx

The clamp bar between the fins is studded to a Tee block in the table.  Note the piece of Indian packing crate 'shimstock'  to level the whole works.

Near the front is an old die block that happens to be heavy and square so I stood it on end, ran a clamp stud up through it and clamped to the side of a radiator chamber, which wants to push the radiator away..... Then I used two bar clamps to hold it together...using tension to deaden vibration and add support. 

 Then at the very end there's a clamp bar and extended stud in a Tee slot using a piece of barstock and a shim as the hind brace.  This clamp is the ONLY solid clamp  on the whole job. There's a pad cast in the other end of the radiator and drilled for a steam valve exactly opposite where the clamp contacts and so directly compresses the part like they all should be doing.

The cutter is a small flycutter. .... This whole works is taller than my mill will take and still have room for the boring head.   Of course I only had ONE short boring tool to mount in the flycutter but dropped it down the hole after grinding it 'just perfect!'!   ....and was GONE.  I looked and figured and ended up stacking a couple of carbide lathe inserts together and finally got just the right amount of tip hanging out with the right clearance relief to bore the hole I needed.

It was one of those jobs where you tell yourself,   'if I had to pay somebody's shop rate all afternoon to rescue this ten dollar radiator....I'd a pitched a natural born  FIT!'    '

But I think it's going to be nice when installed.   

[binnie]

Gawd, I can't figure these water/steam rads out. I bought a few 10 fin type with the in and out water connections on the same side at the bottom...they have a small screw valve on the top to let out steam or air bubbles I imagine. But how to connect them up in tandem for a cooling device for my lister 12/2 is beyond me. Anyone have any suggestions, ideas, info, experience. They are older than the one that you have on your machine. I hope I don't have to port it like you are doing....I don't have the equipment for that kind of job. That is formidable & tricky to say the least.
I am considering a Dodge Caravan radiator ported to the outside of the engine shed for the summer, but wanted to use the heat from the coolant in the winter to run through the rads to heat the kennel above the engine room in the winter. Maybe I am dreaming. I have 3 radiators...but not a clue as to how to hook them into the system.
I have heard that some ran on steam only, others on hot water. I imagine I will need a resevoir/expansion tank for adding antifreez and to collect the steam that may otherwise be traped in the system.
Any input on this idea is welcome...I am a nubie yet...binnie

[bitsnpieces1]

Check out this link to "This Old House".  It might give you a line on how to work it out. 
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/search/results?archive=&query=radiators&Search.x=11&Search.y=8

[dkwflight]

Hi Old style steam heat for houses is an interesting subject. Steam is heavier than air, so the little threaded connection up on the side is to mount a steam vent. The steam vent is a thermostat operated valve to let out air untill steam hits the vent.
The connections at the bottom were to let steam in and condensate out. Most of these system were designed to operate at a few Oz. per square inch or less. Some steam system had a second pipe to return condensate. So some steam rads only used one pipe!
The bottom line is you may have to add an extension to one of the connections to move hot water to the other side of the radiater.
The best solution is to get a hot water rad, which will have pipe fittings, holes top and bottom. You should plumb the hot side to the top so the hot water will spread across the top and down the sides as it cools.
The next idea might be to get a car or small truck rad.
Old style listers just used a large tank . Here is a link.  http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel/Technical/cooltech.htm
Dennis

[Andre Blanchard]

Steam is heavier than air,

Not to pick on you but steam is lighter then air.
http://www.flyingkettle.com/index.html

[dkwflight]

Hi Perhaps I should have said "In the rad" THat is the way they seem to operate.
I used to service these things and when a room rad did not heat right usually all I had to do was replace the steam vent.
Dennis
Ps I just reviewed the site listed And that is interesting

[dkwflight]

Hi I owned a hot air balloon for a season. I really can't imagine a bag of steam over head
Dennis

[pigseye]

Hotater,
whoa, looks like a pretty risk set up.  Glad it turned out.


Jim Mc,
I'll check out the practical machinist.

Thanks

[mobile_bob]

"I'll check out the practical machinist"

have fun over there! they have quite a mix of quite opinionated individuals in some of those groups

interesting bunch to say the least

bob g

[bitsnpieces1]

   Tiptoeing here.  HOT steam is lighter than COLD air.   

[pigseye]

I'll stay out of the steam air discussion.  ;-)

Andre,
I've downloaded the old Machine Shop Practice pdfs.  interesting stuff.

Just purchased the 1971 version of Machine Shop Practice, Vol. 2

And just purchased the following 3 Audel books off of Ebay.  Not sure if the audel books are good but they were pretty cheap.

MACHINISTS LIBRARY- BASIC MACHINE SHOP
MACHINISTS LIBRARY - MACHINE SHOP
MACHINISTS LIBRARY - TOOLMAKERS HANDY BOOK

this will probably be a good start.

Thanks again to everyone else on the machining training tips.

Thanks,
Pigseye

[bitsnpieces1]

  Before Community Colleges came about,  I remember the Audel books being a staple for all kinds of technical training courses.  I even knew some mechanic/machinists that made sure their copies of Audel books were always safe.  They were much like the Chilton books in the '50s - '60s.  They told you how to actually fix things instead of where to take it to get it fixed or to throw it out and buy new. 

[Doug]

I was given some realy great technical books on repairing electrical machines, design and wiered technical data on things you never see anymore thanks to electronics ( not allways something to be thankfull for ).

Anyhow I lent them to an aprentice while I was off doing some work out of town and he quite and moved on with my books. Some things can't be replaced and now I forget things because I basicaly change parts at work no one fixes anymore.

I sure got a lot great idea from those books on ways to build simple electo/mechanical systems that could do some very clever tricks...

Doug

[mobile_bob]

"I sure got a lot great idea from those books on ways to build simple electo/mechanical systems that could do some very clever tricks..."


isn't that the truth!  they don't publish books like that anymore

i have spent years diggin in dusty book stores, garage sales, everywhere i can to find any old books on subjects that are varied.

the latest is a technical book on automotive design from 1939, cost me 27 bucks and the clerk, said "wow, this must be some special book,,, never see em here for that much money"

my criteria on price is simply,, "if i figure to learn one thing from the whole book that i can apply to a need today or sometime
in the future that saves me an hour.. it is worth 84 bucks (our shop rate)!

another fairly recent find was a blacksmith business book from 1885, wow, how cool.
learned how to drill perfect holes thru glass plate without a drill bit... ,,, don't know when i might need that info, but cool just the same.  and the shop layout, and stock room sketches are priceless.  talk about efficient use of space.
We all know that efficient use of space saves time, and time = dollars. so yes in many ways that book is priceless to me.

i love old tech books, especially old old books.

bob g

[Doug]

I had two books I miss most, one was a thoery text book from the sixties so out of date that the "Proposed" ICE frame specs for electric motors ( this BTW is the frame system the ST uses ) are in it. But it also had some good data tables on electrical equipment you could use as a guide to predict what would happen if you tweaked something.

The other was a much older training manual for motor winders that showed you how to do the long hand calculations for odd stuff no one bothers to wind anymore. And it went into dertails on things like tertieray windings in Shrague drives, Old vaccume tube industrial electronics and the kinds of things only a guy like me would love.

I wish I could find that kid and get my books back.....

Doug