Hi Keith, I'm an experienced engineer having built 6 passenger hauling steam locos in various gauges up to 7.25. On lubricator ratchets I have used a design picked up years ago as follows: Turn a small shaft say from .2 bits 125 dia about .5 long with a stepped down screwed bit (7/8ba) to fix it to the lubricator box and one for the arm. On the plain end make a thin slot along the axis about .156 deep. Next take a bit of thin flat clock spring cut to the width of the ratchet wheel and about .750 long. Clean it up and soft solder it centrally in the slot made in the above shaft. Carefully bend about .125 of the end of the spring so that when fitted to the lube box/arm it engages with the teeth on the ratchet wheel. What you have is a built in spring and because the flat spring is thin when it wares it will still engage the ratchet wheel. By making the spring double length you will have a spare. I have used this method on all my engines fitted with mechanical lubricators for many years and they have never failed. It is also a very neat and tidy arrangement which can be made much closer to scale.
The little wheel is actually a really nice touch. To me, and goodness knows I'm odd, it makes the lubricator look more ....is scale the right word here since it's a small full sized engine? Dunno, I like it. The whole contraption makes my OCD simultaneously tick a bit for the asymmetry, but get warm fuzzy feels for the 90* planes of it all. Glad you got it working as well, that looks like it could become maddening quickly!
On the arm, the little bronze bushing that goes around the shaft actually tends to wear out. It happened on my LBSC Titfield Thunderbolt. I had a friend of mine make a new bushing from 660 bronze and its a tight fit. Should last another maybe 40 years of running.
If memory serves, I think I remember 'Geometer' saying; 'tighten the nut, fit the lock nut , then back off the first nut to tighten against the locknut'. Or something like that. Made sense to me! I would put a drop of oil on the ratchet. Parts like this are best hand fitted, and case hardened, or at least "Kasenited".
Very nice. I have no experience with machining at all, and I really appreciate your clear step by step approach. Thank you
Hi Keith,
I'm an experienced engineer having built 6 passenger hauling steam locos in various gauges up to 7.25.
On lubricator ratchets I have used a design picked up years ago as follows: Turn a small shaft say from .2 bits 125 dia about .5 long with a stepped down screwed bit (7/8ba) to fix it to the lubricator box and one for the arm. On the plain end make a thin slot along the axis about .156 deep. Next take a bit of thin flat clock spring cut to the width of the ratchet wheel and about .750 long. Clean it up and soft solder it centrally in the slot made in the above shaft. Carefully bend about .125 of the end of the spring so that when fitted to the lube box/arm it engages with the teeth on the ratchet wheel.
What you have is a built in spring and because the flat spring is thin when it wares it will still engage the ratchet wheel. By making the spring double length you will have a spare.
I have used this method on all my engines fitted with mechanical lubricators for many years and they have never failed. It is also a very neat and tidy arrangement which can be made much closer to scale.
The little wheel is actually a really nice touch. To me, and goodness knows I'm odd, it makes the lubricator look more ....is scale the right word here since it's a small full sized engine? Dunno, I like it.
The whole contraption makes my OCD simultaneously tick a bit for the asymmetry, but get warm fuzzy feels for the 90* planes of it all.
Glad you got it working as well, that looks like it could become maddening quickly!
On the arm, the little bronze bushing that goes around the shaft actually tends to wear out. It happened on my LBSC Titfield Thunderbolt. I had a friend of mine make a new bushing from 660 bronze and its a tight fit. Should last another maybe 40 years of running.
If memory serves, I think I remember 'Geometer' saying; 'tighten the nut, fit the lock nut , then back off the first nut to tighten against the locknut'. Or something like that. Made sense to me! I would put a drop of oil on the ratchet. Parts like this are best hand fitted, and case hardened, or at least "Kasenited".
Is that a lubricator from Reeves?
From www.blackgates.co.uk
Why not just use a roller clutch?
From my experience they have not been reliable over time.