Thanks for the advice on blacking the cyls. The answer seems to be to paint
the damn things with hi temp paint, As they say if all else fails PUNT.
thanks again Dick W.
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Strong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Multiple recipients of sslivesteam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 3:57 PM
Subject: Blackening Ruby Cylinders
>It's highly likely that the cylinders on the Ruby are not actually
>brass, rather bronze. I don't know, but that would be my first
>suspicion. (I know Argyle uses bronze for their cylinders.) I've had
>similar difficulties with Roundhouse cylinders, so they may be made of
>the same stuff. Perhaps someone who is a bit more in the know could
>enlighten us.
>
>Anyway, back to the topic at hand - getting some kind of a finish on the
>Ruby cylinders. If you've cleaned them and the chemicals aren't making a
>dent, then I don't think heat will make any difference. Neither will
>lighting candles, ancient chants, or human sacrifices. (Although I know
>of a few folks I wouldn't mind volunteering in the name of science.) So,
>your next option is paint. Any high temperature paint will work fine.
>Again, just make sure the surface is clean. Make sure the wheels and any
>other surface are well masked.
>
>***Tip*** If you want to keep paint from sticking to a surface near
>which you are painting, but can't effectively mask, try painting the
>surface with a bit of steam oil. It's thick enough to not run off, but
>does a great job of keeping the paint from sticking to the surface. This
>works GREAT!!! on wheel treads. (A fact I remembered _after_ I painted
>the pilot and trailing trucks, mind you...)
>
>If you want to go one further, you could make some kind of lagging for
>your cylinders. These add just a bit of heft to them, and in my opinion,
>bring them to life. I made mine from .015" brass sheet bent around the
>outside of the cylinders and a layer of 1/16" cork. On top of that, I
>layered .005 shim brass, which I folded over the edges to hide the cork.
>I've got pictures of this at:
>
><http://home.rochester.rr.com/kevstrains/Rubypage.html>
>
>If you use brass sheet on this, you can blacken it to match the boiler
>lagging, or you could paint it as I did. I left the cylinder ends brass
>(steam oil trick) for looks.
>
>Later,
>
>K
>
