At 05:51 PM 3/11/03 -0700, you wrote:
>I was surprised at the difficulty in getting some of the material used in
>the Dee here in the U.S.
Ken,
I can't say that there are "more" things available in the UK but
there are certainly different things available, and there are many more
suppliers to the model engineering (live steam) hobby there than here.
>Also there are some really odd (from a US standard) perspective thread
sizes used (i.e. 5/32-40 tpi).
To us, yes. But in the UK, among the model engineering hobby, it's
common and one of the "Model Engineer" series threads. This series is 32
and 40 tpi (55° thread) and was evolved as a thread for model work which
would appear to be fine enough for a semi-scale appearance yet have enough
strength to make substantial working connections and not be so delicate as
to damage or cross-thread easily. In most instances an equivalent US or
Metric thread could be substituted. I think the only common US vs ME
thread is 1/8"(#5)-40, but it will still be 60° vs 55°.
>I have gathered from your thoughtful replies to all sorts of questions that
>you are one of the G1 gurus.
Hah! That will get us all in trouble! I do not claim to be a Ga1
Guru, but I am handy with tools and have been working in live steam for a
long time, and I am known to build an occasional boiler. I'll be happy to
discuss the design with you.
Regards,
Harry
