As the Clishay turns

After the new firebox and boiler platform was re-manufactured out of stainless steel, the inner boiler jacket was mounted.

This other pic is of the valve eccentric followers.

The square looking ones are of cast iron and when it came time to consider painting, I removed them and proceeded to mark them with a 1/16" number stamp. My first strike broke the cap of one. Needless to say, I was in total shock. I didn't like them much to begin with, but I certainly did not need to totally re-manufacture these as well, but I did. And this time they are bronze.

In the process, I broke a 10-32 tap off in one of the caps. I was able to mill it out with a 3/32" carbide ball tool. I then made sure all the tap was out and ran another tap in to finish up the threads. I broke that one off too. I know I jenx'd myself when I mentioned to my buddy that it's been years since I've broken a tap. And then I do two in the same hole within 15 minutes of each other. I took the follower to a mold shop here in Kent that I use to work at. I met up with an old friend of mine Eric, who is now the Vice President of Sales. After catching up on old times, I shared with him what I was working on and asked if someone there in the shop would like to make a little money on their lunch time and see if they can get that tap out. He took it back to the welder and came back in a couple of minutes and said, "No problem. We'll have it ready by mid afternoon." Eric called me at about 12:30 and said it was done. Apparently the welder attached a small rod to the tip of the tap and backed it out the way it went in. I hope he framed that trophy. My deepest heart felt "Thanks".

My hats off to the guys at Colonial Machine in Kent. And here's to good friends. I owe a couple people lunch.

This is what the engine now looks like with parts painted and new bronze followers in.