Time to open the second box that this model boat kit comes in. This time I'm building the steam power plant. This is a little scary as I've never built anything like this before and so I'm on a learning curve. In theory the kit makes assembly easy as all the machining has been carried out and only a modest selection of hand tools are required.
First up is the oscillating cylinder. A metal block supports this and provides the steam ports. I think it's cast from mazak, if not another hard alloy. It's pretty clean but I ran a countersink bit in all the holes to bevel the edges for easier entry. The face where the steam ports are was also cleaned up with some emery on a flat surface.
The pivots are pressed in using a vice. These then need cleaning out with a reamer or drill to allow the axle to rotate smoothly.
Then the steam ports are knocked in with a small hammer. I marked these at 4mm so the pipes didn't go in too far and block the ports on the face of the casting. According to the instructions you can twist them back out with pliers if you go too far but it's easier not to get this wrong in the first place.
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