The whistle M will require a hole drilled for it to be screwed into, and that, as also the steam-tap N and water-tap O, can be bought cheap ready to put on, and is more satisfactory than making them yourself. But should you wish to do so, the method I have already described in Chapter X. of making an oil-cup applies equally to these.
The tap O should be screwed in at a slightly higher level than the top of box B, and when working the engine, should steam issue from it when turned on instead of water, you ought to immediately blow off steam by safety-valve H. Then unscrew K, and refill the boiler with water.
By this time the framework will no doubt be quite dry, and you can then clean and polish the boiler and attach it to the frame by a screw or solder at the forward end, and the steam-pipe N can be screwed on to the projecting piece of tube left at F, whilst you also screw a short length of pipe into the steam-box of engine through a hole in the bed-plate. Then bend it up to the steam-tap and solder them carefully in position; this will hold the after end of boiler firmly.
Go over every soldered joint to see if any small hole is left, and re-solder where necessary, as a hole in the boiler not larger than a pin’s point would prevent you getting any adequate pressure of steam, as the water would all blow out.
Fig. 18.
When so far complete, you can either lacquer or paint the boiler as suits your fancy, and whilst it is drying there will be time to make the lamp ([Fig. 18]).
It is simply an oblong box made of tin or any piece of thin metal you may have, and should be one inch and a quarter wide by five inches long, and about three-quarters of an inch deep. To make it, cut say a piece of tin four and a half inches by five inches, and bend it to shape, then solder the two edges together and cut two ends to fit. Push them in and solder in place.
Then cut three pieces of brass quarter-inch tubing into three quarter-inch lengths, drill holes in top of lamp and insert them, allowing about a quarter of an inch to project, as at A ([Fig. 18]); then solder them on four pieces of bent wire (C C C C), by which to hang the lamp by means of two wire pins run through them and small holes drilled in sides of projecting piece C ([Fig. 10]).
The screw-filler B ([Fig. 18]) will have to be soldered in also, and when complete the tubes A may be filled with cotton wick, and the lamp about three parts full of methylated spirit, which will give a clear smokeless flame.