This will give you the length of the pillars including the pins. File a pin and shoulder at each end, as in [Fig. 11], making the pins one-eighth of an inch in diameter and a quarter of an inch long. Rivet a pillar firmly in each corner hole of the bed-plate, and put the top plate on the top ends of the pillars, and rivet them firmly in. Be careful that the pillars are upright. Rehang the cylinders and unscrew the caps of the crossheads. Fit the cranks into the holes in them and screw on the caps.
If the cylinders are made without screw-crossheads the pin of the cranks must be placed through the hole in the heads before riveting the cranks together. Unscrew the caps of the bearing-blocks, and put the crank-shaft into the bearing-holes, and screw on the caps again. Oil all bearings and parts that work together. Now you must get a heavy brass fly-wheel three inches in diameter, which can be purchased with the other things, and costs about two shillings. This wheel has a screw-bolt through one side of the centre block to fix it to the shaft by. Fix this wheel on the long end of the shaft by tightening the screw. It would be better to make a small hole in the shaft for the point of the screw to enter. The wheel must have two iron pins, about one inch long, in the face of it.
Now if all the fittings are well made and oiled, the engine ought to work easily and smoothly without noise if the fly-wheel is spun round.
[Fig. 26] at the end of this section represents the engine as finished.
Fig. 12
We must now turn our attention to the boiler. For this you must obtain some sheet copper; get the size known as 12-lb. copper—that is, the sheet two feet by eight feet weighs 12 lb. You must also procure some copper tubing one-third of an inch in diameter. Get also the following articles; two brass gauge-taps, 1s. 3d. each; one steam-tap with union, 1s. 6d.; man-hole or water-filler, 1s. 6d.; spring safety-valve set to 30 lb. the inch, 1s. 4d. If these are not already fitted with screw-blocks get them so fitted when buying them. [Fig. 12] represents the safety-valve with the screw-block.
Fig. 13