Hi everyone! I just joined CPL yesterday and I would like to ask my first question. I am posting it here as I think the master fettlers may have or have not tried this. I was wondering if it possible to make my own Q99 generators? I think it is possible by buying some brass tubing the same diameter as the original Q99`s. Then cut some fiberglass strings at 5 inches long. Pull them through the tubing, then bend a loop the same diameter as the original. Form the tubing so that it is in line. Cut the ends of the tubing, then put a flare on one end. The other end I think you could use the old tips and solder these on the new tubing. This is just a nutshell of what I think i could do, but of course I would some jigs and some tools. So, master fettlers... can you give me some input on whether this would work or not? What would you do?
This has been done but it is tricky. The originals are a 1/8" brass tube with a bushed end to take a gas tip. Coleman gas tips have a 6BA thread so you have to make a bush to fit inside the tube tapped 6BA to match the gas tip thread. This then has to be silver soldered in which is tricky to do without running solder in the inner threads of the bush. It will certainly work. These generators are just engineering and what has been done can be repeated. Glass fibre will work OK although asbestos would be better. ::Neil::
I think the US specification for the gas tip is 4/48 thread. The taps and dies are readily available. Is 6BA the UK equivalent? Dan
Ok, thanks for the replies. I have not thought about making the bushing for the gas tips. I was thinking about removing the bushings from old generators that no longer work and braze them on the ones I make. Would this work? But, I guess it wouldn`t be too much work to make bushings though. One more question... are asbestos strings still available to buy?
The thread was a matter of practicality. We discovered that a 6BA thread would accept a Coleman gas tip. Probably not the right thread but it is certainly close because it works. No you can't buy asbestos in any form now. Either you have some or you use a substitute. In any case it is not stuff you want to fool around with. ::Neil::
