Water gauge protector glass

[George SwordParticipant @georgesword12072]

I wonder if anyone can guide me on the type and source of glass to be used in the water gauge protectors I am making for my 4 inch traction engine. I have formed the gauge protector from square brass tubing with one face cut away and the other three with cutouts for visibility. I require three pieces of glass per protector to fit inside the brass tubing.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

Cut from microscope slides.

Roy

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

May be a bit late but a round fitting and a tubular glass would have been easier. use high temp glass. If you can find fire door glass strips might work though a bit thick, or cut from picture frame glass. Noel.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

We used to use pyrex glass pieces for our protection pieces

[Martin Johnson 1Participant @martinjohnson1]

I have used 4mm perspex for the past 16 years in a 4″ Burrell.  I renew the panels every 5 years or so.  Dead easy, just saw a few off with the bandsaw!

Martin

[George SwordParticipant @georgesword12072]

Many thanks for all the advice gentlemen – gives me ideas to work on.

 

George

 

 

 

 

[Chris GunnParticipant @chrisgunn36534]

George, I looked into this 10 years ago, and located a supplier of bespoke glass sections, but it was crazily expensive. I had some offcuts of 3mm thick Lexan, and made tops and bottoms from brass with an 1/8″ groove for the lexan pieces, and used 4mm brass round for the corner pillars, and chamfered the Lexan pieces to suit. It works fine, they do get scratched, and seem to attract dust, but I wash them every so often, and replace them when they get too bad, and they are free. I embedded small magnets in the backs of the tops and bottoms, and then I made some steel backing plates, and made some black and white chevrons, laminated them, and stuck them to the backing plates. These help see the water level, they last a couple of seasons, but I printed an A4 page of chevrons, so have plenty of spares.

Chris Gunn

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Some neat ideas there, having spent £oops on a commercially-made fitting for my 4″ scale engine, but acrylic? That stands the heat conducted through the cage then, or is the temperature quite low by the time it reaches the plastic?

One point if you go for glass, is that it does become more brittle with age, I have on reliable authority. So whilst tempting to cut the windows from a old picture covering or piece of cloche, it might just shatter.

I like that way of making the chevron plate.

 

[Jonathon MCParticipant @jonathonmc86670]

Quite a few suppliers sell cut to order. Its Pyrex. Blackgates,LSM. RA Barker. and others.. I d be very wary about using other things especially some plastics as they splinter.Gauge glass and protectors to fit frames.

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