Hello everyone, especially you "chaps" from the British Isles. I am pleased to have been okayed to join your ranks. I am relatively new at the game of machining. I have attempted to build a couple of gas/petrol engines without too much success of them running. The tolerances were not good enough. But I am learning (I think) from my mistrakes. Ha-Ha I was informed of your homepage from members of another site that I am a member of, dare I say HMEM. I am also a member of MEN (Model Engine News) and FloridaME. I only had rudimentary machine shop training when I was in high school some 50 years ago. I always had a love of and longing to get back into building model engines. Three years ago I purchased a Craftex (Busy Bee) CT039 Chinese 9X19 lathe and one year ago I went a little deeper into debt (not really) and purchased a Craftex CT129 Milling machine. In between time I have obtained most of the required tooling (except for a rotary table which are quite expensive). I am 67 years young. I am in the midst of gathering the materials to build "Henry Ford's First Engine" of which I have purchases the plans already. I am having a lot of trouble finding a 13 inch handwheel from a LARGE valve such as used on a natural gas or oil pipeline or possibly a refinery. I guess I will have to start scouring the scrap metal yards. The fences around refinerys are too high to climb over. I hope to converse with some of you on this forum. If there is something I can help you with "over here" don't hesitate to let me know (as long as it isn't money). Thanx once again for accepting me. Billmc

Welcome Billmc,
Where abouts in Canada are you? If you are a member of FloridaME, you must be one of the lucky "Snow Birds"
Regards,
Gerald.

Plenty of paddlers on the rivers of Canada in the old days. Go on build one. R.G.Y.

Response to the message - Many paddlers in Canada.     Especially in the heydays of the YUKON GOLD RUSH - Billmc

Here is a shot of a native Canadian Alligator.
Regards,
Gerald.

Thanks Steamboatmodel - I have visited the alligator near the east entrance to Algonquin Park. It is a fine example.

Thats the one the model is based on.
Regards,
Gerald.