In this valuable book Tubal Cain takes the reader beyond the superficial or the simply practical with explanations of the composition of steel, its additives, and the effects of different temperatures on its constituents. With a grasp of what changes are actually taking place in the metal the care needed in following the practical processes described becomes understandable and will lead to better and more consistent results. Flame, salt bath and furnace heating are detailed, with information on accurate measurement or recognition of temperature levels. For the average small workshop operative or model engineer the discourses on tool material, hardening and tempering will be of most use, and in this connection this book replaced the author's earlier Hardening and Tempering Engineers' Tools, providing a broader-based, more detailed and up to date examination of the subject.

Following the publication of his first book (in 1981) dealing with these fascinating small-scale standing steam engines, the author Tubal Cain has designed and built several more - both as presents for the younger generation of his family and also entirely for his own satisfaction. These are now described in this second volume: Kitten - a small overtype engine. Otto - a simple steam turbine. Henry - a powerful 19th century oscillating steam plant. Wencelas - a steam engine of the most superior design. The scale model working steam engines range from a delightful little turbine - simplicity itself in design, but very interesting to build - to a larger engine in the style of the magnificent 'Steam Engines of the Highest Class' which were offered by the better class of toymakers before the First World War. As in the first book, the methods of construction are fully and clearly detailed, all being written with the beginner in mind. These steam engines have an enduring fascination for all marine and model engineers, as proved by the Model Engineer Exhibition which still attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Joining metals by one form or another of soft or hard soldering, or brazing with various alloys, are run-of-the-mill jobs in model and light engineering workshops - so much so that little thought is given as to whether there might be a quicker, more efficient or less expensive means of achieving the required end. In Soldering and Brazing respected engineering writer Tubal Cain examines in detail the processes, equipment and materials, and explains what is happening in the joints as they are made with practical examples, test pieces, tabulated data etc. This is a thorough, comprehensive and, above all, useful book.

All professional engineers have a little book in which they jot down those notes of fact, figures and formulae which they feel that they are likely to need on future occasions. It is always more convenient to look up one's own records than to wade through a lot of associated, but irrelevant material, especially as this may mean a trip to the reference library. Over a period of years, the contents of such notebooks grow to cover a wealth of vital information, and the time saved can be considerable. During his professional life, Tubal Cain filled three such books and, as a lifelong engineer, he is in a unique position to select (and add to) the material most useful to the amateur engineer. Model Engineer's Handbook comprises a compilation of those tables, facts, procedures and data which the author himself found valuable in his model engineering activities and it provides a real mine of information to which you will return again and again. Not the least of its attributes is the use, where appropriate, of data and calculations in both Imperial and SI units, so that all generations of model engineers can feel at home. In this third edition, all the existing data has been updated or re-arranged for greater clarity and much new matter has been added to provide an even more comprehensive book, indispensable to the expert and beginner alike.

However well equipped the workshop may be there seems to be an incessant need to make up special gadgets of one sort or another. These may range from mutilating a clothes peg to act as a 'third hand' up to major modifications to an existing machine tool. The making of such devices can be fun (indeed, some may appear to do nothing else!) but nevertheless the time taken up in 'devising the device' can often delay the completion of an important project. Shared experience is a most potent tool in reducing such delays, and can, moreover, often provide solutions to problems hitherto believed to be intractable. Tubal Cain has enjoyed more than sixty years' experience in designing and building engines and machines (in both full size and model dimensions) and over this time has made many ancillary devices. In this book he shares 52 of them with you. A number of these had been published in magazines from time to time and some were assembled in volume form about thirty years ago. The opportunity was later taken not only to reprint that book but to revise some of the entries to take advantage of user experience, to add new material and to introduce it into the popular Workshop Practice Series.

Tubal Cain has achieved an international reputation both as a writer and modelmaker, but it is known less generally that in his previous career he was not only an engine designer of some note but also a teacher of engineering drawing. In this book he has amalgamated that experience with an appreciation of the difficulties often felt by model engineers when reading or making workshop drawings. He explains not only the 'rules' but also the reasons why they are important and, acting on the principle that one sketch is worth a thousand words, illustrates his points wherever possible. One of the merits of this book are the illustrations of conventions which are now out of date but are still to be found on many of the archive plans and drawings needed by the model engineer. This book will also serve as an aide-memoire to the professional engineer whose drawing-office days are over. This revised edition features the author's classic text with completely new illustrations and technical drawings, specially created for this purpose.

The centre-lathe is by far the most versatile machine tool in the workshop, but as soon as you depart from plain turning between centres, the question arises 'how to hold the work'. This book explains the methods and techniques required. A fundamental requirement of lathe operation, for accuracy and safety, is the ability to hold any workpiece securely and, preferably, repeatedly on the machine. While few problems arise with straightforward work on a properly aligned lathe, the variety of jobs undertaken by small workshops and model engineers is bound to give rise to occasions when how to hold work requires consideration. When great accuracy is essential, working methods and lathe set-up are vital for an acceptable result. In this book Tubal Cain discusses in his inimitable, practical style all aspects of the subject with the whys and hows, including basic lathe alignment.

There is a fascination about the simple oscillating steam engine which attracts even the builders of true-scale, exact-to-prototype quadruple expansion marine engines! It may be their sheer simplicity of mechanism, it may be memories of childhood days when Father Christmas put one in the stocking, or it may just be the fun of seeing the machine work. This book describes the making of four such models: Polly - a vertical steam plant. Elizabeth - a horizontal steam power plant. Hercules - a working model steam crane. Jenny Wren - a miniature vertical steam engine. The author built all four himself, and the first three were all featured in articles which appeared in Model Engineer magazine and elsewhere. Designs and methods of construction are clearly detailed with instructions that even a beginner will be able to follow.

Few mechanics are entirely devoid of springs of one sort or another, but satisfactory operation rests on details such as spring strength and degree of movement. Yet information on calculating and making springs is not easily available. This book explains the property of each type of spring, plus essential materials and methods. Engineers, professional or amateur, often find designing springs difficult due to the number of variables and the complexity of the formulae. The book also introduces the designer to charts and nomograms, which greatly simplify the process. Tubal Cain draws on several decades of experience in the actual processes and covers the design and manufacture of compression and extension coil springs, simple and compound leaf springs, torsion springs and torsion bars, springs relying on bending actions and a useful graphical method of designing valve springs for IC engines.

Despite the growing numbers of milling machines in amateur workshops, a majority of model engineers still rely on a lathe and a drilling machine as the basic equipment.

The lathe, 'the king of machine tools', can be adapted for almost any function, but next to turning its most valuable use is for milling operations, either using the lathe itself to drive the cutters or by extending its scope by the addition of a separate milling attachment.

One of the most popular titles in model engineering books for almost sixty years was Milling in the Lathe, which first appeared in the 1920s and continued in updated and revised editions until 1983. This book replaces it, covering all the basic information it contained and adding to it from recent experiences and developments.

Drilling true and correctly dimensioned holes and cutting accurate threads are basic requirements in all engineering work, but as in all areas of engineering new materials and new techniques lead to alterations in standards. Many of these are primarily concerned with production engineering and are well documented, but others affect the quite different the discontinuation of 'number' drills and the phasing out of cycle threads; add the currently book written with the small user in mind is apparent. Drills, Taps and Dies not only provides comprehensive tables of all the tools available or likely to be encountered but also explains the differences in various types of drill and thread form and their practical applications. One of the features of the book is a thorough examination of the correct size holes for thread tapping, which in itself could save readers the cost of the book several times over, in the avoidance of broken taps!