I am currently finishing off a Cygnet Royal.  I found the engine early last year at, believe it or not, a watch & clock fair.

It had no cylinder heads, no mount, no means of connecting steam/air to it, and the steam chest & cover had a couple of different size fixings.

I stared at it for a few weeks/months ( this time seemed to get longer as also had a radical prostatectomy followed few weeks later by a bad case of sepsis) and finally started on it before Christmas.

Sorted mismatched threads, made studs, made a base, made brass fittings for steam inlet and exhaust (made harder as the threads in the appropriate parts were not as plan).

Was now thinking of reassembly and painting.  THEN I took a longer look at the crank, conrods, orbital valve and return crank. Realised that although the builder had drilled and tapped the horizontal oilways in the crank, he had not done the vertical joining oilway, or any way for the oil to get in or out of the crank.  Ditto for the Return crank.  Likewise no oilholes in the little ends of the conrods, or the bronze bush in the master rod.  Unfortunately he had also not machined one side of the orbital valve or the phosphor bronze bushes for the gudgeon pins (which also need shortening).  All these issues other than gudgeon pins have now been resolved.

Now just waiting for some phosphor bronze to to up in the post.

This leads me on to a couple of questions:

1. Would it be wise to make brown paper gaskets for base of cylinder, under cylinder head, main bearing housing to crankcase, and either side of the steam chest.  Or would a smear of Hylomar be enough.

2. The main bearings do not have any metal or plastic shields.  I guess it would pay to change the bearings to shielded ones to prevent oil loss direct into the crankcase and out via the flywheel end of the crankshaft

3. As there is no direct means of getting oil to the little ends or to the return crank I assume these are lubricated by oil thrown from the main bearing.  I guess that gradually the crankcase will fill with oil and need emptying regularly.

Thanks,

Colin