Electric Traction Engine

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

I know I really should set out my stall and start building the engine from the ground up, its just that I keep finding parts that take my fancy or look interesting to make. It all needs to be made at the end of the day though, well thats my excuse anyway.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Looking good Ron, think I started my 2inch minnie build with the conrod ,as long as you got a plan it will all fit together did find that the wheels did suck up a awful lot of time though but worth it when you sit back and look at what you have achieved .

Mal.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

I am wondering if cast iron would be ok for the cylinder rear cover, I know CI is a good bearing material but would it be ok in this application. Having no piston I am extending the cover into the cylinder to offer more support to the piston rod, it will be running in a bearing length of 22 mm plus the piston gland.

Its just that I have the CI on the shelf but if it would be better to go with bronze I will have to get some in.

[Paul KempParticipant @paulkemp46892]

Ron,

In your case you can make the gland the bearing, just make it long necked with a step and fit it in the cover. Cover can be anything then, ally of you want! The gland isn't going to have to do much sealing after all with no piston on the rod.

Paul.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Or you could do as Fowlers did and put a neck bush into the hole in the cover, a dummy gland solidly fitted would have a similar effect.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Thanks Paul/Jason I will look at doing something on those lines.

Ron

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

The largest lump I have had on the little mill so far, even had to remove the vice jaws to fit it in. Hopefully a one piece cylinder will come out of it. First job reduced the height by 15 mm with the flycutter, faster than back and forth with an endmill. I do most of my fly cutting now with an insert tool robbed from the lathe, works really well. The radius is 45mm which is about as much as I would want to go but it worked, dont think I would go that large with steel, well not in one pass. The slight tool out of balance vibration disappeared above 1500 rpm so I ran at 1750 with 0.030" cuts which sailed through it. I dont have any GT inserts, maybe I should get some and use those for ali.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Dont think I will need the rotary table just working around the radius by eye, should blend in with a file ok.

Edited By Ron Laden on 10/10/2019 08:55:14

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Jason, I looked at the R C Machines link you posted on another thread. In their "flying" wheels range they do a partly machined 6 inch wheel for 29 euros, looks really good to I cant buy a C/I blank for that price.

Edited By Ron Laden on 11/10/2019 17:42:19

Edited By Ron Laden on 11/10/2019 17:43:35

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I can, but they are a lot less work.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

I have probably taken the long and winding road approach to making it but its worked out so far and its getting there slowly.

p.s. The notch along the length of the left hand saddle is still outside the rad (just) so should be ok when it comes to hand finishing…

Edited By Ron Laden on 12/10/2019 10:33:40

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Just about there with the one piece cylinder block from bar stock, a couple of angles to mill on the left hand edge of the saddle and then hand finishing. I am glad I had a go at doing this, a few lessons learnt I think and if I had to do another one there are areas which I would do differently. I will be away tomorrow for 3 days so wont get back to the shop until Friday when it will be a case of getting the files out.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

That looks rather good.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Thanks Jason,

I have enjoyed making it, though a couple of areas had me a bit challenged but just down to a lack of experience I guess. For the saddle fit to the boiler I have gone with an average of what I measured from the tube, the tube looks fine but its not so true when measured. I havnt checked yet but does the cylinder to boiler have a gasket I,m assuming it does and that will help with the fit.

Ron

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The minnie has a thin paper gasket, you could also bed yours on Araldite or JBWeld

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Four hours with the files and emery and its as good as it gets but I,m happy with it, its not perfect in places but thats ok, gives it a bit of a casting look. I have gone with 4BA for the fixing bolts and the mounting holes in the saddle are tapping size ready for spotting through once I know its position on the boiler.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Could anyone with a 4.5kg butane cylinder confirm it's diameter at 240mm, I think it should be but it would be good to know for sure.

Thanks

Ron

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Posted by Ron Laden on 14/03/2021 08:52:17:

Could anyone with a 4.5kg butane cylinder confirm it's diameter at 240mm, I think it should be but it would be good to know for sure.

Thanks

Ron

I am probably pushing my luck now but has anyone cut one open and would happen to know the material thickness?

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

According to this is 240mm dia sure enough..

Gascagesdirect – Cylinder size guide#

..I'd never cut someone else's property up of course, but the bigger ones are only about a skinny 3mm, sorry can't be more specific – I'd hazard a guess that the 4.5kg will be about the same thickness.. ..you could 'double-layer', I guess…

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

I was pointed to the PYRTE which had the rear wheel rims cut out of a 240mm gas cylinder, they looked a bit thin 2.0 – 2.5mm maybe but a good starter.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The 12" rims on my 2" fowler are 1/8" and a bit overscale due to them being aluminium castings. If you are scaling up from the Minnie drawings then that is over thickness to start with.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Thanks Jason

I,m sure they will be ok then.

Will now try and talk our recycling centre into letting me have an old bottle but maybe they won't, probably come down to health and safety.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Spoke with our recycling centre and no they won't let me have a cylinder, a pity as they had at least 20 of the 4.5kg size and some looked like new. So onward with my search for a cylinder.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Having a day off from the 22 so have been giving a bit of thought to the drive on the electric T/E. I was planning on mounting the motor in the firebox and having a 12T gear driving the 80T which in turn drives back through the gears to the cylinder.

I though it would be great if it could be driven from the cylinder as per the norm but couldn't see how, until I had an idea last night. Now this a bit off the top of my head so feel free to jump in if I am missing something or whatever.

A picture below of the cylinder with an internal crank drive excuse the sketch on the end but it is just to give an idea. The black outline shows the cavity, the red the crank, the green plain bearings and the purple the toothed belt drive. It would mean the geared motor fitted in the boiler tube with the belt running through a slot in the tube up into the cylinder.

I must admit it looks a bit small when compared to the actual crank but the motor should be good as should the belt drive.

Don't know and as mentioned its off the top of my head so any thoughts welcome.

Edited By Ron Laden on 21/03/2021 11:05:47

[Paul KempParticipant @paulkemp46892]

Ron,

Interesting idea. I am sure it could be achievable but it looks like it would be difficult to assemble. Loadings would be quite high so prone to wear. Personal thoughts is going through the side of the firebox with the gears hidden behind the gear guard would give the simplest and most robust / long lived solution.

Paul.

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