Hot air and stirling engines

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Welcome John,about ballraces,I’v just washed the grease out of a pair of races with hot soapy water,I’m going to use them on a low temp,engine.The bearings are out of some surplus American equipment from ww2,they seem ok,they will be on the main shaft,I’v got some little ones out of a disc drive for the con rods.Yes friction and air leaks are killers.Often it’s just patience and a sore wrist flicking the flywheel,I think I mentioned abit about running engines in with another motor.If you try long enough they usually go.Bet France is a bit warmer than it is here,although todays not to bad just windy.

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

Thanks Ian, I thought this thread had ended until I found the second page. Yes I am going to follow James Rizzo’s instructions about the tacho and how to measure torque.

 

The bearings I use are from junked hard drives and are mostly sealed.

 

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Hi Mark,I’m trying a different way of making a flywheel(I fabricate all of mine)I’v got access to lots of 160mm x 8mm discs(they’v got a 35mm hole in the middle),I dressed the outer dia,then cut out the center to leave a ring about 12mm wide,I then drilled radially 6 hole 5mm dia.I then made a hub 20mm dia x13mm with a 1/4″bore to take the spindle,I then drilled and tapped 6 holes.I have some scrap 5mm rod(Warehouse drying rack)to make spokes.Got it partly assembled before tea tonight,don’t know if it will be too heavy for the LTD motor,oh well if it is I’ll just have to make another motor!

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I was thinking of brazing or soldering the spokes into the rim of the new flywheel,but the I thought about the distortion that would occur,so I used Locktite.At the moment it looks like a ships wheel,the spokes protrude about 10mm,I’ll trim it up tomorrow,it looks great!In the past I’v chain drilled and filed the spokes.Ian.S.C.

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

My fly wheels are whatever I can find at junk shops like super shed. Some good ones are cast iron wheels from old sack barrows as they look suitably old and only need the rim turned more narrow and a boss hub turned to fit the centre. I am always on the look out for these. Also what about the humble garden  hand hoe, they have curved  spokes that look like those on flywheels of old. You just need to weld them into an outer rim. I have tried making a flywheel as you suggest but it was a spectacular failure. Maybe I will try again.

I have taken a rest from engines at the moment as I am restoring a couple of old gig lamps; very complicated. I am learning metal working techniques I have never tried before; fabricating and shaping sheet metal into 3D forms. Next technique is to learn metal spinning in my lathe to make the lamp reflectors and some other parts. Only thing is I will have to gear up my lathe with a more powerful motor to get the speed required and make a purpose tool post. I looked at some video on You Tube and the technique looks like wood turning on steroids!  I will post pics of the lamp and one of the parts made so far.

mark

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Hi Mark,looking through my stores dept(junk pile)yesterday and found three 5″dia cast iron wheels with curved spokes!The flywheel that I made is a few thou eccentric,but I think it’ll be OK.What size is your lathe?The reflectors arn’t very big,perhaps 5″dia.You need a convex wooden former with slightly more curve than the finnished reflector,If brass it needs annealing and when finnished Nickel plating.Aluminium is Ok.I’v fiddled around with a few gig lamps for our Museum at Homebush.We’r having 2 open days in Nov,first 2 Sundays I think,I’ll put the dates up when I remember them,I’ll have 2 or 3 of my hot air engines running,and I’ll be in charge of running our water turbine-if there is enough water.

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

Thanks Ian, my lathe is an early american Barnes that was originally treadle driven, but has in the past been converted to power driven through a counter shaft.. It has a 5″ centre height above the bed, more than I need, me thinks.

I am thinking Aluminium for the reflectors and coating them after polish to keep the shine.

Please do put up the dates here or email me as I would like to attend the Homebush show and meet you. 

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I know of 2 other Barns lathes one at the vintage motor/rail museum at Tinwald,and the other about three doors away from me here in Darfield at a small private museum set up in the old electrions shop by my late friend Russell Williams,if your into vintage stationary engines you might have heard of him.I presume yours like his has 2 lead screws,one to the right,other to left.Saw one on the web,rather than a treadle like a sewing machine,it had a pair of cranks and a seat.The dates for Homebush are the 1st and 15th Nov,Sundays seem to be the time when we get the biggest attendance,and its hard to find days in Nov when there is not much else on ie Christchurch Show etc,we get going about 10am,I should be there around 9am maybe a bit after.IAN.S.C.

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

Thanks for the info re homebush, Ian,  where is it held?

Yes my Barns is like you described with two lead screws. It also has a very neat tool post that the centre height is adjusted with  a screw device; imagine two salmon tins one screwed into the other. I have kept that part and added a modern type 4 tool holder.  I use the original tool post for parting off and boring. Generally it is in good condition though I think the 3jaw chuck is a little suspect so if I need to do something with any degree of precision I use the enourmous 4 jaw. I also have to keep an eye on the bearing caps as they tend to work loose. The main weakness is the flat belt drive which can slip if I take a heavy cut. I have tried belt dressing with limited success but the problem remains. I have considered replacing the flat belt pulleys with vee belt ones but the machine seems impossible to take apart – too long winded to explain here. I have often considered buying a more modern lathe but you won’t get such a large capacity for the price of lathes that model engineers tend to use

I look forward to meeting you.

Mark

Edited By Mark Smith 3 on 05/08/2009 08:38:06

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

For it’s age it seems to me quite advanced in some of it’s design,but the mandrel is quite light,the one out here has the same problem with belt slip,and the few times I’v used it I only managed 10-20 thou(.250 -.5mm),I don’t think parting of would go too well.To get to Homebush,drive through Darfield,and at the end of town,on your left you will see Trinity Church,turn left and you will be on Bangor Road(there will be a sign at the corner),about 7 – 8K up the road you come to the Homebush shearing shed and you’ll find another sign,follow that to the end of the straight,more signs,turn right up the drive and there you are.Or you can Google homebush Stables,and about the first thing you see is a map.IAN S C

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

Thanks Ian will look forward to It. I found the web site ok.

Interesting about the museum near you and the connection with vintage engines. I am about to join the Stationary engine club here in Canterbury. One of the club’s highlight members is a chap called Peter Lynn who is fanatical about hot air and stirling engines. He has built a full size engine to his own design which I had the pleasure of lighting the fire and starting recently. He is considering starting a section of the club dedicated to these engines as there seems to be quite a lot of interest. He owns the Placemakers in Ashburton. Maybe you know him, or of Him. He had quite a lot to do with the development of the whispergen engine.

Mark

Edited By Mark Smith 3 on 06/08/2009 08:43:58

Edited By Mark Smith 3 on 06/08/2009 08:45:08

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Hi mark,yes i’v met up with Peter Lynn,I think he was working on a cryo type stirling engine,may have restored one can’t remember.Also met prof John Raine,and Dr Don Clucas,Don was interested in my free piston engine as he hadn’t had any success with this type.See someone at your place cycles,cycling is my sole means of transport,I cart my bits @ pieces on a trailer,so I don’t go too far these days!

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

Yes I cycle to work have done on and off for 25 years or so.  I am also a VW nut having restored and now drive a 66 kombi camper.

Interesting that you know Peter, too.

Your free piston engine sounds interesting; is it very noisy? I’ve read that they are.

I have a couple of engines I am working on at the moment but nowhere near finished yet. Hope to get at least one of them up and running soon. My first engine is still here. I have changed a few things like add watercooling etc, but I think I will go back to air cooling as it is mostly mild steel and rust has started to become a problem. Also I need to drill out the displacer rod gland in the piston and replace it as it has started to wear and is leaking. The engine only runs with heat from a gas torch now  whereas before it would run on meths. The engine you see in the pics is with my grandson.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The free piston engine sort of “clatters”away not like the first one that knocked the end out of the displacer cylinder.I use water cooling for most of my engines,the oldest goes back to 1990m.When I see you I’ll show you how I make carbon impregnated teflon bushes for displacers.

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

ok look forward to that.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Mark,your lathe could date back to about 1880!

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

Maybe it does, but they were being made up until the thirties theres no way to tell. Shame they didn’t stamp a date on them.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Theres quite a bit to read about Barns lathes and other machines on the net,I was looking at the one down the road at the weekend and I see it has the original line shafting,but instead of having one of the belts twisted to give reverse,that belt drives a blacksmiths wall drill or a compressor.I was just thinking,Itold a guy on another site about heat fused flat belt,you could do it on the lathe ok.R.R.Fishers have the belting in Christchurch.Its not too cheap,but then again it would make an improvement. PS. Seen Minty the monkey,shes out again

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

Thanks Ian I’ll look into that.

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

Gig lamps are finished. I will post some pics soon. Not model engineering but good practice as I learned a lot about sheet metal work, soldering, and metal spinning to complete them. My lathe motor started to smoke during the metal spinning but I found that the countershaft bearings were dry: a very neglected part of the lathe.

Edited By Mark Smith 3 on 19/08/2009 10:43:18

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Oops,hi Mark,unless you’v got a spare motor,you should be able to pick up an old washing machine motor,1/4-1/3hp for $20,maybe less.Has your countershaft got screw dowm greasers,and plain bearings?Hope the shaft is ok IAN.S.C.

[Mark Smith 3Participant @marksmith3]

I do have a couple of motors 1/3 and 1/2 HP but both the motor and the shaft have survived after cooling down and a drink of oil.

I might be selling my V W splitty camper so I am thinking of buying a lathe with a milling attachment.

Edited By Mark Smith 3 on 19/08/2009 20:11:06

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Just been down to Morrisons today for the weekly shopping, Cor, the price hikes on food are realy something to make your eyes water. It’s Ok for gorgeous Gordon to tell us we’re in a recession, wish he’d tell the supermarkets this.

 

  Regards Ian.

Edited By Circlip on 20/08/2009 11:47:54

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Havn’t used a combined mill/lathe,looks ok,I think they are better now than when I was looking at lathes in the late 1980s.I was looking at another site,and the recomendation in the UK seemed to be NO.I’v got a friend who has the use of one,and he has asked me to cut some tiny keyways on my mill,so I might go and see him tomorrow and find out why.

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Thing is though since they stopped selling “Mayflower” Chinese curry sauce mix,lots of their customers have been a bit disgruntled. HOWEVER, after finding the manufacturers address, which happens to be in Doncaster, they have directed me to “Farmfoods” who also sell it. Surprising the number of Morrisons customers who have beaten a path to their doors.

 

   Regards  Ian.

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