My First Stationary Engine

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Jason,

I found the drawing for this little engine on the "MEWS Models to Build" site and this morning I found your build thread of the Monitor Ball Hopper Hit n Miss Engine, I have to say that it is seriously impressive, quite a large lump of an engine and quite involved to. The setting up for machining of some of those awkward castings was impressive in itself let alone all the other parts you had to produce.

Excellent stuff Jason was it a good runner.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Only had time for two small parts today, the big end and the piston. The piston is 0.004" oversize, hopefully that is enough for adjusting its size ready for lapping in once the cylinder is honed.

Should have some brass bar on Monday so I can make a start on the column.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Looking good

Thanks for the comments on the Monitor, there are several more of my builds on there though some may only be on the DVDs now but all somewhere on the web as David just takes text and images from a build thread.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Turned up the crankshaft and its bearing this morning, went with a different approach to the drawing. The drawing shows the crankshaft as a plain shaft with the crank arm added (close fit) then pinned, also the same fixing for the flywheel.

I have turned up the shaft with a stepped boss as a one piece to which I will lightly press on the 4mm thick connecting arm plus a dab of retainer. The end result will look the same, I thought it just bit easier then machining up the one piece arm and boss.

 

Edited By Ron Laden on 02/02/2020 09:29:08

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

Ron, I have found a nebuliser has enough air pressure to run these small engines, then you can see for tight spots and then adjust the parts for free running. Also the nebuliser will be handy when old age sets in, the best quality ones that my father has seems to have more pressure than my £40 one, but works a treat.

Bob

Edited By BOB BLACKSHAW on 02/02/2020 10:33:09

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Hi Bob, I would never have thought of a nebuliser but I needed a new airbrush compressor anyway so I have killed two birds with one stone (hopefully)

The engine looks nice which model is it..?

Ron

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Just out of interest it is quite recent that I got myself some GT inserts, previously I had been using MT inserts and HSS tooling on most of the lathe work. I have to say that I am very impressed with the GT type, not only are they excellent on alu, brass and the like I have found them very good on steel, well on EN1A at least.

The crankshaft I turned this morning from 1/2" EN1A down to 5.0mm and used a GT for all of it, not just the finishing cuts. I guess there must be a limit on the depth of cut but I took some 1.0mm cuts with no problem at all and even at 1.0mm the surface finish was very good.

I dont know how you guys find them but I think they are excellent.

Edited By Ron Laden on 02/02/2020 17:16:24

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

Ron, Stewart Hart has drawings of a number of small engines, I sent him a message and received them via e-mail.

Bob.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Jason, I have found some Pine dowel in the shed would that do for the cylinder honing or does it really need to be hardwood.

Ron

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Should be OK

**GT inserts are good for wood too

Edited By JasonB on 03/02/2020 13:15:43

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Thanks Jason

I will give it a try.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Crank arm made and fitted, its not perfect but the best I can do by hand with a couple of files. Its reasonably tidy and the hole centres are good so I think it will do.

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Looks like a great job to me Ron!

[geoff walker 1Participant @geoffwalker1]

Hi Jeff

Yes I also like what Ron has done

I need to make a similar crank for my latest engine and that looks a neat way to construct it

Nice work Ron

Geoff

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Thanks Jeff/Geoff,

It just seemed a bit easier for the same end result and I do tend to enjoy a bit of filing to shape, quite satisfying.

Ron

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

The small parts are ready and the brass bar has arrived for the main column, I have also got a 100mm x 10mm steel round on the way to have a go at making a flywheel.

The cylinder is honed and the piston lapped in, my first time doing that and I really enjoyed it, very satisfying. The piston fit I think is good, its smooth, free and as close a fit as I could get, so here,s hoping it will prove ok when running.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Turned the column this morning, it looks a tad different to the drawing mainly because I used a 4mm radius form tool I had ground up for another job and I used that for the shaping.

To the mill next, hope to get it finished in the morning.

Excuse the poor quality picture.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

It's coming along well Ron.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Finished the column this morning, well apart from going around it with the needle files. A couple of changes I have taken the inlet and exhaust straight through to the back of the column, I just thought it neater than on the sides. Also the brass bar I used wasnt big enough to include the column base fixing lugs/brackets as a one piece part but I will machine those in the base plate for the same effect.

A couple of pics, one showing that the parts actually fit together..

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Top notch work Ron, it looks great!

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Looking good Ron; no need for any self deprecation you're doing fine

George.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Thanks Jeff/George, I must admit I am enjoying making it and learning a few things along the way.

Ron

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

The surface finish of the mating faces of the cylinder and column have turned out really good, excellent in fact but is it normal practice to lap them in to each other, I am guessing it is ..?

[geoff walker 1Participant @geoffwalker1]

Hi Ron

Looking great in brass Ron

It can't do any harm to lap the faces but of course they should be a really close fit before, lapping is only a fine finish process

Geoff

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I've lapped the two oscillators that I have made, you can use the same stuff you got for the piston/cylinder.

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