The Workshop Progress Thread 2019

[Roy GardenParticipant @roygarden83469]

Well, after posting in my Intro that I'm starting with a mill and will get to a lathe as time / finances / swmbo allows,
A very nice man, not far from me PM'd me and said I could have his old lathe if I wanted it.
Gawd, how I agonised about not actually biting his arm off for the offer and being polite . . . (i.e. not actually running him down in my rush to take up his kind offer)
So went to see the nice man, looked at lathe, went home, agonised about taking such a nice bit of kit.
Went back to see him, was plain about what I'd seen such items go for, he still seemed happy enough, didn't look like he'd lost his marbles, was in fact the very epitome of a nice helpful chap.
So, I bunged him a tab to distract him and piled all I could fit in the back of the motor and did a runner

With new toys in garage just mocking me for my limited abilities (I've worked with hi tech machined tools all my working life in the oilfield and never knew how little I knew 'till I started to bodge bits of metal myself)
So, You choob is my friend, many and varied are the video's I've been watching, going from "DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER, leave a chuck key in"
To setting tool height, rpm, doc, feed rate . . .
And have made my first useful (I'd say "commissioned" but it was a wheeze dreamed up over whisky at a gliding club during a comp a couple of weeks ago) piece.
Which, much to my amazement, actually works.

Knobs (the bronze thingies) they are used to pull a recessed nut out to allow wing extensions to engage on the glider.
So, in reality they are a bit of bronze spun down to look pretty and tapped M5 on the end, but hey, it's a start.
The regulation nut on a bit of oversize bar required additional tooling / motor / VFD / Yet more video's / More change gears from myford-stuff, and it too worked (work in this context being a bit grandiose)

Still on a very steep learning curve, but have yet to break any tools, all my injuries so far have been "band aid" sized, I'm learning how to get the swarf out of my socks before trudging round the house, all in all, so far so good.

The two most heavily used items in the garage so far seem to be the (selection of now) brushes and shop vacum . .
It's amazing where swarf can get to !

My confidence is rising to where I may yet have a go at something useful and complex . . slowly (with back up's hidden . . )

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Finally admitted defeat at being able to get my Forest based engine to run as a flame licker. I had always thought that if it would not run that I could convert it to a poppet valve engine much like the Jowitt I made a few years ago. In the end I decided on a cam and follower operated spool valve as I had not made an engine with a spool valve before. Still needs a tidy up and the plumbing sorted out but seems to run at a nice steady pace.

Sorry about the few seconds of compressor noise at about 40 secs in.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by mechman48 on 12/02/2019 11:10:06:

Howard; a couple of pics of the cobbler automaton would be nice.

George.

I remember one from when I was a boy. He looked like a bearded Magwitch.

Neil

[GoCreateParticipant @gocreate]

Started a new project, 5"g Lion. These are the boiler parts ready for the dreaded silver soldering, I'm tackling the boiler first as that is the biggest challenge for me, if I can achieve this then I can finish the engine.

I'm generally following the LBSC drawings but using photo's I took of the full size engine in the Liverpool City museum to add detail.

Nigel

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I have a vague recollection (and it's no more than that) that there is a problem with the LBSC design valve gear for Lion. If I were you I'd contact OLCO who have a list of errors and hopefully solutions

OLCO

[GoCreateParticipant @gocreate]

Thanks Duncan. Your recollection is correct, I have an ME article 21st Dec 1973 that gives corrections to the 5"g valve gear.

Nigel

[Brian O’ConnorParticipant @brianoconnor49474]

Just finished making the carburettor for my Star Hit & Miss engine, a tricky little jobby. Remaining tasks are the ball governor, igniter, a few bits and pieces then stripdown and painting.

B

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Beautiful work Brian, well done!

[Adrian 2Participant @adrian2]

SUPERB !!

Adrian.

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

Nice work on the boiler Nigel, I too am in the process of boiler building to replace a 5" 040 boiler.

Bri

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Very nice. Looking forward to a video of it going.

Rod

[Joseph Noci 1Participant @josephnoci1]

Posted by Brian O'Connor on 06/06/2019 14:37:52:

Just finished making the carburettor for my Star Hit & Miss engine, a tricky little jobby. Remaining tasks are the ball governor, igniter, a few bits and pieces then stripdown and painting.

B

But….It looks Painted..??

Joe

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Looks good, even in the red oxide prime

Enjoy the ignitor they are always "interesting" to make

[Brian O’ConnorParticipant @brianoconnor49474]

Posted by Roderick Jenkins on 06/06/2019 17:12:52:

. . . . Looking forward to a video of it going.

Rod

Not as much as I am! But, don't hold your breath, I'm a slow worker.

B

[Brian O’ConnorParticipant @brianoconnor49474]

Posted by JasonB on 06/06/2019 18:45:13:

. . .Enjoy the ignitor they are always "interesting" to make

Well it won't be the only component of this engine that has been 'interesting' to make!

From what I've read I understand that hit & miss engines can be quite tricky to get to run reliably, or at least to miss reliably, so I might come knocking on your door for some advice when the time comes.

B

[geoff walker 1Participant @geoffwalker1]

Excellent work Brian, once again I find myself hugely impressed by the attention to detail which you have Brian and many other modellers on this site. Well done Geoff

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

More progress on Stew Hart's Overcrank engine. I looked at the connecting rod design and decided I preferred a different type of bearing arrangement closer to the original on the only picture I have of the full size engine at Quarry Bank Mill.

This is what I ended up with:

With those made I have enough parts of the basic engine to get it to run.

The next step is to fettle and adjust everything until it is a runner then I can turn my attention to the governor.

The governor, a posh wooden base and a coat of paint should keep me occupied for a while yet.

Jim

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Ooooh nice work Jim… you've just swung me to my next project; after I get out of hospital next week.

George.

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

Thanks George, it's coming along.

What are you doing in hospital?

Jim

[geoff walker 1Participant @geoffwalker1]

Hi Jim,

Nice work. I've just had a look on you tube to see this engine running ( Stewart Harts model)

It certainly captures your interest, I can see why you made it.

Lovely slow runner, I'm sure yours will run just as well.

Does it have conventional type slide valves in the valve block or are they a piston type valve.

Keep posting

Geoff

[Ian McVickersParticipant @ianmcvickers56553]

Nice work Jim. How did you make the connecting rods?

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

Geoff. The valves are conventional slide type.

Ian. The con rod centre portion was from a piece of steel into which I made a centre hole and tapped stud holes in each end.

I then made a dead centre to avoid using a lathe dog on the part I needed to work.

The centre part of the rod was then machined between centres with a rounded tool to give a good finish and radiused corners.

The brass bearings are made in the time honoured fashion of soft soldering two bits of brass together, drilling the requisite size hole for the crankshaft on the join line and then machining the joined piece to size and shape before melting the soft solder to give a split bearing.

Jim

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Posted by Jim Nic on 07/06/2019 19:21:14:

Thanks George, it's coming along.

What are you doing in hospital?

Jim

Having a 12mm kidney stone removed

G.

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

Ouch! Hope all goes well for you.

Jim

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

Got the Overcrank running and it is as good as I'd hoped for with plenty of action going on with even more to come when the governor (yet to be made) is fitted.

It runs smoothly at an air pressure of 5psi (my metrification does not extend to pressure) but does not like going under about 100 RPM at the moment. There is an annoyoing knock/rubbing noise which is coming from one of the return connecting rods which will have to be sorted. I know what the problem is but haven't looked in to a solution yet.

There should be a link to Utoob here but it hasn't appeared.  I'll try to get it sorted.

Overcrank run

Jim

 

 

Edited By JasonB on 12/06/2019 06:57:22

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