Remember your first?

[stevehuckss396]

I was going through some old pictures and found these. They were taken in January of 2007. This is the first engine I made that actually runs. It was built with some donated brass that someone could do without. It was machined on a brand new lathe and mill that I had little idea how to use. I cannot remember where I got the plans but they were free from somewhere. This were not the first pieces that I ever made but they were done at the very start of my engine building history. I can still remember the day it first ran. The quality is terrible. Nothing fit the way it should. It took forever to build. Other than all that, It's still my favorite.






Where did your engine building start? Post some pictures of your first finished project.

[KB]

"3 sisters" circa 1996, from plans found on the internet, when I first went on-line. The site is still up;  http://npmccabe.tripod.com/3sisters.htm

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02BlGgvtcKM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02BlGgvtcKM</a>

It was built using a lathe and drill press. The flywheel was fancied up, many years later.




-Kevin

[sshire]

Steve
My first engine ran about three weeks short of two years ago.
All I had was a mill; no lathe. It's a Stan Bray design, "Slim Sam."
As with yours, it was a bit wobbly, but it ran!

[spuddevans]

This is my 1st Engine, an Elmers #25




Built back when I didn't know what I was doing. ( I still don't know what I'm doing, but I have got much more proficient at making mistakes now )


Tim

[tvoght]

I dove right in with a casting set! The PM Research #2 is still a good runner. About 9-10 years ago using my trusty Taig lathe with milling slide.



--Tim

[b.lindsey]

 As i recall ...Elmer's Tiny was my first and longer ago that I care to remember

Bill

[Jo]

Mine was a Stuart 10V  .

Jo

[mklotz]

The first engine I started was Rudy Kouhoupt's marine engine.



Back in the early 70s I purchased the plans through Popular Mechanics and set to work to make it with my Unimat.  I finished a fair number of the parts but was interrupted by a six month consulting trip to Paris followed by living for a year in Bremen while I consulted on the European Space Lab.
Every time I returned to the engine I was upset by the poor quality of some of the parts and would begin remaking them.

After a period of this my wife suggested that maybe I should build something simpler so I would have a success under my belt to bolster my confidence.  I took her advice and built Elmer's Standby.



Shortly after finishing the Standby, I finished the marine engine.  So, technically, the Standby is my first although in my mind Rudy's engine is my personal first.

[Dan Rowe]

My first was the Stuart hammer. I used my Sherline lathe to line bore the cylinder.



Dan

[Mosey]

Confession is good for the soul.
My first was an Upshur Farm engine, which was made with a Benchmaster mill and SouthBend lathe. It didn't run. So I took it to Dick Upshur, who fixed it and ran it. He gave me 2 pages of single spaced handwritten notes explaining why it didn't run. I still like it even though it is poorly made.
Mosey

[vcutajar]

This is my first and only engine (up till now).  I guess I jumped into the deep end with my eyes open.



Took me more than a year to finish it and had to redo the piston to make it run.

Vince

[tangler]

Stuart 10V for me as well.  Made on a Zyto 3 3/8" with a vertical slide in 198something.  The reversing gear is later - still not timed and pinned.

Rod

[tel]

Also a Stuart 10V - 1979. Runs as well now as it did back then. All I had was the Myford and some very rudimentary tooling.

[garym]

My first project was my only project so far. It took me all last year but I didn't half learn a lot. It's in my avatar but here's a better picture. A translation from the one on Steve's workshop http://www.steves-workshop.co.uk/steammodels/simpleoscil/simpleoscil.htm

Gary

[Dave Otto]

This is my first; another Rudy engine.

I built this at work during lunch breaks and after hours. This was before I had any machine tools at home; sometime in the early eighties.

I was always going to finish it with proper hardware, paint, and a nice wood base; well I'm not dead yet so there is still time!

Dave

[Dan Rowe]

Tel,
Is that a model stamp mill being driven in the second photo? A few of my favorite Shays were used to supply ore to a bank of similar stamp mills.

Dan

[tel]

Yes Dan - another early effort, built especially for the Stuart to drive.

We had 3 Shays not far from here - at Burraga Mines - they were used to bring in firewood for the boilers one the timber had got too scarce for the horse drawn wagons to reach easily. One was destroyed in a fire and I believe the other two went for scrap when the mines closed around 1912.

[pgp001]

This was my first, my dad was given the patterns by an old chap when he was an apprentice in the 1940's.
Dad never did anything with them and gave them to me many years ago, all I had were four patterns and no drawings.
So got some castings made and designed the engine around what I had.







Strangely enough the patterns were thought to have been lost in our house move over five years ago, but I found them in a tin box of nuts and bolts when looking for something else last night.

Phil

[swilliams]

This is a great thread. Loving all the first engine builds

I built my first at school in engineering workshop class back in 85, but I don't have a photo unfortunately. It was an oscillator with a boiler and metho burner. The teacher silver soldered the boiler together, we weren't allowed. I remember using the shaping machine alot because the budget didn't extend to keeping sharp end mills in sufficient stock. Was a really great class with teachers that were qualified fitters and turners. Shame how under appreciated it was by most of the kids.

Steve

[Maryak]

Mine was a mill engine



Bob

[Captain Jerry]

My first was this.  My own design built with a Unimat SL1000 and a pencil torch in 2008.  Ten opposed pistons and a pair of swash plates.



Jerry

[Don1966]

My first engine I built three years ago. Didn't know much about maching still don't, but I hope to get there. I built Little Machine Shops Pip Squeak engine.


Don

[gary hart]

Philip Duclos Blazer made using a old 18" Sebastion lathe with top speed of something like 495 rpm.

[arnoldb]

'T was but a bit over four years ago - made entirely on the lathe.  A weekend very well spent:



Regularly gets picked up and given a blow to make it run 

Kind regards, Arnold

[waggle]

My first model was a joint project with my father - another Stuart 10V. After that he went on to make some tooling and I did a Brunell Grasshopper Beam engine. We then each went on to tackle a bigger project. I started  a 5" Speedy and he chose an Allchin traction engine. We made some progress on these, but after he passed away in 2002 I lost interest in all things engineering and I am now trying to get back into the shop to finish the 2 ongoing projects. I also have lots of new plans to keep me going for years to come. I am finding it very difficult to get started due to depression and monetary restrictions but reading all of the wonderful posts on here is making it harder to stay away.
Sorry, I have no photos, but when I do finally get started again I will do lots of photos.

Tony

[b.lindsey]

Tony, thanks for posting. I do hope that the friendly and supportive environment here on MEM will help ease that transition back into the shop and model engineering.

Regards,
Bill

[Alan Haisley]

"3 sisters" circa 1996, from plans found on the internet, when I first went on-line. The site is still up;  http://npmccabe.tripod.com/3sisters.htm

-Kevin

If you go to http://npmccabe.tripod.com/ you can find Professor McCabe's home page with links to several plans ranging from low-tech to CAM produced. Professor McCabe is associated with the County College of Morris Engineering Tech Department in Randolph, N.J.
Alan
 

[Alan Haisley]

This was my first:

About four years ago. It's kinda my own design of a wobbler. I made brass swash plates because I figured that brass on brass would work better. The plates are each held on by countersunk 2-56 screws. The other thing I figured was that the port timing was where I was most likely to make a mistake. If needed I could remove the plates and remake them with changed port placement without having to redo the cylinder or stand. The cylinder was especially hard to make because I bored a blind hole. Although it involves more parts and fitting, I'd suggest that other beginners bore through their cylinders and make an end plate.
Alan
 

[AussieJimG]

My first was a LTD Stirling "Coffee Cup" engine. I still recall the thrill.
Maybe it is not quite like giving birth but it must be close.

Jim

[zeeprogrammer]

PMR Model 2A was mine.
A complete newbie at machining and I caught a lot of flak for doing a casting first. But the kit came with a video which was a big help.
I still have the one-sheet plan pinned to a wall. It's been what? 4 years now since I started this hobby? Something like that.

As it turned out, I bought 3 kits, having screwed up the flywheel a couple of times and other parts. Not knowing I could just order the part I needed.

First steam engine anyway. I actually started with 'The Home Machinist's Handbook' (great starter book but has a couple of errors in it). I made the machinist jacks, mallet which I use quite a lot, machinist's clamp which I use a lot, and setup tool which resulted in two nice drilled dimples in my mini-mill table.

Ah those holes in the mini-mill table. For whatever reason, it's like my picture of my old 65 beetle I had in high school. A nice reminder of my first time.

[mklotz]

... it's like my picture of my old 65 beetle I had in high school. A nice reminder of my first time.

Yeah, they told us it couldn't be done, didn't they?

[Maryak]

Yeah, they told us it couldn't be done, didn't they?

Marv, that's very interesting, the oz view of the beetles of my youth were............Thanks to typical German thoroughness and engineering expertise hanging straps were conveniently positioned on the door pillars.

Best Regards
Bob

[mklotz]

I fitted my Beetle with the much-coveted fold-down gearshift lever.  Opened up whole new avenues of socialization.  [How's that for a euphemism?]

[b.lindsey]

Marv...you devil. 

And good to see you back Zee

Bill

[zeeprogrammer]

The 65 beetle was a 6V system.
8 track came out so I put a 12V booster in.
Unfortunately, I had to be traveling at least 45mph to have enough power to change tracks.
So I drilled a hole in the side and wired a pencil to the solenoid.
Whenever I heard the 'thunk' when it tried to change tracks, I pushed the pencil.

Because of that booster, my horn would only 'bip bip' at low speeds.
When going for inspection I drove in real fast beeping my horn so they'd know it would work and wouldn't test it.

The 'bip bip' was fun though. I pretended I was in a World War I aircraft and would 'bip bip' at other cars.
I used a dead bug on the windshield as my sight.

Great times. Stupid times...but great times.

And yeah Marv...they said it couldn't be done. But it could. But not without injury for which I am still paying for.

Great times. Stupid times...but great times.

Well not such stupid times...just times of stupidity.

And thanks Bill. I hope to spend more time here than I have.

[mklotz]

The 65 beetle was a 6V system.

Yes, a 6V system with the battery under the rear seat.  I had a nice bit of flat iron that I used to prop the seat up when I was topping up the battery.  Worked well until one day it slipped out of position and fell across the battery terminals.  The resulting arc set fire to the raffia strings hanging from the underside of the seat.  It was an interesting bit of contortion to extinguish the fire without igniting my hair.

Remember driving fast into a rain puddle and aquaplaning?  One lost steering authority, of course but I discovered that, if the puddle was just the right depth, one could use the front wheels like rudders and crudely "aim" the car.

Yep, good to have you back, Zee.  You always evoke such great memories.

[pgp001]

In my old Mini Van I used to find the "rudder effect" worked best once you had lost all control and spun a full 180°   

Phil

[Mosey]

Didn't the windows all instantly steam over if you went through a puddle with the "heater" on? Also a useful thing in the car. And the mice crawled up into the "heater" and died and you smelled them for weeks?
Mosey

[Alan Haisley]

Yes, a 6V system with the battery under the rear seat.  I had a nice bit of flat iron that I used to prop the seat up when I was topping up the battery.  Worked well until one day it slipped out of position and fell across the battery terminals.  The resulting arc set fire to the raffia strings hanging from the underside of the seat.  It was an interesting bit of contortion to extinguish the fire without igniting my hair.

My dad must have had some Scot blood. I remember him keeping car batteries going for a few more months by shorting them deliberately to burn through internal shorts at the bottom of the plates. Probably dangerous but he grew up in an age where a weeks pay was divided into an envelope for each bill coming due and what was left was what we had to eat on. This was done in the open with a lot of fresh air around though.
Alan

[Brian Rupnow]

Sorry Jo--I just read the last page and I did think it was first cars, based on what I read. Okay--We can fix that. Second from the right you will see my first model engine, an Elmer Verbourg wobbler. I was tickled beyond belief when it actually ran for the first time.---Brian

[Jo]

  I thought this thread was supposed to be about our first model engine....

Jo

[sshire]

It started out that way, so I won't mention my '61 Austin Healey 3000 Mk I

[mklotz]

I thought this thread was supposed to be about our first model engine....

asks the master of the double entendre.

[Jo]

Yes but model engines are sexy.. cars are transport, now motorcycles they count as sexy: is there anything more enjoyable than a hot slow revving single between you legs  .

Jo

[mklotz]

Yes but model engines are sexy.. cars are transport, now motorcycles they count as sexy: is there anything more enjoyable than a hot slow revving single between you legs 

Believe when I say that when you're an American teenager/college student,  a car is a hell of a lot more than transport.  But I agree on the motorcycle.  I used to have a Norton 750 and it was about the only thing that kept my first marriage from imploding.  [It imploded anyway but, by that time, it was a massive relief.]

[Bearcar1]

Yes but model engines are sexy.. cars are transport, now motorcycles they count as sexy: is there anything more enjoyable than a hot slow revving single between you legs  .

Jo

I suppose not    as long as it doesn't go "bip" 'bip" 

[Maryak]

Sexy ?????






I suppose it's all in the eye of the beholder

Best Regards
Bob

[Mosey]

My first was a 1959 cherry red bugeye Sprite. Fortunately, most of you have forgotten what they look like.
However, in the conquest per dollar category while in college, it couldn't be beat!
Mosey   

[fcheslop]

Nah marra, This is sexy

[mklotz]

Sexy ?????



I suppose it's all in the eye of the beholder

It all depends who you can get to ride on the back...

[fcheslop]

You're correct Marv
Just cannot beat a long legged Italian

[Jo]

Dukes are nice I cured my desire for speed on one when I was much younger: A 900SS full throttle top gear down the motorway.  Wonderful sound, handling and the vibration  .

Can't stand little buzzy two strokes/multis, the sound and vibration is totally wrong - it does nothing for me.

Jo

[fcheslop]

Yep liked the Dukes as long as you catch the bits falling off at speed .When they run well theres nothing better its just keeping them running and they called Joe Lucas the prince of darkness what about Morelli :Lol:forgive the spelling
Traded it in for a Silver Jubilee Bonny
cheers

[Tennessee Whiskey]

OK Steve, since you started it let's set them straight. If you haven't felt a" stroked out" Harley,heard the whine of a blower, or felt the seat of the pants feel of a bad a$$ big block, well, you need to.

Whiskey

[mklotz]

Harley...those are the ones where they have to put oil catch pans under the new ones on the showroom floor,  right?

[fcheslop]

 
Harley to make em handle they need a Feather bed

[Tennessee Whiskey]

No that was the old ones. Kinda the American version of that VW. I'LL even admit they are about like corvettes. it's just a thing

 Whiskey

[sshire]

The leaky Harleys were when Brunswick bought HD. They should have stayed with automatic pin setters.

[stevehuckss396]

Boy did this thread take a hard left turn or what?   I originally started the thread think there would be a place to send the beginners when they ask "what is a good starter engine". I thought it would be good to show people where and how we all began in the hobby. As long as everybody is having fun with it i'm good!!!

OK Steve, since you started it let's set them straight. If you haven't felt a" stroked out" Harley,heard the whine of a blower, or felt the seat of the pants feel of a bad a$$ big block, well, you need to.

Whiskey

I have never been on a stroked Harley but I have had the seat of the pants feel of a blown, stroked out badass big block. I agree theres nothing like rolling down the freeway at 60 and mashing the pedal breaking loose the tires and needing all 3 lanes. God i miss that car!!!






 

 

[Tennessee Whiskey]

Steve, I knew you would understand. The " Stroked Harley" gives you all the same feeling, 'cept a whole lot closer( if you can get it to crank) and a little different sound.
 God I miss my stroker

Whiskey

[steamer]

That doesn't look like any fun at all Steve......I bet it doesn't even spin the tires!....

Dave

[zeeprogrammer]

Marv has it right.
It's always about accessorizing.

bip bip