Author Topic: Joe's 1" Minne TE  (Read 96904 times)

Offline joe d

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Joe's 1" Minne TE
« on: September 18, 2013, 04:08:29 AM »
Hi

I've been nibbling away at a 1" Minnie since last winter.  Started with cutting the gears, as I wanted to see if i could do this or not.
Turned out ok in the end, and only made one fractional gear (any body need a 79 & 1/3rd tooth gear?)



Here's the whole batch:



Then had a whack at carving out a flywheel from a solid chunk of cast iron:



after milling it out, did a lot of filing and ended up with this:



I'm pretty happy with how these turned out, first time around for both operations.

Then turned my attention to the boiler, consulted a number of knowledgeable people for advice regarding the construction as I really don't need the excitement that would ensue from building a bomb...

Did some copper bashing (many thanks to "Firebird" Rich, and Sandy C for their postings on this in another place a long time ago, otherwise would not
have had the faintest idea  :ThumbsUp: )

and have ended up here:





Just now starting to work on a pump for the hydro test.  Keep those fingers crossed!

(Lots of other "in progress"  photos available if anybody wants to see anything in particular)

I'll keep posting forward progress, retrograde as well, helpful hints, and "Don't do that you idiot!" comments are
all welcome.

Cheers, Joe

Offline Don1966

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2013, 04:56:44 AM »
Joe, it all looks good to me. Keep the photos coming and I'll be pulling up a chair and following along.  :cheers:

Don

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2013, 10:22:16 AM »
Looks good to me so far Joe. You have been busy. If possible can you post a picture of a finished engine, so we will know where you are headed?

Bill

Offline Jim Nic

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2013, 10:33:24 AM »
Good looking work Joe,  I like the way you started on the unknowns first.  I shall follow your build with great interest as I have it in the back of my mind that I need to do a traction engine at some time and the Minnie seems a good way to go.  Are you working just from drawings or do have the build book for guidance?

Jim
The person who never made a mistake never made anything.

Online steamer

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2013, 11:33:28 AM »
That all looks great Joe!

Dave
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Damned ijjit!

Offline gbritnell

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2013, 12:23:44 PM »
Hi Joe,
Great looking work, especially on the flywheel. Your boiler takes me back many years when I built the one for my 1" Case engine.
gbritnell
Talent unshared is talent wasted.

Offline tel

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2013, 12:25:56 PM »
Excellent work Joe!  :ThumbsUp:
The older I get, the better I was.
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Offline SandCam

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2013, 12:48:30 PM »
Hi Joe,

Well now, you have been a busy boy... Excellent piece of milling for that flywheel and the gears look perfect (apart from the 79 1/3rd tooth one :ROFL:)... keep hold of it though, cos Rich has some weird value gearwheels from his latest project that may mary up :Jester: :naughty:

For someone who initially showed great concern :headscratch: :ShakeHead: over his ability to build a boiler I would say you had nothing to worry about... you have made a superb job of that one and you can be proud of it.

WELL DONE SIR.

I can see that your traction engine is going to be one to look out for.

Best Regards

Sandcam...AKA SandyC. :cheers:

Offline joe d

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2013, 04:11:20 AM »
Hi gang

Sorry for the delay in replying, can't claim anything more than being bone-idle.  :LittleAngel: 

Thanks for all the kind comments.  Answering a few questions in no particular order, I'm working from both the book
AND a full-size set of plans (had the plans first)

Here's a link to a bunch of photos on Google of other people's Minnies...
https://www.google.ca/search?safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=7E3&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=np&tbm=isch&source=univ&
sa=X&ei=fKFDUo20E5KiqwGuwoHQDw&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=771&dpr=1&q=minnie%20traction%20engine%20photos


Now making some progress with the pump for pressure testing:  Using an illustration posted a long time ago
 by Bogstandard (I think) as the plan... more or less....



the valve sizes and the ram size are all predicated by the size of o-rings on hand, the rest is 100% TLAR engineering :) :)
even better, all the material is out of the spare parts/offcuts pile   :ThumbsUp:

(Pay no mind to the date on the photo, somebody needs to reset the dang camera :lol:)

Cheers, Joe



Offline joe d

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2013, 03:13:48 AM »
A little more progress:

bored out the upright on the Taig lathe:


Trimmed off the bits that don't need to be there on the Taig mill....


Some straightforward turning and knurling & filing for the piston and handle


and that's where we are so far.  Testing time coming soon : :zap:

Cheers, Joe

Offline RonGinger

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2013, 01:01:53 PM »
When I built my Minnie I made it 125% scale- because I had a piece of copper tube that size to make the boiler.

Because it was bigger I had enough room to add a spur gear differential. This has a center gear that drives each axle, and a set of planet gears around it. I decided a 20 tooth axle gear would be nice and built them. Then I thought 3 planet gears would be cool, so built them and drilled the big bullgear for the 3 shafts to support the planets. It all looked really great, but when I tried to assemble it it became clear that a 21 tooth gear would have been better to support the 3 planets since 20 does not divide well by 3.

I redrilled for 2 planets and put the third one in my show box of parts.

Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2013, 01:59:55 PM »
That's a fine looking flywheel as well as set of gears.
I've not done any gear cutting (except by mistake).
That boiler looks great too. Any more in-progress shots of that? Or links to some?
I have no idea what a 'Minne TE' is. Looking forward to seeing more.
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
"To work. To work."
Zee-Another Thread Trasher.

Offline Don1966

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2013, 04:27:52 PM »
Hi Joe, still following and enjoying it. You making great progress and some impressive work to watch.

Don

Offline joe d

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2013, 04:03:24 AM »
Hi again...

Ron:  that sounds like something that I would do.... :headscratch:  post a picture or two of your Minnie, would like to see it!

Zee:  Long time no post... Still can't see an M&M without thinking of you :lolb:  I had been posting my progress over on MadModder,
some "in progress" stuff on the boiler there: http://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,8250.0.html

Don:  thanks, appreciate it.

A bit more progress:


Only have to take it apart, clean up the parts, & solder it all together.  Came out with a 3/8" bore, 7/8" stroke.  This will only happen Monday,
as tomorrow I'm going out to play at my friend's farm (raises Clydesdales, ALARMINGLY large horses) where I will pick out my Christmas turkey (He raises 7 or 8 every year)  out of this year's batch.  Got the smallest one last year, 18 pounds.... :ROFL:

Cheers, Joe

Offline joe d

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Re: Joe's 1" Minne TE
« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2013, 03:35:35 PM »
Hi

Got the pump finished,



made up a quick and dirty manifold from spare parts in the plumbing box


The pump works, at 20 PSI found out that 16 of the 18 side stays leak....  :hammerbash:
They are threaded into the boiler shell, with a nut on top to act as a spacer for the hornplates.
 
The nuts were well soldered on to the shell, but clearly didn't get enough  solder into the joint
between the the nuts and the stays.  The ends inside the firebox seem to be ok so far.

So, in and out of the pickle, add a dab more solder into the joint of each one, and back in
the pickle to clean up.   

Will report later with further news
Cheers, Joe

 

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