'WIDE A WAKE' a steam launch tale

[Flyboy Jim]

Pete, Chris - glad that's of use. It's quite easy to do and fairly quick on CI not quite so on steel. On 'brass' of course it's a doddle.

Just as a matter of interest you can get an even more defined effect by using an engraver

This was the eccentric strap from the Waller engine. The central steel part is just protection

As finished - the bright shine can be reduced by a thin layer of brown enamel paint well thinned to a water like consistency

As here on the Double Diagonal

The idea is not new nor mine. I was first told about it by an exhibitor at an ME Exhibition. A superb model engineer and very nice person indeed to converse with I think his name was Ron Jervis - he made some exceptional steam powered vehicles/carriages. I noticed this effect on a beam engine driven sugar mill he had made and asked him about it. I believe I read somewhere he lived to be a centenarian and was modelling almost to the end.

The garden is far to wet to do anything on tomorrow    aw dammit it's in the warm again I guess Life can be so difficult at times you know 

Regards - Ramon

I really like that! Looks like more tools in my future!  And a new skill (of many) to work on.

As a newcomer to all this I'm going to have to live to be a Centenarian in order to make a dent in all there is to learn! 

Jim

[Ramon Wilson]

Jim - I know exactly what you mean but regrettably in the last few weeks I have lost two good modelling friends to the dreaded Big C that serves only too well to remind that what's left is finite.

I just make the best of what I have and try not to look too far ahead these days - that said I was once told by a doctor on my yearly diving medical and I quote - "You are a very fit man Mr Wilson, you'll live to be 99" Yes really! I remember saying that I would hold him to that  Of course I was in my thirties at the time  Living to that age is one thing but being able to do something practical with the time is of course another matter.

I have many things I would like to do but have become very realistic in knowing that most are unlikely to be achieved 

Regards - Ramon

[Flyboy Jim]

Jim - I know exactly what you mean but regrettably in the last few weeks I have lost two good modelling friends to the dreaded Big C that serves only too well to remind that what's left is finite.

I just make the best of what I have and try not to look too far ahead these days - that said I was once told by a doctor on my yearly diving medical and I quote - "You are a very fit man Mr Wilson, you'll live to be 99" Yes really! I remember saying that I would hold him to that  Of course I was in my thirties at the time  Living to that age is one thing but being able to do something practical with the time is of course another matter.

I have many things I would like to do but have become very realistic in knowing that most are unlikely to be achieved 

Regards - Ramon

Ramon, I remember a fellow (Ned) in our motorcycle group that was in his eighties. He would show up at one of our campouts with a new Harley Davidson motorcycle. While everyone was checking it out he would make the statement: "Yep.......... this is my last new Harley that I'm ever going to have"! This happened at least three times that I can remember! Maybe we can all be like Ned! 

Jim

[Dave Otto]

Just tried your texturing technique on some brass and steel scraps, using my proxxon rotary tool and a small ball end bur - looks fantastic! With a medium speed and a tapping motion, it gives a great random pattern. Also tried a little wash of thinned paint like you suggest, gives it a nice depth.

Thanks for the great tips!!   

Pics? Hey Dave! Aren't you asking too.?

What can I say; I'm trying to catch up on the last couple days of posts. Seems like every spring I have lots of plans and then I get slammed with work. Pictures? yes they would be nice; anything to help the rest of us learn.

Dave

[crueby]

Just tried your texturing technique on some brass and steel scraps, using my proxxon rotary tool and a small ball end bur - looks fantastic! With a medium speed and a tapping motion, it gives a great random pattern. Also tried a little wash of thinned paint like you suggest, gives it a nice depth.

Thanks for the great tips!!   

Pics? Hey Dave! Aren't you asking too.?

What can I say; I'm trying to catch up on the last couple days of posts. Seems like every spring I have lots of plans and then I get slammed with work. Pictures? yes they would be nice; anything to help the rest of us learn.

Dave

Nothing I have would show as much as what Ramon has already kindly shared in his earlier posts. When I get to that stage on my corliss thread I'll put up pics as I attempt to do the same technique, over on that thread - lets give Ramon his build thread back!

[Ramon Wilson]

Just tried your texturing technique on some brass and steel scraps,...............

Glad to hear someone gained something Chris  and Jim - yes indeed, that's what we all hope eh 

The top end nears completion. Before those steam chests could get a coat of primer the lay shaft brackets needed making.

I milled the Tee section from steel long enough for the two brackets and drilled/reamed for the bushes from each end then the length was cut in two. The holes had some small cuts put in with a needle file to allow the solder to flow through and the bushes, turned from bronze bar, were then silver soldered into place. I felt I had drawn the Tee a bit on the heavy side so reduced the thickness of the web somewhat to be look more in keeping as well as giving more room for the nuts 


The waste was cut away and the parts set up by eye and milled to a scribed line before filing to shape


A quick fettle with the rotary burr.....


And they could be attached for a 'dry run' to see how things line up

 
With a very small amount of lapping in situ it all lined up more or less ok and the shaft fitted smoothly with no tight spots.


So at last every thing has a coat of etch primer. As mentioned previously some parts are used as 'masks' and will have the paint removed by washing in cellulose thinner.


I'll leave that a good 24 hours before applying the top coats (same grey as the water tanks, more or less the same colour as the primer) then the bottom end can be tackled.

Thanks for looking in

Regards - Ramon

[zeeprogrammer]

Glad to hear someone gained something

Always something to learn from you.

Wow...nice!

[Don1966]

I am still getting some fabrication ideas just watching you progress Ramon. Always a treat to tune in on your builds. 

 
Don

[Ramon Wilson]

Hi Guys - thanks for looking in 

Given the interest in the last little fixture here are a few pics of the latest parts - the lay shaft levers - being made. Another 'fiddly' part particularly when holding but another simple sacrificial fixture improves things no end and is well worth the small amount of extra work involved and certainly makes things much easier.

Blanks were prepped for the six parts and the holes drilled in the mill. The centre of the blank was milled out to thickness plus 0.2mm. The material, an offcut from a steel used at work, is a Swedish steel called UHB11. It has very little, if any, locked in stress and machines nicely albeit the swarf is extremely sharp.


This should give a good idea of just how little it moves when machined - if this was CRS it would be like a banana


Next up was to turn a secondary face plate. The small boss in the centre is removable with a 3mm tapped hole behind


With the part located on the boss and held with a 3mm cap head and a 5mm button head as a clamp the bosses were turned to finish diameter and the arm reduced to thickness


With all the bosses turned another small fixture was made to hold the parts for milling the tapers. The part was located at the correct angle using a drill shank as a pin through the small hole to align with another in the plate below


The rudimentary arms as milled


Using the same fixture located on the R/T the radius was milled on the ends.


Then the small ends had their radii filed on using filing buttons


The fixture was also pressed into further use to hold whilst draw filing the machining marks out .....




...before the final op on a small expanding mandrel to turn the boss to width


The six as initially finished. They just need a bit more fettling before fitting to the layshaft , the inner four with Loctite and pinned and the outer two removable with taper pins. I've made them a mil wider than drawn to give the Loctite a bit more area to bond


Well that's another few bits more or less finished, hope this simple technique is useful for someone doing anything similar. The paint is dry so next session sees getting the crank back in.

Regards - Ramon

[Don1966]

Always a pleasure to see more educational progress my friend and they look a treat.........

Don 

[crueby]

Those came out great!   

[Dave Otto]

Nicely done Ramon,

Always enjoyable seeing how you work through things.

Dave

[Ramon Wilson]

Hi Don, Chris, Dave, (nice to see you still looking in Dave)

Small update for today -

I removed the masking from the bolting areas, smoothed the raised edges of the paint with a fine file then sprayed a fine mist coat over the bolting faces. This way there is very little paint between mating surfaces but the surrounding areas that are exposed after bolting the bearings and standards in place blend in, hopefully without further touch up


The crank was set up on the lathe - held at one end in a collet it ran extremely true at the other. Whoever built this engine certainly made a very good job of it machining wise - it was just painted so dreadfully  The shaft was reduced and tapped to take the worm for the pump drive and any slight burrs from the eccentric grub screws smoothed. The bearings themselves were good so other than a clean up with a bit of Garryflex block no work was required though three small oil cups were turned to improve the countersunk holes previously acting as oilers.


Having taken a good look at the big ends the fit is actually quite reasonable on the crank pins despite my original impression. There is no movement radially but they do rock slightly for and aft. I'm happy to use the big end portions then so will have a go to make new rods from steel and began to rough those out this afternoon. Before milling the blanks were set up on an angle plate and had centres put in each end ready for the turning ops to come.


Not quite as much done as hoped today but then I had a very pleasant interlude this afternoon when my friend Phil brought his friend Eric round to see the engine. Eric was a fitter and turner on the shipyard where and when I began my working life as an apprentice welder so as you can imagine there was a bit of shipyard nostalgia - only a bit mind 

Regards for now - Ramon

[joe d]

Ramon

Still following quietly along, glad to see you back at this.

Looking forward to to the video of the "First Cruise"

Joe

[K.B.C]

Hi Ramon,
Can you tell me where you get the etch primer from ? I have never been able to find a suitable primer.
Great job you are doing here, just a few questions.

If I may ask, how are you going to get the worm drive onto the main shaft after you have the eccentrics on, will there be enough room for the worm to be fitted ?
All the D10's that I have built have been mainly to Stuarts drawing and the pump end of the shaft is shown as being drilled 3/16" x 7/16" deep to take the worm shaft and allows the shaft to be extended to be held in the outer bearing.
I make the extension shaft from a piece of 3/16" stainless and as I can't cut my own worm and wheel I have to buy them from H.P.C. gears.as you can see from the last pic there isn't much room on the mainshaft after the eccentrics are fitted.

When you have made the blanks for the conrod to fit onto the Gunmetal bearings the Cross head eye should be a 90deg to the bearings, have you enough metal to complete the eye ?

Hope that the pics explain my meaning.

George