Author Topic: Future Kits  (Read 4621 times)

Offline littlelocos

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 91
Future Kits
« on: October 02, 2017, 01:42:25 AM »
(Littlelocos started a new thread, started from "Re: Scale Reid and Bessemer kits," October 1, 2017)

Hello. Jasonb and Steam Haulage,
The projects we purchased were the smaller, lesser known ones that Paul Jacobs was working on.  The larger kits went to someone on the West Coast.
Here's a list:
Essex Caloric (1/2-scale of a toy Stirling)
Kraus-Mohr (toy Stirling)
Carette (toy Stirling)
Lochmann Fountain (ornate Stirling fountain)
Robinson (Stirling originally designed by Norbert Keeley)
Robinson (Stirling originally designed by Paul Breisch, never released)
Scrap Box (small steam engine.  Appeared in LS Magazine)
Green Mill Engine (follow-up to Scrap Box, never published)
Westinghouse Steam Traction Engine
Jersey City steam engine
Miniature Band Saw
Miniature Shingle Mill
Miniature Punch Press
3-cylinder oscillator (steam)
3-cylinder vertical (Mueller)
Ivar Lundgaard (Stirling refrigeration compressor)

These are in addition to my own designs as well as derivatives (like a Parsell & Weed Stirling)
3.5" Baldwin "Consolidation" 2-8-0
15cc V-Twin Model Airplane Engine
7-cylinder Flat-Head radial (4.4ci)
Flat-Head, Flat Twin (1.2ci)
5-cylinder OHV radial (2.7ci)
Freelance Hit & Miss (1/4-scale)
and a bunch of others I've laid out or collected info on for future projects.

Our current plan is to concentrate on the smaller models first and eventually bring out the larger ones such as the Robinsons and the Lochmann in a few years.  Fortunately, Paul and I have the same taste in engines, so I'm looking forward to eventually working on each of the above.

Todd.

Littlelocos Model Engineering
 

Offline fidlstyks

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 72
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2017, 03:55:27 AM »
This is a very ambitious list. I hope it all matures.
I recommend you try listing your kits on eBay as they become available. I learned it is hard taking orders and having people wait. If you list kits as they are put together and ready to mail and sell them on eBay ,no one can ask you where their kit is. Here in the US you must ship a kit in 30 days from the purchasers postmark on order. Or its automatic mailfraud . The threat of this has caused a few suppliers to go out of business. Some found various castings to be bad causing them a delay. Which in turn became a bad report among other prospective purchasers.
   But maybe you already have a marketing strategy.
   Finding a foundry if you sell castings is an even worse experience. If I could find one I certainly would not do it myself.

Online Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • Surrey, UK
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2017, 07:32:48 AM »
Thanks for the list Todd and I know you put your products on e-bay already we even get them on UK e-bay.

Offline Perry

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 194
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2017, 09:49:12 AM »
Hello Todd, more info, details/ pictures available on Lochmann fountain kit? Regards

Offline littlelocos

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 91
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2017, 02:43:03 AM »
Fidlstyks - Thanks! I'll be busy for a long while for sure.  We have ads on eBay all the time and have a long-standing policy of not offering items for sale unless we have them in hand.  There's just too much risk in taking pre-orders.  To maintain our ranking on eBay, we're required to ship all items purchased within 24 hours.  They even monitor the time it takes between printing a shipping label and when the item shows up on UPS or USPS tracking.  Even with a web site and advertising in HSM, about 80% of our sales come thru eBay.  We maintain pretty constant stock on all of our items either way.

Jasonb - eBay-US offers to dual-list items on eBay-UK for 50-cents per listing.  It's well worth it for us and our friends across the Pond.

Perry - The Lochmann Fountain engine is from an 1880 German Patent for a Stirling engine-driven parlor fountain.  (see attached patent and elevation)   The design of the engine is similar to a Heinrici.
 
Paul Jacobs apparently offered kits for a while; however, it was never a good seller.  This is probably due to the size of the project (32" tall) and the cost of the kit ($450-$500 in the mid-1990s).  It may also have been due to the castings being done in aluminum - not a material widely used in 1885.  We've considered doing it in bronze; however, the kits may be prohibitively expensive.  I've also thought about offering the engine only, without the fountain.   We had about 6 complete kits and sold them on eBay and at Cabin Fever to help recoup some of our expenses. 

Offering a little insight into what's needed with these projects...  For the Fountain we have a set of 4 matchplates and 2D AutoCAD files for the engine.  The matchplates are laid out with various parts on one plate so that all 4 plates must be used to cast the engines one at a time (a total of 7 pours per engine assuming all castings turn out).  I plan to duplicate the individual impressions from the matchplates, using them as Masters.  From there I'll  produce a new set of patterns with 11 or 12 individual matchplates with multiples of each part on a plate.  All of the gating and risering on each plate is  designed such that the foundry does not have to do any hand work.  This all helps to save costs and to make sure we have stock of each part on hand. 

Prior to producing the new patterns, I may have as set cast from the existing patterns.  These will be cast in bronze using the no-bake process rather than the green sand process as given the layout of the existing plates (with impressions close to the edges), green-sand casting in bronze will be a problem.  The prototype castings will allow me to build the engine and work out any kinks in the design while producing a new set of drawings, and before committing to a full set of production patterns.

I'm happy to share any details of the above processes if there is interest.

Enjoy!
Todd.



Offline Perry

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 194
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2017, 11:12:37 AM »
Hello Todd please notify my if you ever make castings for this fontain again



P.


Edit: I have removed your email address fro the post as it can be picked up in the open forum by spammers. Please provide it to Todd via PM.

Bill
« Last Edit: October 03, 2017, 11:34:38 AM by b.lindsey »

Online Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • Surrey, UK
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2017, 01:15:28 PM »
Todd, making the engine and pump available as a separate item would be a good idea, I'm sure there are many who would like to build a small engine that is a bit different and having it actually be able to do something would be an added selling point. That may also help you decide which parts to put on a matchplate as it would seem logical to not mix engine parts and fountain parts on the same board.

I'd also be interested to see any of your pattern work.

J

Offline littlelocos

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 91
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2017, 02:40:38 AM »
Thanks for taking care of the e-mail address.
Will do on the fountain.
Todd.

Hello Todd please notify my if you ever make castings for this fontain again

P.

Edit: I have removed your email address fro the post as it can be picked up in the open forum by spammers. Please provide it to Todd via PM.
Bill

Offline littlelocos

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 91
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2017, 02:48:45 AM »
JasonB
Devoting an entire plate to multiples of a single part has a lot going for it.  Parts of different size or mass like to be poured at different temperatures.  Higher temp for smaller, thinner parts, lower temp for larger, heavier parts.  This also helps in that I can stock individual parts rather than marrying each part to one set of castings.  It's a lot more work up front, but in the long run it works out better for everyone.

Regarding making the plates, the Essex engine was done using 3D-printed impressions mounted to the plates rather than duplicating each master in urethane resin.  I also experimented with a new finish on the plates and am really happy with the results.  I've got a series of photos documenting the set coming together and will try to post soon.

Thanks,
Todd.


Todd, making the engine and pump available as a separate item would be a good idea, I'm sure there are many who would like to build a small engine that is a bit different and having it actually be able to do something would be an added selling point. That may also help you decide which parts to put on a matchplate as it would seem logical to not mix engine parts and fountain parts on the same board.

I'd also be interested to see any of your pattern work.

J

Offline littlelocos

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 91
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #9 on: December 25, 2017, 01:29:30 AM »
Good Evening Everyone,
I've just posted a video on YouTube of the 1/2-scale Essex Caloric engine running.  I finished up the display engine this-past Wednesday.  We will be bringing kits to the Cabin Fever Expo in a few weeks.
Enjoy!
Todd.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38hNrAg2dT4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38hNrAg2dT4</a>

Offline Dave Otto

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4693
  • Boise, Idaho USA
    • Photo Bucket
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #10 on: December 25, 2017, 01:39:34 AM »
Very nice Todd!

I really like the Essex engines and have wanted a full sized original for quite some time now. I built the Essex hot air fan from Myers castings a few years back and I really enjoy it.
I might need to add this one to my collection.

Dave

Offline Flyboy Jim

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2002
  • Independence, Oregon
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #11 on: December 25, 2017, 03:31:02 PM »
Nice running engine Todd. Looks like it would be a great Sherline project.

Jim
Sherline 4400 Lathe
Sherline 5400 Mill
"You can do small things on big machines, but you can do small things on small machines".

Offline littlelocos

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 91
Re: Future Kits
« Reply #12 on: December 25, 2017, 03:40:38 PM »
Thanks Jim & Dave,
We plan to keep our projects on the smaller side for folks with smaller equipment (Sherline, Mini-Lathe, Mini-Mill, etc.) as that's the size range I like to work.

I posted two other videos last night - Running slowly and showing the piston fit.  For Stirling and flame-licker engines, the piston fit is absolutely critical.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7h23ESKMVU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7h23ESKMVU</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HpF4OpTKng" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HpF4OpTKng</a>

Enjoy!
Todd.




 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal