Author Topic: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.  (Read 82116 times)

Online Jo

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #105 on: March 24, 2017, 04:38:24 PM »
Thanks Big E  :)

Only the No 5 came with big end bearings  :( Initially I investigated a number of odds and ends to see what I could get the bearings out of. I even went as far as facing off one particularly horrible Phosphor bronze. Before I remembered that both the top and the bottom bearing had to be out of exactly the same bronze  :facepalm: Which meant it would have to come out of my best recycled model locomotive horn block castings :disappointed:

The bearing that came with the No 5 had already been faced at a jaunty angle  :noidea: So it had to be faced square and that leaves the boss around the crank pin undersized  :-\ the worst problem I can see is the undersized Swan crank: The crank as been made up with 15mm diameter bar rather than the 17.5mm shown on the drawings. The main bearings are to the same 15mm size and I don't have any more bronze big enough to make replacements  :ShakeHead:

Split, faced and soft soldered together I have three pieces to make bearings out of... Time to have a think: Do I want to make another Swan  crank  :noidea:

Jo
« Last Edit: March 24, 2017, 05:00:30 PM by Jo »
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Offline Jasonb

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #106 on: March 24, 2017, 06:18:37 PM »
You could use less bronze and smaller too if you made the cap part from a bit of steel or iron and then you would only need a small half circle of bronze for the actual bearing.

Have you clocked the Swan crank, any error may be another pointer towards which way you go keeper or scrapper.

Online Jo

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #107 on: March 26, 2017, 03:48:06 PM »
I am trying to build to the drawings. There is no separate cap on these engines.

Other than being under size there is nothing else wrong with the Swan crank. I could turn it out at the smaller size and there would still be enough metal left to open them up later if I chose to make a bigger crank  :thinking:


Each of the connecting rods have to be set up in a four jaw chuck. This is done by using a lathe tool close to the bottom of the head and making sure the casting is equal distance from the tool as Mr Silky is turned round by hand. At the other end the casting can be gently tapped to get the bottom bolting plate central before centre drilling and putting a rotating centre into steady things.

The tapered section was turned using a button tool, with the top slide set over. The length of the rod is longer than the movement so it had to have a bit of one end done then a bit at the other, using the marker pen to show me the blending. Then carefully positioning the two square ends making sure to leave enough on the bottom for the 6.35mm bolting flange. The bottom of which was turned with one of those mega cheap  16mm sq shank carbide tools that keep turning up from china for less than the postage would cost in the UK  :headscratch:

Three tapers on my rods. It is a bit late to do the next bit as a race is calling me  :naughty: In the meantime I have been looking out some material to make the missing piston rods out of .

Jo
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Online Jo

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #108 on: March 29, 2017, 01:27:51 PM »
The Malleable Iron these connecting rods are made of is horrible to machine  :(. I have tried HSS (instant blunting/rubbing) and Carbide (grabs) tipped tools on it, both deep cuts  :paranoia: and shallow cuts. It is not like normal Cast Iron where you can do a nice deep cut and get under the tough as old nail skin  :ShakeHead:

The only thing that seems to be working is my massive face cutter on a relatively high speed and shallow cuts.

Jo
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Offline Jasonb

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #109 on: March 29, 2017, 02:58:07 PM »
Probably quicker to cut them from a bit of Black mild steel bar :LittleDevil:

Online Jo

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #110 on: March 29, 2017, 07:30:55 PM »
The tops of the connecting rods could be held in the vice for machining, but the bottoms had to be hung out the end and supported with a jack.

As you can see the Malleable Iron has hard bits all the way through  :(

Now to think about the tops. The problem is I don't have a 16mm carbide slot drill  :thinking:

Jo
« Last Edit: March 29, 2017, 07:36:00 PM by Jo »
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Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #111 on: March 30, 2017, 12:00:52 AM »
Checkmarks = good. Right?

Green checkmarks at that.  ;D
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Online Jo

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #112 on: March 30, 2017, 07:22:02 AM »
Checkmarks = good. Right?

Green checkmarks at that.  ;D

Yes, Zee  :)

Tells me the face which are to size (= don't cut them again  :hellno:)

Jo
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Online Jo

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #113 on: March 31, 2017, 03:58:33 PM »
I had forgotten to turn those little flutes on the top of the connecting rod  :facepalm: So now that the top is to a standard size it was a simple matter of spacing out two sides with 3.2mm steel and turning the required flutes.

The fork of the rod was achieved by first drilling and reaming with a 16mm end mill, then slowly opening up the slot from the end, before finishing with the same end mill that was used to clean up the hole  :)

The ends were rounded on the BCA and there was a lot to come off... They still need the bolting holes but for now three rods now nicely oiled up for protection.

Jo
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Offline Dave Otto

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #114 on: April 01, 2017, 12:41:23 AM »
Those turned out nice Jo!


Dave

Offline jeff l

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #115 on: April 01, 2017, 01:03:52 AM »
super nice job on the rods Jo  :ThumbsUp:

Online Jo

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #116 on: April 01, 2017, 07:53:04 AM »
Thanks Dave and Jeff  :)

Hopefully can add a bit of colour to them today. The weather looks like April showers so I might be allowed to play in the workshop  :cartwheel:

Jo
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Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #117 on: April 01, 2017, 12:28:12 PM »
Hopefully can add a bit of colour to them today. The weather looks like April showers so I might be allowed to play in the workshop  :cartwheel:

 :ThumbsUp:


What do you mean by adding color?
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
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Offline Jasonb

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #118 on: April 01, 2017, 01:34:57 PM »
I think Jo is going to put some golden bits on the ends

Jo, does the end of the short spigots you have remaining go into the bearing once shortened?

J

Online Jo

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Re: A simple Vertical Steam Engine.
« Reply #119 on: April 01, 2017, 01:46:41 PM »
Yes Zee the bronzes are to go on the bottom next  ;)

Jo, does the end of the short spigots you have remaining go into the bearing once shortened?

That is the plan  ::)

It has just started raining, guess where I am off to  :naughty:

Jo
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