My 1st Model - A Horizontal Mill Engine

[Captain Jerry]

Bob

I keep going back and looking at this engine.  Its got a very authentic industrial appearance, it looks like it was meant to work.  I'm sure that steam from your new boiler will give it life.  What keeps bringing me back are some of the small details.  I doubt that you had photos of the progress but the contours and fitting of the cylinder and mounting bracket as well as the gussets on the frame are details that raise this above usual first efforts.  That 40 years of experience is hard to hide.  If there is more that you could say about the design and processes, we would all like to see it.

Jerry

[Maryak]

Hi CJ

I  bought the plans from Brunel Engineering in Morecambe UK in 2006 whilst visiting my cousins and aunts. I was born in Lancaster which is 4 miles inland from Morecambe so, at the time, my thoughts were about an association with my youth. Castings were available but at over UKP400 plus the weight they were way outside my budget and excess baggage from UK to Oz was around $70/kg. Ask Galina how I know. 

I tried to stay as close to the plans as I could. The cylinder and cylinder mount were done  on the rotary table. The base was done by line drilling the contour inside and on one side of the outside then a judicious belt with a chisel and the unwanted bits fell off in my hand. The base was squared up on one end and the underside of the base then marked out and a follow the dots used to make the gussets on the mill.

The flywheel is 6-3/8" OD x 5/8 and was hacked out of a manlid cover for a water tank of a vessel whose name I won't reveal, (my need was greater than the theirs). Some of the other bits came from such things as old watertight doors. Most of the bronze came from old valves which were melted down and poured into bits of waterpipe to make the required size ingots.

I have always been a scrounger and you'd be amazed at what is thrown away in today's world. Of course don't put anything down in my immediate vicinity as I'm sure I can find a use for it.

I will try on friday to hook it up to some air and make a video.

Thanks for your interest.

Best Regards
Bob