Author Topic: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.  (Read 29083 times)

Offline Gas_mantle

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1365
  • North Yorks - UK.
    • My Youtube channel
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #30 on: April 28, 2018, 02:15:55 PM »
I'm happy to have a go at making CI rings, if it's not a success I haven't lost much.

What are Stuart pistons made of on this engine? I had looked at CI pistons but from what I read like materials are a no no

Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • Surrey, UK
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #31 on: April 28, 2018, 02:26:59 PM »
The Stuart piston is cast iron.

CI is one of the materials you can run on itself and lets face it the piston does not really touch the sides it's the iron rings that run on the iron cylinder walls

Offline Gas_mantle

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1365
  • North Yorks - UK.
    • My Youtube channel
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #32 on: April 28, 2018, 02:45:44 PM »
Thanks, I'll try CI and see how we go, with small easy to make components I'm happy to try a few different materials and see how we go.

I have a piece of stock ready to make the no4 soleplate next, I'd like to make the 2 engines stage by stage together if I can. Really I could do with a faceplate for turning the trunk guides so for now I'll leave them until after the Doncaster show and buy one there.

My intention is to try and machine the no4 crankshaft from solid, I've never tried doing it before so if anyone has any tips/hints I'd be grateful  :)

Offline Gas_mantle

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1365
  • North Yorks - UK.
    • My Youtube channel
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #33 on: April 28, 2018, 03:08:07 PM »
I guess a 2x scale doesn't sound a lot till you equate that it is 8x the volume and weight  :o




Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • Surrey, UK
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #34 on: April 30, 2018, 06:49:25 PM »

My intention is to try and machine the no4 crankshaft from solid, I've never tried doing it before so if anyone has any tips/hints I'd be grateful  :)

Well as nobody else has offered any help here goes.

At the size of the No4 it's a toss up whether to use round or flat stock, round would allow you to do integral balance weights which are not shown on the drawings but may be handy if you want to run it fast for generating. If you don't want weights then you can machine the whole round down to a flat with rounded sides first or just mill the two round webs flats at the end. If starting with flat then black (hot rolled) will be less likely to move, if you go for bright then stitch drill out and leave for a couple of weeks to settle.

Rather than go through the process have a look back at a couple of cranks from my build threads and then come back with any questions.

http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,6471.msg134411.html#msg134411

http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,3397.msg63805.html#msg63805

I always like to get the crank done early on and then use that as a plug gauge when boring the bearings, flywheel, eccentrics, pulley, etc If you do get any chatter or deflection and have to go a bit undersize  then you won't end up with all the other parts wobbling about

Offline Gas_mantle

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1365
  • North Yorks - UK.
    • My Youtube channel
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #35 on: April 30, 2018, 08:43:35 PM »
Cheers Jason,

I was kinda thinking to keep things relatively simple I'd make from flat bar. I was looking a 12mm dia so I thought a piece of 5/8ths thick steel should do. Making from round hadn't occurred to me, I guess the idea of weighted webs is attractive as I'd like the engine to run reasonably fast without the shakes   ;)

At the mo I've started to make the no4 soleplate but tomorrow I will see what sizes of flat and round steel I have then have a think about it. For the no4 box bed I think I'll fabcricate from 4 pieces, trying to make from solid in that sizes seems wasteful and time consuming.

Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • Surrey, UK
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #36 on: April 30, 2018, 08:50:41 PM »
If you can weld you could make up the box bed quite easily, similar to the one I did for the lightweight. If not Aluminium and screw/JBWeld construction.

Offline Gas_mantle

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1365
  • North Yorks - UK.
    • My Youtube channel
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #37 on: April 30, 2018, 09:37:12 PM »
I cant weld so I'm thinking of bolting the sides together with capheads below the surface.  I thought if I plug the holes with JB weld then blend a curve on the corners with a file and emery it ought should be ok under paint.

Offline john mills

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 417
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #38 on: April 30, 2018, 10:36:42 PM »
for the crank shaft when i built the no4 i had the original stuart turner supplied material .i have made several seats since i have used m200 for several a heat treated machinery steel.a rectangular piece machined straight and square  to the size of the  webs.Held in the four jaw chuck set up to marked out centre of the journals then centered and supported by a live centre set up with a dial indicater to be parallel to the centre line of the lathe.
i have left the end with the centre untill the rest has been done. big end finished then final finished the mains between centres. stuart no .1 size.I turned one at work ,i was asked if i could do it on a friday afternoon.
the old one had worn the big end right away just the two pieces.I just said can you get a piece of material,
it was 8 inches did about 18 inches long  ,3 inch journals for 3 inch of set for 6inch strock apiece of m200 was waiting on monday morning.when finished it was hardened by nitriding.i did this the same way using left and right handed tools .

Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • Surrey, UK
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #39 on: May 01, 2018, 07:03:57 AM »
That method of doing the boxbed will be fine, much like I did the recent Vertical.

Offline Jo

  • Administrator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15293
  • Hampshire, england.
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #40 on: May 01, 2018, 07:59:59 AM »
 :-X
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Chipswitheverything

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 556
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #41 on: May 01, 2018, 08:29:51 AM »
Re. balance weights on the webs, I made up steel flyweights machined from flat section BMS for my Stuart No 1, with the slot a nice close fit for the crank webs, secured by a 2BA cap screw and plugged over the screw head.   Dave

Offline Jasonb

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • Surrey, UK
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #42 on: May 01, 2018, 10:09:01 AM »
Thanks Jo it's a shame Stuarts don't make their castings a bit easier to machine for thos ethat have them, if they were cast like this it would be so much easier for the beginner.



EDIT. I should correct that statement, Stuarts have seen the light :praise2: and don't supply cast cranks For the No4, 10 or most of the other engines anymore. :LittleDevil:
« Last Edit: May 01, 2018, 12:33:41 PM by Jasonb »

Offline Gas_mantle

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1365
  • North Yorks - UK.
    • My Youtube channel
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #43 on: May 01, 2018, 02:46:26 PM »
Thanks all.

John, do you have a photo or a build log of your no4 as I'd like to see it :-)

Dave, it's funny you mentioned adding balance weights as my Stuart 10h  has what seems to be similar albeit a bit simpler.  (I didn't build it)





These engines are very much make it up as I go along projects so I'll make the crank and decide what to do about weights later. It's likely to be the weekend before I start on the crank.

I have also bought a 10v casting kit on ebay, it should arrive tomorrow, I'm not sure how old it is so I'll be interested to see what sort of crank comes with it.

It will be my first fully made casting engine - I do hope I don't turn into a closet casting fondler  :stir:



« Last Edit: May 01, 2018, 02:53:52 PM by Gas_mantle »

Offline zeeprogrammer

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6811
  • West Chester, PA, USA
Re: Little and large - building 2 vertical steam engines.
« Reply #44 on: May 01, 2018, 03:10:20 PM »
It will be my first fully made casting engine - I do hope I don't turn into a closet casting fondler  :stir:

You've already opened the door. You may as well go in. Or is it out?
No matter.  ;D
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
"To work. To work."
Zee-Another Thread Trasher.

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal