Model Engine Maker
Engines => Your Own Design => Topic started by: Brian Rupnow on June 15, 2019, 04:19:42 PM
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I've caught up on all of my summer chores, and the weather outside is cold and rainy and horrible. I have been bored this week, and when I get bored, I start to design things. I have watched enough YouTube videos of Bob Shores Silver Angel to suss out the hit and miss mechanism, and I am impressed by it. I have ordered a set of 2:1 bevel gears off Ebay and I'm waiting for them to arrive. This engine will have a bore and stroke of 1", and a single flywheel. It will have an oil sump, and the same general configuration as the Angel. I will be using my most current carburetor design (without the offset in the carb body). The valves will be my standard 1/8" stem and 3/8" head. Sparkplug will be a 10 mm CM6 from NGK because they are available at autoparts stores. Probably as the design progresses I will support the horizontal gas tank on a pair of stand-offs from the engine. I do plan on building this engine, but it will take a backseat to other summer things and impending eye surgery in July. This will give me an engine to run my face cam on. Follow along. it should be fun.---Brian
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Hello Brian,
OK I am ready :popcorn:
Have a great day,
Thomas
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:ThumbsUp:
:popcorn: :popcorn:
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Brian,
It seems that once again you are embarking on another adventure.
Art
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Hi Brian,
I am another who will be following along. Your projects are always interesting.
MJM460
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I'm going to go with a couple of heavier ball bearings this time. The bearings I have been using are only .906" diameter x 5/16" thick. They get the job done, but I think they are a bit too light, especially with the weight of the flywheels. My new larger bearings are 3/8" i.d. x 1 1/8" o.d. x 3/8" thick. There is not a huge price difference, and I think I'll be a bit happier with them. I haven't modelled in the gears yet, as I haven't received them yet. When I do receive them I will model them and insert them into the 3D assembly. These will not be helical gears like I used in my last two builds, but will be bevel gears. You will also notice that the flywheel is not symmetrical about it's centerline. The ignition points and cam will fit on that side of the engine, and I don't want the flywheel to stick out a long ways from the center of the engine to clear them. By making the flywheel non symmetrical I can fit it in much closer to the engine.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/5705/EhbnPf.jpg)
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Yayyyy--We got a gas tank. It's so nice to be able to go back to previous engine designs and steal parts off them.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/3803/tYshwX.jpg)
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Stealing parts off engines - are YOU a shop gnome?! :Lol:
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Nah, I'm more of a shop troll----After designing over 30 engines in Solidworks I can find darn near any part, if I can remember what engine it was used on.
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Today I ordered the aluminum to build the crankcase and two side-plates for the engine. All will be cut from 4" diameter round stock. None of these parts will be terribly difficult to make as individual pieces. The difficult part will be to have all of the outer surfaces line up perfectly. The holes in the center of the two outer plates will be 13/32" thru, to give clearance for the 3/8" crankshaft. The center hole in the main body will be 2.3" in diameter to allow for the swing of the crankshaft and big end of the rod. The side-plate on the flywheel side will have two tapped holes which will hold the ignition points. The other side will have two tapped holes for the camshaft support bracket. My plan at the moment (and that may change) is to put the three individual pieces up in the 3 jaw chuck and drill and ream the center holes in all three pieces to 13/32", then make up a 13/32" shoulder bolt long enough to pass thru all three pieces, and clamp them all together with a hex nut on the shoulder bolt. I will need one more bolt thru each side-plate, leading to tapped holes in the main body plate to act as an anti rotation device. I will then bandsaw and mill all three plates locked together to the final outside dimensions. After that, separate the three plates and set the main center body up in the four jaw, pick up on the reamed center hole to find exact center, then bore the hole out to 2.3". The counterbored bolt holes in the outer plates and the tapped holes for them in the center main body can be put in after the fact.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/4589/8RODEx.jpg)
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So--There we have 95% of the material required to build this engine. The three pieces of 4" dia. aluminum which will become the main center body and the two side plates, the flatbar to make the "feet", and the 4 1/2" diameter piece of 1018 round stock that will become the flywheel. That cost me $30, and the two new bearings cost $20.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/2091/Pu2oBS.jpg)
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At the last moment I decided not to machine things as I had shown in an earlier post. With the main body held in the 3 jaw chuck I faced the exposed side, then drilled and bored the center hole in one set-up. Then I flipped it around 180 degrees in the 3 jaw, made sure that the previously "faced" side was up tight against the jaws, and faced the other side. The sideplates both have a "register diameter" that will fit into this hole in the main center piece.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/2485/Aod0r6.jpg)
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First side-plate is machined and all is well. The tape is around the chuck to keep some spacers between the chuck jaw and the part from flying out and conking me in the head. Will do the second side plate tomorrow.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/7264/xYPMGe.jpg)
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Hello Brian,
Looking real good already, and the tape is a very wise idea.
Have a great day,
Thomas
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Thanks Thomas--I don't like it very much when things come flying out of my lathe. Three years ago I had a piece of 3" o.d. pipe come out of my lathe and chase me around my shop!!! Scared the crap out of me. I went the next day and bought a pipe center for use in the tailstock.
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Well sir!!--that went amazingly well. Next step will be to drill and tap 16 holes and get everything bolted together. Once that detail is looked after I will begin profiling all 3 components together.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/9477/6VDUge.jpg)
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Looks like a metal rolling pin to make swarf cookies...
Seriously, great start on the engine, coming together nicely!
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Everything has been drilled, counterbored, and tapped. I had the part set up and centered in the milling machine to do the drilling. Before tearing down my set-up, I put a sharp pointed rod in the mill chuck and used the DRO to measure off the distance to four of the "sides" in the X and Y axis, then kept a little down-pressure on the pointed end while I cranked the mill table in X and Y to mark the lines. Then I printed off a 1:1 scale drawing of one of the sides, glued it to cardboard, and lined the cardboard up with the existing marked lines to allow me to mark the other four lines. I see a world of band-sawing in my future!!!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/3255/TY7VyK.jpg)
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Brian,
Looks to be shaping up real well. Bandsaw is better than a hacksaw.🤔
Art
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Art--If I had to hacksaw all the pieces, I would take up some other hobby. And after a world of band sawing and milling the outer profile is finished. I am kind of amazed at how small this main body actually is.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/9552/6X5XS5.jpg)
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At the very last moment, I decided to put an o-ring groove in the top of the main body. This engine will have a "wet" crankcase, and it's either go with an o-ring or put a gasket between the main body and the cylinder to prevent oil leaks.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/8342/VYYkk5.jpg)
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Hello Brian,
The body looks really good, an industrial shape. Looking just at the body it does look big, but then there is the hand held calculator and the scale changes. :popcorn:
Have a great day,
Thomas
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So there we have it. the main crankcase and side-plates are finished. I was going to make the cast iron cylinder next, but there is a caveat. There has to be a cut on one side of the fins to allow clearance for the governor balls, and since I don't have the gears yet, I can't establish that dimension until the gears arive hear and can model them. Not to fear though. There are plenty of other small parts to make while I wait for the gears to show up.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/7428/N9skyy.jpg)
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Looks great Brian, and moving right along. I've found, as you evidently have too, is that with your own design you can change things on the fly and let the design go where it wants/needs to go.
Looking forward to seeing more on this build.
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And now you know how I spent the rest of my day. Making little pieces.
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It was a lovely sunny day here today---and I couldn't think of a single damned thing to do outside. Good wife didn't want to do anything. So---After my fat mans walk, I spent the day building a gas tank. It turned out okay, other than the fact that the end of the 7/16" post ended up undersize by about .015". I knurled it to bring it up to a larger diameter. It is supposed to be a "snug" fit into the bracket bolted to the side of the engine. The post and the filler neck are silver soldered to the main tank body. The tank body is counterbored on both ends, and a piece of 1/2" thick plate is J.B. Welded into each end. I will let it set up for 24 hours, then spend a bit of time polishing out any imperfections and drill/tap one end for a fitting.
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I was just about ready to change out my lathe chuck jaws to start machining the flywheel. I wondered "What else do I have to machine with these current jaws?"--An ignition cam!!!--So, a cam was made this morning and the cam and points were installed on the engine to make sure everything fit properly.---It did. Good wife just showed up and asked for help cleaning some rooms. Flywheel will be started later.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/5586/uHYCuh.jpg)
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Here we have flywheel #1--A piece 1 3/8" long cut from a 4 1/2" dia. billet of steel. First set-up is with reverse jaws in the chuck, not worrying about centering at this stage. Flywheel material has been tapped on the face with dead blow hammer to make certain it is "seated" against the three contact surfaces on the far side of the face you see.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/6665/TI7ip7.jpg)
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Flywheel-2 First a couple of facing cuts across the entire face to get rid of the saw cut (saw cuts are never quite square to the central axis of stock.) After facing, drill and ream the 3/8" center hole completely through. Since the 3/8" center hole is not large enough to allow entrance of one of my heavier boring tools, I put a 5/8" endmill in the tailstock chuck and cut to the depth of the recess I want, which is 0.438" in this case. Then with my lead screw in reverse I start at the center and cut out towards the rim, taking 0.020" depth of cut each time. The 0.428"step" is where I am going to grip with the chuck jaws in my next set-up. This will allow me to turn the outer diameter just enough to clean it up. The recess in the other side of the flywheel is relatively small, so I will probably cut the recess in the same set-up, thus keeping everything hopefully concentric.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/8817/jwOGVx.jpg)
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Brian,
Great to see progress on the flywheel. Are you going to use a grub screw to tighten the flywheel to the crank?
Art
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Art--I always use two grub screws. One over the keyway and one at 90 degrees to it.---Brian
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Brian,
Do you cut a flat 90 degrees from the key? So you don't bugger up the shaft.
Art
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No Art, I generally bugger up the shaft. Flywheel-3 Flywheel has been flipped around 180 degrees, gripped on the inside of the .438" recess created yesterday. That allowed me to take a cut on the outside diameter to clean it up, and allowed me to put the recess in the side which is now exposed. All of the major machining is now finished. There will be a bit of polishing, and I still have to cut the keyway and drill/tap a couple of holes thru the hub for set screws.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/4553/gtlnM8.jpg)
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Hello Brian,
That is going to look good on the engine and it will give the engine a bit more to the size. :popcorn:
Have a great day,
Thomas
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So--Gas tank and flywheel are mounted on engine. The flywheel is just posed for a picture. It still has to have the keyway and set screws added. Things look a bit out of proportion right now, but once the cylinder and cylinder head are mounted it will look more like an engine.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/6919/1HRKbc.jpg)
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A big thank you going out to all of those who stopped by, said Hi, and left a comment. I like to hear from you guys.---Brian
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I just had a very cylindrical morning. Material is grey cast iron. Still needs some holes tapped and some trimming on the bottom flange, but I'm happy with the results.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/421/lAK0O2.jpg)
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Wow, this one is shaping up very quickly!
:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Looking good!
This would be about 2 years work for me!
Scott
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Cylinder head-1 The cylinder head has a finished diameter of 1.780" and a length of 0.800". A piece of 2" diameter stock was purchased and cut to 2 1/2" long. The chuck jaws extend out 1.25" from the face of the chuck, and I need some space between the jaws and where the turn down ends. Both ends were faced to be "square" with the central axis, and then the turned down area was turned to 1.780" diameter 1 1/4" long.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/3523/7oGsqZ.jpg)
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Hi Scott--We all work at different speeds. Every time I do this I promise myself that I will take it slow and easy. Then once I start on a project, I work like a fiend until it is finished.---Brian
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Next step was to mount the piece in my mill vice. Normally I would have a v-block on one vice jaw, but the 2" diameter piece was too big to allow for a v-block so I just mounted it between the jaws, setting firmly on the floor of the vice. Four bolt holes were drilled and counterbored, and the valve guide holes were drilled and reamed. The piece finishes off at 0.8" thick, so I made sure to drill at least 1" deep. Next step was to tilt the vice at 40 degrees to mill the angled part of the head and drill/counterbore the sparkplug hole. It is drilled blind at this point, and since I only have a tapered tap for the metric sparkplug hole I won't tap the hole until I have put the recess in the far side of the head.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/2081/morFF9.jpg)
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Brian,
You are making good progress. I must admit to working in spurts. I sometimes get very motivated, for example when NAMES is coming up. I work 4/10's so at the end of the work day its hard to motivate myself to stand in front of a machine some more. Though my shop is in disarray while I work on the surround to fit on the mill bench.
Art
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Cylinder head-3 Cylinder head has been parted off from the parent material, then flipped over and remounted in the 3 jaw chuck, to be taken down to finished overall height of 0.80" Once it is faced to exact length, the exposed face is machined 0.050" deeper, and a 1.00" spigot left in the center. Next step will be over to the rotary table to finish off what is now the exposed surface.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/7789/wn94dc.jpg)
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And now we reach the end. The cylinder head is flipped over and mounted in the chuck on my rotary table. It is centered under the quill, and I have a piece of 3/8" round stock turned to 11/32" on one end. I dial in the appropriate offsets as per the drawing, and YES--- the end of the rod fits into both previously reamed holes, simply by moving in the X axis on my mill. I put in a 3/8" endmill to cut the very slight counterbores at each reamed valve cage hole, then dial in the position of the slot which exposes the tip of the sparkplug and mill it 1/2" deep. Then the cylinder head is removed from the rotary table, taken out to my main garage where my bench vice lives, and I tap the sparkplug hole. Then a little clean-up, and mounted too the engine.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/6247/OGXfzo.jpg)
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The port holes which get drilled into the head will not be done until after the valve cages have been made and installed into the head. Then the cylinder head and the hole in the side of the valve cage are both drilled at the same time.
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:popcorn:
Looking good Brian!
Reminds me of a Briggs & Stratton, just need the cooling fins on the flywheel on the magneto side.
John
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I have a stick of 7/8" bronze that I bought a while ago. I don't know exactly what composition of bronze it is, but it's nasty stuff to machine. However, it did work quite well for an oil filler cap. You can't see it, but on the 3/8"-16 threaded shank there is a cavity .030" deep for a 1/16" cross section o-ring to prevent oil from leaking out. Also, my $20 mitre gears came today, and they look quite good. The bore on the smaller gear looks a bit too small to me, so I may open it out to 5/16" diameter.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/3778/uKYY7V.jpg)
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Johnmcc69--Those fins on the flywheel go in very well if you have cnc capability. However, since my machines are manual, it would probably add a year to the project if I had to put fins on it.
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Johnmcc69--Those fins on the flywheel go in very well if you have cnc capability. However, since my machines are manual, it would probably add a year to the project if I had to put fins on it.
Maybe a clever bit of fixturing & a separate index plate mounted to the rotary table & you could pull it off...
:stickpoke:
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Whenever I buy bevel or mitre gears, they are never supplied with the dimensional data on how to set them up for a proper mesh. I can figure it out using the center finder and read-outs on my milling machine, but I always have to make a test block and put the holes for stub shafts in the right position to really confirm my numbers.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/4885/4WLJuc.jpg)
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Sometimes ya just don't know--how big things are going to be until you have them "in hand". My bevel gears came yesterday from somewhere in China. They look great, they are well made---but--They look too big to really please me. They are big enough that I think they overshadow the engine. Of course this doesn't show up until you have modelled them and put them into the overall assembly. Now I have to decide whether I go ahead and use them, (they are 20 and 40 teeth) or reorder the next smaller set which are 15 and 30 teeth. I still have to make valve cages, valves, piston, con rod, a crankshaft, and a carburetor. And I'm scheduled for cataract surgery on 15th of July and again on the 29th of July. The gears are not expensive at only around $20 for the set. This shows the current gears that came yesterday. I have decided while typing this that I will go ahead and order the smaller gear set. Time is not supposed to be critical on this engine, and I think it may look better with a smaller gear set.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/5382/0pzQNb.jpg)
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Hello Brian,
I love all your great designs and work, so I will add my two-cents in here from a positive view. From your 3D drawing the gears do look a bit disproportional, but they really do not look that bad. However the smaller set most likely will scale to your engine more closely.
Have a great day,
Thomas
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Maybe a fabbed shroud around it & the old rope starter..
John
Great design work Brian!
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Of course this doesn't show up until you have modelled them and put them into the overall assembly.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/5382/0pzQNb.jpg)
I'm surprised at that Brian. Most gears will not only give the tooth count but the tooth size and in the case of most Chinese gears that is going to be a module gear rather than DP so yours would likely have been sold as 1.0MOD, 1.5MOD etc. Easy enough to look up the size of gears like this and even find a parts library to download a file from so you can model them at least the basic diameter as the boss can vary a bit.
You probably only want 0.5MOD on that size engine, most of te cheap far eastern ones on e-bay start at 1.0MOD but smaller can be found.
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Jason--My only knowledge of this type of gears is what is given on the Ebay Website, and there isn't enough info there for me to model them. If they were gears that had been made in North America I could probably have found more dimensional data, or even a 3D model. Even then, a lot of what I do here is "imagineering" and sometimes (not often) I get fooled by the 3D model. If the gears had been expensive, or if I were in a hurry, I would have used them anyways. The gears are very inexpensive, and I'm not in a big rush.
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Now it shows why helical gears are used in some situations. Probably a better more compact way to go would be to first reduce to 2:1 with spur gears then use a pair of miter gears to change direction.
gbritnell
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Brian, I would say you have bought 1.5MOD gears (sometimes sold as 1.5M)so should have had enough infore there. If you only know American DP then plenty of conversions on the net that would have shown you were buying close to 12DP when 24DP would have done
http://www.davall.co.uk/media/1877/CONVERSION%20DP%20to%20CP%20to%20MOD.pdf
But a bit more looking around even just on e-bay will find sellers that give some more info. Staying with your 20/40T you could come down to 1MOD or even 0.5MOD. Scroll down these two pages and the seller gives the dimensions at the bottom of the drawings which will give you overall sizes that will be enough to imagine how big they are, further searching of more expensive gear sellers will give full data if needed..
0.5MOD https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-5M-40T-20T-Brass-Umbrella-Tooth-Bevel-Gear-90-Angle-Set-Kit-Ratio-2-1/263035108461?hash=item3d3e1d3c6d:m:mJtwnqYyxAzZVkuMu-vpTHQ
1MOD https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1M-50T-25T-Metal-Umbrella-Tooth-Bevel-Gear-90-Angle-Set-Kit-Ratio-2-1/263944017543?hash=item3d744a1687:g:gXAAAOSwiHRboK4m
As a very simple guide if you multiply the MOD by the number of teeth you will get a good idea of the overall diameter of the bevel gear which is actually a little over that. so if your gear were a 1.5MOD 40T it would be a little over 60mm diameter which it looks to be if your cylinder is out of 2" stock. If you really want to calculate it then again plenty of sources for the formula online try this North American one, bevels down the page
https://khkgears.net/new/gear_knowledge/gear_technical_reference/calculation_gear_dimensions.html
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I may try something different here, and actually buy a set of two cast iron piston rings. My previous attempts to make my own have not been successful, so will try a purchased set. However, my Google-foo isn't working very well this morning. Can somebody please recommend a supplier of 1" piston rings in North America. I am ready to make a piston now, but if I do buy a set of rings for it I would much prefer to cut the ring grooves while the piston is set up for turning the outer diameter.---Brian
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http://www.ringspacers.com/rangcast.htm
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Thank you Jason. I've sent him off an email.---Brian
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After a long and eventful war with Paypal, I ordered the rings from the source Jason suggested.--thank you.
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After a two day break from machining, I came down to my shop this morning and made two brass valve cages and two 1018 cold rolled steel valves. I haven't trimmed the valves to length yet, as I have to drill the 0.039" cross holes in the valve stems for spring retainers, and still have to lap the valves into their seats, which are part of the cages.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/5113/a47DRG.jpg)
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I'm trying something a little different here. I have always, in the past, drilled a 0.039" cross hole thru the end of the valve stem for a short piece of 1 millimeter round stock to keep the spring retainer from flying off. Last year I bought a hundred 1/8" circlips and 100 3/16" circlips, and I also bought the special tools to install them. The tools are really great and make installing the circlips very easy.--So--This time I have put a 0.025" wide slot in the ends of the valve stems and I will be using circlips instead of the 1 mm round stock.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/7209/jM4GxO.jpg)
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I'll be interested in how well those "circlips" will hold up. I don't think it's a good idea/application to use them as part of the valve train.
John
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E-clips have worked OK for me in the past and quite a few others
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E-clips should be ok as long as they are like JasonB's ones ,set in a pocket so they can't expand and pop off.
Ian S C
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Wow Brian, last time I looked at this thread it was still pretty much in design. You sure have been busy!!!
Nice work and a nice looking engine.
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I said in my earlier post that I was using circlips to hold the keeper and spring in place on my valves. After a check of the names of these things, it seems that they are called "e-clips". They are small---Very damned small. Knowing the disaster which will be caused if one of these things flys off, I have redesigned the keeper plate. It now has a recess in the outer face, 3/16" diameter x .035" deep. The e-clip fits right down into the recess and can't fly off.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/5226/OAti8z.jpg)
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Brian. they should have a third point of contact on them which makes thel look like a letter "e" as used for Euro. See attached file
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The valves have been lapped and cut away from the parent material. Valve spring keeper plates, valve springs, and e-clips have been installed. Valves have been match marked so I don't mix them up. I may have to play with spring strengths when I get farther into this, but those springs were ones I had in a "kit". Whatever type of clip this is, it should work well when setting down in a recess in the spring retainer as you see here.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/2531/KDql2A.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/2615/PcRiuU.jpg)
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Just to set the record straight, those are neither circlips nor e-clips. They are sold by Spae-Naur and are called "external retaining rings". They are the R2000 series.
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Brian,
If you do a Google search for external retaining ring you will find that it's a ring with an enlarged area on both of the open ends. In the enlarged areas are holes for snap ring pliers. The body of the ring is also widened opposite the open ends to give it more strength.
What you are using is an E clip, at least by searching for it.
gbritnell
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George--Every manufacturer has a different name for what is basically the same thing. E-clip, snap ring, retaining ring, or circlip. there are minor differences, but the rings are all designed to do the same thing.
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not seen those ones before Brian, looks like they should still do the job.
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(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/7107/dABRmg.jpg)
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Yes Jason, they are the ones. Spae Naur also sells the small tool that is used to insert these. The tools are spendy little buggers, at about $50 each, and you need a different tool for every different size of clip. They do however, work really great. I got a tool for 1/8" clips and for 3/16" clips.
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Here is a trick that is just so neat that I have to post about it. If you should be in a position to end up with a beautiful machined valve, and then remember that you haven't machined anything into the end of the stem for a spring retainer---(Not saying I did that of course). it becomes difficult. There is no way to hold the friggin' valve in your lathe chuck to add anything. Ta-Da!!! Just turn a piece of round stock to a larger diameter than the valve head diameter, drill and ream a hole the size of the valve stem and slit it lengthwise with a slitting saw. Then you can grip it in the three jaw chuck of your lathe to put in the groove.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/6271/N9mwD0.jpg)
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I’ve used some quite small e-clips in the past and found that a good pair of small hemostats (or surgical needle holders) worked very well what for locking onto them and pushing them home. Kinda strange there was some sort of sticky black residue on them that kept the clip from falling off before locking them 8) :shrug: :lolb:
Whiskey
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Ah Jeez Cletus--I don't have any access to surgical supplies. I'm starting to run out of things to make. I'm waiting for a set of rings I ordered before I make the piston. I'm waiting for a smaller set of gears to arrive before I make the crankshaft or any of the governor parts. I took a closer look at the carburetor design that I used on the sideshaft hit and miss engine. I like the design. It is easy to make and runs very well. I had made the carb body a straight thru style with no offset when I designed this engine. After a closer look today, I decided that the body doesn't have to be rectangular. It only has to have a flat on the top and bottom surfaces. If I leave the other two sides round, I can skip a couple of machining steps. Also, the fact that I am silver soldering the fuel rail into place means that a lot of care must be taken to not get solder migrating into the threads on the top of the fuel rail. To avoid the problem, I made the fuel rail 0.080" taller. That way, even if I do get some solder in the threads, the cap and needle sub assembly isn't going to hang up on any migrated solder. I'm completely out of brass in the size that I need, so will make the body out of 1018 cold rolled steel. I still have brass to make the fuel rail and the adjusting screw from. I like to use brass for the fuel rail, because it has some very small holes thru it, which would be a real pain trying to drill if the fuel rail was made from steel.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/732/VxCLFn.jpg)
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Brian,
Generally a good 3 jaw Chuck will repeat it's accuracy or inaccuracy, meaning it might have -0- runout for a piece of .50 stock but have .002 runout for a piece of .625 stock, at least that's how my chuck repeats.
With this in mind when I make up bushings like you have done I scribe a line on the bushing that lines up with my #1 chuck jaw. You'll be surprised how accurate (concentric) the bushing will be by doing this.
I have a jar full of these split bushings for just the exact purpose you are describing. Another thing I do is to scribe the hole diameter on the bushing so when you need to hold another piece of say .128 diameter you can find it easier.
gbritnell
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Thanks George. it's always good to hear from you.---BriAn
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That went surprisingly well. Carb body is made from 1018 steel. The only thing I would do different if I made this part again would be to put the threads on before I got everything else turned down to size. I waited until everything was turned to size, then found it very hard to hang onto while the threads were being cut with a die. I could have made this from aluminum, except for the fact that I can't solder aluminum. I can only silver solder brass and steel.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/25/UZFfUV.jpg)
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So---Here's my days work. I still have to buy a needle and mill the hole thru the center of the fuel rail. Now I've got to grab some lunch and go on my fat mans walk.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/165/Filv5p.jpg)
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(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/7267/96Y6N4.jpg)
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And just for general knowledge---I want to build one of those crankcase vent valves that let air out but won't let air back in. This keeps the crankcase in a state of semi-vacuum and prevents oil from leaking out around the main bearings. I am going to use a 3/32" diameter check ball, but nobody in Barrie sells springs that small. I went to Sayal Electronics and bought a bag of assorted springs for about $7.00 Oh Joy--there are probably half a dozen or more compression springs that are 0.085" in diameter, and some 0.123" diameter springs.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/2919/aRC17G.jpg)
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Things are progressing. I found a short piece of "mystery bronze" and turned it into an exhaust pipe, with a bit of mild steel pressed into one end to give it the "look". Carb is installed, and I rescued a bronze or brass gas tank filler cap from one of my extra gas tanks. Now that I have sourced some very, very small compression springs, I can go ahead and figure out my crankcase vent valve.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/4937/yH9GDR.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/6213/p2Yik7.jpg)
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A quick look at a crankcase valve and description of how it operates.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/2175/5MWFJO.jpg)
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Hello Brian,
The engine really looks great :ThumbsUp:
Have a great day,
Thomas
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Brian
Looking great and only three weeks!!
Pete
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Thanks guys. It's good to know that people are looking.---Brian
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:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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The crankcase vent doesn't look all that impressive, but it's made and installed. At the last minute before I started to machine anything, I realized that I could use a 3/8" bolt for the main body. The head size was correct and I could thread it right up to the underside of the head and then cut it to length. I did that, but drilled out the center to 1/4" and threaded the end of a brass rod both externally and internally, then loctited it into the bolt. The knurled screw on cap ended up being made from cold rolled steel, because I have lots of that. I won't know how well this is going to work until I get the engine running. I can vary the spring pressure on the ball by tightening or loosening the set screw that the end of the spring fits into.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/9215/qSH0tU.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/9500/i8W0x5.jpg)
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The gas tank plumbing is finished, and with that I'm going to ride off into the sunset. There is nothing left to do until my gears and piston rings come in. Will post some more after I get all the bits and pieces.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/9788/k1Cinm.jpg)
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Very nice looking engine!
Have you ever done any gear cutting for your models? Not very hard to do, very satisfying results.
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Chris--I always cut my own spur gears. I have a full set of 24DP cutters, a total of eight I think. I did make one set of mitre gears just to see if I could, but they were equal sized with 1:1 ratio.
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Today we're not machining anything much. I have been thinking about engine oil levels and a dipstick. This view, with some of the near side pieces hidden, shows the position of the crankshaft and con rod with piston at bottom dead center. I'm thinking that the oil level should be such that it comes up to the centerline of the big end of the conrod and not any higher, when the engine is "at rest" with crankshaft in the position shown. If anyone has a different idea for oil level, please let me know. Secondly, there is nowhere inside the crankcase for a dipstick. The entire cavity is filled with crankshaft and con rod as the crankshaft travels thru 360 degrees. I have the beginning of an idea---Right now the oil drain plug is a solid piece of steel screwed into the bottom of the crank case. If I ran a pipe horizontally from the oil drain plug, then a 90 degree elbow "up", and then a short piece of vertical pipe, the oil level in that short vertical pipe would be the same as the oil level in the engine when the engine was not running. This would let me have a screw on cap that would be air tight. On the outboard end of the screw on cap, I would solder a dipstick. I want the crankcase to be sealed so the vacuum fitting can do it's job properly and maintain a semi vacuum in the crankcase. I don't want a separate dipstick which would surely get lost. Making the screw on cap and the dipstick one piece seems like a good plan to me, but I'm open for suggestions. What do you think? (This picture does not show what I am talking about re: dipstick.) It shows the engine in it's current state with only a screw in plug in the bottom of the crank case.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/1830/ZukmOV.jpg)
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You could just tap a hole at oil level in the front or back plate and fill until that overflows, screw in plug to seal it much like the Bobcat.
Or why not have two fittings with a bit of clear acrylic tube between them so you have a visual oil level much like the sight glass used on steam engine boilers.
I'd probably go with a lower oil level maybe bottom of crank pin, the conrod will still sling it around the crankcase.
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Jason--I like your idea. It is simple and gets the job done. A 5/16" shcs with a fibre washer will work just fine. Thank you.---Brian
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/384/t1unuz.jpg)
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Brian,
By all means don't fill the oil to the centerline of the rod. The oil level only needs to be high enough to have the rod drag through it. Most small engines (commercial splash oiled) have a tang off of the rod end cap that dips into the oil. It doesn't take much to get oil thrown about inside the engine. If you fill it too much the rod will be slapping into the oil and throwing large amounts of oil inside the crankcase.
gbritnell
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Thanks George. I do want a bit of splash to oil the wrist pin, but not enough that it affects the running of the engine.--Brian
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Position of tapped hole in sideplate that will determine oil level in engine.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/4030/PObjdW.jpg)
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Brian,
I had lots of problems with my Upshur engine mainly due to bad crankcase ventilation and to much oil. I have a second of those little squirt bellows like I use for gas and with oil I use one and a half of the sections. It is just about where the rod dips into the oil. By the way we had a great time while we were in Canada and enjoyed the visit with you.
Art
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Some small motors have an oil slinger, a finger on the bottom of the big end bearing cap, this moves the oil around enough to go up the cylinder to lubricate the cylinder and small end, in fact some motors have a baffle to reduce the amout of oil going up the cylinder.
Ian S C
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Had a lovely visit from Art and his wife, from Madison, Wisconsin. Art brought along a couple of his engines and ran them for me, and we had a real "model engineers show and tell". I introduced Art to my office full of "shelf engines" and my newest work, the vertical hit and miss. A great time was had by all and I really enjoyed the visit from Art and his wife.---Brian
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Today my smaller gear set arrived, along with my piston rings. The smaller gears seem to be just about perfect size-wise. The large gear set was 20 and 40 teeth---the smaller set are 15 and 30 tooth. The piston rings appear to be fine, but they will need a bit of clean up on the top and bottom, because they appear to be "as heat treated" with no farther work done on them.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/5936/r6SVSm.jpg)
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And a short and sweet video of the new gears mashing---
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWWJkpy-dN0
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I modelled the new gears and adjusted everything in the governor train to match them, and I like the new proportions much better. The new gears have a bore of 6 mm, which is slightly less than 1/4". Since I don't have any metric shafting, I will either use 1/4" and turn the ends of the crankshaft and cam shaft down to 6 mm or else run a 1/4" reamer thru the gears. I have gotten lucky and don't have to machine away any of the fins on the cylinder, as the governor balls will clear them with my new set-up. The crankshaft will be 3/8" diameter and the camshaft will be 1/4". I will have to sleeve the bore on the face cam, as it is currently bored for a 3/8" shaft.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/8361/6KOwLY.jpg)
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Today seen the first bit of jewelry finished and installed. This is the topmost governor bracket. There will be many more small pieces like this one, but I've made a start.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8836/Xl9eVE.jpg)
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Today I made the lower camshaft bracket along with it's oilite bronze bushing. The gears mesh very nicely. For all of you who have made engines or machinery with gears which must mesh correctly, you will know that what sounds very simple has much more to it!!! The shaft which was used for alignment may very well become the cam shaft. My original plan for the top bracket was to have two pieces of brass silver soldered together. One to support the cam shaft and the other to be a pivot for the rocker arm. I'm thinking I may change that to two pieces bolted together. If I can do that, I can make the pivot part from aluminum.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/7622/gnVaPt.jpg)
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:popcorn: :ThumbsUp:
Shaping up to be great little engine Brian!
John
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Today I made the very TINY rocker arm pivot. (The part with the drill stuck thru it.). It is my hope that I can bolt the rocker arm pivot to the brass bracket it is setting on top of. But, there is a catch---when the rocker arm is installed, one end of it has to be perfectly centered over the exhaust valve, and the other end must hold the contact roller perfectly in line with the center of the track on the face cam. Being old and filled with wisdom, I know damned well that if I just arbitrarily bolt the rocker pivot to the top cam shaft bracket, that's never going to happen. So, I won't do any bolting until I have built the rocker arm and installed it and the pivot shaft in place and then, with everything lined up "dead nuts", I will proceed to clamp things together and drill/tap the holes for the bolts which hold the rocker pivot in place. Tomorrow I'm off to the hospital for a cataract operation, so I'm not sure when I will post again.---Brian
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/7137/yjOMrL.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/4030/XiYszU.jpg)
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We'll be waiting Brian, good luck with the cataract surgery.
John
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Hi Brian, still following along.
Best wishes for the surgery, hope it all goes well.
MJM460
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Cataracts are easy- peezy Had one done a few years ago and had no problems. Not as all like it used to be. Best of luck and we'll see you back again in the shop real soon no doubt.
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The surgery went well this morning. I had a bigger pain in my arse from setting around waiting for three hours at the hospital than I had from the operation that took about 15 minutes. Everything is blurry in that eye right now, and I feel like I had something the size of a pea in my eye, but they tell me that is normal for the first 48 hours after surgery. After that I should be able to see like Steve Austin. I have an amazing list of things I can't do for the next two weeks, and then I get the other eye done, so it looks like I will be out of commission until mid August.
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Hello Brian,
So glad to hear you are doing A-OK. Just cool it and let things heal and in no time you will be back in the shop. Take care,
Thomas
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Glad it went well Brian! Going by what family members went through, your experience is typical. It takes a few weeks after the second eye is done for things to settle down so they can fit you for glasses, if they are needed. Just take it easy, put in all the bazillion different eyedrops they tell you to, and try not to get bored! Its a whole lot easier getting it done now than what it used to be like years ago.
:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
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The op is a grat help, when dad got his done, he wa able to go without glasses for everything except reading, first time without glasses since he was a teenager(17 I think). He thought the cataracts were the result of his war time work on Radar, who knows1
Ian S C
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I have worn single lens glasses from 40 to 50 years old. Then I had to go with bifocals from 50 to 60 years old. Then at 65 I had to go to trifocals with my "walking around" glasses, and get a second set of bifocals for computer and close up work. Today I feel a little bit like Mr. Magoo. However, if this surgery does all it is supposed to I plan on being called "Hawk-eye"!!!
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So--I'm 72 hours into this thing since the surgery. I've had no pain, and vision has cleared in that eye, a bit every day. It still isn't what I had hoped for, and a follow up appointment with the surgeon today left questions. The "super duper" ocular device which was surgically implanted in my left eye may not have been able to totally fix the astigmatism in that eye. Or--it may get better as it heals more. Or--due to the extent of the astigmatism, I may have to go in for laser surgery to smooth off the surface of the cornea. This left me disappointed, and prompted a call to the laser surgery people. "Oh yes, we can fix that in one easy step!!"--Sounds familiar. $2500 of my fine Canadian money for that quick little "step" with the laser people.--And--they won't do it until at least four months after the cataract surgery. Damn--I wasn't expecting this. Big hope is that with more time for the eye to heal it will clear up better without having anything else done to it.
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Despite what the brochures and ads claim, cataract and laser surgery does not guarantee a return to perfect vision again. The cataract surgery does make a big improvement over the cloudyness, and does stop the progression towards loss of vision, but the implanted lenses do have limits. They have to guess a bit at the prescription of it, so it is not uncommon to require glasses afterwards. Even the laser surgery, which in the ads make it look like you can do without glasses afterwards even for non-cataract cases, cannot guarantee those results either. Everyone I know who has had the laser surgery still need glasses in some situations, though the strength is much lower than the glasses they had before the procedure. LOTS of weasel-words in the fine print, which they are hoping you can't see.
Bottom line - you are getting rid of the problems from the cataracts, and the degeneration that they would have had. That is a huge thing to be happy for. You are not going to have 20 year old eyes again, but you will be seeing better than you were. It does take several months for the cataract implants to settle in and give you stabile vision again, they should not even be attempting to give a long term prescription for glasses for a month or two.
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I tend to agree with Chris here - though not from personal experience ....
The "wife" (not married) of one of my friends had the laser operations on both eyes a few years back, and she had told me that her very long distance sight is way better than it ever has been in all her life and though she don't really need glasses for close views that is not quite as good as when she was young .... and never can bee => so that part is very slightly worse than before. She is glad she did it, but it does NOT live perfectly up to what she took the promises for ....
Get better soon, and best wishes
Per
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I can't see well---But I can see well enough. One eye is fixed. This coming Monday other eye will be "fixed". Then I get to wait for a month to get proper glasses. I was so bored that I decided to do a little machining, and this is the result. I have machined both parts of a two part rocker arm. Eventually, they will get silver soldered together to make a single rocker arm. This is a case of "form follows function". Originally that 1/2" diameter cam follower was 3/8" diameter, but I had interference issues between the "rise" on the cam and the underside of the rocker arm. All is well now, so I will go back and change my drawings "to suit".
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/3996/DIA5VP.jpg)
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I knew you couldn’t stay away from the shop long :)
Glad things are going well, even though not as well as expected.
When I had my right eye done I discovered the color “white” again. Same experience for You?
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Nah, colors are all the same. It's just right now that some of them are blurry.---Brian
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Today is the last day for me to play in my machine shop. I go in for my second eye surgery tomorrow, so won't be able to do much for the next week or so, except fumble around like Mr. Magoo. Something I did do this past week was to make the two part rocker arm and assemble it, and get the complete gear train and face cam and rocker arm finished. This has worked out very well, and I am pleased with it. The face cam is one which I used previously on a horizontal hit and miss engine, so I know it works. Enjoy the video.---Brian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbEzsoLka94
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/6692/c8ME0X.jpg)
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That's pretty slick Brian. Nice work.
John
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Hello Brian,
Like John stated, pretty slick. Hope you are back to 100% very soon.
Have a great day,
Thomas
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Excellent job on that rocker and cam, that works great! And best of luck on the second eye!
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Whenever I have two pieces that must be silver soldered together and must also hold a very close angular relationship, it calls for either a welding jig to hold the two pieces together in the correct relationship, or to scribe a line on the two parts while "in place" and then match up the center holes and scribe marks in a holding vice. I chose the second of these two options, which is the less accurate method. I got lucky. With everything reassembled as in the previous video when the cam follower is not "up" on the cam, I have room to slip a 0.004" feeler gauge between the end of the valve stem and the round part of the rocker arm which sets directly above it. There must always be an air gap there when the cam follower is not "up" on the cam, because if there isn't the exhaust valve will never seal tightly to hold compression.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/9929/WMefCN.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/165/ZnJxHC.jpg)
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This build seems to have passed me by :( looking good as ever :praise2: I hope your vision improves rapidly. I have worn distance glasses since I was around 8 and added reading glasses at around 50. Now for close stuff I take the reading glasses off as well.
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I had my second eye surgery for cataracts this morning, and everything went amazingly well. Great news about my left eye, the one I had done two weeks ago. It has improved a lot over the past two weeks and will not require any further surgery. Now I get to wait 4 weeks until I go see my usual optometrist to see what glasses I will need. Today is the first time I've been able to read my email without any glasses on for many, many, years. Why, just looking out my back door I can see Giants turning cart-wheels, statues wearing high-heels----
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:ThumbsUp:
Glad to hear everything turned out well Brian!
John
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Glad to hear everything went well Brian; you’ll be back in the shop before you know it.
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Great news!
The biggest issue my mother had when she had her cataracts done, was all the dust, dirty windows, etc that she could see around the house once her vision cleared, spent days cleaning! :Lol:
Take it easy till the second one is healed up, you'll be back in the shop soon!
:cheers:
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...Why, just looking out my back door I can see Giants turning cart-wheels, statues wearing high-heels----
Ummm... Brian, what kind of post-surgery medication do they have you on?
Glad to hear everything went well.
Regards,
Rudy
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Rudy--I knew that somebody was going to get a laugh out of that one. You just have to be old enough to remember Credence Clearwater Revival.---Brian
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Brian,
Glad to hear everything is going well. I do know CCR but missed the connection. I mistakenly thought you'd be done seeing giants and cartwheeling statues and now realize they were trees and bushes waiving around in the wind. :mischief: You will be back up to speed in no time.
Art
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Hi Brian, good to hear that all went well. Look after those eyes and we will all be glad to see the engine continue when you get those new glasses.
MJM460
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Nothing earth shattering made today, but I'm being very careful of not aggravating my new eyes. I did manage to make the governor thimble from 01 steel and harden it, and pressed a 1/4" i.d. oilite bronze into the bore. The thimble has to slide up and down on the shaft, and I figured steel on steel wouldn't do very well.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/1447/Ea9Hm0.jpg)
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Today I'm right down into George Britnell territory. These governor cams are right at the lower limit of what my new eyes can see. Those cams are so small that I just trusted my DRO and kept cutting until they were finished. Tomorrow I will probably go up to the drugstore and buy some cheap "cheater" glasses to use until I can get my new prescription glasses.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/9702/tqzmEu.jpg)
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Now that, me darlin's, is a beautiful thing. I don't have a ball turner, so my governor weights are shaped a bit differently from what I originally designed them as. I have to hunt up a proper size compression spring, and then I am almost ready to finish the governor assembly. Then I can move on to a piston, con rod, and crankshaft. The shaft that is in the engine right now is just a plain piece of 3/8" cold rolled.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/74/GSJTlD.jpg)
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Nice!!
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Brian, when it came to balls for a govenor for the Stuart Turner S9 that I restored/resqued, i looked out some bearing balls about he right size(actually a little larger than orriginal), heated them red for about 5 minutes an let them cool slowly while holding the gas torch on them, and over 10 minutes slowly withdrawing from the balls, i was then able to drill and tap the balls to go on the arms of the govenor. A clean up and coat of black paint and they look OK.
Ian S C
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Thanks Ian.--I think I've tried that before with less than stellar results. I kind of like the shape of these "balls", and if I have to change them to a different weight I can simply use larger diameter brass shaft to make them from.--Brian
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I've just had one of those days where much work was done but damn little was accomplished. Today I machined that S shaped part which is the governor latch. It works very well. The governor swings it in under the rocker arm to lock out the exhaust valve. I have had it installed, then uninstalled and machined a little bit---repeat---repeat---repeat. The issue is that there is very little difference between the rocker arm position when it is "up" on the cam and "down" off the cam. Literally, thousandths of an inch. At the moment, it is about 0.030" too short, and will happily swing under the rocker arm no matter what position the cam is, either "up" or "down". Tomorrow I will take my trusty mig welder and build the short end up, then reshape and file it and hopefully get it to swing under the rocker only when it is "up" on the cam.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/7498/Q8vWaR.jpg)
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Not a lot of shop time today, but some---This cute little devil is the lockout lever. This is the
fun (mystery)part of every hit and miss engine I have ever built, and to a large extent this part determines how well the engine "hits" and "misses". As you can see, I've added a 0.070" thick boss to one side. This is to move the lever out farther away from the rocker arm pivot--the farther it is from the rocker arm pivot, the more movement there is in the rocker arm. And it is the difference between "up on cam" and "not up on cam" that I have to take advantage of. At the extreme right end, you will see that the lever is notched for clearance. When the engine is running slowly, the governor weights are in a position that lets the end of the lockout lever set beside the rocker arm. When the engine fires and begins to run faster, the governor balls kick outward away from the camshaft, and cause the end of the lever to move in under the rocker arm, which prevents the rocker arm from moving through it's normal travel. This in turn prevents the exhaust valve from closing, and consequently the engine can make no compression--so---the engine slows down. As soon as it slows down enough, the governor balls move in closer to the camshaft and moves the lever out from under the rocker arm and lets it travel though it's full arc, and the engine fires again. Thus the "hit and miss" cycle. Tomorrow I have to add about 0.050" to the extreme right hand end (Thank God for mig welders) and do some more fitting.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/4741/F08gnM.jpg)
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Today I deposited some mig weld on the short end of the lockout lever and filed it to shape. It now will swing under the rocker arm when it is "up" on the cam lobe, but not under it when it is "down" on the cam lobe. This is exactly what I wanted to achieve, so will be moving on to the piston tomorrow. I have been in a terrible fight with my computer all day. I bought an external hard drive to back everything up on my computer and plan on keeping it in my safety deposit box at the bank. Somehow this has affected my email, and it isn't working right. I've had two trips up to the computer shop today--no joy. I guess that I will call in "Geeks on wheels" this week and have them figure out what the heck is going on. And--Good news--You have no doubt heard me talking about my "Fat man's walk". After getting a too high blood sugar count in mid May, I decided to lose 50 pounds. My target is to lose it by sometime in November. Sixteenth of August is the half way mark in time between mid May and the end of November, and I have lost 25 pounds as of today.
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Today we're off and running with a piston. I have decided to use cast iron rings on this engine, so the ring grooves are what was recommended by the ring supplier. I had hoped that there would be enough room on the piston to put in a groove for a Viton o-ring, (In case I couldn't get the cast iron rings to seal). Unfortunately, there isn't enough room.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/9716/MTjjxK.jpg)
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So here I am, using up a butt end of cast iron that was originally part of a longer piece which was used for an air cooled cylinder. The o.d. has been turned and polished with 200 grit sanding strips, until it "just about" slides into the cylinder (which you can see setting on the lathe bed). It actually just starts to enter the cylinder but won't slide all the way in. the round counterbore has been put in in this set up, and next step will be to cut the two ring grooves, still in that same set-up. Then the piston will be parted off for other operations.--Have also included a pic of the engine without cylinder on it.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/8906/0nKbip.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/2176/M4xSSt.jpg)
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This is the finished piston fitted to an arbor and held in the lathe chuck. The piston is coated with 600 grit aluminum oxide paste and with the lathe set on its lowest speed (Which is really quite slow) the cylinder is gradually worked back and forth until the entire piston will fit thru the cylinder. This is not for the faint of heart. You have to be able to let go of the cylinder very quickly if it "grabs", then stop the lathe and work the cylinder loose before starting again. This makes an extremely good fit between piston and cylinder. The method works very well, and it doesn't take very long at all.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/3424/Nagg0r.jpg)
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Today was con-rod day at the Rupnow Ranch. Cast iron piston from yesterday, 6061 aluminum con rod from today. I have found that the rings I purchased (and which call for a 0.094" wide slot in the piston) are such a very very close fit into a 0.094" slot that tomorrow I will put a bit of 600 compound on a sheet of glass that I save for things like this, and "dress" the width of the rings just a tad.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/2637/EVGzCG.jpg)
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There comes a point in every build where one must machine the horriblest, awfullest scariest part. And that for me is the crankshaft. I have made any number of these one piece crankshafts, using 1144 stress-proof steel. Some turned out perfect. Sone turned out mediocre, and some were downright awful! I put the same amount of care and breath holding into every one I make, but the results are never consistent. Far as I know, the only things left to machine are the crankshafts and counterweights, so here we go--
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/9331/DUat3Z.jpg)
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First step with crankshaft is to cut it to length (allowing 1/2" extra at each end where it will be center-drilled.) Second step was to set it up in the three jaw lathe chuck and square up the ends. Third step was to set it up in the vice, paying particular attention that it is setting parallel to the bed of the milling machine. The material is 1 1/2" diameter, but the crank has a maximum width of 1/2" at the crank throws, so 1/2" of material was machined away. Trust me, at 0.015" depth of cut, that's a lot of travelling back and forth.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/5782/3ee6VV.jpg)
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Now that you have one truly flat milled side on the round piece of round 1144 steel, you can scribe a line 1/2" over onto the uncut portion and clamp it to a piece of wooden 2 x 4. Then cutting "close to the line" you can cut off a lot of the excess material with the bandsaw, then finish up in the milling machine, to end up with a piece of flatbar.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/6579/uHmjH5.jpg)
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Brian, Yes cutting as much as you can with a saw does save a lot of the "back and Forth " as you say. I like the block of wood trick.
Mike
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And here we are, finishing up that rough sawn side on the mill. Note the way the part is supported on dolly blocks at both ends and is not supported by the vice at all. This ensures that when milled to finished size, the two sides will be perfectly parallel. All the vice is doing is providing gripping power so the part doesn't move. Tighten vice lightly, whack each end of part to make it lay flat against the dolly blocks. Tighten vice some more, whack the part some more. When vice is fully tightened and dolly blocks are held tightly against mill table by overhanging ends of part, then its time to start milling.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/6706/Fmhoig.jpg)
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So here we are, all ready to rock and roll. The cad model shows the crankshaft overlayed on the material which it will be cut from. The crankshaft will actually be 1/2" longer at both ends to match up with the raw material. Then it will be trimmed to length after all turning is completed to get rid of the countersunk ends. The picture shows the 1144 stress proof all ready to go into the lathe. I am going to spend some time tomorrow making a new lathe dog that doesn't rattle back and forth between the chuck jaws. That scares the Hell out of me.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/1581/nUhky6.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8813/684dr4.jpg)
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Excellent start on the crankshaft. :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Thanks Chris.--- First section of crankshaft is turned between centers. I kept checking it with my con rod until I was happy with the fit. Last evening I had all kinds of ideas for a new, super duper lathe dog that would fit on both sides of a chuck jaw. This morning I looked at what I had, and decided to just drill and tap another 1/4"-20 hole in the opposite side of the machinists clamp. Now I have a bolt setting on each side of a chuck jaw, so it doesn't rattle back and forth between chuck jaws. Works great!!!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/889/mwe2ef.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/4446/yWqtDe.jpg)
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So there we have it gentlemen--a crankshaft at 95% finished. I still have to trim the ends and do a little clean-up, but that is a full days work. I really liked the way my new improved lathe dog worked. Now my back hurts from standing at the lathe all day, and I still have to go for my "fat mans walk". That blob in the center is a spacer glued in place with hot melt glue to keep the center gap from closing up when I tighten the tailstock center.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/7505/bleqgh.jpg)
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:ThumbsUp:
Awesome work Brian!
John
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Thanks John. The crankshaft is finished except for the keyway, which I will probably cut tomorrow. The main thing that I don't like about turning between centers, is that you can't readily check the size you've turned to by sliding the bearing over the shaft. You just keep checking with your micrometer and praying you don't turn undersize. In a perfect world, I like to leave about 1/2 a thou on the shaft and take that down with 200 grit carborundum paper. In this case, I must have guessed right, because a 3/8" bearing will just start to slide onto the shaft ends. A bit of sanding should bring things right. 1144 stress-proof steel does move a little when machined. Not anywhere near as much as cold rolled or even A36 steel, but it still moves some. The crank as shown has about .010" total indicated run-out. If that poses any problem when I assemble the engine, I will set one end up in the 3 jaw chuck and whack it with a dead blow hammer. These little one piece crankshafts are amazingly flexible.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8665/Nvr5ZT.jpg)
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What kind of tool do you use to get square corners on the center throw? I always have a problem with leaving a fillet in one or both corners or having a step in the journal if I change tools to RH or LH.
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I've got a great big nasty parting blade 1/8" wide for the main "hogging" of material. I have ground from HSS a left hand cutting tool and a right hand cutting tool to clean up the inside corners. I will post a picture of them if you want.---Brian
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What kind of tool do you use to get square corners on the center throw? I always have a problem with leaving a fillet in one or both corners or having a step in the journal if I change tools to RH or LH.
I would say that is an advantage, you don't want tight internal corners as they are stress risers, I always leave a small fillet and turn a CSK on the bearings and big end to clear it.
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I would say that is an advantage, you don't want tight internal corners as they are stress risers, I always leave a small fillet and turn a CSK on the bearings and big end to clear it.
That makes a lot of sense.
Mike
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Today was major assembly and gasket day. Everything was calculated to have the outside to outside measurement of the crankshaft hubs to match the inside dimensions of the side-plates and bearings, with the cylinder being exactly in the center. It was close---really close, but no cigar. However, I knew that by the time I put a 0.030" gasket between the side-plates and center section, that it would free up a bit of room. It did, everything cleared and went round and round. I was afraid that I was going to break the cast iron rings when trying to put them on the piston. 10w30 oil saved the day, and I got them on VERY carefully. Then came the question of how in heck do I compress the rings so I can get the piston into the cylinder. This lead to dismounting the cylinder, putting it up in the lathe, and turning a 30 degree internal chamfer on the end which sets closest to the engine. That worked, as with a good deal of butt-clenching I tapped the piston with rings mounted on it into the cylinder (again with lots of 10w30 oil. So--Engine is assembled and everything clears when I turn it over by hand. All I have left to do on the engine is to make the counterweights which mount on the crankshaft.
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Yesterday evening I filled the crank-case with oil, made certain that the crankshaft would rotate a full 360 degrees, then took the engine out to my run-in bench. With a 2.5" pulley on my electric motor and a 6" pulley on the engine shaft, I connected the two with a v-belt and let things "run in" for 20 minutes. The engine is turning at about 800 rpm. Some people agree with this "run in" period, some disagree. I always run my engines in for a period of time to free everything up before trying to start the engine. This run in time MAY help the rings to seat. It will certainly take the high spots down.
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After a successful half hour run in, the engine was completely torn down this morning so I can mount the counterweights to the crankshaft. If you wanted a look inside, here it is.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/1062/YUuoxl.jpg)
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Took one of my grandkids and went to the steampunk fair in Coldwater today. A great day, ice cream was eaten, soft drinks were drank. Very few steam engines (I seen one) but lots of weird and wonderful creations and many people both young and old dressed in what they considered "period costumes" . Steampunk is far more about fantasy that any reality that ever existed, but I love it. Bren's day was made when I bought him a fancy hat. I tried to buy one for myself in black, but the guy didn't have anything big enough to fit my fat old head, so I custom ordered one "to be built". I gave the guy $10 and a business card. I may never hear from him again, but probably will. It was a great, fun day.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/1664/EV42VB.jpg)
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What a great treat for your grandson Brian.
Mike
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Okay, I admit it. I had to do a little work today. I made these brass crankshaft counterweights this morning before I picked Bren up to go to the fair.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/7228/nRLl8V.jpg)
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The engine has been completely reassembled, with gaskets between the side-plates and the main body, between the cylinder and the main body, and a head gasket. All clearances have been checked. I will let the engine "run in" with all its components in place for about 20 minutes before setting the valve and ignition timing. I have to buy a set of points and a condenser tomorrow, and after they are installed, we should be ready to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGzUZFFGO_M
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Awaiting the first pops and hopefully first run :) :) :wine1:
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Brian,
That thing is looking good. It won't be long now before your first run. Sorry I've been very busy, out of town yesterday went to see a friend speak, also I've been working on my Upshur engine in hope's of having it running for next weekend's Badger Steam & Gas show. Don't think it's gonna happen.
Art
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Laying in bed last night, going over the starting procedures for this new engine, I suddenly thought "Oh my God-I may have created a monster!!" I thought I was being very clever by hiding the points and ignition cam in behind the flywheel. Bingo!! How do I adjust the position of the ignition cam to time this thing. This morning I opened the 3D cad model, and breathed a sigh of relief.--One of the grub screws in the ignition cam is accessible from the side, even with the flywheel in place. That means I can set the ignition timing, and when the engine runs satisfactorily, I can loosen the flywheel grubscrew, slide the flywheel back a bit on the shaft, tighten the second ignition cam grubscrew, then slide the flywheel back into place.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/8897/JeRfvg.jpg)
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I didn't feel like "builder bear" today, so I went to Part Source and picked up my ignition points and condenser. I have never taken the time before to model a condenser, so when I built the engines I just mounted the condenser wherever I could find room for it. I took half an hour and modelled it, so I can put it into my engine models from now on. I have had the Dodge ignition points and the NGK CM6 sparkplug modelled for years now.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8291/KQ9W01.jpg)
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Forgot my starter hub. This one will be a little different. I made the part this afternoon from steel. You will also notice that I changed the orientation of the condenser.--This way makes the wire lead lay flatter so it isn't rubbed by the flywheel.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/3198/giHtcm.jpg)
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If any of you "Newbees" ever wondered--This is the electrical wiring required for one of these engines. The condenser wire attaches to the only terminal on the ignition points. So does the blue wire, which runs out to one side of the coil which is not shown, Another wire runs from the other coil terminal back to a 12 volt battery. From the battery a wire runs thru a switch and then back to a ground anywhere on the engine. When the points open, it breakes the circuit, and this induces a spark in the sparkplug wire. If the engine runs away on you and starts to over rev, you shut the switch off.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8052/8DeMDf.jpg)
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Like I said--Something a little different. The starter hub bolts to the flywheel. The starter spud fits into my 3/8" variable speed drill.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/8499/K3C5Qo.jpg)
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So, here it is guys.--First run. I tried to get it to start for about half an hour. It would fire and run if I put a few drops of gasoline down the sparkplug hole, but then die off once those few drops were burned. This lead me to believe that the spring on the atmospheric intake valve was too strong. I removed the spring and cut two coils off, then reinstalled it. The engine started right up, as you see in the video. My next trick will be to get the engine running properly with the hit and miss lever in place.---Brian
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd51f2bFJuA
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Excellent!!
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Hello Brian,
Beautiful.
Have a great day,
Thomas
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:ThumbsUp:
Very nice!
That was (another) quick design & build!
Congrats!
John
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Fat lady hasn't sung yet John. The hit and miss part is what I'm looking forward to.
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Brian,
I saw that you had it running earlier at work but couldn't look at the video till now. Run's like a top. Not having built a hit & miss engine I could only have dredged from the depths of my memory the bit about fixing the not getting fuel part by softening up the spring. Great work now the cherry on top of the sundae is the governor.
Art
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Fat lady hasn't sung yet John. The hit and miss part is what I'm looking forward to.
Maybe....
But after following years of your work...
She'll sing like a beautiful bird...
Brian, you've done a beautiful job & I admire your design & build skills.
John
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This is the first engine I have successfully built with metal rings. The compression is phenomenal, and the ability of the engine to coast is much improved over a similar engine using Viton rings.
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I have adjusted the valve and ignition timing a bit to slow this current engine down, and have it running at a much more sedate pace now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jjheq1pEPQ
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I have adjusted the valve and ignition timing a bit to slow this current engine down, and have it running at a much more sedate pace now.
Brian
Brilliant! - It always amazes me how quickly you get good results from a new engine.
Pete
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Pete--It always amazes me to.---Brian
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We're finished. The engine hits and misses and runs excellently. Keep in mind that there are variables which can be tweaked to give even better hits and misses. The strength of the spring directly below the face cam, the height of the fixed collar below the ring supporting the counterweights. The ignition timing, and the needle valve on the carburetor. Even the size of the brass counterweights. I sell the complete drawing package as .pdf files for $25 Canadian funds, payed into my Paypal account to brupnow@rogers.com The solid models can be included as .step files or x_t Parasolid files, or even as native Solidworks 2015 files. This has been a fun build, and a relatively fast build. ---Brian Rupnow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8pMtPM8HUI
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What is my final opinion of the purchased cast iron rings? They work great. They are a damned snug fit into a piston groove cut with a 0.094" cut off tool, so I had to lay them on a flat sheet of glass with some 600 grit aluminum oxide lapping paste and lap then on both sides to get a proper fit into my piston grooves. They do go onto the piston with much breath holding and much 10W30 oil. I was really afraid that I was going to break them, but didn't. Before being installed on the piston I tried them for fit inside the cylinder. One ring had a gap of 0.004" so was fine. one has an end gap of about 0.002". so I worked the gap a little bit with a points file to widen the gap to 0.004". I couldn't get them to compress enough to go into the cylinder after they were installed on the piston, so I put the cylinder up on the lathe and cut a 20 or 25 degree lead in chamfer on the end closest to the crankshaft. That, along with more 10W30 oil made it possible to install the pistons. This engine rotates very freely with the sparkplug out. Considerably easier than an engine using Viton rings. would I buy these rings again?--Most definitely
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:ThumbsUp:
Very nice!
John
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(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/2926/oNDdpz.jpg)
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Here is a video of the engine driving the ball lifting machine. Engine is working fine, but ball lifting machine doesn't appreciate being run so fast. It is dropping balls out one side, but my grandson Bren wanted to see it running, and I figured I might as well make a video at the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV2BVIj7Vqo
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I have an idea for a varying load machine which basically is turning a shaft supported in bearings with a weight offset to one side, driven by a gear reduction and pulley system. Engine under load will have to fight gravity when the weight is being lifted on one side. When weight goes "over the top" and begins to descend, engine will go into "miss" mode. I have sold the plans for this engine and have spent all day updating and correcting all of the 70 drawings involved. Tomorrow I will save them as .pdf files and send them off to the people who purchased them.
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Aostling and others wanted to see how this engine reacted under load/no load conditions. I don't have any machinery designed to have a varying load, but I did want to show him and others how a varying load affects these model hit and miss engines. So--Turn up your speakers, click the video link, and set back and listen.---Brian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRtmoje5uJA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRtmoje5uJA)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/3074/GJoyM6.jpg)
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Excellent demo Brian :ThumbsUp:
Pete
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I just listened to my video, and noticed that I spoke in error. The engine under load hits every other stroke, same as any four cycle engine, not on every stroke.
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Great video! Hope none of the shop elves wandered under the weight as it fell... :LittleDevil:
Shows that the engine as a decent amount of power too, lifted that weight pretty quick.
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Chris--I first tried it with a 2" diameter pulley. The engine lifted the weight so quickly that there wasn't time to hear the engine change its pace. :o :o The winch pulley on there now is 5/8" diameter.
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Nicely done Brian. I’ve been away on vacation and am just getting caught up on everyobe’s Projects. :pinkelephant:
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Brian,
All I have to say is, good reaction time releasing the clutch and dropping the load to the floor. Looks and runs great, good demo.
Art
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this engine is again a fine runner, congrats !
very nice demo, not that crude as you said in the video, as this setup is a simple way to measure power : Just need the figures for the time spent to lift the weight... weight(Kg) x 9.81 x height(m) / time(s) = Joule/s ie Watt.
thanks to share all these posts !
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I am now in that "post building slump" that always follows a successful build. The engine worked great, started and ran almost the first time I tried it, and ran well. I did manage a video showing the engine running under load conditions while lifting a weight. Rather crude, but it did the job. I have had numerous ideas for making a machine to drive that has a variable load, but that is not as easy as you would think. It would have to cycle in and out of the "load" side automatically, but can not transfer any load back into the engine when being ran in the "no load" situation. --In other news, I got stung by a damned bee yesterday. I was mowing my lawn with my garden tractor, when I felt a small "jab" in my right hand. I looked down at my hand and seen a big yellow and black bee, and immediately gave my hand a shake to knock it off. The bee drilled me, and damn, did it ever hurt. I haven't been stung by a bee since before my dad died, so it had to be over thirty years ago. I'm not allergic to bee stings so finished cutting the grass and came in the house and held an ice cube against the sting for an hour until it finally quit hurting.
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I avoid the “post building slump” by planning the next project we’ll in advance of completing the current one. This does have its drawbacks however... I sometimes get so enthused in the next build that it’s hard to keep enthusiasm on the current one to complete it ! :o
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If I do build something with a variable load. I want it to be fully automatic. The problem is that when you slow something down enough that it can be easily seen, the motor gains a great deal of torque advantage. When the motor gains a great deal of torque advantage, then you need an even heavier load. And whatever it is, I don't want it to be much larger than the motor. I also don't want the machine to "feed back" to the engine when the engine is in it's "no load" side of the sequence.---thinking---thinking--
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I am now in that "post building slump" that always follows a successful build.
Brian
I know what you mean for me its always a bit of an anti-climax when the project is completed and there’s not much else to do apart from the odd tweak here and there. More a case of the journey than the destination.
In my professional life, as a project manager, I had the same emotion when a project went live. There’d be people jumping up and down wanting some sort of celebration that the job was complete and more importantly it did what it set out to do. What did they expect to happen? For me it was more looking forward to the next challenge.
Pete
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Brian
A thought on this load test.
Use a gallon, or more water container and fix a hose into the container inlet. Turn the water tap on to trickle feed progressively fill the container as you lower and raise it on the manual clutch. At some point the engine will stall and you’ll be able to work out the max power using formula Zephyrin provided.
Alternatively, you could just add another pint from a jug each time the container was lowered.
Pete
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Here she is boys, my mother 99 years old today. That handsome (slimmer) fellow with her is myself, turned 73 in July. Drove up north and had a little birthday party at the senior citizens manor where she lives. Good time was had by all, my back is sore--driving 400 kilometres will do that.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/6906/TBh4BP.jpg)
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Congratulations to you both. A remarkable achievement.
And both look good for a few more years yet. Must be something in the invigorating climate you guys have.
For your back, I suggest taking the drive with breaks every hour and a half, and get out and walk around the car or further each break. Takes surprisingly little time, and I find I arrive fresher. It’s a routine that keeps me going for our trips that in recent years have been over ten thousand km. As packing up in the morning to leave takes at least as much out of me as some of the driving, I often stop after the first hour. It also helps me to see a little more of the places I travel through.
MJM460
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I'm in thinking cap mode this afternoon. As the engine sets right now, there are only two ways to adjust the speed at which the engine kicks in and out of "hit and miss" mode. One is by changing the weight of the governor balls, and the other is by changing the strength of that light green spring on the vertical cam shaft. I think the governor balls are very close to the correct weight right now. The light green spring is a real pig to change, requiring almost complete disassembly of the cam shaft and brackets. However--If I were to add a third factor into this, I believe I could fine tune the kicking in and out of "hit and miss" mode. The way the engine works right now is that once the engine reaches a certain speed, centrifugal force makes the balls fly outward away from the cam-shaft (as it is shown in the model). The cams on top of the governor arms force the grey governor thimble upwards, compressing the light green spring and in turn makes the dark blue "hit and miss lever" rotate and end up underneath the rocker arm, which prevents the exhaust valve from closing. It works great, but I have no control over when this happens. If I were to make the yellow bracket which bolts in place with two of the head bolts, then I could tap a hole in it, and add the bronze colored adjustment screw and lock nut. The spring from a ball point pen would be Loctited to the bronze threaded adjustment screw, and the other end would bear against the dark blue "hit and miss lever". Any pressure applied to the "hit and miss lever" by the spring would counteract the force applied by the light green governor spring. This should give me the ability to fine tune the rpm at which the engine kicks in and out of "hit and miss" mode.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/4167/G7fhM5.jpg)
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Brian,
On most governors the main control is at the governor assembly itself, meaning the weights and primary spring should be set to operate for a given rpm. Any secondary spring control is just for overriding the main setting to increase the engine speed. It's true that both work in conjunction with each other but trying to make adjustments on both simultaneously is like chasing your tail, you never catch up.
Being an old hot rodder you should know that to solve an engine problem you only make one change at a time.
gbritnell
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Brian,
If I'm looking at your model correctly, above the governor spool (gray) there is a spring (green). This spring in conjunction with the governor weights would be the primary control of the lock-out lever (dark blue) When the governor spins the centrifugal force of the weights is modulated by the spring (green)
The lock-out lever is moved to the right to go under the rocker arm to prevent it from operating. Now you are adding another spring (orange) which by the picture I assume is a compression spring. If this is the case then this is where you're having a problem. The orange spring should be an expansion spring to override the primary control, thus increasing the engine speed. As you back off on the orange control control knob thus lessening the the spring pressure the engine would go into the 'miss' cycle sooner.
This is how the governor on a lawnmower engine operates. The governor which is preset is connected to the carburetor with a mechanical link. When you want to increase the engine speed you move the control lever which is connected to the governor lever with a cable and a spring. As you move the lever farther toward the high speed position you are adding more pressure on the secondary spring which is overriding the governor mechanism (weights and spring)
gbritnell
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Brian,
Here's what I would do. Remove the orange spring and adjust the green spring until you get the engine to run at it's slowest speed (approximately) Now instead of having the threaded rod screwed into the tan bracket drill out the bracket so the threaded rod will slide through it. Now thread the knob so that when it rotates it will move the rod laterally. Drill the inner end of the threaded rod to accept the loop of an expansion spring. Drill a hole in the lock-out lever to hold the other end of the spring. Now by turning the knob you put more tension on the spring which will override the governor mechanism.
gbritnell
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George--I hear ya. As I said in my first post about the governor, that light spring is a real bear to remove. I'm going to try my method first, because it requires no disassembly of the original engine. If it doesn't work, I'm only out a couple of hours of my time, which isn't all that valuable these days.---Brian
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Brian,
Here's the question. How slow do you want the engine to run? Apparently with the setup the way that it is your desire is to have it run/miss cycle slower. If that's the case then here's the next question, how slow will the engine run (miss cycle) before the speed of the engine isn't enough to restart itself. With the engine having good compression at some point the flywheel won't have enough inertia to go over compression and restart. Before you add or modify to the engine here's what you can do. Start the engine, manually override the lockout lever until the engine slows down more than the governor will allow. At some point when you feel that this is where you want the engine to be spinning at release the lockout lever and see if the engine will restart. Keep experimenting until you get the engine to run as slow as possible and will restart. If you find that it will run quite a bit slower than it currently runs then make up your adjustment mechanism. This will add to the pressure on the lockout lever and slow the engine down. Keep in mind that by backing off the adjustment knob will only allow the engine to run as it is currently configured. You won't be able to make it run faster. Not a problem is that's not your desire.
gbritnell
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It works!!! I have attached a still picture and a video showing my "fine tuning adjustment screw" that affects the rpm at which the engine kicks in and out of hit and miss mode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5I-vitFqUI
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/6342/qsNEbT.jpg)
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I've never had a real problem getting engines to run fast. I like my engines to run slow, and it takes more fiddling to get them to run slow than fast. In a perfect world, I'd like the hit and miss engines to fire once, then coast for seven or eight revolutions, then repeat. I have came to the conclusion that although Viton rings seal extremely well, the penalty for using them is that they create more drag on the piston than cast iron rings. This drag has a rather dramatic effect on how many coast cycles a hit and miss engine will have before it hits again. This engine has a pair of cast iron rings that purchased, and it does seem to have an improved coast cycle. The only thing wrong with having them run as slow as I like is that they lose the ability to take over and keep running when a load is applied.
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George B--I greatly appreciate that you look at my posts and offer up advise. I am in awe of your knowledge and talent. Thank you for offering help. ---Brian Rupnow
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The people who have purchased this engine plan set will be interested in details of this fine tuning adjustment for the hit and miss function. Rather than email every individual, I will post it here.
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Brian,
I am posting this only as a suggestion of what I would do. I respect all the time and thought that goes into building your engines and mechanisms so I trust you don't take this as criticism in any way.
When you posed the question about trying to control the engine speed I offered up a suggestion and explanation of what could be done. You replied that you would have to take the cam drive assembly apart to change out the spring and you felt like it was too much work. Part of this hobby is the experimentation phase where you design something to the best of your ability and then tweek it in until it works as close to what you had originally thought it should be.
In designing, drawing and building my flathead engine I have at least 2,500 hours. A lot of this was making new heads to alter the compression, a new intake manifold to solve the fuel delivery problems , numerous changes to the distributor to solve the burned out Hall transistors. I did all the extra work because I, and I repeat I, wasn't happy with the outcome.
I would have liked to see you change out the spring, even several times, to achieve your desired goal and then make up the mechanism you devised to increase the speed as it would have been used on a 1:1 engine.
Thanks for presenting us with another very nice build.
gbritnell
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I'm still thinking about a mechanism which would automatically give a variable load to the hit and miss engine. The idea of an offset weight mounted on the end of a rotating arm is great, except for one thing. When lifting the weight against the pull of gravity, the engine would be forced to actually "work". However, once the weight went "over center" and began to drop, that force would feed back thru to the engine, which is what I want to avoid. I could use a one way clutch bearing so the drive wouldn't feed back to the engine while the weight was swinging down under the force of gravity, but there is no way to predict when it will stop swinging. A few years ago I was messing around with worm gears. I had read about making your own model sized worm gears, and wanted to try it for myself. I was impressed by how well it worked, and created the following thread.
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/63038-Fun-with-Worm-Gear-Drives?highlight=worm (http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/63038-Fun-with-Worm-Gear-Drives?highlight=worm)
The interesting thing about a worm gear, is that once you get beyond a 40:1 ratio, they won't feed back to the driving shaft. This feature has been successfully used on many small hand winches. I still have the worm drive created back in 2014, and I may do something with it.
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What about a clutch plate setup, one fixed, one turned by the engine. Screw or lever the fixed one into the other to give load, no load when apart? Or drive a pump, close down the nozzle for load?
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That would work Chris, but I want it to be fully automatic, without any intervention by me.
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Brian
A big spring one end secured to the floor with the engine pulling the other end over a pulley would give you a progressively increasing load. At the fullest extension some form of trip mechanism or electrical switch that actuated/deactivated the clutch?
EDIT
Lateral thinking time - How about as second hand one of these, or create somthing similar.
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The load is variable by the bowden cable and is a function of the gap between the rotating disk and the magnet cluster (left side). Put a V groove in the flywheel (right side) for the motor to drive. Arrange for the Bowden cable to be extended/retracted cyclically (no pun)
You could do something similar with a set of neo magnets and a disk. A slow geared elecric motor and cam varying the gap.
Pete
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A very important milestone reached today. You have all heard me making reference to my "Fat mans walk" which I started after getting a "too high" blood sugar report on a blood test. I have been walking a mile a day since then, and forgoing my regular intake of chocolate bars, donuts, soft drinks, and any other sweet things. As of this morning I have lost 30 pounds. I find that fact amazing. After three months of such extreme dieting and exercise, I'm finding it more and more difficult to stay on such a monastic diet. I have already told my wife months ago that if I ever lost 30 pounds, I was going to go down to the Dairy-Queen and have a banana split. Today could be the day!!!
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Don't undo all that hard work you have put in keep away from the Dairy-Queen, Will Power it's called. :naughty:
Mike.
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This morning I ran the engine with my worm drive varying load. It worked, but not as well as I wanted it to. I made a video, but I'm not happy with the results. The big weight (two pieces of flatbar taped together) did make the engine run in the miss cycle at a very brief angle near the top and bottom of its swing, but when the offset weight went over the top of it's arc, it still resisted turning easily. So, while the engine should have been popping and missing thru the full 180 degrees of swing as gravity pulled the weight down, it kept on hitting trying to overcome the worm gear and worm binding. Engine was supposed to miss under no load condition for 180 degrees of arc while gravity pulled the arm down and then work without missing while the weight was lifted up thru 180 degrees. It didn't work out that way. I have just ordered a one way clutch bearing, and when it gets here we will try things again.
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..... I have been walking a mile a day since then, and forgoing my regular intake of chocolate bars, donuts, soft drinks, and any other sweet things.......
Sorry Brian, couldn't resist this. The doctor told my wife to walk a mile each day and she started to do it. A mate asked me how she was going and I replied, "don't know, last I heard she was at the border and heading interstate!"
Congrats on your success with the walks,
Ian.
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Ian--My walk is about 1/2 a mile up hill, but then I come back. Second half of the walk lets me cool down from the first half.---Brian
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Sounds and looks to me like you are doing great Brian :praise2:
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Today I received my one way clutch bearing in the mail. It looks exactly like a sealed ball bearing, but it definitely has the "turn only one direction" feature. I am going to mount it in the offset weight arm, so that as soon as the engine has lifted the weight arm over the top, the arm will swing back down due to gravity, and having no "binding force" transmitted back to the engine.
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The one way clutch bearing had an inner diameter of 12 mm, so I made a hub of cold rolled steel, put two set screws in each end and drilled/reamed it 0.312" for the 5/16" shaft it is going to mount on. The hub is pressed into the bearing with an interference fit of .0005".
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Well, the one way clutch bearing works exactly as advertised. I'm impressed. However--the set up didn't work. The one way clutch bearing was mounted in the steel bar which gets rotated, but--Once the bar goes slightly past vertical, it free swings thru almost 350 degrees. The engine has to hardly work at all. I thought for a moment that I had invented perpetual motion.
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Put a big paddle on it for air resistance?
Hmm, ditch the clutch, put a lightweight cup on the rod and a pan of water. Lifts the weight of water going up, it pours out at the top and little weight on way down?
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Chris--I am going to either give up on this or try a totally different approach. The absolute best video of the engine hitting under load and missing under no load was the video in which the string with a weight on one end went over a pulley and down to a small winch drum attached to the clutch. My current system with the worm gear gives the engine too much mechanical advantage--it never sees enough load to function the way I want it to. In a perfect world, the winch drum would turn clockwise for a measured number of turns, then stop and turn counterclockwise for a measured number of turns. I want this loaded and unloaded cycle to repeat, with no intervention from myself. I actually have enough ceiling height to put the top pulley that the string goes over up higher, and have something attached to the string running down to the weight in two places. At the upper and lower limits of travel, the "thing" attached to the string would move a lever, which would reverse the drum rotation. I have looked at all manner of "automated reversing systems" and they either beyond my machining capabilities, or look like they wouldn't work. I am in no rush to build another engine, so am still searching for an automated reversing system that looks like i could build it. There is one in the booklet "507 Mechanical Devices" that shows promise, but it would be a lot of work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRtmoje5uJA
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Brian,
Good to hear that you dieted hard and lost 30Ibs, that is impressive. If I lost that much I'd weigh about what I did when I graduated from high school. I enjoyed the video of the hit & miss at work. I could picture you doing that half the day watching it go up & down. :lolb:
Art
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After much playing about with this engine, under both load and no load conditions, I have come to notice this phenomenon that I have seen before on other hit and miss engines. When the engine is running very slowly, with a good number of "misses" between "hits", the fuel in the line running to the carburetor wants to all run back down in to the tank during long "miss" cycles. Then when it finally does "hit" again, there is no fuel at the carb and the engine stops. I use clear neoprene gas line, and I can see it doing this. The answer of course is my venerable one way valve, as shown in the .jpg. This one way valve only works well in the vertical position, and the best location is immediately below the carburetor fuel inlet. Experience has shown that a 3/32" diameter ball is the optimum size. If the ball is larger, the venturi vacuum from the carburetor may not be strong enough to lift the ball consistently.
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That fixed it!! You can see it setting directly below the carburetor fuel inlet. (there really isn't much to see, because the gas-line pushes on from both ends of it). Now when the engine is on "miss" cycles, the fuel doesn't run back from the carburetor at all. The engine starts a lot easier too, with much less manual choking.--Also of interest to some will be the gear reducer with the piece of tape on the output shaft. I built that reducer about ten years ago, using gears from a couple of dead electric drills. It has an 8:1 overall ratio. That reducer was built back before I purchased my own complete set of 24DP gear cutters.
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Hello Brian,
Great job on the overall design and build on this engine. Watching the last video I really like the sound when running without the "miss", sounds smooth and strong.
Have a great day,
Thomas
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One of the people building the engine from my plans has discovered an error in the con rod drawings. I will be sending new corrected drawings of the con rod and cap out to all who purchased the plans later this evening.---Brian
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For those of you who are building this engine-----The crankshaft endplay ends up being controlled externally by the ignition cam on one side and by the small bevel gear on the other side. My original plan was to have it controlled on the inside by having the two registers on each side of the crank-throws riding against the ball bearings. There are enough accumulated tolerances to make this a very iffy thing. The real story is that the crankshaft is centered by the con rod, which is positioned by the piston, riding in the bore of the cylinder which is bolted to the crankcase. Originally I had made no provision on the crankshaft for the sideplate gaskets. Then when I went to assemble everything and seen exactly how the crankshaft was being centered as explained above, I was glad that I had left that
.030" clearance on each side of the crank throws to the ball bearings. You may find that you have to put a small spacer washer between the small bevel gear and the shoulder on the crankshaft. That is something that you won't know if you need or not until final assembly.
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I've had all of the fun I can have with this engine. Today it's going up on a shelf with all of it's friends. This is the first engine I have built with cast iron rings, and I must say, they do coast a lot better than previous engines with Viton rings. I will probably use cast iron rings from this point on for any new i.c. engines that I build. I don't really think that I have learned anything new building this engine, but knowledge is cumulative, and every engine does get a bit easier as I go along. I may go back and revisit some of my existing engines, but right now I'm a bit burned out on machining in general. One of the people who purchased a plan set from me asked if it would be reasonable to remove the inner grease seal from the crankshaft bearings and wash out the grease, as the engine has an oil sump and the bearings would get lubricated that way. I think that would be a good thing to do in terms of how long the engine would coast, but I don't know if the one remaining outer grease seal on each bearing would be sufficient to prevent crankcase oil from leaking out. this is something that would be good to know if it made an improvement to the engines coast time, and whether or not it made the engine leak crankcase oil around the bearings. Thanks again to the many people who followed this build.---Brian
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I forgot to dimension the depth of the piston ring groove.---Here is the drawing
---Brian
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Brian,
My experience with removing the inner oil seal and using splash lube inside the crankcase to lubricate the bearings is. It does work very well and doesn't leak unless you don't have proper crankcase ventilation. If not you cant imagine where all the oil comes out at.
Art
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One of the people building this engine just emailed me and asked how the governor pawl was mounted. I checked my drawings and sure enough, I forgot to put in a drawing of the pivot pin for the pawl. The governor pawl rotates on a 3/32" x 3/4" long steel pin that passes thru the pawl and is loctited into the 3/32" hole in "upper bracket-b". This is kind of a pig to assemble, as you have to pass the pin thru the pawl and into the bracket all in one go. There isn't enough clearance to let you do it any other way. It works, but it's a close thing.---Brian(http://imageshack.com/a/img924/6707/0d0aUi.jpg)