Model Engine Maker

Engines => Your Own Design => Topic started by: Craig DeShong on March 26, 2020, 03:00:59 PM

Title: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on March 26, 2020, 03:00:59 PM
This build will be a 1/5th size model of Joe Fidd’s 15 HP Witte IC engine manufactured in Kansas City, Missouri in 1911.  You can see this engine in the Willock building at the Rough and Tumble Engineers’ Historical Association in Kinzer Pennsylvania.  Joe told me this engine powered a water pump for a Rhode Island Estate during it's working career.

Below is a youtube video of it that someone took several years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhE-0ZC_Ns4

The engine is a typical “hit and miss” engine; the governor controlling the speed of the engine by denying the engine power strokes.  The method of this control however I find somewhat bizarre.  The engine has an atmospheric operated intake valve and an exhaust valve that operates off a cam on the side shaft.  The exhaust valve is lifted during every exhaust cycle regardless of whether the engine fires of not.

Engine speed is controlled by allowing or denying fuel to be brought in with the air during the intake stroke and this is accomplished via the operation of a third valve, up-stream from the atmospheric controlled intake valve in the air intake.  The operation of this third valve is controlled by the fly-weight governor, located on the side shaft.

The full size engine is water cooled,  has a magneto driven by a friction wheel that rubs on the flywheel, and has a compression release to assist starting; none of these will be reproduced on the model.  The full size does have a fuel pump which will be modeled.

Ever since George Britnell introduced me to cutting helical gears I’ve been making my own helical gears.  George seems to knock these off with barely a thought and he produces beautiful gears.  Mine aren’t nearly as pretty and I will attest that there is a lot of thought involved, but I seem to produce serviceable gears.  I thought I’d get the fabrication of the helical gears behind me early in the design because the pitch  diameters of the gears determine so many of the other measurements on the engine.  There is no need to spend days with the design of a model, only to discover you can’t make or purchase the gears you plan on using; knowing that substituting different gears will result in changing so many measurements in the design of the model.

I decided to cut these gears from brass, thinking the fabrication of brass gears might be easier than steel.  I also have a growing supply of gear cutters and with careful planning I was hoping to use some of the ones I had without having to purchase even more.  To that end I settled on a diametral pitch of 18, with the gears having eight and sixteen teeth.

These were fairly large gears to cut with a whole depth of over 1/10th inch using Chuck Fellows handy-dandy helical gear cutting fixture.  I made several passes around each gear, increasing the depth of cut at around .020 inches per pass.  The process was slow but the result was serviceable gears; though a little filing was require to have them mesh cleanly.  Though they are a bit noisy they should work well.   

In the first picture I’m forming a gear blank.

Once the blank was formed it was time to cut the teeth.  In the second picture I’ve just finished forming the eight gear teeth on the crankshaft gear.

With the gear teeth formed, the third picture shows me reaming the gear to the crankshaft diameter size after I had first drilled out the center and bored it to near size.

In the fourth picture I’m parting the completed gear off its arbor.

Forming the side-shaft cam gear followed pretty-much the same process.  The fifth picture shows a photo I took while cutting the gear teeth.

With the gears complete I mounted them in a test fixture to make sure they meshed smoothly and the designed distance between the crankshaft and side-shaft were correct.  With that verified I moved on to complete the design of the engine.

The final attachment is an image of the complete design from my Alibre design tool.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on March 26, 2020, 03:07:59 PM
Great new project! I look forward to seeing it take shape!

I'd love to know more about the fixture and procedure you are using to cut helical gears. Any chance you have links to the relevant thread(s) handy?

Sent from my Lenovo TB-8504F using Tapatalk
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on March 26, 2020, 03:46:42 PM
Hi Andy.  George Britnell introduced me to a 'fixture' developed by Chuck Fellows that lets you cut helical gears.  If you peruse down through this thread

http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,7769.0.html

you will see several links that should answer your question.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on March 26, 2020, 03:50:59 PM
Excellent - many thanks!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on March 29, 2020, 04:47:50 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the progress of this build.

Several days of activity in the shop has produced the base for the engine.  I'd been saving this piece of aluminum for building the Regal model (a design thread I authored last year) but the Regal has been pushed back again in lieu of building this Witte model so I'm using what I have as opposed to buying more.

Even after carving on it a while you can see from the photo that it’s still a rather sizable piece.  This is going to build a fair sized model and I was tempted to increase the scale ratio, resulting in a smaller model but when I got into the design, some of the governor parts were getting pretty small and designing them smaller yet wasn’t going to help me see what I would be doing come build time so I decided after all to stick with the 1/5th scale size.

I’ll be moving on to the upper frame next.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Dave Otto on March 29, 2020, 06:10:58 PM
Hi Craig

Cool that you are off onto another build, looking forward to following along with this one too.
I have had the attached picture for years, can't even remember where I got it; thought that you might enjoy it.

Dave
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on March 29, 2020, 08:46:28 PM
Quote
Joe told me this engine powered a water pump for a Rhode Island Estate

They probably had a lot of fountains.   :shrug:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on March 31, 2020, 02:18:01 AM
Dave.  Thanks for the photo.  A few comments… The water pump, igniter, and most other items that might need serviced are on the side of the engine that faces the wall.  That might make servicing a chore  :'(
In addition, the compression release is located on the side shaft so to release it once the engine had started the operator would need to reach THROUGH the belt at the head of the engine.  :hellno:  OCEA would have gasped at this setup!!!  :ROFL:

Also- how would you have liked to operate that lathe with that engine banging away right beside you?  :hellno:

Kirk: That engine could have moved a lot of water.  I too was wondering just why the estate needed a pump engine so large?  :shrug:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on March 31, 2020, 12:10:01 PM
Lathe is on a line shaft, but the engine in the pic isn't powering it.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Johnmcc69 on March 31, 2020, 02:17:16 PM
That's a very nice engine & should make for a real nice model, especially if made to "tick over" slowly.

 Looking forward to following along Craig, keep up the good work!

 John
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Dave Otto on March 31, 2020, 04:21:30 PM
Lathe is on a line shaft, but the engine in the pic isn't powering it.

The belt appears to be there but hanging loosely from something near the window; but could be attached to the wood pulley on the engine if needed. My thinking anyway.

Dave
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on March 31, 2020, 06:40:04 PM
By Georgie, I think he's got it!  :ThumbsUp:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 02, 2020, 09:48:06 PM
Kirk, John, and Dave; thanks for your interest and comments.  Thanks also for those just stopping by to see the goings-on.

The last few days were spent in carving a block of aluminum so it sort-of looks like the carriage for this Witte engine I’m building.  I’m back to making mountains of swarf.

Here is a photo of one of my more interesting setups.  I might have had the vertical distance on my mill to do this with the down-feed on the quill, but that would have entailed removing the vice and setting up angle blocks to hold the work piece.  This seemed easier and as I’ve said before; don’t miss an opportunity to play with ALL your toys. :Lol:

I’m using my right-angle drive, with a boring head attached and using the power X-travel to feed the work piece into the boring head.  This worked better than I thought it might.  Nothing seemed to be complaining so I incrementally went to the full depth I needed and got a good smooth finish.     
(https://i.postimg.cc/W1XdBHkS/20200331-132646.jpg)

Here are a few photos of the engine carriage or engine frame.  This sits atop the base I made up thread.
(https://i.postimg.cc/BbBSxj5N/20200402-132018.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/VvgwJ31V/20200402-132031.jpg)


Now I’ve moved on to the cylinder.  I’m starting with this humongous block of cast iron.  I’m going to remove at least 80 percent of this material before I get done.  Also, I’ve decided to make the model water cooled as the full size was so I’ll be forming a water jacket in the cylinder and then pressing in a cylinder liner, even though the cylinder is cast iron. 
The engine up at Kinzers and the one in the photo Dave supplied doesn’t show how water was moved through the engine.  I’ve decided to add a water pump to the model, probably operated from an eccentric on the crankshaft.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sD2dnH33/20200402-132347.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: crueby on April 02, 2020, 10:10:32 PM
Nice results from the right angle attachment - bet that was a real chip-flinger!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on April 02, 2020, 10:48:39 PM
Craig, I love the way you use the BP accessories!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 04, 2020, 10:26:08 PM
Thanks for your comments and thanks for those that stop by to see the progress.
Chris: had to pull the planer out from the wall and sweep behind; chips were everywhere. ::)
Andy: Like I said; never miss a chance to play with ALL your toys. :ThumbsUp:

Moving on to forming the cylinder;  so you have an idea where we’re going with this chunk of cast iron, I give you an image of the finished cylinder below:
(https://i.postimg.cc/VLxVSbcb/Cylinder-1.jpg)


I thought, while I had lots of straight, flat surfaces for holding the piece in my vice; that I might drill and tap the head and cylinder mount holes.  Also, I milled in the shoulders for the water inlet and outlet openings.
(https://i.postimg.cc/vTzZ1d44/20200404-113533.jpg)


With that accomplished, I centered the work piece in my 4-jaw chuck and machined the rear smaller cylindrical protrusion.  Here I’m just beginning the work.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MTJ6dGRc/20200404-115413.jpg)

And here, it’s has just been completed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/cH7sjNMF/20200404-124307.jpg)



Now the “fun” begins. :facepalm:  Because the front of the cylinder has protrusions for attaching the water inlet and outlet pipes, and because the cylinder has mounting flanges; I couldn’t turn the cylinder on the lathe.  I’m going to nibble the material away to make the cylinder round.  A little filing should clean up the flats.  Here is the setup below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nrHHfw3p/20200404-133110.jpg)


You might think that this would be a long and tedious operation.  It does take longer than just turning on the lathe, but an hour or two produced this ¼ of the cylinder roughed out to where I can smooth things out with a file later.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SQrSfkKs/20200404-163825.jpg)

Now, only three more quadrants to do yet. :insane:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 06, 2020, 07:31:25 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.

A few more hours of carving on the cylinder block finished the other three sides.   Below is a photo just after it was taken off the mill.
(https://i.postimg.cc/QCmJrdtX/20200405-122518.jpg)



This was followed by a few BORING hours (get it? Huh?  HUH?) of turning out the center of the cylinder in order to receive the liner.  Here I’m forming the water jacket recess.  This was slow going because the boring bar that lets me reach in to take a larger diameter than the ends is pretty flexible (compared to a standard boring bar).
(https://i.postimg.cc/RFyTRZFh/20200406-111053.jpg)


So after some filing to smooth some contours this cylinder "block" is pretty much finished (with the exception of the end collars that are made of steel.  These seem to be decoration to me but maybe they keep the casting from chipping out?
(https://i.postimg.cc/CxzXJWPZ/20200406-135224.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/SNfq9FXc/20200406-135236.jpg)

Finally a view of the project so far.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wxZ5KZ08/20200406-135443.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on April 06, 2020, 08:23:22 PM
Yes, got it! And here is the expected response to puns: Groan! :) (At least, that's the response I always get!)

Looks like an awful lot of whittling. Since this is the outer casing, not where the piston rides, would it have been possible to make it from steel, and silver braze (or weld :)) the tabs and such on?
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Dave Otto on April 07, 2020, 01:18:05 AM
Nice work Craig, looks great!

Dave
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 07, 2020, 09:37:18 PM
Andy and Dave; thanks for stopping by with your comments and encouragement.  Comments and encouragement are always appreciated.  Thanks also to those silently stopping by to see the progress.

Andy- to answer your question; YES it would have been possible for someone to weld or braze the flanges and water inlet/outlet to a turned cylinder; just not me.  I don't weld and shy away from silver soldering/brazing if at all possible.

I spent the full day today, working on the head.  I was going to take some pictures as I moved along but alas… I never got to it.  All the work today was turntable work; going round and round and moving the clamps as I went.  I could have put in another hour and finished the part, but… tomorrow is another day and there is no need to rush this thing because as soon as I get it done I’ll need another project.
Here is a photo of the head so far…
(https://i.postimg.cc/D0C9vBcg/20200407-161631.jpg)


When I got back in the house I noticed Joe (the owner of the full size) had sent me a photo of it when it was working for a living.  The photo is of it installed in the pump house with its triplex pump and water storage tanks.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XvQcDmNQ/scan0006.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Dave Otto on April 08, 2020, 01:08:09 AM
Cool picture Craig, I love the motion of the triplex pumps!
Someday I would like to model one.

Dave
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 08, 2020, 09:06:46 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the goings-on.

Dave- It would have been neat to get the pump too; but maybe there was no room or maybe the pump was still in service?

I spent the day working on finishing the head.  Below I’m using the Volstro rotary milling head to form the bearing boss for the front side shaft support.
(https://i.postimg.cc/7Y5Zs1n2/20200408-100012.jpg)


And here is a shot of the completed head.
(https://i.postimg.cc/J4XWHpQP/20200408-113839.jpg)


And finally I give you a photo of the complete model so far.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MpWqkyy5/20200408-144731.jpg)


Actually I got a little further and then make a bone-head mistake on one of the valve chests; it was while I was still sizing the raw piece of cast iron but I figured one mistake might lead to another so I called it quits for today.  Tomorrow I’ll start with a fresh piece.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on April 08, 2020, 09:10:28 PM
Now Craig, why do you show us pictures that only lead to extreme tool envy?!? :)

Very nice work on that part - I shudder to think how much trouble it would be to do it without a Volstro rotary head.

And when it comes to those bone-headed mistakes and time to call it quits - for me this point usually involves blood. :)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 11, 2020, 06:41:34 PM
Thanks for those stopping by to see the progress.

Andy- I show my more interesting setups because they aren’t run-of-the-mill and my thoughts are that many of those who stop by to follow this build might be interested in seeing something a little different.  I’m very lucky to have some of the Bridgeport accessories I have.  Some came with the mill when I bought it and others I was lucky enough to get at super prices.  It is nice to have this tooling because it gives me the flexibility I wouldn’t normally have.  I don’t think I could have built some of the models I’ve designed and built without accessories like the rotary milling head.

More progress.  I’ve completed the valve chests, with the exception of the cover.  Once again I’m realizing that in building exact (well, kind of  sort of exact: I don't profess to have near the talent of  George, Mike, Chris, or many of the others who post here) scale models some of the parts get really small.

I’ve decided I really like working with cast iron.  It mills nicely, you don’t need lubricants to work it, and you can power tap the threads.  Now if I just didn’t have to deal with all that back talcum powder that gets all over and in everything!

Here are a few photos of the valve chests though I haven’t cut the valve seats or valve guides yet. 
(https://i.postimg.cc/yNJSM8Pk/20200411-132028.jpg)


(https://i.postimg.cc/ZnqmQC8Q/20200411-132037.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on April 11, 2020, 11:29:18 PM
You should post a video of the Volstro in action. 
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on April 12, 2020, 01:26:35 AM
Craig, I hope you know that I'm joking - it is very cool to see these accessories, and gives me ideas for future tool purchases. :)

As always, the parts look great!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 12, 2020, 07:32:53 PM
Thanks for those of you stopping by the see what’s going on with this project.

Andy: sure I know you’re kidding.  One of my favorite movie sequences is in “GanTorino” where Clint Eastwood describes how “guys” talk to each other… a real classic.  :ROFL:

BTW- ALL of you are ALWAYS welcome to stop by for a visit.  Just make sure you bring a mask and maintain the 6 foot "safe" distance.  :)  :ThumbsUp:

One of the things I really like about this forum is the way we all communicate with each other.  I see lots of congratulations when we succeed and lots of commiseration when things don’t turn out as planned.  What I don’t ever see is someone berate someone else; I think part of that is due to our diligent and excellent moderators but mostly it’s due to the quality of people who frequent this forum and the way we respect each other.  Be you a beginner or a seasoned pro, or somewhere in between, everyone is encouraged and supported.  Thanks to you all for that courtesy you show me and everyone else.

Kirk asked for a video of the Volstro milling head in operation, and I got it out to help me machine the valve chest cover, so I thought I’d go ahead and make the video he requested.  I hope many of you will find this of interest.

First, so you know where I’m going; here is the drawing for what I’m making:
(https://i.postimg.cc/mZ6HNDSr/Valve-Chest-Cap-1.jpg)


The Rotary Milling Head is well suited for this operation and in this particular case I think it outshines a turntable.  I say this because there is no center indication on the piece where it can be accurately aligned on a turntable; but with the stock clamped in my mill vice I can easily center the placement of the “to be milled” arc of the circle under the center of my mill quill.  Then it’s a simple matter to cut a lead-in shoulder using the Y axis feed on my mill till the piece is centered under the quill, cut the arc using the rotary milling head, and then using the Y axis of the mill again, cut the lead-out shoulder.  The video below, hopefully, shows this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKwDZAS3790


Here is a better view of the piece right after I removed it from the above milling operation.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yNvbLcd5/20200412-120629.jpg)


And finally the piece finished and installed on the valve chests (yea- I agree: crappy bolts, but it’s what I had on hand to make sure the holes were lined up as they should be)
(https://i.postimg.cc/7hyt6VQ5/20200412-131854.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on April 12, 2020, 10:01:30 PM
Every time I see you use it, I think that it seems way easier than setting up the rotary table. For one thing, you don't have to figure out a way to clamp the part on the RT; you can hold it in the vise!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 14, 2020, 09:04:30 PM
Andy: thanks for the comment.  Yes, often setup seems much easier to me and… it’s a lot lighter than my ten inch turntable to move on and off the mill table.

Thanks also for those of who stop by to see the latest.  See, you really need to stop by and follow this thread; otherwise how would you possibly see me make a fool of myself. :embarassed:

Yup I did it; I thought it was material for stand-up comics, or the keystone cops or possibly the three stooges.  What did I do? Well, I cut it off THREE times and it was still too short. :wallbang:  Yea, I couldn’t believe it could be done either.  :hammerbash:

Yesterday, I was attempting to size a piece of stock 1.61 inches in length.  All I can figure is that, in my demented mind, I was transposing the one and the six behind the decimal point.  Anyway, I cut the stock down and it was too long, I cut it down again and it was STILL too long; as I was cutting it down a third time I objectively looked at the piece and said to myself, “NO WAY that is 1 ½ inches in length let alone 1.6 something, and when I measured it, it wasn’t.
I don’t know about you but when I do something like that I don’t put my tools away, I don’t sweep up the chips from the mill/lathe let alone the floor; I just turn everything off and go in the house for the rest of the day. :slap:  Not much got done yesterday. :facepalm:


Today, however, I was using my brain somewhat more efficiently :ThumbsUp: and got done what I was attempting yesterday.

This is a piece I’m calling the “spray bar” for lack of a better term.  It fits up into the air intake, holds the needle valve and fuel delivery pipe; and supports the third valve that emits fuel into the air intake stream when the governor allow such to happen.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wTJ5mFvD/20200414-151948.jpg)


Here I have it attached to the intake valve chest.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CKb9rbm8/20200414-152224.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 17, 2020, 08:53:43 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the goings-on.

I’ve realized that I can’t proceed much further along with the head of this engine without having the side shaft in.  To do that, I need to make the side shaft bearings and the rear side shaft bearing block.  While I’m doing that I might as well fit the helical gears and install the crankshaft, but to do that I'll need the crankshaft bearings.  Also, before I make the crankshaft I should have the connecting rod and connecting rod bearing completed so that when I turn the crankshaft throw, I have the connecting rod and bearing for a trial fit.

Anyway… as you can see, I won’t be visiting the head area again for a little while at least.

In the below photo I’ve started on the connecting rod.  This is turned out of a flat bar of steel on the lathe.
(https://i.postimg.cc/C1LwK00K/20200417-103949.jpg)


Once the connecting rod shaft is turned and threaded for the piston/wrist-pin receiver (making that later) It’s time to drill/ream the hole for the crankshaft bearing.  This will be a split bearing so I’m first drilling the holes for the connecting rod cap connection bolts.  The connecting rod cap will be cut from the same piece of connecting rod material.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1XvBZpHt/20200417-110644.jpg)


Now that I’ve separated the connecting rod cap from the connecting rod, I’ve bolted them together and I’m now drilling/reaming the hole for the split bearing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/QtyVGC7D/20200417-124842.jpg)


Here I show the connecting rod, ready to receive the split bearing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/zDT3Pzfs/20200417-125227.jpg)



And here I have the bearing installed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/QdF3wmbF/20200417-150513.jpg)


Next will be fabrication of the crankshaft.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on April 17, 2020, 08:58:22 PM
Dontcha love it when you have a simple part to make ... just as soon as you make 10 other parts on which it depends!

You may have said this, and I missed it - what's the material for the rod?
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 18, 2020, 10:16:24 PM
Andy, thanks for the interest in responding.  The connecting rod is made of A36 hot roll.  I might have preferred cold rolled steel, but this bar was in my inventory so I used it.

Thanks also to those of you stopping by to visit and see the latest.

Today started the crankshaft.  I’m making this in one piece; I already purchased a piece of hot rolled steel from which to make it.  I’m using hot rolled steel because I’ve found it makes a respectable crankshaft and is stress relieved so it won’t warp as I work it.

It seems to me, every time I make one of these, I use a slightly different procedure.  I decided to mill most of the crankshaft throw away because doing it on the lathe would have been too tedious.

To mill away the throw material I’ll mount it on the mill table between my dividing head which has a 3-jaw chuck and its matching tailstock; therefore the first order of business is to turn an arbor on the end of the material so I can hold it in the 3-jaw chuck on the dividing head.  I’m not going for a specific diameter here; I’m just trying to get something round.  The arbor will be cut in an extra length of the stock and will be cut away later.
 (https://i.postimg.cc/hGSYYJqM/20200416-110403.jpg)


Below is the setup on the mill just prior to beginning the removal of the throw material.  I know, the setup looks catie-whumpus; It must be the camera angle; I assure you it was parallel to the mill table.
(https://i.postimg.cc/C186BbCh/20200416-113238.jpg)


Below I’ve gone about as far as I dare on the mill.  I’ve left an oversized diameter of around .080 inches on the connecting rod journal that I’ll clean-up on the lathe. 
(https://i.postimg.cc/mDSC5DB3/20200416-124952.jpg)



Here the piece is mounted on the lathe and I’ve just completed the connecting rod journal.  It sure is nice to have previously made the connecting rod and its bearing.  A trial fit and a little polishing while on the lathe assured a good fit.
(https://i.postimg.cc/D0HZjkJd/20200418-114318.jpg)



Now I’ve cut away the arbor I was using to turn the connecting rod throw and I’m re-establishing a cylindrical end on one end of the crankshaft.  I’m a little suspicious of the centering of the piece up by the lathe chuck; therefore I’ve centered it as best I can; adjusting until the tailstock center fits into the centering hole on the work piece without noticeable wobble.  Notice that I've hot-glued a spacer in the connecting rod throw area to keep from collapsing it during the remaining turning operations.

Here I’ve just finished turning a cylinder to the tailstock end.  Again, I’m not going for a specific diameter, just trying to get a round cylinder that will fit the 3-jaw chuck on my lathe.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NGmjYVHV/20200418-151424.jpg)



Now it’s time to remove a whole bunch of material.  Chris calls this “chain drilling”; I wasn’t aware it had a name.  Up till now I’ve been calling it “un-inclined to have a proper band saw”.  I used my old mill drill for this work.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wTx8PbcD/20200418-153211.jpg)


Now, with the 3-jaw chuck on the lathe, the piece turned around so that the cylinder I just turned in in the lathe chuck and a centering hole is in the live center tailstock; I can begin working down the two side shafts.  The day is waning however, so I’ll get to that tomorrow.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Qtj0tvMb/20200418-162358.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Brian Rupnow on April 18, 2020, 10:52:49 PM
Nice work, Craig. Like you, every time I make a crankshaft I seem to go about it a bit differently. I`m following your thread, and as always I`m impressed.---Brian
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 19, 2020, 09:13:18 PM
Thanks for the reply Brian; if we made our crankshafts the same every time, wouldn’t it be tedious? :Lol:

Thanks also for those of you who stop by to see the erratic steady progress.

So after MANY passes, I had turned down one of the shafts to “near” the correct size.  I might have said this before, but I usually get both shafts “close” to correct diameter, then finish them both together.  I’m thinking this might minimize any warping out of true (shouldn’t be any with the steel I’m using) to a minimum. 
(https://i.postimg.cc/SKMC893S/20200419-105715.jpg)



Now I’ve turned the piece around in the lathe and am about to repeat the above process on the other side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nrbJzy7V/20200419-114159.jpg)


Then I made those finishing passes I talked about higher in this post.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZqctPJnC/20200419-140751.jpg)



And after some filing to cut away the burrs and tool marks; VOILA! We have a crankshaft.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HWBzTwCR/20200419-154551.jpg)


Actually, I still need to cut in the keyways but I’m going to hold off on that till I have made the journal bearings, and maybe even have the flywheels fitted.  Both shafts are turned to exactly 5/8th inch, but I’ve had things be too tight with some of my fittings in the past.  It will be easier to remove a little diameter on these shafts if the keyways aren’t cut in.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 21, 2020, 10:07:57 PM
Thanks for stopping by.

The last few days were occupied with making the main journal caps, main bearings; and then fitting everything to the frame.  After making the main bearings I staked them to the frame with a pin; with the frame being aluminum, I don’t want the bearings catching on the steel crankshaft and then rotating in the aluminum frame.

Andy- I guess I owe you an apology.  A while back you stated that with your projects, occasionally blood was involved.  I stated that rarely happened with me but… after cutting the keyways on the crankshaft and before I had filed the edges over, I managed to zip my thumb down the slot and YOW! I sliced my thumb open like a banana.
   
Any hoo, after the application of a Band-Aid or two I re-assembled all the work I did over the past few days.  Below is the result:
(https://i.postimg.cc/qMyy1tRx/20200421-164047.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: crueby on April 21, 2020, 10:12:10 PM
Looking great!   And blood is not supposed to be a substitute for red Loctite!

 :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 21, 2020, 11:45:59 PM
Looking great!   And blood is not supposed to be a substitute for red Loctite!

 :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

DAMN!  No wonder that joint wouldn’t set  :rant:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 23, 2020, 06:58:50 PM
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.  Thanks also for those of you that check in occasionally without comment.

After the blood-letting (see above) it was time to address installing the side-shaft.  This involved making the rear side-shaft bearing block and a few brass bearings.  I was toying with making the bearing block out of aluminum but, once again, I choose steel.  I don’t want the brass bearing to catch on the side-shaft and start rotating in an aluminum bearing block, so I choose steel.  This made the fabrication of the bearing block a bit more tedious but such is life as they say.
I also needed to cut a relief in the frame so that the side-shaft helical gear would fit.  I decided to use a woodruff key cutter I happened to have.  This worked great in the aluminum frame.  I’m not sure things would have been as pleasant if the frame were steel or cast iron. 

I had already made the helical gears and they just required installation (see beginning of this build).

Fitting the side shaft and verifying that everything lines up and everything turns smoothly was one of the pivotal moments of this build.  You expect everything to work out.. but I’ve been surprised before.

I give you the below video, showing the side-shaft installation.  Everything spins around just like it ought to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n5oKBWEcfk
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on April 23, 2020, 09:14:47 PM
Nice and smooth! Great work.

I am sorry that I missed a couple of days - days that were apparently filled with blood, sweat, and tears, or at least some portion of those three! My understanding is that the machining gods like the taste of a blood sacrifice, so it may actually necessary to add some to every project in order for it to work ...
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on April 23, 2020, 11:55:35 PM
I've used a Woodruff cutter on steel;  lots of passes and small depth worked for me.  The Witte is coming along nicely.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Johnmcc69 on April 24, 2020, 03:22:33 AM
 :ThumbsUp: :popcorn:
 
 John
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on April 27, 2020, 09:59:03 PM
Andy: I’m going to try to deny the “machining gods” any more of my blood for a while. ::)
Kirk: thanks for the insight with woodruff key cutters on steel.
Thanks to y’all for the comments.  Thanks for those that just stop by to see the latest.

I’ve been busy over the last few days, but have resisted the urge to incessantly post.  Now that I have the crankshaft and side shaft in, it was time to get back to finishing the work around the head of this engine.

I started with the exhaust cam and lever you see below.  I’ve even placed a little roller on the lever to ride against the exhaust cam.  Probably superfluous at this size but the full size has it and this is a scale model. :ThumbsUp:
(https://i.postimg.cc/rsV1R9gr/pic1.jpg)


Next is the rocker arm that rides the governor and actuates the fuel admit/shut-off valve.  This is a funky little thing with a disk and spring on the one end of the rocker.  It’s supposed to ride up on the governor spool as it’s driven forward by the governor weights.
(https://i.postimg.cc/3JyyS6yw/pic2.jpg)

You can teach an “old dog” new tricks. :agree:  This is the exhaust valve and I’ve left an arbor on the top to facilitate lapping the valve to the seat.  Once the valve has been seated, the arbor is cut off.  George Britnell advocates this procedure and if it’s good enough for George I’m certainly going to give it a try.
(https://i.postimg.cc/q7B6L7yP/pic3.jpg)


Finally the “family shot” of everything all mock assembled so you can see where I’m going.
(https://i.postimg.cc/N0WY0Jsd/pic4.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 02, 2020, 09:14:25 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.

I’ve been working steadily on the model.  The task has been making governor parts and the parts are pretty small and intricate.  When you need to turn down the heads of 2-56 socket head cap screws to get the clearance you need, for me at least, things are small. 

Below is a photo of the governor parts so far.  Center bottom is a disk that supports the governor weights.  The pins on which the weights rotate are on either side of the disk.  To left and right are the governor weights and below each weight is a angle bracket and pin.  The 2-56 SHCS are near.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4d1nn5Bn/pic1.jpg)


Here I give you a partial assembly of the governor disk, weights, and pins.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HxPDS8LB/pic2.jpg)


Missing a few springs yet, but here is most everything assembled on the side shaft.  This is the governor in the “at rest” position.  The weights are pulled back and a “spool” that rides the sideshaft has been driven forward.  This has caused the disk on the fuel emitting lever to ride up on the spool and the lever action on the far side (I  don’t show) opens the fuel valve.   
(https://i.postimg.cc/Kc6vFCZQ/pic3.jpg)


In this photo I’ve pulled the governor weights apart.  This has resulted in drawing the spool back and the disk on the fuel emitting lever has ridden off the large end of the spool, causing the lever action to close the fuel valve.
(https://i.postimg.cc/gjFFFFvZ/pic4.jpg)


This might not make a lot of sense now but hopefully in the future, when I get the engine running, I can explain this better.  I still have a few governor parts to make yet and I'll be addressing them next.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Johnmcc69 on May 02, 2020, 10:53:04 PM
 :ThumbsUp:
 I'll bet that took some head scratching to figure out.
 Nice work on those fussy little bits!
 :popcorn:
 John
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Art K on May 03, 2020, 04:02:27 AM
Craig,
I caught the beginning then life got busy now I've caught up. Very impressive work! I had to look at my photos from Rough & Tumble but no I didn't have a photo of that.
Art
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: fumopuc on May 03, 2020, 06:09:13 AM
Hi Craig, very nice work.
And yes, I think this are really small parts.
I can follow you explanation about the movement of the single parts and the function.
Waiting for the rest of the story, the linkage to the fuel valve and the valve itself.
That´s a small masterpiece indeed and very well done.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on May 03, 2020, 10:16:38 PM
Anything that involves 2-56 screws and threads feels intimidatingly tiny to me! It's looking good, Craig!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 08, 2020, 07:41:57 PM
John, Art, Achem, Andy; thanks for the encouragement and comments.  Thanks also for those of you taking the time to just silently stop by to see the latest.

It’s been a few days since my last post; but I’ve been busy.  I was a bit negligent in ordering the flywheel castings (in fact I just got to it today).  I could use them now, but there still is a lot to do so I can afford to wait a while yet.  I’ll be using the same 10 ½ inch flywheel casings I used on the Crossley Otto Langen, and probably be removing around the same amount of material.  This engine is characterized by large diameter flywheels with thin rims that, in my opinion, gives it a lot of its “curb appeal”.

I’m currently working on the fuel pump.  Below is a photo of the pump on the full size original so you can see where I’m attempting to go.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pXD9X33x/Fuel-Pump-07.jpg)


Here are a few photos of my progress so far.  The fuel pump is “front and center” on the model so it deserves a bit of attention to make it look somewhat like the full size castings.   
(https://i.postimg.cc/50Yycr8h/20200508-140618.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/WpQ7FL3H/20200508-140634.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 09, 2020, 10:35:41 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the going-on.

I spent the entire day working on this pivot arm.  It took two tries; the second attempt came out not great, but acceptable.  The remaining parts to this fuel pump should be somewhat easier to make. 
(https://i.postimg.cc/657vzdHp/20200509-172010.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Roger B on May 10, 2020, 08:04:24 AM
Excellent work on lots of fiddley little bits  :praise2:  :praise2:  :wine1:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on May 10, 2020, 12:40:06 PM
Maybe a watchmaker could put in all those fillets and chamfers.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Art K on May 11, 2020, 02:32:13 AM
Craig,
That looks like quite a lot of work for such a small piece. It looks great! You look to be making good progress.
Art
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on May 11, 2020, 05:39:18 PM
Craig, I think you made a mistake. The part is much smaller than the drawing on the plan ... :)

Continued excellent work on those "fiddly little bits"!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 14, 2020, 12:17:50 AM
Roger, Kirk, Art, Andy; thank you for your kind comments.  Thanks also for those of you silently stopping by to see the goings-on.

I was thinking of asking George to make the above pivot arm for me :ThumbsUp:.  The only problem with that is, George would have made it twice as small  :facepalm2: and when I put it on the engine everyone would have commented, ”the pivot arm looks great, the rest of the engine… not so much”.  :embarassed: :ROFL:

I’ve finished the fuel pump.  Below is a photo.  I would have placed it on the engine for a final shot but, I had a few misaligned holes on the base to repair with JB weld and couldn’t re-assemble everything while the cement dries.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9fGXzyKG/20200513-182500.jpg)


I probably won’t post for a few days.  Tomorrow I’m having the cataract in my left eye removed and I’ll be doing my best impersonation of Edward Teach (Blackbeard the pirate) :lolb: for a day or so.  There will be restrictions on my activities for the next few days but I’m hoping to be back in the shop early next week, and I’m hoping to be able to SEE!!! :pinkelephant:

I’ve received the material for the cylinder liner today so that will probably be first on the agenda.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Jo on May 14, 2020, 07:24:49 AM

I probably won’t post for a few days.  Tomorrow I’m having the cataract in my left eye removed and I’ll be doing my best impersonation of Edward Teach (Blackbeard the pirate) :lolb: for a day or so.  There will be restrictions on my activities for the next few days but I’m hoping to be back in the shop early next week, and I’m hoping to be able to SEE!!! :pinkelephant:

From what I have heard from the girls cataract operations can be life changing, just make sure you remember to use the drops they give you ;) Best wishes for a rapid recovery.

Jo
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: scc on May 14, 2020, 09:09:03 AM
Best Wishes for a good outcome Craig.      Terry
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on May 14, 2020, 01:03:25 PM
I have an appointment Monday with eye doctor.  Almost certain to have cataract surgery soon.  One of my eyes is still good, so together they work fine, but with good eye closed I can tell how bad the other is.  Good luck with yours.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: MJM460 on May 14, 2020, 01:47:24 PM
Best wishes with the surgery, Craig.

We will miss your posts while you are away, but it is important to look after your eyes first.

I am sure we will all be looking forward to your return.  I know that I am one of those looking in every day.

MJM460
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on May 14, 2020, 04:45:57 PM
Praying for a great result and quick recovery!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 14, 2020, 09:28:29 PM
I have an appointment Monday with eye doctor.  Almost certain to have cataract surgery soon.  One of my eyes is still good, so together they work fine, but with good eye closed I can tell how bad the other is.  Good luck with yours.

Back from the hospital and I'm told all went well.  When they take the eye patch off tomorrow we will see.

The operation was nothing.  The worst part was the reqiured Corona virus test they gave me where they rammed this cotton swab about four feet up my nose.  Hurt like... well, can't use appropriate words here where we wouldn't all blush.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on May 14, 2020, 09:41:29 PM
Craig, where did you have the surgery? (Just curious since I know the area ...)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 14, 2020, 10:32:54 PM
I've been using Raleigh Optomology for years, a good friend is a physician there.  Surgery was at Rexx
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on May 14, 2020, 11:02:46 PM
I was just coming back to delete my question - got to thinking that might have been a bit personal to ask on a public forum!

Rex is a good hospital - gave good care to my parents a number of times. A bit far for us, but then again, our local hospital is pretty basic, so if we ever have anything major we're likely to wind up somewhere in Raleigh. :)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 18, 2020, 08:42:03 PM
Thank you Jo, Terry, Kirk, MJM460, Andy, and others who I’m sure wished me well but didn’t specifically post saying so.

Thanks also for those of you who continue to stop by to see the progress.

I had the cataract in my right eye removed ten years ago and the technology has come a long way.  This time they used a robot to measure, and then do the surgical “cutting”.  It wasn’t the most pleasant thing to go through, but if that were the worst I’d face in a life time there should be no complaining.  Now, with the cataract removed things are brighter but still a bit out of focus.  I’m told my eyesight is so poor that the decision was again made to not try to entirely correct my vision, so I’ll still be wearing corrective lenses.  I’ve had them for a lifetime so no need to complain.

Even though I was told to “take it easy” for the next week I couldn’t stay entirely out of the shop.  I had purchased a billet of cast iron from which to make the cylinder liner, so I’ve been working on that.  This is not a lot of strenuous activity; setting the lathe up for a pass and then sitting there and twiddling my thumbs for the next fifteen minutes while the lathe does its job.

Here is a photo I took just as I called it quits for today, I’ve finished the internal bore to 1 ¾ inches; I’ll start on the external diameter tomorrow.
(https://i.postimg.cc/05VrhGWc/20200518-144811.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on May 19, 2020, 12:33:48 AM
Quote
I’m told my eyesight is so poor

I'll see your bad eyesight and raise you one diopter.   8)

My surgery is scheduled for June 18. 
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 19, 2020, 01:56:03 AM

My surgery is scheduled for June 18.

And I wish you the best of luck and a speedy recovery;  and as Jo said,don’t forget those eye drops. ^-^
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 19, 2020, 02:06:06 PM
(Copied from another thead, didn’t want to hijack the topic)

Following along Brian  :popcorn: :popcorn:

Thanks Mike--I generally take a couple of weeks between builds, but with this damned virus there is absolutely nothing else to do.

I’m with you there, I’m not looking forward to finishing the Witte, I’ll need another project or I will go stark-raving-mad  :o

And actually, I may have a doozy in the works!


Scale Dusenberg engine?

D oooo zy      Chris, not. D use zy.  :ROFL:


Also, I suspect we have all seen Louis Chenot’s magnificent Dusenberg model?   :NotWorthy:  After seeing his stunning model, it would be folly for me to attempt anything of that venue.

Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 19, 2020, 09:10:59 PM
 Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.

 I received the flywheel castings from Martin Models yesterday.  I have to tell you that I’m again impressed with the quality of these castings.  This is the same vendor I used for the Crossley Otto Langen flywheels and these castings are just as nice as the ones I used on the Otto.
(https://i.postimg.cc/B625VRV6/20200519-093624.jpg)



Today I finished up the cylinder liner.  If you recall, the cylinder on this model is also cast iron but, after deciding to have a working coolant system, I needed to form a water jacket between the cylinder and the liner.  Here you see the liner just before I used my parting tool to sever it from the base stock.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pXL8f9Ry/20200519-121632.jpg)


The hole in the cylinder is ten thousandths smaller on the bottom where the liner presses in than on the top.  The liner is made accordingly; therefore there is only a half inch press to seat the liner in the cylinder.  I went with a one thousandths press fit on top and bottom and the liner slipped into place, an easy press on the hand press.
(https://i.postimg.cc/vBX7y5GF/20200519-122523.jpg)


I still had a bit of the day left so I made one of the steel rings that encase the front of the cylinder; here you see it between the cylinder and the head.  Another needs to be made that presses onto the rear of the cylinder.  I assume these were made and installed to prevent the casting (on the full size) from breaking out?
(https://i.postimg.cc/KzNStcyr/20200519-153839.jpg)


Didn’t think to ask Joe of he wanted his model painted a different color than the full size he owns.  If so, I suspect he’ll let me know. :-\
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 23, 2020, 10:20:57 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.

I’ve been turning flywheels since the last post, and I took some photos of the progress.

As most of you know, you don’t center the flywheel casting on the lathe on the outside edge, nor do you center on the inside hub.  Since this inside rim will be the prominent “casting feature” on these flywheels once I get them turned I choose the inside rim as the prominent feature upon which to center the casting on the lathe.

These are CASTINGS so we all know that they can’t really be “centered”.  You just, sort of, find a “happy location” where the rim seems to have the least wobble, and call that the center.  Here I’m using my indicator as a pointer; it’s not really touching the casting, just using the end nub as a pointer to help me.  I’ve mounted the casting on my faceplate and I tap it lightly with a rubber mallet, turning the lathe spindle by hand, till I find a happy compromise .
(https://i.postimg.cc/tCB3YqJK/20200523-135313.jpg)


Now I’m turning the face of the flywheel, working down to the dimension (on this side) for the outer rim.  I usually work these flywheels from the inside- out.  That way I don’t need to worry about the tooling striking the mounting bolts.  If they aren’t striking when I start, the tooling is moving away from the mounting bolts and the pass is done when the cut proceeds past the outer rim.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NjL1X3r5/20200523-144025.jpg)


I chose these particular castings because they will turn down to closely match the flywheels on the full size engine I’m modeling.  To do this I need to remove all the material down to the width of the spoke webbing.  Here I’ve just finished that on this side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/8PY72jjz/20200523-152216.jpg)


Only thing left to do on this side was to face the hub.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yNmW3jnD/20200523-152602.jpg)


Every once in a while you get really lucky, and with this particular flywheel, the scale diameter inside the outer rim was close enough to the outside diameter of my faceplate to make it such (10.05 inches).  By turning the inside rim diameter to this dimension, when I turned the flywheel over there was no re-centering involved.  It merely slid snugly over the faceplate, centered by default.

Then I started working this side of the casting down to the final dimension of the rim width.  Here I’ve just finished that task.
(https://i.postimg.cc/h4yvmf81/20200523-163346.jpg)


Only a little more to do on these flywheels and they will be finished.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 24, 2020, 06:58:13 PM
Thanks for stopping by.

Today, work continued on the flywheels. I turned the flywheel interior down to the width of the spokes; then faced off the hub.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Gm1TP9B4/20200524-105532.jpg)


Next, I drilled, bored, and then reamed the hole for the crankshaft.
(https://i.postimg.cc/m2qGz6rj/20200524-114609.jpg)


Finally, I worked the finished outside diameter down to 10 ½ inches.  All this turning was slow going.  My lathe’s slowest speed is 70 RPM.  With a ten inch plus flywheel that’s a cutting speed of nearly 200 feet per minute.  This is way too fast for high speed steel tooling; even the carbide tooling dulled quickly if I took too aggressive of a cut or set too rapid a feed rate.
(https://i.postimg.cc/W1rxDNCp/20200524-114614.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 26, 2020, 09:07:45 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.

I finished up the flywheels and got them painted, then made the gib keys to attach them to the crankshaft.

I also made the piston, fitted the rings; then made the remaining top to the connecting rod and the wrist pin.  I then fitted all that to the engine.  Everything seems to fit well.

I was curious to see what an assembly looked like so I, sort of, mock assembled most of the loose parts.  Below are a few photos of that assembly.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bJB0TBKp/20200526-154519.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/MGZr3grQ/20200526-154608.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/xjNpZvgt/20200526-154628.jpg)

I’m going to need to make a wooden stand for the engine soon.  The flywheels are a bit too large for the frame to sit on the base without the flywheels touching.  I’m not sure the full size is like that, if not it must be close.

Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on May 26, 2020, 09:25:32 PM
Craig, it is coming along nicely! On the flywheels, I am thinking they must be cast iron ... but the pictures on the lathe looked almost like bronze - maybe just the lighting?
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on May 26, 2020, 09:33:25 PM
Not bad for one a guy with one eye.   :popcorn: :old:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 26, 2020, 09:35:16 PM
Andy, they are cast iron.  The vendor offers bronze but the full size is cast iron, so I chose that for the model also.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on May 26, 2020, 09:44:01 PM
Not bad for one a guy with one eye.   :popcorn: :old:

 :ROFL:  The “peeper” is doing pretty well.  I need to wait a few weeks for things to stabilize, then they’ll get me a new glasses prescription.   For that I can’t wait, because the coating is coming off the glasses I’m using and my vision is pretty poor accordingly.  While in the shop, I use my reading glasses, so I can see pretty well, far vision is pretty fuzzy but in the shop, far vision is not required.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Admiral_dk on May 27, 2020, 11:22:42 AM
The flywheels match the rest of the engine very nicely  :praise2:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: fumopuc on May 27, 2020, 07:52:13 PM
Hi Craig, the engine looks beautiful.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Art K on May 28, 2020, 02:40:24 AM
Craig,
The flywheel and everything looks good. Glad to hear the eye is doing well.
Art
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on June 01, 2020, 10:07:41 PM
Kirk, Andy, Per, Achim, and Art; thank you for your kind comments.  Thanks also for all of you just stopping by to see the progress.

Other duties called over the last few days, but now I’m back in the shop.  I’ve started building the igniter: more little parts to fabricate.

Below you see the igniter frame in the top center; then a spacer to the left and the igniter drive shaft on the far left.  From top right to bottom are a 2-56 nut to hold the insulator assembly together, a washer, then the insulator top washer followed by the insulator.  At the bottom are the stationary electrode and the moving electrode.  I still need to silver solder the contacts into the electrodes.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Mpb3PDVD/20200601-163852.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on June 09, 2020, 07:27:13 PM
Thanks for stopping by.

Lots of odds and ends have been addresses in the past week and a half.  I’ve built the wooden stand, assembled the igniter, and addressed what seems to be a vast array of odds-and-ends.

I was thinking I might see if I could coax a little life out of the engine today.  I haven’t plumbed up a fuel tank, or finished the needle valve assembly, but I was thinking I might squirt a little gas into the intake and see if the engine would fire once or twice.

This attempt was thwarted by a lack of compression that I tracked down to a leak in the igniter attachment to the cylinder head.  This was a show stopper for today because after i re-seated the igniter with Permatex gasket compound I’ll need to wait a day before the next attempt. 

Anyway… I’ll give you a photo of things as they currently stand. As it’s been said before; a post without pictures is WORTHLESS.  :ThumbsUp:

(https://i.postimg.cc/tg7WL0jg/20200609-134955.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on June 09, 2020, 08:32:00 PM
Oohh, so close! What a bummer to have to wait an extra day for the paint to dry. I mean the sealant. :)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Admiral_dk on June 09, 2020, 09:38:00 PM
Strange - I and all I knew in my youth used Permatex gasket compound, both professionally and otherwise and I do not remember anything about having to wait from assembly to starting the engine etc. ...!..   :headscratch:     :old:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on June 09, 2020, 09:45:43 PM
Per.  The stuff I'm using flows as a very viscous liquid.  In 24 hours it sets up as a rubber-like substance.  I've used it successfully on nearly all my models.  It's called a high temperature gasket maker and is red in color.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Admiral_dk on June 09, 2020, 09:49:48 PM
It was also the red version we used - so it must be "age improved memory"  :facepalm:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Johnmcc69 on June 09, 2020, 10:55:07 PM
 :ThumbsUp:
 Great looking engine!

 John
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Art K on June 10, 2020, 02:42:49 AM
Looks good Craig!
Art
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Dave Otto on June 10, 2020, 01:34:57 PM
Beautiful engine Craig, looking forward to seeing it run.

Dave
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on June 10, 2020, 10:52:52 PM
Andy, Per, Art, Dave, and John; thanks for your kind comments.  Thanks also for those of you that stop by to follow along.

I stepped out into the shop today with the expectation of making a little sound and smoke; unfortunately, the compression leak was just as bad today as it was yesterday.  :shrug:

Further inspection revealed that the compression leak wasn’t in attaching the igniter to the engine head, but rather in the igniter assembly itself.  With these engine designs and builds of mine there always seems to be a few surprises so having a few problems isn’t anything new.

Here is a photo of the igniter body. 
(https://i.postimg.cc/tgm0YMk1/20200610-162248.jpg)


The problem with this design is that the side of the body where the drive shaft protrudes is very slim and it doesn’t make a good airtight seal.  The leak on the small side of the shaft isn’t appreciable but it is substantial on the large side of the shaft.

I re-designed the igniter body; below is a photo of the re-design.
(https://i.postimg.cc/DwHmLBBN/20200610-162304.jpg)

The extended shaft raceway provides a better airtight seal; after assembly I can’t blow any appreciable through this new assembly as I could with the previous design.

With the re-designed igniter body I’ve re-assembled the igniter to the engine; tomorrow I’ll see if my compression problems are behind me. 
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on June 14, 2020, 08:06:03 PM
Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.

 Such a pathetic video, I wasn’t going to include it but… since a post without pictures/video is, well, just not interesting; I’ve included what I’m calling the engine’s first sputter. :)

I don’t have the fuel pump plumbed in yet, so with just a squirt of gas in the intake you can’t expect much.  Still, the engine is showing signs of life.  When it fires it seems to have plenty of pep so when I get the fuel pump and fuel lines plumbed in and have it regulated, I have high hopes for this engine.

At this point all I wanted to verify was that it would fire and should be able to run; I’m feeling pretty confident about that at this point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWyQKINmcpI
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Dave Otto on June 14, 2020, 08:23:23 PM
Looks promising Craig!  :ThumbsUp:

Dave 
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Admiral_dk on June 14, 2020, 10:03:55 PM
It's trying and that is a very good sign when it not even in complete running conditions  :cheers:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Art K on June 15, 2020, 03:05:10 AM
It's alive...
Art
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on June 19, 2020, 08:08:44 PM
Dave, Per, Art; thanks for your kind comments and encouragement.  Art; not sure it’s alive; if it is it’s on a respirator. :embarassed:

I don’t really have much to report; just more of the same old problems.

When I was in the design phase of this engine I was thinking, “Boy, there sure will be a lot of opportunities for compression leaks”; and I’ve found those thoughts to be true.  I’ve been chasing a multitude of problems; compression leaks and an iffy igniter operation being the major ones. 

Also, I’m still not sure I’m going to be able to deliver fuel to the combustion chamber in a controlled fashion with the current design.  If you remember from the discussion at the start of this thread; the engine is governed by controlling whether fuel is or is not emitted into the air intake.  I currently have the governor set to constantly allow fuel to be inserted.  I briefly opened the needle up enough for misted fuel to be blowing out the exhaust; way too rich at that setting I know but that at least proved that I’m delivering fuel to the combustion chamber, just not sure how controlled.

I’m slowly locating the compression leaks and plugging them.  I’ve decided that a partial re-design of the igniter will probably be needed so I’ve tackled that as of late.  You need to be able to remove the igniter every once in a while for cleaning and maintenance and the old design just didn’t allow that without some major dis-assembly of the model.  The old design was more “true to scale” than the newer design but I’d like this to be a running model and sometimes you just have to make compromises.  The old igniter design was leaking compression also.  I’m hoping the “larger base” on this design will eliminate that.

Below, a few photos of the “new” igniter.  I was able to salvage some of the old igniter parts.

(https://i.postimg.cc/g0HLMzFp/20200619-140023.jpg)


(https://i.postimg.cc/L4w53YYf/20200619-140031.jpg)


It might be a while between posts at this point.  No need posting till there is something really new to report.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on June 25, 2020, 12:42:10 AM
Thanks for stopping by.

If I can’t make it run, I’ll make it pretty.   :ROFL:

Actually, I really haven’t tried to start it lately.  I’m still chasing compression leaks and until I can get the compression up I really can’t expect it to run.

Meanwhile, after accepting delivery of all the plumbing fixtures I thought I’d go ahead and plumb up the fuel and coolant systems.  As far as building the model, construction is nearly complete; though I do need to complete the crankcase oil shield and oilers, 

(https://i.postimg.cc/yNDZQBkz/20200624-192617.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/fWc0g8Tk/20200624-192602.jpg)
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Brian Rupnow on June 25, 2020, 01:26:42 AM
Well, it certainly does look pretty. You have a pretty good track record of getting things to run, so I'm sure that it will soon be "Useful as well as ornamental"!!!---Brian
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: scc on June 25, 2020, 11:24:39 AM
Looking that nice it's bound to run :LickLips:       Terry
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on June 25, 2020, 12:26:25 PM
In the steam train world you need to say piping, not plumbing.   :stir:

Good looking beast!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: awake on June 25, 2020, 04:54:43 PM
It is a beauty!
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Art K on June 26, 2020, 01:57:11 AM
Craig,
Sure looks good, and dito what Brian said. You will figure it out.
Art
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on July 07, 2020, 07:09:21 PM
Art, Andy, Kirk, Terry, and Brian, thank you for your kind comments and encouragement.  Thanks also for those who take the time to drop by and see the latest.

I’ve been fighting a plethora of problems since the last post; fuel leaks, igniter issues, compression leaks, and fuel delivery problems being the most pressing.

I’ve redesigned the fuel delivery port three times in order to better control the amount of fuel delivered into the  flow of air through the air intake.  I’m still plagued with a compression problem.  I can feel air blowing out of the head area with the back of my hand; I still can’t identify from where it originates. (You can hear it hissing in the video)  I’m going to do a smoke test when my fellow engine building buddy here in Raleigh is available to assist and hopefully locate the source of the leak.

This is LITERALLY the first run.  I was turning the engine over and diddling with the mixer needle adjustment and finally I got this sustained run.  It had been running around 30 seconds when I finally realized that it really was going to keep running and I needed to record this monumental occasion.  :embarassed:

I still have several key issues to attend to other than the compression leak.  I’d like to get the engine running on the governor, and I think that will be possible once the compression leak is found and addressed and it hits hard enough to spin up fast enough for the governor to lock-out fuel delivery.

I also have some paint to re-new and a few more odds and ends clean-up.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with this one though.

I’m really surprised how quickly this model heats up.  I’m using ATF as a coolant, and you can see that the coolant is circulating when the engine is running.  Still after around a minute of running, the head was way too hot to touch and the cylinder barrel was very warm.  This is going to be one of those models that should be run for only a minute or two before it needs a significant rest to cool down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VK9kLUQgjw
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: crueby on July 07, 2020, 07:21:11 PM
Excellent first run, it has a great sound!   :cheers:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Admiral_dk on July 07, 2020, 09:23:55 PM
While there is room for improvement according to yourself - I would say that you have crossed a major milestone with it  :ThumbsUp:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: kvom on July 07, 2020, 11:47:52 PM
 :whoohoo:
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Brian Rupnow on July 08, 2020, 12:40:13 AM
Great stuff Craig.--When they first come alive like that it makes you feel good all over.---Brian
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: fumopuc on July 08, 2020, 04:49:38 AM
Hi Craig, very nice and smooth.
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Dave Otto on July 08, 2020, 11:49:19 PM
Congratulations Craig, nicely done!

Dave
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Art K on July 09, 2020, 04:05:52 AM
Craig,
Great runner! :whoohoo:
Art
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: rudydubya on July 09, 2020, 06:14:56 AM
Really good looking engine, Craig.  Nice running too.  Looking forward to seeing it in hit-and-miss mode.

Regards,
Rudy
Title: Re: 15 HP Witte hit-and-miss
Post by: Craig DeShong on August 04, 2020, 02:35:56 PM
Chris, Per, Kirk, Brian, Achim, Art, Rudy, and Dave; thanks for your kind comments.  They are appreciated and were needed.

I’m about done with this model. You may recall that I’m building it for a friend, and a while back I had told him that it wasn’t running and if he didn’t want it (why would he?), I was going to strip it of parts and toss the rest in the trash.  (I had completed it and then spent over a month, trying to get it to run dependably and I was pretty disgusted with it).

He encouraged me not to do so and stated he was still interested.  That saved it from the scrap bin… and a day or two later I got one more idea to try in order to produce dependable ignition. 

I re-designed and built the igniter one-more-time and this last version, though it departs somewhat aesthetically from the full size igniter, produces dependable ignition.

I’ve had this model on the bench for a few days or so and now it will start, sometimes with a flick of the flywheel, sometimes more reluctantly with an electric drill; but it will start and run on my schedule, not when it wants too.  Though the governor does not control its speed (which is a disappointment but I’m thinking is a lost cause) I’m calling the model done and am ready to hand it over, with some expectation that it will run dependably for its soon-to-be new owner.

You can see the final video here
http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,9864.0.html
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