Chris's Holly Pumping Engine Build

[crueby]

Yesterday I got the last of the narrower ends milled down on the pipe sections, this morning got the holes drilled to attach them to the check valve bodies. Still need to tap them.

Then got started on milling out the insides of the pipe sections, plunge cutting with a 3/8" end mill after drilling in three places 1/4".

The end mill doesnt quite reach all the way through, but thats fine since I dont want to hit the vise bottom. Finished up with cuts from the other ends - not critical if there is a slight step where they join, its just the inside of a low-flow water pipe after all.After all of them are hollowed out, I think things are ready to silver solder all the parts on the pump bodies. I need to decide if the parts can all go on in one heat, or if it will take two per pump. I am guessing two to get good coverage all the way around - if so, I'll attach one bracket and one pipe section in first heat, other bracket and pip in second. May need to wait a day or two for the weather to be good enough to get out in the driveway, got some rainstorms and lightning rolling by today and tomorrow, Saturday is looking decent out in the current fore-guestimate-cast.

[crueby]

A cold blustery day outside today, so going to wait on silver soldering the pump chambers and skip ahead to prepping stock for the check valve array. The bandsaw got a workout this morning, next need to trim the diameter down to fit the printed housings. Pics later...

[crueby]

Picture of the prototype check valve assembly and real parts start - prototype on left is in several sections, two that hold the inlet and outlet valve balls (5 per section), and top/bottom sections to adapt the wider plates to narrower copper pipes. Bit more complex than maty be needed otherwise, but these have to be able to be assembled inside the printed valve/force housings with pipes leading in and out. The pump chambers are 1" diameter with 2" stroke, so thats a fair amount of water to move in and out. So, getting started with the perimeter holes, then will move to the lathe to take the outsides to size and bore the center chambers on the thicker pieces. There are 6 of these assemblies to make overall.

[Roger B]

Splendid    those pump chambers are tending towards jewellery   

[crueby]

Splendid  those pump chambers are tending towards jewellery   

Maybe in appearance, they would make a very heavy ring!!   

[cnr6400]

 

be sure to take a break periodically while working on all the check valve bits. You wouldn't want a dose of valvitis, after all.

[crueby]

be sure to take a break periodically while working on all the check valve bits. You wouldn't want a dose of valvitis, after all.

Sounds nasty!      

I did have a case of de quervain's tendinitis a couple years ago, basically like carpal tunnel but in the base of the thumb, brought on by too much time on the lathe and mill. Resolved well with a shot and treatment by the ortho specialist, but I do take more breaks now.  30+ years on a keyboard with no issues, and the mill got me after retirement!

[crueby]

This morning more snow on the ground, so I continued on with the blanks for the check valves, got the rest of them drilled for the rim bolts and most of them taken down to finished diameter.
Then, this afternoon warmed up pretty well, around 60F and light breeze, so I set up out in the driveway with the torch and got the first round of silver soldering done on the pump chambers:

The way the angles worked out, I can do one bracket and one pipe section at a time. Going to let them cool for a while (lot of mass in them) and then give them a nice long soak in the pickle solution (Sparex 2) to clean them up again. Tomorrow is looking like another decent day, so I should be able to do the other sides then. It may take one extra heat to do the tops on the brackets, have to wait and see after they are cleaned up if I was able to get that joint done as well on the first go-round.I started out with a medium-large nozzle on the torch, and that worked but was taking a long time to get the center hot, so for the second two I switched to the largest nozzle that torch will take - that went much better, hot well within the time range of the flux and flowing well. That first one may need more solder on the top side of the pipe flange, not sure if it flowed around as far as it did on the others. These kinds of parts really need the bigger type torches, I have a 20# propane tank driving a Seivert handle that takes different nozzles, plus a roofers torch that is even bigger for the larger boilers. A small-tank hardware store type propane or Mapp torch would never put out enough BTUs for these larger parts, or even a medium sized copper boiler.So, tinight the pumps get a night at the spa in the pickle solution, I'm going to be baking a new batch of dark chocolate chip mint cookies with the shop elves!      

[cnr6400]

 

[crueby]

Another round of soldering this morning, if the rain holds off I can get the bracket tops this afternoon.

[crueby]

While waiting for the pump chambers to finish swimming laps in the pickle solution, i've started taking the last of the check valve discs down to finished diameter. These are the top lids. They are too thin to stick out of the chuck to turn one end at a time like the other discs, and thier holes are threaded, so I bolted them to the bottom chamber discs and chucked those up with the top lid sticking out:

so that it could be turned to size and have the faces trued up


Then started in drilling/boring the top/bottom plates for the water inlet/outlet holes. Now, if I was thinking ahead properly, I would have left them bolted to the bottom discs and bored through both at once. Didn't think of that till just now, so they are being done separately.


Once all the center holes are done, I'll start in on the bottom chambers, boring them out on one side to leave an opening on one side that goes almost out to the rim holes - this chamber will let the water flow from the inlet pipe out to the ring of check valve openings in the next chamber up. It will make more sense after the next couple parts are made and I can show the stack - there is the bottom chamber to feed the inlet check valve, which bolts to the end of the pump chamber pipe. Then above that is a outlet check valve chamber, with the top lid on top of that, which leads to the outlet pipe. The check valve bone connects to the, lid bone.....     Okay, now get THAT song out of your head!   

[crueby]

This afternoon got in a couple of soldering sessions on the pump chambers before and between the rain showers. Think that should be the last needed on them, will know for sure after the last two cool and go for another swim...

[propforward]

I am just happily following along, with nothing to add but admiration. I like your brazement. Or is it a solderment? 

[crueby]

I am just happily following along, with nothing to add but admiration. I like your brazement. Or is it a solderment? 

Solderizementizing?  Whatever it's called, the joints looked like they flowed all the way around, happy with that. Got them cleaned up and ready to mill the brackets to final shape this afternoon. Clear weather this morning so it was a good time to mow the lawn then sit out on the porch to read. Clouds are moving back in, supposed to rain again this afternoon, so will wander back into the shop after lunch.

 
 

[crueby]

Catching up on progress from yesterday, had started boring out the lower manifold and middle valve chambers on the lathe while waiting for the pump chambers to clean up in the pickle bath:


So, this afternoon, when the rains moved back in and got too chilly to sit out on the porch and read/nap, I got the brackets milled to shape on the pump chambers. Started with taking them to width - the bar stock I used for them was a little oversize, and waiting till now to take the stock to width evens out any alignment issues with the soldering process. In this picture the back gusset and top flange are down to size, middle and front gussets are still at rough size.


and here they are all down to width

Then used a protractor to set the 15 degree angle on the part

to set up for milling the angle into the gussets

Here are a couple shots of the pump chambers with the shaping done


So, looks like they are all done and ready for some paint and installing.... Nope! Still need to tap the holes in the ends of the pipe sections, and drill/tap the holes in the tops of the brackets to take the mounting bolts from the bars that sit on them. Probably should also run a tap into the top seal ring mounting holes to make sure no grit is left in them from the soldering. And a couple spots on the solder need some sanding/filing to smooth out some bumps and drips of solder. May also need to trim the ends of the pipe sections, but they should be good as is, will know when the check valve chambers get far enough along to test fit.  Lots still to go on these parts!