Chris's Holly Pumping Engine Build

[crueby]

Chris---I hope that when this is finished that you and the elves get a very large bottle of something alcoholic, and just kick back and marvel at what you have built.---Excellent work, as usual.---Brian

Thanks Brian,
A friend of mine used to have a local micro-brewery till he sold off and moved south. Every year he would make a batch of very strong Belgian abbey-style ale and give large bottles to all his friends. One year I called it his Ninja-Ale, since it was so smooth that you didn't now anything was wrong till you tried to stand up, and it would sneak up and whack you (me) in the back of the head!    This year I'll have to find a substitute.... I'd have some of the elves beer, but opening that many teeny little cans is a pain.

[crueby]

And with a little color on the lay shaft brackets:

Next up? Um, think I am going to work on the con-rods and crossheads next, then come back to the drive shaft for the lay shaft gears - already made the bevel gears, but the brackets and bearings need to be made on that. Thinking that I should get the conrods made before there is too much blocking access to them....

[cnr6400]

 

[ddmckee54]

About all those teeny-tiny cans...

I was going to suggest that you've got a 3D printer and a machine shop.  Just print a holder that would line up a couple dozen cans in a neat row, and machine a nice stainless steel can opener to open them all at once.  Then I realized that you'd probably only get one or two of those open cans poured into a decent sized mug before the elves realized that there were pre-opened cans of beer - just sitting around.

Since they're shop elves and not shop gnomes, they would probably at least replace the open can with a full can - to be opened for the next round.

Don

[crueby]

About all those teeny-tiny cans...

I was going to suggest that you've got a 3D printer and a machine shop.  Just print a holder that would line up a couple dozen cans in a neat row, and machine a nice stainless steel can opener to open them all at once.  Then I realized that you'd probably only get one or two of those open cans poured into a decent sized mug before the elves realized that there were pre-opened cans of beer - just sitting around.

Since they're shop elves and not shop gnomes, they would probably at least replace the open can with a full can - to be opened for the next round.

Don

I think you've invented a perpetual motion machine!   

[crueby]

 

[Craig DeShong]

Chris
I haven’t commented much, though I have been following along religiously. Your work is outstanding, and the model keeps looking better and better, if that is even possible.   

[crueby]

Chris
I haven’t commented much, though I have been following along religiously. Your work is outstanding, and the model keeps looking better and better, if that is even possible.   

Thanks Craig, much appreciated!

[crueby]

Yesterday our RC club was off to the big boat show at the Buffalo Launch Club on Grand Island (in the river between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, where Niagara Falls is). Lots of fun looking at all the antique powerboats and cars, plus we were running in the pool.

Today back on the Holly model, starting in on the connecting rods. The other day I got the drawings generated for the con rods and the crossheads - those crossheads are going to be a good mini-project in themselves, the connect the conrods, piston rods, and the four pump rods, with bearings out the sides to ride in the guides on the two engine frames.
So, this morning I got the blanks for the con rods cut to rough length, and started turning the first one. First got the center and the smaller upper end turned,

then the larger bottom end (both ends will get milled with flats both sides, and u-shaped bearing straps wrap around them).

Here is the first one turned, ready to start number two

[cnr6400]

rod blank looks good Chris! 

re flats on rod ends - I made a silly error on the last rod of this style I made for a two cyl mill engine. I did the flats on one end of both rods, no issue, same setups. Then I set up for the opposite end, first rod. Started cutting, then realized I had not clocked / indexed the cuts to the first cut end to align the flats! 

I know this has never happened to anyone on this forum    , but just mentioning in case. Happy clocking! 

[crueby]

rod blank looks good Chris! 

re flats on rod ends - I made a silly error on the last rod of this style I made for a two cyl mill engine. I did the flats on one end of both rods, no issue, same setups. Then I set up for the opposite end, first rod. Started cutting, then realized I had not clocked / indexed the cuts to the first cut end to align the flats! 

I know this has never happened to anyone on this forum    , but just mentioning in case. Happy clocking! 

Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tock Tick - Damn! 

[Kim]

Nice start on the connecting rods, Chris.  You just keep cranking out the parts!  Pretty soon you'll have an engine or something 

 

Kim

[crueby]

Nice start on the connecting rods, Chris.  You just keep cranking out the parts!  Pretty soon you'll have an engine or something 

 

Kim

Pretty soon, several more months at least and it will be recognizeable!   

And I think I waited a little too long to check the level of the 5 gallon catch bucket under my cyclone dust separator on the shop vac - took a look, and found it was almost overflowing! A little more and it would have backed up into the vacuum. Before taking it out, I weighed it, including bucket it was 57.5 pounds....      Guess I waited a project too long, forget the last time that I emptied it, prefer to take it out when less than 1/2 full.

Anyone want a nice steel-brass-bronze-aluminum bar stock kit? Just a LITTLE assembly required!      Maybe I can take it to Home Depot and ask for my money back on this big bucket of mis-mixed paint!

[RReid]

Next skill to learn - Powder Metallurgy.

[crueby]

Next skill to learn - Powder Metallurgy.

Hmmm, run some leads out to the car, plug in the Mr Fusion....