Author Topic: The Sabino Compound Engine  (Read 72218 times)

Offline MJM460

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #975 on: July 06, 2022, 11:54:40 PM »
Hi Chris, well done on yet another complex model up and running in record time.

It’s been and continues to be, a great thread to follow, never miss an update.

MJM460

The more I learn, the more I find that I still have to learn!

Online crueby

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #976 on: July 07, 2022, 12:24:02 AM »
Thanks guys!  Had to take the afternoon off from the shop, couldn't see around the grin at watching it run!   ;D

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #977 on: July 07, 2022, 12:30:03 AM »
I haven't commented much but have been following along the whole time. Congratulations on another beautiful running engine!

Dave
 

Online crueby

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #978 on: July 08, 2022, 02:39:21 AM »
Thanks Dave!

No progress pics today, internet was down all day, will put up pics tomorrow morning. Got the builders plate etched for the side of the cylinder block.
Chris

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #979 on: July 08, 2022, 01:34:16 PM »
Looks and sounds great!  Another fine build Chris.  :praise2:
Craig
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Online crueby

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #980 on: July 08, 2022, 03:31:53 PM »
Looks and sounds great!  Another fine build Chris.  :praise2:
Thanks Craig!

Online crueby

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #981 on: July 08, 2022, 04:13:41 PM »
Yesterday I made up the builders name plate for the side of the engine. After some time on the computer going through the fonts in Word and Excel, I found one that was a close match to the plate on the original engine. The sizes were measured from photos of the original, worked out to be a 6 point font size with a border around the text, done in an Excel spreadsheet. To make the mask for etching, I used a sheet of Press-N-Peel Blue PCB transfer film. This stuff can be printed on a toner-based printer or copier, not with an inkjet printer. The image has to be mirrored, since it will be ironed on to the brass sheet which un-mirrors it. Since ironing it on can sometimes fail, its a good idea to make several rows of the artwork on the one sheet - you are going to be using up a whole sheet in the printer anyway. Here is the test print on normal paper, with the transfer film printed after checking/measuring the paper one, along with the piece of thin brass sheet stock I'll be using.

A close look at the printed transfer film - this stuff has a shiny side and a dull side, it has to be printed on the dull side. Printers vary, and you need to know whether to have the dull side face up or down in the feed tray - I wrote on one side of the paper in the tray when printing the test piece to know which way the printer feeds. In my case, the dull side had to be down in the tray to be printed on.

And I'll admit - I wasted one sheet since the first time around I forgot to mirror the image!   :wallbang:    :hammerbash:    :killcomputer:   Second one was fine!
Next step is to iron it on to the brass. From past parts I knew (and had made a note of! ) what setting to use on the iron to get the proper temperature. Too low and it wont adhere, too hot and it might melt the transfer sheet, so sneak up on the temperature with some tests. If a transfer fails, it can be removed from the brass with steel wool or a scouring pad. The brass needs to be clean and shiny, so use the steel wool or pad first to remove the oxidation, and dont touch it with your fingers when cleaned or the oils will prevent the film from sticking. I put the brass on a wood block, and laid the film dull-side-down on top, and pressed down with the iron, moving it around a bit to help the transfer. This takes a minute or two, since you need to heat the film and the brass both. Then cool the part and film under running cool water (all these instructions come with the film). Then the film can be peeled off the brass, and wherever the printed image was it will stick to the brass. Here is what it looks like:

Then the back side and around the area to be etched needs to be covered - I used some vinyl pool tape. If you dont cover the back side, then both the back and front will be etched, and the plate will get thin and likely break through. The etched parts you can buy for model kits where its etched through leaving air spaces are made that way - they print the same image, mirrored, on both sides, lined up carefully, and etch through from both sides.

This one came out good, so on to the etching. You can do this either just chemically, with Ferric acid which is nasty nasty stuff, or with a salt water and 5 volt DC power supply, which is cheap and much much safer to you and the environment. I am using the salt water method. Here is a picture of the setup. A small container of distilled water (from the grocery store)  was filled deep enough to submerge the area to be etched. I should have used a smaller container, I had forgotten about how much salt is needed and had to add more. You need the water to be saturated with salt, it takes a fair amount, not just spoonfuls. Keep adding salt and stirring it till no more will disolve in. Too little and the current wont flow. Too much and it collects on the bottom, which is no problem. I used non-iodized salt, don't know if it matters, but it is just the salt you want. Just normal table salt from the grocery store, look for the non-iodized version.

The part to be etched is connected to the Positive side of the DC power supply - can be a variable supply like I have (rescued from trash when workplace went under and lab was cleaned out) or just a wall-wart style. It only needs to be 5 or 6 volts DC (NOT AC) output. A larger piece of brass was connected to the Negative side, both put across from each other in the water. Keep the clips out of the water or you will eat the Positive one away!

When the power is turned on, you should see tiny bubbles form on the large plate. The piece to be etched will darken, and the water will start to cloud up. Every once in a while the cloudy stuff needs to be cleaned off the Negative plate, to keep the current flow up, and shake the plate being etched in the water to clean it off too, keeps the power flowing better and speeds it all up. Here is the piece after a couple hours, I shook it off in the water before taking the picture. You can see in the background how cloudy brown the water is now.

At this point the metal was etched about 6 or 7 though deep. Any more and the background would have been like thin foil. If you start with a thicker plate you can go deeper, though eventually the letters will undercut so there is a limit. Here it is with the tape peeled off and the blue masking film scrubbed off with a scouring pad:

If you want a smoother background, use a lower voltage - 1.5VDC gives a smoother finish but takes longer. 5 or 6 volts gives this wavier sandcast look.  Then the plate was trimmed to the outline with scissors (carefully! )

It was then attached to the cladding on the engine with a dab of adhesive/sealant on the back:

Very happy with that!   :cartwheel:

So, next up will be the oiler unit. The original advertisements I found for the Paine company show the oilers on the side, so they were original equipment, not added by the ship owner. Its a oil tank, with glass ends and drip adjusters for the eight lines coming out. The lines go down to oil cups on the engine - when Ron and I got in to measure the engine it had been set up for the winter, with the oil lines all removed and drained, but Ron found some old pictures he had taken that showed the lines, so I know where they go for the model. Dave told me that there is another small oiler on that feeds lines to the thrust bearing. I dont have pictures of that, unfortunately.

Going to be an interesting piece to make!

Offline propforward

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #982 on: July 08, 2022, 04:18:29 PM »
That etched plate looks great - these are the details that really make an outstanding model.

To be honest, when I look at the pictures I have to look carefully and decide whether I'm looking at the model or the real one. It's not always immediately obvious.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline steamer

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #983 on: July 08, 2022, 05:57:57 PM »
I took a day off today Chris,  and I just want to say how stunningly beautiful this project has turned out!!!!  Bravo my friend.

I'll see if I have a photo of the thrust block drip feed oiler.....It's a simple 2 in 1 affair....

Dave
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Damned ijjit!

Offline Jo

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #984 on: July 08, 2022, 06:09:04 PM »
Thanks Chris,

I had not come across the salt water method. I have some Ferric Chloride crystals and every time I look at them I think yellow fingers for weeks later  :toilet_claw:

Nice job on the plate  :)

Jo
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Online crueby

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #985 on: July 08, 2022, 06:32:35 PM »
I took a day off today Chris,  and I just want to say how stunningly beautiful this project has turned out!!!!  Bravo my friend.

I'll see if I have a photo of the thrust block drip feed oiler.....It's a simple 2 in 1 affair....

Dave
Thanks for looking!

Online crueby

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #986 on: July 08, 2022, 06:34:01 PM »
Thanks Chris,

I had not come across the salt water method. I have some Ferric Chloride crystals and every time I look at them I think yellow fingers for weeks later  :toilet_claw:

Nice job on the plate  :)

Jo
The salt water method is a whole lot safer than the Ferric stuff, I tried that method once and though it works great it was not worth dealing with the chemicals.
 :cheers:

Online crueby

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #987 on: July 08, 2022, 06:34:32 PM »
That etched plate looks great - these are the details that really make an outstanding model.

To be honest, when I look at the pictures I have to look carefully and decide whether I'm looking at the model or the real one. It's not always immediately obvious.
Thanks Stuart - thats the best compliment on a model!

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #988 on: July 08, 2022, 09:08:21 PM »
Another great detail on your build + a fine description on How-to - thank you Chris  :ThumbsUp:

I hope that you turned your brown byproduct over to the Authorities for Safe Disposal (or the proper place in the USofA), as ALL Copper-Salts are very Poisonous   :stir: 

The pictures that includes the Prop are easy to spot as the Model - som of the others - absolutely NOT ....

Per

Offline Michael S.

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Re: The Sabino Compound Engine
« Reply #989 on: July 08, 2022, 09:16:34 PM »
Oh, this is going to be exciting work. A lot of small parts. But I think you can do it. Surely the oil tank is supposed to work?

You did a good job on the factory sign. 👍

Greetings Michael

 

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