Model Engine Maker
Engines => From Kits/Castings => Topic started by: Michael S. on March 14, 2023, 10:07:25 AM
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Hello everyone,
I want to start a new build report.
A short time ago I was able to buy cast parts for two steam engines. There are parts for a single cylinder and a 2 cylinder machine. Both with a piston of 40.00 mm diameter. and 44.00mm stroke.
I have a blueprint for the one-cylinder machine, but there is no blueprint for the two-cylinder machine.
The design dates back to the 1930s and was offered in a small series by a small machine factory for model builders. I got the castings from a guy who owns the original wooden models and had some cast iron parts made.
I'll start with the single cylinder engine.
Unfortunately, I could not find out much information about the original manufacturer of the castings. His name was Max Dörfel from the Thuringian Forest and he had a mechanical workshop and was perhaps also a dealer for tools and lathes.
Michael
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Looking forward to following along!
Dave
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Looking forward to this build! :popcorn:
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The first thing I wanted to do was work on the faces of the base. Unfortunately, my milling machine is too small for the part.
I filed the four feet. But previously prepared with the grinder. There were spots as hard as glass on the little feet that had to be removed first.
The top of the base is already quite flat. There is only a small dent in the middle.
Now the only thing that helps is file, file and file.
(The first year of my apprenticeship also consisted of a lot of filing.)
I don't need a 100% straight surface and by constantly checking with the straight edge I have achieved a good surface.
Including a slowly blackening workshop.
Michael
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Very nice Michael.
One of our later apprentice jobs was to make a surface plate about that big. There were three of us. The instructor removed three completed plates from his cupboard, and smashed a 1/4" chisel into each of them, and said "Now get on with that, and I want them all to stick together like slip gauges!".
It took a while with chisels, files and scrapers, but we made it in the end...
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A new project! How exciting! I'll be following along Michael :popcorn: :popcorn:
Kim
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I will be following
John
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Very interesting model, love the crankshaft.
Count me in!
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It's an unusual design having the two separate extensions to the legs of the "A" frame and I don't think I have ever seen that on a model or full size before and can't see a specific reason why it would have been done that way unless they also offered a different base casting more suited to use in a boat hull that had the bearing housings cast integral to it and the lower height would have been an advantage and then used the same "A" frame for all versions.
The amount of work levelling the top of the box bed casting is a good example of why many full size and model castings have raised areas where any part swill attach. This greatly reduces the amount of machining needed to get a level surface for all the parts to fit to be it back in the day with what they had and now for us.
I will follow along and see how things progress
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Very interesting to see your excellent pictures and, as it comes together, a build write up, of engines that are entirely different to the familiar ones that we usually see. Looks like being a nice project. Dave
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I also suspect the "A" stand is intended for a marine steam engine. Just as intended for the two-cylinder machine. For the stationary variant, the extension is an emergency solution.
In the blueprint for the single-cylinder machine, the description at the top also says "ship steam engine"!? But that fits better with two-cylinder machines. But there is no blueprint for this. But the "A" stand is the same and perhaps the one-sided step on the stand is intended for a shaft of rotation reversal. An oil pump could be mounted on it for the single-cylinder machine. I will do that there. I think the original design plan was the marine steam engine.
Michael
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Certainly an unusual base if it was intended for use in a ship as the propshaft would be very high and the spoked flywheel is not right either.
I suspect that they may have originally done it as one for a boat and then just used the same castings for this model, they would better suit a base like I have shown below. Having said that I had not seen the style beforeI remembered the model "Anna" does actually have a short A frame much like yours http://www.ateliermb.ch/shops/gussteile/ch/contents/de/d37.html
Yes I think that block on the leg would have been used to mount a pivot for a shaft that activated reversing valve gear at each end of the engine, a boiler feed pump would have been a more usual fitment for use in a boat than a mechanical oiler.
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Yes, a feed pump is also possible.
Nice that you found the website of the Swiss manufacturer of these machines. I've seen the smaller model in bronze at an exhibition before. I didn't know there were cast parts for it. On the website they write that the model was built after a German model. This machine was also available from Max Dörfel in a different version with a bore of about 25 mm.
Thanks for the hint.
Since the machine will definitely be operated with steam when it is finished, I am thinking about a feed pump.
Michael
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The first thing I did was the crankshaft bearings. The lower parts were milled in parallel and brought to the same length. The caps were also milled and soldered with soft solder.
The hole for the bronze bearings was then drilled in the milling machine.
The outer contours were machined on the lathe.
The rest was again a job for the file.
I am very satisfied and am waiting for material for the crankshaft and bronze for the bearings. Then I can align and attach both bearings to the base.
Greetings Michael
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Great progress! :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Yes Chris, I think I don't need a crane eyelet. 😁
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Looks like you are off to a good start on this buil Michael :cheers:
Per
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Bronze and iron came in the mail yesterday. That's when I started with the bronze bearings. It's a shame that so much of the expensive stuff turns into chips again.
I thought Chris' idea was great and finally separated the bearings. The compensation comes later with 0.40 mm brass strips.
The final measurement was made with the adjustable reamer. That smoothes out the hole. The crankshaft is made of 17.00 mm silver steel.
Greetings Michael
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Beautiful bearings! :ThumbsUp:
How did you cut the diagonal oil channels on the inside?
:popcorn:
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The bearings got screws. These are M 5 bolts and fortunately I had nuts that are not galvanized. The crank is a cast part and was machined in the lathe and milling machine.
I was able to make the fit so I could press the crank onto the shaft.
Tomorrow the flywheel will be on and I noticed while cleaning with the file that there were hard spots.
Since no big noise is allowed to be made tomorrow on Sunday, I went over it with the Flex today.
Let's see how it turns out tomorrow.
Michael
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Hi Chris, I did that with the Proxxon (Dremel) and a small diamond disc. It fit well in the bowl.
Michael
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Great work on the bearings and crank, Michael! :popcorn: :popcorn:
Kim
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These are M 5 bolts and fortunately I had nuts that are not galvanized.
a short stay in dilute hydrochloric acid will remove this ugly Zn coating...but nuts easily rust after that!
no simple ways to remove the stamped marks of the classe grade on the head of bolts !
very nice thread, thanks to share!
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Hi Michael,
I do like your outdoor bench with vice very much.
Very useful.
My neighbors here would kill me.
I have a bench in my car port too and during the last 20 years I haven seen 2 times the cops visiting me, after 5 minutes working with a grinder.
So, it is a very special neighborhood.
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Incidentally, Jasonb has a very good archive and found a report in a German magazine "Das Dampfmodell" from 1990 about a Max Dörfel steam engine. At that time the author bought the inheritance of a mechanical workshop and there were castings, drawings and a finished machine.
He finds it amazing that round head screws and some inch threads are used here. But that was still common in Germany for a long time. (And that's still the case with plumbers today)
Only the 25 mm machine is mentioned in the report.
With around 40 issues, the magazine "Das Dampfmodell" was the best magazine on the subject of model steam engines. Unfortunately, there hasn't been for a long time.
Michael
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Machining the flywheel on the lathe went better than I thought. First drilled the hole and machined two sides and flipped and realigned the flywheel. That's it.
The crankshaft got a groove for a wedge and I made the groove in the flywheel with 4 saw blades tied together and adjusted it with a file. The flywheel must be brought into position with light blows of the plastic hammer. A worm screw secures the wheel.
Greetings Michael
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Flywheel looks great, Michael! :ThumbsUp: :popcorn:
Kim
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That came out great! :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Nicely worked! :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :cheers:
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Thanks Kim, Chris and Steve :cheers:
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Looking great.
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At the weekend it was the A stand's turn.
A part that is a bit too big for my lathe. The center hole was very precise in the casting and I was able to make a rod to press into the hole. Now the upper edge could be turned to size. But unfortunately I could not edit the lower surface. The Support is in the way. I'm missing more peak height.
I was able to do the job on the old "LOEWE" lathe. But only in very small steps. There were very hard spots around the edges. It worked. When working on the small board, I got to the stand with the lathe tool. It's annoying but I was able to fix it with soft solder.
Michael
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The old lathe was my salvation. I couldn't drill the hole for the crosshead with the old dinosaurs. The bed has been sanded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36CKZnlBA9s
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Clever setup! :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Wow! That was quite the setup, with the whirling legs of death and all! Looks like it worked well for you! :popcorn:
Kim
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The bore for the crosshead is 35.00mm and I finished at 34.90 on the lathe. The lathe tool has to be very long and therefore swings a little. I was able to smooth the rest out with the adjustable reamer. With the two-cylinder machine I have to work with a boring bar.
The large slot was drilled out and then milled.
The two foot parts were milled at an angle at the bottom and then brought together to a uniform height and drilled for threads.
It fits together.
Michael
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Great progress! :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Yes Chris, I hope to get the machine ready in the spring. If not, it doesn't matter.
When the weather gets better soon, there will be a lot to do around the house and in the yard. The tree is already blooming but it snowed again today 😒
Michael
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Today the first work on the cylinder began. The outside diameter at the flange is quite good for clamping.
The run is good enough.
So I machined the sides and then made the hole. The side where you drilled is then at the bottom of the cylinder. I milled a U for bottom and an O for top. Then I can no longer interchange it.
the holes for the drainage go into the casting attachments provided for this purpose. Unfortunately, they are far too far away from the edge and I drilled at an angle with the cordless screwdriver and a long 2 mm drill at the bottom of the 6 mm hole. as best it could and actually got closer to the edge.
Greetings Michael
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Excellent start on the cylinder! Watching along...
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The cylinder is coming along nicely, Michael! :ThumbsUp: :popcorn:
You did a great job on that free-hand drilling too. That can be a scary operation :o
Kim
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drilling was a small risk. Do I get too close to the edge or does the drill break off. But the material of the cylinder is very soft, good cast iron with graphite. It would have been better to get even closer to the edge. I didn't know how to do it any other way.
Michael
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I continued to work on the cylinder. The outer edge still has to be brought to the required diameter.
Milled the openings for steam inlet and outlet and drilled the bore to the cylinder.
I always stick millimeter paper where the channel is marked. Worked very well again.
The steam box is riddled with extremely hard spots in the cast iron. I almost threw it in the trash but it worked in the end. I often had to grind the milling cutter.
Should I have put the part in the oven again to remove the hardness? Or is it no longer possible to get rid of it?
Michael
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The lid of the steam box was a bit softer and could be worked on well. The top cylinder cover had a hole in the cast iron. I soldered it with soft solder and turned it again in the lathe.
Now the main parts are almost done and the black dust in the workshop will stop.
I wish you a happy Easter
Michael
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Looking great! :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Lovely work Michael :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: Terry
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Looks great, Michael! :ThumbsUp: :popcorn:
Sorry the cast iron was giving you grief there. I can't really help you with the solution there. I've heard other smart people on the forum saying that you can anneal the casting. The recommendation seems to be to embed it in the coals in a fire pit. Then it should heat up in the fire and cool slowly overnight and be more workable when it cools. But I've no experience at that. I'll have to let others provide more meaningful input.
Kim
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Good progress - though I do understand your fustrations :wallbang:
Kim is right - the problem is how to ensure that the cooling down take hours ...!
An Electric Oven/Kiln that can be programmed to have a Temperature Profile, is by far the easiest way of doing it .... but only a few have one. So if you stumble across on for firing Clay/Ceramics @ a cheap price .... (you might need to add the sensor and controller - but they are cheap in China).
Per :cheers:
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I just used to make up the fire or stove before going to bed, bury the nasty casting in the coals (or wood), leave it there overnight. Rake out wth the ash in the moring.
That worked for me several tmes.
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Now that it's warmer outside again and not so cold in the workshop, I was able to work on the machine after work. All holes were drilled and threads cut.
First rehearsal setup.
The screws are provisional and will be replaced with bolts and nuts.
The last picture shows the Reeves and the Dörfel side by side.
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Looks great!
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Just a bit bigger, eh? :Lol:
Wonderful work, Michael!
Kim
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More small steps on the cylinder done.
The steam box has bushes made of bronze. For the valve stem. I also added a socket to the top of the box. Wasn't foreseen in the plan.
The lower cylinder cover also gets a bronze bushing for the piston rod.
The work for the 12 bolts on the cylinder was a bit exhausting. Instead of 4 pieces in M 6, I made 6 pieces in M 5 thread.
I had a lot of bolts converted to M6 threads and M5s. Wasn't faster than making it straight from the 5 mm rod.
But the material of the bolts was optimal.
Paint was distributed on the machine base.
Fields taped and painted the black color.
A thin orange stripe is added later. But first it has to dry well.
Greetings Michael
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Looking great. Not long till it is done!
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Lots of nice little pieces! :popcorn: :ThumbsUp:
The base paint is looking great too! Looking forward to seeing the racing stripe!
Kim
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I do like the color!
Dave
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I've finished the piston. The piston rings are from some small motorcycle. I could buy them exactly in 40.00 mm.
The crosshead only finished on the outside on the piston rod.
Greetings Michael
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And now the base with rally stripes.
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Excellent! When the piston rings are compressed in the bore, does the gap at the ends close up completely?
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No, there is a gap of about 0.30 millimeters. I think that's enough for heat expansion. Is there any experience?
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Great Paint job Michael and the rest looks fine too :praise2:
When the piston rings are compressed in the bore, does the gap at the ends close up completely?
First thing I thought when Michael said small Motorcycle (and 40mm Bore) is a Yamaha FS50 (I know some other brands has the same bore too) and I can see that it is two-stroke rings (in the picture) -> so they DO have a gap when reaching much higher temperatures than in a Steam Engine (if not -> Destroyed Ring, Piston and Cylinder and maybe worse). I believe the 0.3mm is a cold gap - but it is sufficient ;D
Per :cheers:
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Today, on Labor Day, of course, we worked.
I aligned and fixed the cylinder with stand on the base plate. For this I made a piece of PVC material so that it simulates the connecting rod and I could align it to the crank. That was an easy way and the best orientation. Align the valve body parallel to the flywheel and then transfer the 4 holes to the base. worked fine
The crosshead was also sculpted into its final form.
The whole machine is placed on a wooden panel made of old weathered wood. The wood was once used as a walkway for the chimney sweep on the roof.
I'll probably work a little slower on the machine now. There is still work to be done but now that the weather is getting warmer there are other priorities.
Greetings Michael
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The stuffing box for the piston rod is made with a packing from still old remnants of this valve packing. I soak the threads in steam oil with graphite grease.
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Excellent. :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Beautiful, Michael! :ThumbsUp: :popcorn:
I really like those pin strips of orange you have on the engine!
Did you 3d print that orange PVC support you made? That's a pretty good idea!
Kim
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Hi Kim, no not printed. But it's an idea to print something out. But I don't have a 3D printer. The part is made of PVC round material. One 35mm diameter piece for the crosshead guide and one 15mm piece for the width of the big end of the connecting rod.
Michael
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It is already a beauty now - lovely paintjob Michael :praise2:
So 'just a number of small parts to do' - to make it a runner :cheers:
Per
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I put the steam engine back on the workbench.
The connecting rod was manufactured. The bolts are made of silver steel and run in bronze bushings. I also made the bolts as slotted screws. As shown in the blueprint. But it looks a bit strange.
The screw in the cross head is protected by a small metal sheet to prevent uncontrolled loosening.
So everything turns well and next comes the eccentric ring.
I hope you have a few quiet last days this year.
Here, due to a lot of rain in the last few days, the water in the river has risen and we once again have a property on the water. Unfortunately no steamboat.
Michael
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Engine parts are looking great. Hope the river goes back down without any damage! Looking forward to more videos of the steamboats going past!
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I've seen quite a number of pictures showing the flooding along the river Elbe and a few others + if I remember correctly - then the forecast is quite a lot more rain ....
I really hope that this isn't the case for you all in Germany.
Per
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The water is no longer rising and the peak level of 2013 is still far from being reached.
Today the eccentric ring was made.
To do this, I marked a steel plate and roughly cut it out. With drill and flex.
Create the external shape with the file.
But it's not supposed to run steel on steel and so I remembered how it can be seen on the original steam engines. The interior surfaces were coated with bearing metal. But I soft-soldered a bronze ring.
Then brought to the correct size inside the lathe.
I actually wanted to finish the outer shape of the ring on the milling machine and rotary table, but I think I'll leave it like that. Everything doesn't have to be perfect.
Michael
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Neat way to do the bearing on the eccentric! :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Now the slide valve with joint and rod have also been completed.
Unfortunately I had a deviation of around 1.8 mm in the vertical center line.
I compensated for this deviation from the center of the eccentric ring in the joint.
Now I could do the first test run with compressed air, but there are still 5 open holes on the cylinder and slide box. (3 condensate valves, an oiler on the cylinder cover and a connection valve for the oil pump.)
So I have to wait until next year.
I wish everyone a happy new year.
Michael :cheers:
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Nicely done! Gives you something to look forward to in the new year!
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Awesome….. :ThumbsUp:
:cheers:
Don
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It's a little beast! I like it a lot!
Dave
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One job that I put off for a long time was the insulating plate on the cylinder.
The brass sheet is held in place by a groove at the top and bottom. It doesn't need to be screwed on.
It was a little fiddly but now it's in place. The cylinder was previously covered with heat-resistant insulation made of glass silk.
There is now a connection for the oil pump pipe on the slide box. A valve that prevents steam from reaching the pump.
Michael
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The cylinder oiler is ready.
It is built similarly to this picture from 1914.
Now three identical looking condensate drain valves.
Michael
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Impressive work on that oiler, Michael! The fitting of the T-joint must have been tricky, but looks perfect.
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Its great how you get the parts to match the old book drawings!
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I have the condensate valves ready.
If there is no blueprint, I always make a sketch and notes.
Pipes will be added to the valves later.
Now I could use a connection piece for the air hose and then test the motor with compressed air.
I bought an oil pump on eBay a while ago. The threads are in inches. So I think from England?
Can I leave the mechanism like this with these spring plates?
Or would you rather convert it with a spiral spring and hook?
Greetings Michael
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Runs better than my vacuum engine. :cartwheel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mGcJNGYwcg
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Fantastic!!
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Very nice!
Dave
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Runs great, Michael! :ThumbsUp:
Kim
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:ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: Very smooth running engine Michael! :cheers:
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Beautiful Engine that runs very smooth and with great sound - what more can you wish for :praise2:
Per :cheers:
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Samooooooooooooooooooth!
:praise2:
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What a smooth running, and lovely looking engine!
:cartwheel: :cheers: :DrinkPint:
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Excellent :praise2: :praise2: :wine1:
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Thanks to you all.
The main valve is made from scrap bin material.
A brass part with a hole in the middle, I don't know what it used to be, and valve inserts from old heating systems.
This creates the valve. And it happened quickly!
Then the 3 mm pipes of the drainage valves
with a 6 mm tube.
Michael
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The model machine is now finished. I still connected the cylinder oil pump and I noticed that an oil pan under the cylinder makes sense. I think when the engine runs on steam there is always condensate water.
Next comes a test under steam.
And will build a generator to go with it.
Michael
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I now want to build a generator to go with the engine.
A pulley is already on the crankshaft. There was an offer for such steel pulleys on eBay. All I had to do was make a wheel hub. I removed the grooves on the tread. I found an old electric motor from a bread baking machine for the generator housing, which could fit very well. Since the shaft is too short, I have to come up with a solution to the problem with 2 additional ball bearings. Somehow a coupling of the two shafts.
Greetings Michael
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Hello everyone,
I was able to complete all the turning and milling work on the generator housing.
I was lucky and the old electric motor fit well into the aluminum housing. Two Meesing threaded bolts are on a plastic plate under the connection box.
Next, the motor shaft must be extended.
Greetings Michael
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I like that generator a lot!!
Dave
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Thanks Dave.
I immediately liked the aluminum castings. There's a guy not far from me who offers his aluminum and brass castings through an online catalog. The prices are ok.
Michael
https://mbi-design.de/wp/produkt-kategorie/motoren-generatoren-bausaetze/
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Great detail on those castings, the generator is turning out very nicely. :popcorn:
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Excellent work on the generator :praise2: :praise2: MBI looks to be a useful source :ThumbsUp:
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Thanks Roger.
Hello everyone,
I got all the parts ready for the generator. It seems to be working. It's definitely enough for an LED spot.
Blondihacks also just built a nice little generator on their excellent YouTube channel and somehow we had almost the same idea with the color.
Greetings Michael
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That's beautiful, Michael! :ThumbsUp: :popcorn:
Are you going to charge your cell phone with your generator too? :ROFL:
Kim
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Thanks Kim,
Using the voltage generated for the cell phone is a good idea. So I'm waiting for the big power outage......😁
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That came out terrific!!
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Great looking Dynamo or is it a Generator ...? :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
You say it is a generator but the sign says Dynamo .... so do you get AC or DC out of it :LittleDevil: :thinking:
Per :cheers:
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Hello Per,
That's a good question.
Here we quickly refer to all power-generating devices as generators. No matter whether they generate AC or DC. Well, only dynamo on the bike. On the car light machine!
In the books I own, they tend to talk about dynamo machines. But by dynamo one often means a direct current machine/engine.
(I love these old books from around 1900!)
Greetings Michael
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I screwed the generator/dynamo onto a wooden plate and did experiments with LEDs and light bulbs.
It's amazing how hard the steam engine has to work with 2 12 volt light bulbs.
Michael
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYiBwTLPNkg
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That's mighty impressive, Michael! Those bulbs really do put a load on that engine, don't they?! :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn:
Kim
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Interesting! It does give the engine a great chuff sound when its under load.
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That's a fascinating video, Michael. Gives some idea of why dynamic braking works so well!
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Excellent :praise2: I have had a lot of fun applying different electrical loads to my IC engines :)
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The weather was very nice today. 24 degrees Celsius or about 74 F.
It was perfect for a first test with steam.
Everything went well, there were still a few leaks here and there, but we had fun.
Michael
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnXnyPIvkvY
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Hello Michael. A nice day indeed, and such a nice setting as well. The engine looks great, is nicely presented, and runs beautifully. Congratulations! :cheers:
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Thanks Ron,
Temperatures like summer again since yesterday.
Michael
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Simply wonderful!!
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Like Chris said, simply wonderful!
Thanks for taking time to make the video.
Dave
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What a wonderful steam-up! I love your whistle, and the whistle operator was the star of the show! Must have been a fun day! :ThumbsUp: :popcorn:
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Kim
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Thank you Chris, Dave and Kim
At first Lucy didn't want to blow the whistle but then she had fun with it.
Michael
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Hi Michael,
a very nice "Summer Sunday" job.
It running quite well, very well done.