Tiny Vertical Based On G. Britnell's Design

[Joules]

You bet, with open mouth awe 

[awemawson]

Oh yes - watching avidly 

[Manxmodder]

We're all lost for words   

I notice that Liz seems to be doing all the donkey work recently,has Jack been promoted to the hydraulics dept?......OZ.

[vtsteam]

IS THERE ANY ONE OUT THERE 

No. 

[sbwhart]

We're all lost for words   

I notice that Liz seems to be doing all the donkey work recently,has Jack been promoted to the hydraulics dept?......OZ.

Oh yes - watching avidly 

IS THERE ANY ONE OUT THERE 

No. 

You bet, with open mouth awe 

Phew that's a relief I was beginning to think every one had been abducted by aliens from the planet lurker

 

 

Thanks for checking in Chaps



Got  few more bits made:- reversing arm:- first I drilled the holes in the required position then filed it roughly to shape, for the handle which is silver soldered to the arm I first cut a 1mm slot in a short piece of bar  and then roughed the handle out.



Then silver solder the arm to it, this pic doesn't look nice but it got potential.



Then back onto the lathe and finished it off.



Then the little bracket that hold the arm. Using the now well tried spin indexer method first cut a 1mm slot.



Then using the indexer to manipulate things mill is to shape and drill holes where required.



Cut it from the bar and tidy up with some needle files.

Next up the two links:- drill two 1mm holes 11mm apart then with a couple of short lengths of 1mm bar (I used the off cuts from the slotted screws) in the holes resting across the jaws of a small vice mill to width the result is a nice neat link.



Her's a group shot



I've been getting paranoid about losing one of these tiny beasts to I've started to wire them together.



Cheers

Stew

[angus]

wow!

[vtsteam]

I especially love the tiny little handle!

I know there's a scale in one of the pictures, but it's still hard to imagine how small these look in real life, because they look more like life size pieces.

  

[DavidA]

The smallest I am going to come across is the valve gear on my 3.5 inch guage Fowler 4f. And that is huge compared to this stuff.

I find it very inspirational.

Dave.

[Meldonmech]

         Coming on very nicely Stew

                                                                Cheers David

[Stilldrillin]

By, 'ek, Stew! 

                   

David D

[sbwhart]

Thanks for your interest and comments Chaps

Just a short update not a lot of progress over the festive season:- Hope you all had a good one.

The parts are getting smaller and more tricky to make, I thought I'd met my limit with the small spacers for the reversing gear they have a 1mm bore and are 2mm dia and are 1.25 thick or .3 thick depending where they are assembled, the trouble was with my thinnest 1/16" parting tool it just had a too big of a pressure front causing the bar to bend, then my weird brain kicked into over drive, I have this strange knack of seeing or reading about something and filing it away in the "that may be useful one day draw", and retrieving it years later. I recollect reading some ware, I think it may have been one of Georges post of using a thin slitting saw as a parting tool for small parts. I have a fair collection of thin slitting saws so it was a quick rummage in the scrap box and produced this strange looking thing.





What you are doing is using a single tooth as the parting blade the one I'm using is .3mm thick as it blunts you just index it round to start on a new sharp tooth

Worked like a dream.





Cheers

Stew

[vtsteam]

Filed away, likewise, now! 

[Meldonmech]

 
   Hi Stew, like your use of slitting saws for parting off.  I have quite a number these saws, and now must make an appropriate
   tool holder. Some are 1" bore and some smaller around 5/8" bore, down to about 1/4". The smallest threads I have cut, male and female have  been 12 BA with only finger pressure being required .

                                                                                Small machining is a different world hope my eyes last out.

                                                                                                              Cheers David

[Will_D]

I have always had a lust for a tool post grinder!

Not going to happen tho'

Thoughts are now moving to mount a dremmel/proxxon or similar on the tool post and use that as a high speed grinder (for SMALL jobs)

For you application you could just mount a cut-off disc or small saw blade?

[Stilldrillin]

Thanks Stew!

That's a crackin' idea, for the unused slitting saws in my toolbox....... 

David D

[sbwhart]

Thanks Chaps

Thing have been a bit slow on the shed front over the last couple of weeks, but over the last couple of days I've been easing myself back in

Progress on the engine has also been difficult as I've really struggled to make the small M1 pins for the reversing mechanism, the problem was actually turning the bar down to 1mm over the length required and getting the die to pick up and cut a clean thread, when I did get the bar turned the die refused to cut and all I got was a grossly under size thread that the nut wouldn't hold onto.

The answer was to use my thin bar moving steady once I got it set up it worked really well, with that bit sorted the getting the die to cut a good thread was relatively straight forward all I did is turn the part over length as I discovered it was the first start of the thread that was under size all I had to do was cut the thread then cut off the under size bit.

This is the steady in action



The piston valve is experiment part of the design I figured that it would be easier to make than the slide valve, its a simple fabrication from a bit of 1mm brass bar threaded M1 a couple of lock nuts a couple of 3mm*1mm thick washers threaded M1 and a 2mm spacer.





Just got the valve guide and the air intake to make, then I've got to figure out how to set the valve events.

Thanks for watching

Stew
 

[greenie]

No need to try and make that brass bar/rod,-------- for 0.040 inch, or, 1-00mm solid brass bar that's made for threading, it is available quite readily.


http://www.specialshapes.com/roundsolbars.html




regards  greenie

[awemawson]

Long way to Chicago though from Cheshire 

[vtsteam]

That's looking great, man!

And congrats on solving a really difficult machining problem.

[Stilldrillin]

Nicely, neatly, tinily done, Stew! 

That's cute! 

David D

[greenie]

Long way to Chicago though from Cheshire 

Ah-ha, but you can find it in many hobby shops, possibly one might even be close to you.


regards  greenie 

[Ginger Nut]

  Ok I get it its really an over sized Lego man just used to make it look small 

What a wonderful piece of inspirational work.

[sbwhart]

No need to try and make that brass bar/rod,-------- for 0.040 inch, or, 1-00mm solid brass bar that's made for threading, it is available quite readily.


http://www.specialshapes.com/roundsolbars.html


regards  greenie

That's what I did for the valve rod but the bolts are headed so you have no option but to turn them down.

Ok I get it its really an over sized Lego man just used to make it look small 

What a wonderful piece of inspirational work.

Its not a Lego man its a Lego Woman:- look at the hair.

 

Thanks for your kind comments and interest Chaps

Stew

[greenie]

That's what I did for the valve rod but the bolts are headed so you have no option but to turn them down.


Stew

If you have to do lot's of small diameter screws/bolts and you reckon that brass is the way to go, then here's another cheaper option than buying brass rod.

Have a look at "Bronzing Rods" as a source of material instead of brass, it's cheaper and far stronger when making the smaller size diameters screws, if you have to turn them.
Threading with a die is no problem either and where brass will try and break of, if you are making a long thread, then bronze rods have the strength and do not break anywhere near as easily as what brass breaks.

Try using it for all your small bolts/screws and you'll be amazed at how strong it is and easy to use.


regards  greenie 

[sbwhart]

That's what I did for the valve rod but the bolts are headed so you have no option but to turn them down.


Stew

If you have to do lot's of small diameter screws/bolts and you reckon that brass is the way to go, then here's another cheaper option than buying brass rod.

Have a look at "Bronzing Rods" as a source of material instead of brass, it's cheaper and far stronger when making the smaller size diameters screws, if you have to turn them.
Threading with a die is no problem either and where brass will try and break of, if you are making a long thread, then bronze rods have the strength and do not break anywhere near as easily as what brass breaks.

Try using it for all your small bolts/screws and you'll be amazed at how strong it is and easy to use.


regards  greenie

Thanks for the tip greenie I've just ordered some off ebay

I must admit I'm having a real problems cutting the M1 thread in these little bolts the first lot I made I made from an old bicycle spoke I had problems with the die ripping the thread the nut only just gets an hold in fact the nuts are dropping off, I've just made some more from stainless steel S303 I was thinking this would be better than the spoke, but again no go, the die I used cut a clean thread on some brass rod but I do have another die that I can try.

I've just got my engineering books out and checked out the major/minor diameters of the nuts and bolts of these little buggers and to be honest there isn't much to play with.

Any suggestions from you guys would be greatly appreciated.

Stew