Elmers #25, my first engine project

[Bernd]

Tim,

Nice job on that engine. Mine ran a bit rough to at the begining but after several hours of running time it ran much smoother. A bit of oil would also help it run smoother.

And as everybody else has already said nice clear and "bright" pictures. Thanks.

Bernd

[spuddevans]

Thanks Ralph, it felt great seeing it run, very satisfying.

do you know there's some wierd envelope thing with writing on it all over your pic's? 

Yea, it's a feeble attempt at copyright protection to discourage toe-rags unsavory characters from nicking the pics off the website and passing them off as their own.

Brilliant Tim ! ...... there is no known cure.
....
by the way I think there are quite a few of us who would welcome some tips on workshop photography ???

Thanks JohnS, there may be no cure but is there any treatment? 

I'd be glad to share what little I know about taking pics, I'll start a thread a little later on about it 

Fantastic stuff Tim, good on you....

Don't start the paddleduck, you'll have it finished before I do, about ten days before I started from the speed you've been going with this one....

Thanks Darren, dont worry about the paddleduck, it'll be some while before I get starting that one, I gotta do a few other bits before then. I don't think I could keep up the same rate of work anyway, I have to give a bit more time to my Honey for a week or two to make up for all the time I've been spending making smaller metal bits out of bigger lumps of metal. 

Nice pic 
......
Cracking lil' runner though 

Thanks CC, I was so surprised when it ran the 1st time I put air into it, and after just a few revolutions it ran quite slowly (well to me anyway) and smoothly.

Nice job on that engine. Mine ran a bit rough to at the begining but after several hours of running time it ran much smoother. A bit of oil would also help it run smoother.

Thanks Bernd, I'll have to let it run for a while each time I'm in the workshop I did put some oil (3-in-1) both in the airline and on the relevent moving surfaces. I did think that perhaps it might be an idea to drill an oil cup into the top of the frame with a tiny hole leading through to the crankshaft-bore to lube the crankshaft?



Thank you all for watching my little build and for taking the time to comment and give advice/help. You guys are the best 



Tim

[bogstandard]

Very nice indeed Tim.

You should now have on your face a grin from ear to ear.

To repeat the experience, just carry on making little engines, and you will get that grin every time you get one running.


Bogs

[Bernd]

I did think that perhaps it might be an idea to drill an oil cup into the top of the frame with a tiny hole leading through to the crankshaft-bore to lube the crankshaft?

Tim

Tim,

The plans actually show just what your talking about. I quickly had to check the drawings to make sure I was correct. It wasn't pointed out in the drawings, but the hole is there.

Bernd

[Brass_Machine]

Tim,

Congrats on the runner! Job well done.      

On a side note... you got an online gallery of your photo skills?

Eric

 

[spuddevans]

Tim,

The plans actually show just what your talking about. I quickly had to check the drawings to make sure I was correct. It wasn't pointed out in the drawings, but the hole is there.

Bernd

  Must have missed that bit. Oh well, it'll not take long to install that hole.

Congrats on the runner! Job well done.      

On a side note... you got an online gallery of your photo skills?

Eric

Thanks Eric, I'm a very happy bunny.

I do have a photo-gallery-website, it's www.velvet-art.co.uk, I've only had it since the end of december and just add to it on a semi-irregular basis 


Tim

[SPiN Racing]

Awesome engine!

Very nicely made, and she sounds very sweet when purring along. 

I need to get my other things done and go down that road as well one of these days!

Oh and beautiful photography.....

[spuddevans]

Awesome engine!

Very nicely made, and she sounds very sweet when purring along. 

I need to get my other things done and go down that road as well one of these days!

Oh and beautiful photography.....

Thanks SPiN 

I've been running it for a few mins every time I've been in the workshop and now it'll run smoothly on 11 psi, it seems to be bedding in nicely


Tim

[spuddevans]

So I finally got round to finishing off this project by turning a wooden base for it. Now this is more familliar territory for me, and while I did this on my woodworking lathe, the techniques are the same on an engineering lathe equipped with a toolrest.

1st of all I got a chunk of oak that happened to be around my dad's workshop (that's where my woodturning lathe is residing), and that chunk of oak just happened to be quartersawn ( nice looking grain ).



I then marked it out with lines on the diagonals. This was because I was going to mount it on the faceplate, but then I realised that I had my external jaws on my 4jaw self-centering so I just gripped it with that.



I then turned a dovetail recess on what will become the underneath of the base. ( this was to match the dovetail jaws that I then mounted on the 4jaw ) then I removed the oak from the external jaws and bandsawed it into a rough circle. ( the only type of circle I can cut on a bandsaw   )



Then I mounted the dovetail jaws onto the 4jaw, and mounted the oak base onto them. Then I turned a recess to fit the ali base of my elmers#25.



I then turned a concave section, 2 flat bits and 2 tiny grooves.



Then I sanded it 120,220,230 and then 420grit, burnished it with 0000 wire wool (sourced locally from steel sheep   ) Then I finished it with quick-drying friction polish, then I polished it up with some canuba ( I think that's how it's spelt   ) wax.





These are the tools I used,






I find woodturning a very tactile experience, when I started to turn the base I didnt fully know what shape I was going to make, the wood sometimes just lends itself to a certain shape. The shape just flowed on this one.

Now all I've got to do is polish the engine up and take some final photo's.


Tim

[Darren]

Now that is inspirational...

Beautiful result there, I'd really like to try turning some wood one day and oak I like.....

[rleete]

Very nice.  The base really sets it off.

[spuddevans]

Thanks guys 


Darren, you've gotta try turning wood, it is so theraputic  it is a very different style of working, so much more "earthy". I recommend it to all to give it a try.

Unlike turning metal, with woodturning the harder and denser the wood the easier it is to get a great finish. (that's true to a point, there are some really abrasive woods that will take the edge right off your tools soo quickly) But getting a good finish on, say pine or some similar softwood, requires a lot of practice ( or a lot of sanding ), whereas with hardwoods, especially with close grained hardwoods like maple or african boxwood, you can get an almost polished finish right off the tool.

But try it out, get a tool rest for your lathe (or make one) and get a couple of woodturning tools (or again, make some) and make some shavings. One note of caution though, dont just rely on safety glasses, use a full faceshield. With wood you can come across defects in the wood that can cause it to disintegrate very suddenly 


Tim

[Divided he ad]

I'm liking the wood turning Tim    It does set the engine off nicely  ( I might have to make a wooden base for my little Elmer? )

Always wanted to have a go with a wood lathe.... Too messy for my metal lathe I think?

But one day I'll have a go and most likely enjoy it



The way you made the base....

I didnt fully know what shape I was going to make, the wood sometimes just lends itself to a certain shape. The shape just flowed on this one.

That's how I like to machine metal.... Something like "free hand"    I do cheat a little, using the tool post and the radius turner 





Looking forward to seeing the fully finished article





Ralph.

[Stilldrillin]

By `ek Tim!

That looks lovely! 

Well done, well described, well shown..... 

David D

[NickG]

Tim,

Well done, finishes it off very nicely. On my last oscillator I made more of an efford on the base ... I milled the piece of wood with steps around the side, was quite impressed with myself!

My only experience of a wood turning lathe was at school, I can't quite remember what I was making but anyway, the teacher was showing me what to do and that I had to be careful as if the tool dug in, the wood could split down the middle. At which point, the wood split, one piece hitting the roof and the other clanging on the splash back! I think it was a cheap and nasty piece of wood, he also put it between centres with some sort of spikey drive that dug into the end grain of the wood. Maybe he advanced the tailstock too much splitting the wood?

I've never used one since although I have turned wood in my metal lathe before with good results just moving both feeds at once.

Nick

[spuddevans]

Thanks for the comments guys 

My only experience of a wood turning lathe was at school, I can't quite remember what I was making but anyway, the teacher was showing me what to do and that I had to be careful as if the tool dug in, the wood could split down the middle. At which point, the wood split, one piece hitting the roof and the other clanging on the splash back! I think it was a cheap and nasty piece of wood, he also put it between centres with some sort of spikey drive that dug into the end grain of the wood. Maybe he advanced the tailstock too much splitting the wood?

That can happen, hence the advice to wear the full face protection. If using a normal live center in the tailstock there can be a danger of tightening the center into the wood too much causing the splitting you described. The solution is to either not advance the tailstock too much (kinda hard to quantify though) or to use a live "ring center" which is designed to prevent the exploding from over-advancing the tailstock to tightly.

The key to getting a good finish off the tool is to let the bevel of the tool rub against the wood as the tip cuts, this gives a clean cut and also burnishes the wood, this is especially true when turning woods that are not close-grained (such as Oak, Pine, Balsa ... )


Anyway, I spent some time today doing some final photos of this project, I'll post up a bit about how I did it in my post about photography.

But here are 2 pics









Thank you all for your support, advice and encouragement on this build, you guys are the best 


Tim

[CrewCab]

That's well finished Tim and a dam good thread if I may say so, well done for taking the time to put it together 

From the 1st one of the photo's in your last post I suspect Ralph's title of "King of Bling" may be under pressure before long  ................ looking forward to the photo thread update.

CC

[sbwhart]

Well done that man well finished off and presented engine 

Stew

[spuddevans]

Thanks Stew and CC 

I've posted more on the behind the scenes of these pics in the How-To on photography.

From the 1st one of the photo's in your last post I suspect Ralph's title of "King of Bling" may be under pressure before long 

I dont think I'm anywhere near Ralph's standard, I just attacked it with some brasso and the rest is down to tricks of the light 


Tim

[Divided he ad]

CC.... I refuse to bite!  

Tim,

Very nice little "trophy" engine.... That's what I call mine since they spend their time looking pretty on the shelf!  


I like the light flooding pic..... Is it on a mirror?

I do like this kind of photo taking.... I just need a better camera to do more one day




So, In true tradition.......   What's next              





Ralph.

[spuddevans]

Thanks Ralph  

Re the photo's, I posted up how it was all done here :- http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=1222.msg11635#msg11635

I do like this kind of photo taking.... I just need a better camera to do more one day

You dont need a fancy, all-singing all-dancing camera to take shots like those, photography is all about the light, not the camera. Get the light right and almost any camera will take great shots.

So, In true tradition.......   What's next            

Next (once I finish my mill's belt drive conversion) is Bogs Paddleducks engine, then after that I fancy my hand at an Air/Steam powered hit and miss engine, then after that maybe a slow running mill engine, and then after that ......... (oh oh! looks like I've caught it   )


Tim


edit: If anyone wants to see more pics of my Elmers# 25 there is a few more on my website - here