# Making a flywheel from 4140 stinks



## tattoomike68 (Jul 20, 2007)

I will be able to use it but its just no fun to machine. A little 110vac smithy does not like it.

I got the outboard side done nice but Im not going to do much extra cutting on the side against the engine frame.

At my brothers shop most anything large is in flatbar and needs flamecut or is 4140. I did not see any good soft steel in the 2.500 size range.

I did get some 6" peices of 3/16",1/4",5/16",3/8",1/2" of 1018 and the 3/8" is some type of stainless.

One cool deal is a friend was there who works at a screw machine shop is going to round me up a bundle of brass bar ends from 1/4" - 1-1/4" round at work and give them to me.

I will load up on softer metals every chance I get from now on.


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## 1Kenny (Jul 20, 2007)

I am always on the look out for metal. That is lucky to be able to get brass stock. I have quite a bit of 6061. A friend of mine has a camshaft shop so I get my share of 5XXX steel. Another friend has an auto shop, broken car parts make a good supply for metal. I like the softer metals for tool bit wear.


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## rake60 (Jul 20, 2007)

I made a flywheel out of 4140 once.
The turning went OK, but when I tried to drill it without a decent coolant
supply....





It's in the scrap box now.  By the time I got my 1/2 drill bit sharpened back to
usable, it was about 1/16 shorter.


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## tattoomike68 (Jul 20, 2007)

Well I got the center of my flywhere drilled and did some more cutting on it, its going fine with some good sharp carbide.

last night I chipped 2 tools trying to hog it off and that just dont work well.

When I go to my brothers shop today I will use his green wheels and his rotary diamond hone to sharpen the chipped tools. The diamond hone does a nice job, its like a 6" disk sander that turns the diamond wheel about 15 rpm and leaves a great finnish on the carbide edge.

this is the engine I am building first.

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Projects/OscillatingEngine.php


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## gt2ride (Jul 20, 2007)

tatoomike  here is my version of the eng you are bulding.. I added another bearing block and a left over crank


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## tattoomike68 (Jul 21, 2007)

gt2ride said:
			
		

> tatoomike  here is my version of the eng you are bulding.. I added another bearing block and a left over crank



Cool,Its nice to see the pictures of one that complete.


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## tattoomike68 (Jul 22, 2007)

I am 1 screw, 1 air fitting, a spring and make the cylinder away from having it done.

The cylinder is being made from a 1" x 1" x 1-7/8" hunk of aluminum I found all beat up used by a press. It was a pounding block for a while. 
 :lol: 

You guys will laugh when you see it, very little is to the print. Like I said before its not pretty but I just want it to run.


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## tattoomike68 (Jul 23, 2007)

I have it done and it runs just fine. My first runner. I will get pics and a video, LOL.

My next one wont have hot roll flat bar in it, I even left a sheared end and sawcuts.   

I think I will slow down and build a 2 cylinder on the next try.


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## 1Kenny (Jul 24, 2007)

Looks good to me, Mike.

Are you running your air compressor more now that the engine is done?


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## tattoomike68 (Jul 24, 2007)

I go up to my brothers shop and use the air, all I have is a battery jumper type that has a small onboard compesser for tires.

I am thinking of using an old spare tire for an air tank.

The youtube video should be ready in a little bit.

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZD5Ijiz5RNc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed>


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## gt2ride (Jul 24, 2007)

Looks good to me.  How mutch air preasure?  After mine ran for a couple hours it would run on 5 lb.


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## rake60 (Jul 24, 2007)

Congrats on it your first runner Mike!
And an addiction is born?????   :wink:


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## tattoomike68 (Jul 24, 2007)

LOL about 175 PSI. I did not use a regulator. the upright stand part is flat bar with the millscale sanded off so it has some friction that will lossen up as I run it more.

I will machine all the parts of my next one real pretty and smooth and get a more efficient engine.


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## tattoomike68 (Jul 24, 2007)

rake60 said:
			
		

> Congrats on it your first runner Mike!
> And an addiction is born?????   :wink:



Oh yes, I will be making many more from here on out.

I would like to build little boilers too, like the stuff on this page....
http://www.ministeam.com/acatalog/Hielscher.html


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## rake60 (Jul 24, 2007)

I've thought about making a boiler.




Be careful! Even a little boiler can make a BIG bang!


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