# An Upshur Farm Engine (first I.C.)



## tvoght (May 31, 2012)

With a couple of steam engines under my belt, I've been wanting to build an
internal combustion type. I did some research and read some build logs here,
and it finally came down to Jerry Howell's Farm Boy or one of the Upshur farm
engines. After obtaining the plans, I really liked the Farm Boy, and I even
built a rocker arm and rocker arm post for it before the Upshur plans arrived.
After studying these, I decided to do a horizontal water-cooled Upshur farm
engine instead, as it seemed simpler to build.

I'm starting this log after having completed enough to have the confidence to
continue, so I'll be starting with a short burst of accumulated photos.
I make no claims to having photography skills, and if a photo is poorly
focused, I included it because I thought it essential to the story.

I welcome any and all criticism. I'm here to learn.


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## tvoght (May 31, 2012)

While sticking to the plans for all critical dimensions, I'm taking
some license with the appearance of the frame and cylinder. The plans call
for the frame to be built of 1/4 aluminum plate, but I have some cast aluminum
tooling plate on hand that I want to use. It's 5/16 thick, and I'm going to
use the extra thickness in places to add decorative touches in relief.
In the following photo, I've rough sawn a couple of side frame pieces
and clamped them on top of each other on a sacrificial tooling plate of the
same material. The sacrificial piece was a little small, and the lower right
corner of the work pieces extended over, thus the weird clamping of a little
corner piece for support.







Here, I've side-milled the bottom and right sides, cutting a little into
the tooling plate. Referencing from the machined sides, I drilled two screw
holes where the back plate will attach to the sides. The side-milled
surfaces looks a little rough... By the way, whereas the plans have the
frame fastened by cap screws clearly showing all around, I intend to hide
all the screws in counterbores and then plug the counterbores to give the
appearance of a one-piece cast frame (to be painted).






The clamps were then switched opposite to mill the other two sides.


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## tvoght (May 31, 2012)

I clamped the milled-to-size side plates side-by side in the vise to
shape their top edges. Since the frame is to be one piece when finished,
the crankshaft can't be installed by removing one of the sides, as in the
original design (which has the bushing holes bored directly into the
sides). This one will have bushing caps to be removed for crankshaft
access. Ahead of the bushing caps is a protrusion where the cam gear axle
will mount. This is all a little fancier than the original, in which the
side plates had flat, featureless top edges.






I drilled and counterbored for the bushing cap screws (with markings so I
can hopefully put the caps back where they came from after I separate
them). I drilled first for 6-32 tapping deep enough to go well past
the caps and into the sides, then enlarged for 6-32 clearance just past
the depth of the caps. Note that I accidentally cut too deep when I
milled the top of the cam axle mount to height. As luck would have it,
that feature is only needed on the left side, so the boo-boo will be
milled off of that other plate.






Here I'm preparing to saw off the bushing caps. There were unanticipated
clearance issues here, but I finally worked it out, still knowing I would
not make it all the way left without getting into the cam axle mount.
I went as far as I could on one side, then on the other, stopping just short
of hitting the other feature.






The plan was to finish the cut with the saw blade held between my fingers.
Slowly and awkwardly back and forth. It worked, and the operation wasn't as
onerous as I thought it might be.






With the bushing caps removed, the area where they had been was milled
level, and the cam mounting feature was rounded over. Yikes, I have a bit to
learn about locating the rounding-over bit. A bit of filing is in order...






The bushing caps were cinched side-by-side on a parallel in the vise, and the
mating surface with the sides milled flat. The caps were then flipped, and
the top corners rounded. Better this time. Maybe I'm getting the hang of it.


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## tvoght (May 31, 2012)

Back to the tooling plate, where it took some effort to get the plates
aligned with each other and square to the mill. I had previously drilled
the screw holes well into the tooling plate so that I could use drill bits
as alignment aids when clamping the sides back down. This helped some,
but was still too sloppy for good alignment. For final alignment, I used
some short parallels along the edges and aligned with the mill cut in the
tooling plate. Had I known that's how it would work, I'd have cut deeper
into the tooling plate to give a good solid edge to align the parallel
with (I've got a nifty set of small 3" long parallels which performed
admirably here). I've experimented with a variety of edge-finding
apparatus, and now I'm using a collet-mounted hardened rod with
cigarette papers or feeler gages to touch off the part. It's working
for me. You see the rod here. The top and right edges were found, and
the DRO zeroed for the center of the crankshaft bore.






Once clamped down, and with the top edge located, I re-attached the bushing
caps (did we miss the part where I tapped the side plates 6-32 for
the caps?). I then center drilled, drilled and reamed the crankshaft
bushing bores (drilling well into the sacrificial plate). I then counter-bored
the screw holes on both side plates.






Back in the vise, and using a bushing to aid alignment, I prepare to
angle off the back at a 45 degree angle.


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## tvoght (May 31, 2012)

I cut out the frame front on the rotary table. No tooling plate was used,
since the stock is 5/16" and the finished plate will be 1/4" thick. I'll cut
a little deeper than a quarter inch and then flip the plate and cut to
thickness to release the part. It's a little more complicated than that,
because I'm going to leave a full-thickness decorative feature on the front
of the plate. You'll see further down. A little paper template is used
to help me in aligning the clamps without interference. 






I drilled and reamed a 3/8 hole at the cylinder center location and four
screw holes where the sides attach. I intend to use these holes to help
with alignment when I flip it for adding the decorative feature.
We'll see I have a little trouble with that.






Here, the sides and bottom have been milled to a depth of .29.






The top arc has been cut to the same depth, and the cylinder hole opened up,
though still not to size, I intend to bore the cylinder hole and face the
front in one operation when the frame is together as one one piece, and there
is a dummy crankshaft rod installed for square alignment.






The plate is flipped and I use my handy-dandy locator rod to center it up
and give me the center of the rotary table as a reference. The plan was to
use the four screw-holes as aids to align to the axes, but that attempt
failed because I forgot to lock down the rotary table! We'll see further down
how that resulted in my decorative feature being somewhat misaligned.






Here you can see where I've outlined the rectangular feature with a ball-end
mill and then milled everywhere else to a depth of .0625 to release the part
and reduce it to a depth of .25. I'm just about to cut it free here.
Notice that the upper half or so is .031 thicker. Again, the plan is to
face that off and bore the cylinder hole in a later step when the frame is
assembled. Some other features will be added at that time, too.






There it is. The misalignment of the relieved decoration is not real obvious
in this shot, but it is visibly out when viewed straight on. I'll clamp it
down later and square it up with the ball-end mill.


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## ShedBoy (May 31, 2012)

Great start and good pics.
Brock


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## tvoght (May 31, 2012)

The frame's back plate is made a lot like the front plate. I clamped a piece
of stock to the mill table and Milled the outline .270 deep.







I flipped the part and aligned the machined edge to the mill slot by sticking
5/8" dowel pins in the slot and holding a parallel against the pins. I then had
a reference to press the workpiece against for clamping down. I've lined
things up like this so I can squarely put another decorative feature on this part.






I milled the decorative feature .0625 deep with a ball end mill, and then
the surrounding area with an end mill to the same depth, ending with the
outer edge to separate the part.






Here is the freshly separated part, and you can see remaining material where
the part separated. That will have to be filed away. Worse, It seems I went
a thou or two deeper with the ball-end, meaning a good deal of cleanup to
get rid of that groove. Live and learn.






Here it is after a lot of cleanup with file and emery.






I drilled and tapped holes along the edge where the side plates attach, and
then on an angle block in the vise, milled the 45 degree angle that will
match the angle at the back of the frame sides.






I just had to fit the completed parts together for a look-see.


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## Blogwitch (Jun 1, 2012)

TV,

Great start on your chosen project.

Keep it up and you will soon have a great third engine for your collection.


John


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## rudydubya (Jun 1, 2012)

Great looking start Tim. Thanks for sharing your build. I'm looking forward to following along.

Regards,
Rudy


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## vcutajar (Jun 1, 2012)

Tim

I will be following your progress and learning on the way. Great photos. Much better than mine.

Vince


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## tvoght (Jun 1, 2012)

Brock, John, Rudy, Vince: thanks for your comments.

Rudy, I have seen your Upshur hereabouts, and I just hope mine will be as nice by some fraction.

Tim


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## danstir (Jun 1, 2012)

Very nice write up and photos! Thanks for sharing.


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## dgjessing (Jun 1, 2012)

Great! I'll be following along with interest - thanks for sharing :bow:


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## Catminer (Jun 1, 2012)

Great work Tim, I am following along too.

Peter


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## Troutsqueezer (Jun 1, 2012)

I always like it when folks add their own panache to a design. It'll be a looker, I'm sure. 

-trout


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## tvoght (Jun 1, 2012)

Thanks everybody for looking! 

I got a little more done tonight.

The front plate with the crooked decorative relief on it was clamped down
on the mill table (straight this time) and the feature trued up with a
ball-end mill. I now have the 4 plates of the frame as I want them at
this stage. As I said, the idea is to make this frame appear as one
monolithic piece instead of 4 plates screwed together. I cleaned
everything up in soap and water, let it dry out, and then stuck it together
with 609 loctite. With everything lined up just so, I tightened the screws
down hard.

I turned down a quarter inch aluminum rod in the lathe to the size of the
counter-bores for the screws. Then I cut off eight little plugs (manually,
with a hacksaw), facing off after each cut.

I mixed up a small batch of JB Weld, and smeared a glob on the smooth end
of each plug, then plugged each counter-bore with one. The hack-sawed ends are
protruding (as you see in this photo), and I intend to file or mill them
flush later on. When the frame is painted, I hope there is no trace of
these. Think it'll work?


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## tvoght (Jun 3, 2012)

The one-piece frame was clamped down true, and areas of the left side were
reduced to 1/4" thick so that the cam and pushrod will have the proper
dimensional relationship to the cylinder. The forward area of the sides was
reduced to meet up properly with the front plate.






Clamped on the other side, again the forward area was reduced to meet the
front plate.






I put a .500 ground rod through the reamed crankshaft bushing holes and
clamped up straight against the side of a large v-block. I indicated the rod
to be sure it was parallel to the mill in the y and z axes, Then I cleaned
up the front plate with an end mill.






In this setup, I bored to size the hole where the cylinder sleeve will seat.
The two cylinder mounting stud holes were also drilled and tapped
(not shown in this shot).






I like the appearance of depth I got here. It's got some character.
I'm pretty happy with the way the plugs in the screw counter-bores worked out.
They're mostly invisible, except one in front that was mostly milled away.
On that one though, the JB Weld that preceded the plug into the hole fills the
void and there is a smooth surface, it's just a different color.


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## rudydubya (Jun 4, 2012)

Looking good Tim. It is indeed looking like it's all one piece. Very nice.

Rudy


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## tvoght (Jun 5, 2012)

Thanks Rudy. Thanks to all who are watching. I got some time in the shop tonight, but won't be able to write up a report til tomorrow night.

--Tim


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## Troutsqueezer (Jun 5, 2012)

Very nice. You might consider making the crankshaft extend a little longer past the frame (left and right sides) than what the plans call for since you are a little thicker on the frame. As you've noted, the sleeve for the smaller gear will be affected but you may also run out of crankshaft as you add the weight assembly on the left and whatever ignition assembly you decide to use on the right side. Always easy to shorten the crankshaft after, but hard to lengthen. 

-Trout


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## tvoght (Jun 5, 2012)

TroutSqueezer,
 The .5 long bushings specified in the plans will still extend past the thicker plates, so I checked that.
 Nevertheless, your point is well taken, and I am going to carefully evaluate how things stack up before I start the crank.

At this point, I have not given ignition sufficient thought, only that it will be Hall effect and I'll probably use Howell
components. I'll have to get a much better handle on that before starting the crank, and I may need to cut a pocket on
that side of the frame for sensor mounting. I can always do that later.

Thanks for watching!

--Tim


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## b.lindsey (Jun 5, 2012)

Tim, the plugs turned out very well and don't show at all in the pictures. Bead blasting may give it an even more uniform appearance too. When you begin to think about the ignition, you may want to check out S/S Machine at this link as well if you haven't already. I found their system easy to install and so far faultless in operation: http://www.cncengines.com/. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer. Will be following along with interest as you progress!!

Bill


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## tvoght (Jun 5, 2012)

I'm very interested in bead blasting because I think it would give me more of a cast appearance. Is that right? I need to investigate what kind of setup
I'd require to do it. If I bead blasted, how would I protect the machined surfaces that I don't want blasted?

Thanks for your input, b.lindsey

--Tim


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## b.lindsey (Jun 5, 2012)

Tim,
I have access to a benchtop unit like this: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ww...ch&Ntt=6ZA40&N=0&GlobalSearch=true&sst=subset which works well on smaller parts. Its slower and not as agressive as the larger industrial sized units which is probably good. As far as masking goes, I have used blue painters tape and it works quite well similar to what's shown below. Hope that helps.

Bill


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## tvoght (Jun 5, 2012)

That is indeed helpful Bill. All things considered, bead blasting may have to be considered outside the scope of this project.
You've got me thinking though. 

By the way, your Briggs is magnificent. I haven't had a chance to read the build log yet, but I will.

--Tim


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## Dave G (Jun 5, 2012)

Tim, I am enjoying your build of one of Dick Upshur's engines. I only got to know Dick a few years before he passed away and only from talking to him at engine shows. I am sure he would be pleased with your version of his engine. He was a true gentleman and very helpful, at one time he was even offering material kits with his plans and he always sold out. Its nice to know his legacy lives on in his engines. I built 2 of his engines myself. The Upshurs are a good place to start in building an IC engine IMO. I can't wait to see how yours finishes up. 

I also am a big user of C&Cengines electronic systems, no affiliation, just a happy customer. Dave


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## tvoght (Jun 5, 2012)

Thanks for writing Dave. I sure wish I'd had a chance to talk to Mr. Upshur.
Working from his hand drawn and lettered plans is a joy.

I want to encourage anyone who's considering their first I.C. engine
to get these plans and study them.

Dick made every effort to make these engines as easy as possible for
the rank beginner. By offering clear options in several places, he lets the
builder play to their strengths and adapt to the tools available.
These plans instill confidence in the first-time builder.

Some here have said that no two Upshur farm engines are built alike,
and I think that's because the options offered puts the builder in the
mindset that he can be flexible. For me, these engines are a perfect
platform for skill-building. Right now, I'm interested in trying
techniques in scratch-build fabrication, so on the frame and cylinder
I'm taking the extra time and effort to try some things. Elsewhere,
I can stick much closer to the book.

I'm enjoying myself, and I hope builders will be enjoying these plans
for a long time to come.

--Tim


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## rhitee93 (Jun 6, 2012)

I just caught up with your build Tim, and am looking forward to the rest. This engine is on my short list for my first IC engine so I am excited to see your build log.

I like what you did with the frame. It will finish out to look much more like a casting. 

I am over here in Terre Haute. If you want, PM me your address, and I'll send you a piece of aluminum that is bead blasted so you can see what the finish would look like.


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## tvoght (Jun 6, 2012)

Thanks Brian, I've been watching your PM Research #1 build. I PM'd you.

--TIm


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## tvoght (Jun 9, 2012)

I decided to get some of the (how do you say it?) 'fiddly bits' taken care of.
The rocker arm is made from some 5/16 thick 303 stainless I have on hand.
I sawed out a piece long enough to clamp on the ends. I put it in the mill
vise and cleaned up one side.






Then I clamped it down to a sacrificial plate I still had clamped to my
mill table. I thinned it down between the clamps to .125. Actually, several
thousandths thinner as it turned out, but I'm happy.






Then I cut it to width (.25) by side milling. In this process, the DRO is
zeroed with reference to the first edge after I cut it. The DRO was zeroed
in the X axis to roughly the center of the section I've worked down.






Two semi-circular features are added with the .5 inch end mill by side-milling.
All the numbers for the DRO were worked out quickly in CAD before hand.






The pivot hole and hole for the push-rod clevis pin are drilled and reamed.
The plans simply have 2-56 screws in these places, but I plan to make up some
little brass shoulder screws for these places. You may ignore what seems to
be a place where I milled a little deep on the right end.






While I could have hung this end off the vise jaws on a drill bit and faceted
it for rounding, I'm taking this opportunity to come up to speed on using a
step-off chart for this kind of thing. Here I've stepped off the rounded end.
I may have over done it on the number of steps, but this was kind of fun,
and I'm satisfied with the results.






The other end really called for a step-off chart because there is no through
hole for reference. I rounded off that end, and then thinking on my feet,
decided to use a few middle values off the chart to step out the feature
around the pivot hole. I kind of eye-balled the position before cinching the
vise. Later it occurred to me that I might have done the same
thing for the transition between the large and small radii at the ends. At
this point though, I'm feeling a little lucky with my 'eye-ball' technique,
and that transition is left to filing.






Here is the part before it has been touched by emery or file. It's laying on
the chart I used.







Thanks for your attention,
--Tim


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## tvoght (Jun 9, 2012)

Next up is the rocker arm post, which I made from 12L14 steel.
I put a length of 1/4" round in a collet in my lathe and turned
the shaft diameter and just cleaned up the portion beyond that.






I then put the collet in a square collet block. This picture shows
what I learned about using these collet blocks. To tighten that ring,
you need a pin spanner something like this. I should have made one to
save money, but this is the one I bought, and it's a wonderful thing.






With the collet block in the mill vise, I milled off the flat
portion where the rocker arm will pivot and drilled and tapped
for a 2-56 screw.






This picture shows a tool I really like. A tap wrench with a pilot
which is held in a drill chuck or 1/2" collet. Another wonderful
thing.






All that rounding I did on the rocker arm with the step-off charts
was on radii of .125. The top portion of this post is .25 wide as
well, so I once again made use of the step-off chart I'd generated
for the rocker arm. Here's the part right off the mill. Another thing
I wanted to mention is that for all but the simplest parts, I take
an enumerated set of step-by-step operations with me to the shop.
I've seen this recommended by Bogstandard a few times, and I
absolutely agree with him. Without it, I could not do this, even in
the crude way that I do.


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## ShedBoy (Jun 9, 2012)

Where did you get that pin spanner, I have the same setup and need one of them. My collet block kit also came with a hexagonal block also which is handy. Rocker post looks good.

Brock


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## tvoght (Jun 10, 2012)

Brock,
I got the spanner from McMaster-Carr, and it cost nearly as much as the block set. Yeah, my set came with a hexagonal block too, as well as a cam-lock type of drawbar which doesn't work very well and gets in the way. The rings work great if you have a way of tightening them properly.

--Tim


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## ShedBoy (Jun 10, 2012)

Looks like I am gonna be making one. Cheers
Brock


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## tvoght (Jun 11, 2012)

I made a cylinder sleeve tonight out of cast iron (durabar).
I began by making a plug gauge with progressive diameters of .748,
.749, and .750. Here is a closeup.






The durabar comes oversize. The nominal 1" stock came in at about 1.1.
I started by turning it down to 1". Action shot!






The ends were then turned down to .875. I still haven't learned the good
and right way to turn a part like that to the left; between the chuck and
a right shoulder. I struggled with various tools, trying to match cutting
depths and to get the length to the shoulder right. The results are useable,
but I wish I knew how to do this.






I drilled 11/16" and then began boring. I had been dreading this. I don't like boring.
Using a telescopic bore gauge, I brought it to .748, and then checked it with my
plug gauge. Pretty close. The .749 step of the gauge went through, but not the
.750. I took one more boring pass at the same setting. After that, the .750 step
passed. After cutting off, I checked the other end, and the .750 step passed there
too. The feel suggests there may be a couple of tenths of taper from end to
end.








Here it is after cutoff.






Thanks for looking.

--Tim

Edit: Whoops! linked wrong pictures. This should fix it.


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## steamer (Jun 12, 2012)

Looking good Tim...are you backing the tool out before you stop on that inboard diameter....that might help. 

Dave


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## gbritnell (Jun 12, 2012)

Hi Tim,
It looks like you're making good progress. If I could make a small suggestion that might help in the future. When turning a cylinder do your boring first that way you'll have extra stock on the outside to help dampen the internal cut. It will help prevent chatter. Then cut the outside. It also depends on the type of material you're cutting. 
gbritnell


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## b.lindsey (Jun 12, 2012)

Hi Tim, The cylinder Sleeve looks good to me and the few tenths taper you mention should hone out nicely. Its nice to see the progress on this one, keep up the very nice work!!

Bill


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## tvoght (Jun 12, 2012)

Dave, George, and Bill,
Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. I really appreciate it, and that's why I'm "baring my soul" here. To get help from guys of your caliber.

--Tim


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## tvoght (Jun 14, 2012)

The Upshur plans suggest two possible ways of making a built-up cylinder
for the horizontal water-cooled version of the farm engine. I chose one
which uses a common hardware store item; a 'tailpiece' for a
lavatory drain. It's a piece of thin-walled brass tube (chromed, in this case).
I first had two turn two aluminum rings to slip over the turned-down ends
of the cylinder sleeve. I don't have pictures of the process, but I chucked
a 1.5" piece of 6061 rod and drilled and bored it for a slip fit over the
sleeve ends, turned the outside to slip into the brass tube, then
parted off the rings. Here are the rings slipped onto the sleeve. They
will later be loctited.






Here you can see how the sleeve slips into the hole bored in the frame
front.






And finally, here is the tube I got at the big home improvement store.
I chose this method of building up the cylinder because it seemed
simple, but I had been dismissing the difficulty of cutting the thin-walled tubing
to length (I've already ruined one trying). Does anybody have any ideas? The
best idea I've got right now is to put the tube on a sort of expanding mandrel
made of wood, and cut it off with a cutoff tool in the lathe. The cutoff doesn't
have to be perfect I guess, because I can face it off smooth after it is JB welded
to the rings (which will be loctited to the sleeve). Still, I don't want to distort the
tube in the process.






Thanks for watching my build!

--Tim


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## ART (Jun 14, 2012)

Hello Tim,
   Very nice build. I agree with George and his suggestion about doing the bore first then finishing the OD. I have made several Upshur engines, and my method is to cut the legnth of cylinder stock slightly longer than required. Center in a 4 jaw chuck, center drill, drill through to.500, then bore to.748 or there abouts. I then hone the cylinder to a finish from both ends to ensure both ends are parallel, and after it is finished I make my piston to fit. I made up a wooden mandrel from seasoned Maple several years ago that is about .748 OD and 6 inches long, and if the cylinder is not a tight press fit I slightly wet the mandrel to expand it and press on the cylinder. It holds very tight , and has the added benefit that it will not score the cylinder . Then mount the mandrel between centers and finish the OD reversing it for the shoulders. To remove the mandrel I put the whole thing in our freezer to cool overnight, and the wood mandrel falls right out. This method works well for thin wall material such as the tubing, also. I do all my cylinders, even for the steam engines made from brass, this way. Good luck, ART


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## tvoght (Jun 14, 2012)

Note that the following work was done before reading the very helpful
suggestions from Art above. Thanks Art. There's always a next time.


I wanted to get that thin-walled tube cut and out of the way tonight, so
I proceeded with a variation of the wood mandrel plan I outlined before.
If it's possible to hurt a metal lathe's pride, I did my best here. I
chucked up a piece of hardwood and turned it down for a slip fit inside
the tube. I'm sure many are offended.







I sawed off the round chunk and slipped it inside the tube for support,
then chucked the tube. On this first try, I tried protecting the tube with
paper and not tightening the jaws much. I was going to cut gently.
Purists please note I have already mostly cleaned up the sawdust.






The cutoff results were a little strange. As I advanced the cutoff tool, a
brass band occurred to the right of the cut, as if the silvery coating was
stripping off over there. I cut through and discovered my cutoff portion was
too short. There is in fact a step detectable with the fingernail between
the brass portion and the silvery part.






I tried again, this time using pieces of aluminum Indiana license plate
at the vise jaws to protect the tube. I tightened down good. This time
I got a good cut at the correct length.






Trial fit.






The water hopper, which Upshur assures us is a purely decorative feature,
comes next.

Until then,
--Tim


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## steamer (Jun 14, 2012)

Good problem solving Tim!


Dave


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## tvoght (Jun 17, 2012)

This weekend I got to a part I had been looking forward to. The water
hopper. This is pure style, and the part that will give the engine its
personality. I started by chopping off a hunk of 6061 on my newly-
acquired import bandsaw. I squared it up in a series of milling vise
operations.






The next step was to setup an angle block at 45 degrees and bevel the
upper four edges.






Then I milled out the hole at the top. I'll be milling a cavity from the
bottom to meet up.






I cut an inset portion on each side. This is not only decorative, but will
provide a clamping surface for later operations.






Then I set up the angle block for a 5 degree incline and milled the sides.
I'll mill until I reach the point where the inset portion meets the upper bevel.






Like that. I milled the front back at 5 degrees, too.






I clamped the part upside down in the vise. You can see here where I clamp
at the insets. I'm using accurate aluminum tooling plate as clamping parallels.
I'm preparing to mill out the semi-circular tunnel that will seat on the
cylinder tube. Using an end mill that has seen better days, I chop out a
goodly portion in preparation for stepping out the curve with a ball end
mill.






The step-off procedure proceeds.






That's done. Of course a CNC machine would be nice, but I wonder if it
could be as satisfying as this.






Finally, I hollow out the water cavity to meet up with the top hole I cut
out earlier.






All machine operations complete.






Getting the idea. I want to slightly radius the hopper edges by filing, I
hope I don't ruin it in the process.






Thanks for viewing,
--Tim


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## vcutajar (Jun 17, 2012)

Very nice Tim. :bow:

Which software programme are you using for that step off procedure?

Thanks

Vince


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## steamer (Jun 17, 2012)

Nice job Tim!

Dave


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## idahoan (Jun 17, 2012)

Hi Tim

Great progress on your engine; I have used the step and cut method many times in the past for convex radii but never for concave; may have to give that a try sometime.
I have a little book that I purchased form Guy Lautard some years ago that is big help doing this kind of work.

Keep up the great work!

Dave


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## tvoght (Jun 18, 2012)

Thanks Vince, Dave, and Dave for your kind comments.

Vince, The step charts are generated with a program I wrote in the Python programming language.

--Tim


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## Troutsqueezer (Jun 18, 2012)

Wow! I'm getting the idea that perhaps you have more experience than you let on. This looks like the work of someone who has been at it awhile. Great job. 

-Trout


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## rhitee93 (Jun 18, 2012)

Looking good Tim!


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## tvoght (Jun 20, 2012)

Thanks for your comments Trout and Brian.

The rings that were previously made to go on the ends of the cylinder
sleeve were not quite complete. They needed holes drilled to pass the studs
which extend from the front plate of the frame, through the cylinder and
cylinder head. The holes need to be pretty accurately located, as they will
be drilled for a close fit on the studs. In fact, the plans call for a #29
drill, which is .002 _smaller_ than the diameter of a 6-32 screw. I'll be
drilling a #28, which is .002 larger.

I turned a locating plug of 12L14 steel for a slip fit in the bore of the rings. Since
the turnings on the end of the cylinder sleeve turned out somewhat different
diameters (.874 and .867), I had bored the rings to fit their respective
ends, and here I turned two steps on the plug to fit each ring. Here's the
plug before cutoff with the rings slipped onto it, The larger bore first,
then the smaller.






I drilled out the center of the plug to make cutoff easier, and to relieve
the center so that when I placed it on my mill bed, the contact would be
around the outer edge. I clamped at the ring's edge onto the tooling plate I
still had clamped to the table. I first roughly centered the spindle on the
plug with a drill bit through the hole, then centered as close as I could with
an indicator.






It was then a simple matter of locating the holes with the DRO, center-
drilling and drilling through and into the sacrificial plate.






Please excuse the quality of the photos.

Thanks everybody who's watching,
--Tim


----------



## tvoght (Jun 21, 2012)

At certain pivot points in the design, the plans call for just a 2-56 screw
through a free fit hole. I mentioned that when I made the rocker arm
and rocker post. I said that I was reaming the rocker arm 3/32 and that I would
make a shoulder screw as a pivot. Here's what I did.

Starting with quarter-inch brass rod in a square collet block, I milled four
sides for a 5/32 square head. I'm doing enough length here for two screws I'll
need and then some. 






With the collet in the lathe, I turned to diameter for a 2-56 thread. I
haphazardly provided some relief at the shoulder. Length and depth were by-
gosh-and-by-golly.






I threaded it using a piloted die holder held in the tailstock.






Then I cut the shoulder to .093. Looks like I've got more than enough
relief.






I parted off and got this. A pretty big nub to remove, but not bad, I
think.






I needed another (to different length specifications) for the rocker arm
clevis.






I still had enough square leftover to make a couple of nuts. I drilled and
tapped the length of the squared portion.






Then cutoff two. I slipped a small drill bit in there to catch them.






Tonight's results, badly in need of all-around cleanup.






Thanks everyone!
--Tim


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## tvoght (Jun 23, 2012)

Keeping this log is a great help to me, because a natural part of
my personality is that I respond to accountability. The knowledge that people
are watching is helping me stay on the case. I'm trying to keep this log going
so I don't lose momentum. I am concerned that my level of detail is a little
agonizing, and surely most here don't need such detailed explanations of how
a relative neophyte works. Still, I am hoping that by showing how I'm doing
things, those more experienced may point out better ways.

To clean up the parting nubs that were left on the screws I made previously,
I put a short piece of steel in a collet and drilled it for a 2-56 thread,
then drilled and reamed for the shoulder portion of the screw, then
threaded the bottom of the hole. I was then able to clean up the screws in
the little fixture.






I made up the clevis from a piece of quarter inch brass round. I did all
of the work in a collet, both in a 4-sided block and in the lathe. I do not
regret my recent purchase of the collet blocks. Here I have rounded off the
end of the clevis (using the step and cut method), and have cut the slot for
the rocker arm. I'm leaving out most of the details, because it's all stuff
I've done before in this log.






Finished after turning down a shoulder and drilling and tapping for the
push-rod.






A trial fit of rocker arm, rocker arm post, and clevis. I'm not really
happy with the scale of the hardware. I may eventually want to re-make the
screws and nuts with smaller heads.






Thanks for watching my efforts.
--Tim


----------



## rhitee93 (Jun 23, 2012)

Keep up the good work Tim. I'll expect another installment in a day or two! (Just tryin' to help with the accountability thing  )

I understand what you mean about feeling like you are including too much detail. On my PMR#1 log, I find myself asking "Do they really want to see another picture of a drill bit in a chuck poised next to a hole?" However, when I read these posts, I enjoy seeing the pictures no matter how basic. I guess my vote is for more detail


----------



## Rayanth (Jun 24, 2012)

From one neophyte to another, keep up the detail, Tim!

_Maybe_ the more experienced of the group don't really need to see that picture of a drill going into a hole, but us young whipper snappers might see something in the setup or procedure that wasn't so obvious to us before. I learn a little bit from every post I read, and I can't learn enough!

- Ryan


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## vcutajar (Jun 24, 2012)

Yes please Tim, no harm in the details. 

Vince


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## Blogwitch (Jun 24, 2012)

Tim,

You just can't put too much detail into a post, like I have found over the years. Not everyone is the same, and of course we have a lot of beginners on here, and you are teaching them as well.

If you show everything, and it is narrated correctly, so that it can be understood by everyone, then less questions need to be answered and so makes a more interesting and compact post, it also helps to prevent change of direction or hijacking.

You are doing great on this post, just right, so keep it up. :bow: :bow:


John


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## mklotz (Jun 24, 2012)

I think the level of detail in your log is just fine. Keep up the good work. I've been on this forum for a long time and I can't remember any instance of anyone complaining about too much information in a post.

Another way a detailed log helps the novices (and others) is to show them the sequencing of operations, often one of the most difficult factors for newcomers to get their minds around.


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## Tin Falcon (Jun 24, 2012)

Nice job nice writeup 


When parting off bevel the tool so the right side (part side) is longer that way whatever nib you get tends to stay on the parent stock and is easer to remove. Also I learned in basic machining school to debur the part while it is still in the lathe. the front side it is easy. the back side is also easy just start the parting operation so you have all sides of the nut or bolt exposed . retract the parting tool stop the lathe clean up edges with a file then procede. I think you will find this quicker and easier than deburing small parts by hand. 
Also make a bench pin if you do not have one. this will aid when and if you forget to debur on the lathe. 

If you need an explanation of a bench pin just say so i will do a write up on them. 

Tin 








Tin


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## tvoght (Jun 24, 2012)

Brian, you have an open invitation to prod me whenever you feel like it!

Ryan, I'm like you. I never fail to learn something by reading here.

Vince, Thanks for your encouragement. I feel better now.

John, if you say I'm doing alright, that's enough for me. I learn a great
deal from your posts.

Marv, you've got me thinking about procedure in this hobby, and how that
relates to my profession (software). I write complex sequences of operations
every day. Surprisingly, I've never thought that much about how that drives my
need to work out and document procedures before going into the shop. I know
that is something that John advocates, too. Maybe I can find a way to make
that more explicit in my posts (you may have noticed how sometimes my
photographed parts are posed over oiled-up procedure sheets).

Tin, thanks for the hints on parting off and deburring. Getting better at this
is -for me- a matter of learning basic skills like those you point out. I've
never heard of a bench pin, and I bet a lot of others haven't either. I
would appreciate a write up!

--Tim


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## vcutajar (Jun 24, 2012)

Many, many moons ago I used to do software programming as a hobby and I find that it helped me in this hobby also. I think of a complete engine as a software programme. Major pieces of an engine as subroutines and minor pieces of an engine as routines in subroutines. They all have to go together at some point. 

When thinking of setups I think of pseudo code.

I always try to put my past experiences to good use in life.

Vince


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## mklotz (Jun 24, 2012)

tvoght  said:
			
		

> Marv, you've got me thinking about procedure in this hobby, and how that
> relates to my profession (software). I write complex sequences of operations
> every day. Surprisingly, I've never thought that much about how that drives my
> need to work out and document procedures before going into the shop. I know
> ...



INMNSHO, the three hardest things to learn in this hobby are, in order of decreasing difficulty,...

Patience and paying attention
Setups and workholding
Operation sequencing


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## Tin Falcon (Jun 24, 2012)

> Tin, thanks for the hints on parting off and deburring. Getting better at this
> is -for me- a matter of learning basic skills like those you point out. I've
> never heard of a bench pin, and I bet a lot of others haven't either. I
> would appreciate a write up!


You are welcome glad to help 
Here is the bench pin write up. hope you like it an easy tool to make. and yes pictures
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=19035.msg197824#msg197824
Tin


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## tvoght (Jul 1, 2012)

It's been a week or so since I've posted, and in the interim I made some valves.
I actually produced at least two useable ones, but I'm not yet completely
happy, so I'm coming back to them after a little thinking break. I started
on the head instead.

I sawed off a piece of aluminum rod and chucked it up as centered as I could
(my 3-jaw chuck is adjustable). I faced off the end and just cleaned up the
circumference with emery.







I started a cutoff with plenty of extra length as I plan to finish the cutoff
end on the mill. When cutoff began to be unpleasant, I finished the job with
a hacksaw (lathe turned off).






I clamped between v-blocks in the mill vise with the faced end on parallels.
I am kicking myself repeatedly for not providing some shims to protect against
the v-blocks. Like most stupid mistakes there is no real "why". Maybe I'll
know next time? I didn't realize what I'd done until I had performed a lot
more work.






The sawn side was milled to get the head to correct thickness.






I center-drilled for the various holes I would drill.






Then drilled the holes and finally reamed the 4 larger ones.






I had previously made a fixture from the MIC-6 tool plate with holes drilled
and tapped for mounting the head. Here it is mounted on the plate. The plate
is as square as I could make it and the head is centered on it.






I was then able to use the fixture in the angle block to set up for three
holes to be made around the circumference for exhaust, intake, and spark.
Here I have reamed for the exhaust pipe.






Here's the part still on the fixture plate with all machining (save for the
valve seats) finished. You can see one spot between the plug and exhaust
holes where the v-block dug in.






Thanks for keeping an eye on me.

--Tim


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## Troutsqueezer (Jul 2, 2012)

Just file the v block marks out. It won't be noticeable once assembled.


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## tvoght (Jul 10, 2012)

I was just reading a post by Vince (vcutajar) from today about his making of
the valves for this Kiwi Mk2. Like he, I referenced the excellent postings by
gbritnell:
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=19103.0
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=15942.135

My results were not nearly as beautiful as Vince's, though I did create at
least 2 valves that would surely have worked. Mostly, I was unhappy about the
finish I got on the stem and the trouble I had getting a smooth transition
from stem to seating face. The material is 303 stainless. I used a cutting
tool with a relatively sharp point and zero leading angle, this to try and
reduce radial forces and concentrate cutting forces axially along the stem to
prevent flexing. I guess the sharp point contributes to the less-than perfect
finish, resulting in some grooves which are not easily removed with abrasive.






I imagine a little more effort along those lines would have resulted in valves
I was very happy with, but I was also getting bothered by the repeatability of
my efforts (that 2 steps forward, 1 step back sort of feeling). In the
interest of experimentation and trial-and- error learning, I decided to pursue
the idea of a valve machining jig I saw in Issue 7 of Model Engine Builder
magazine. The article describes essentially a combined follower rest and form
tool, the form of which is to cut the underside of the valve head and the stem
at the same time. The tool described had the underside angle ground into the
cutting tool, but I took the different approach of mounting the cutter at the
desired 45 degree angle. This made grinding the cutter much easier. Here is the
jig mounted in a QTCP holder. The cutter here has not yet been ground, but you
get the idea. The reamed hole closely fits the 3/8" stock which will be held
in a collet.






My first step closely follows George's procedure. With the stock in a collet,
I cut a short section down to stem size and cut a groove for an e-clip (the
plans call for the retainer being loctited onto the stem, but this is another
of my departures from plan). Incidentally, I ground the groove cutting tool
myself, and while it's not perfect, it helped to build my confidence in tool-
grinding. It works good enough, and I think next time I can do better! Oh, I
should mention I've gone from 303 stainless to 416 stainless. The 416 machines
better.






Getting the stock started into the jig is a little fiddly. The cutter is
withdrawn to get it out of the way. Once at this point, I pulled back the
cross slide just enough to feel a touch, trying to ensure that any radial
force would immediately meet resistance at the backside of the bore. I ensured
smooth operation all the way to the collet, and then slathered the stock to
the left of the jig with cutting oil. The article suggests drilling an oiling
cavity at the top, but I forgot to do that.






I advanced the cutter to touch the sized stem, and clamped it. Here you can
see the radius of the form tool. There is side and end relief, as well as
side -rake ground in, which is not obvious in this picture.






I cut with power carriage feed on the slowest gear, spindle speed somewhat
slower than I used with the sharp pointed tool. This is an action shot. There
is absolutely no chatter.






After stopping the feed, I pulled back from the work a little before turning
off the spindle (photo). Then I loosened the cutter and pulled it back some
to prevent scraping when I cranked the jig back.






I worked the stem and head underside with emery some (probably not enough),
then turned the head diameter and parted off.






I pulled the good old Taig into service for facing the top of the head.






Here it is. Not as pretty as the one I just saw in Vince's Kiwi build, but I
think this will work. Most importantly, this process seems quite repeatable,
and I feel that the next one I make can only be better. Forward progress
does wonders for my sanity.






Having done all this, I'm still pretty sure I could have eventually
gotten equal or better results using George's method, but I'm glad I tried
this. Comments and criticisms are welcome as usual.

Thanks for looking in,
--Tim


----------



## Tin Falcon (Jul 10, 2012)

> Comments and criticisms are welcome as usual.



I have to admit my first reaction to your tool was one of" What am I seeing? That looks strange and flimsy!' then I read on. I will say it is an unusual but creative approach to a problem. You learned something your tool worked and did the job. That is what this hobby is about. IMHO the first priority is safety. and having fun is important. if you get hurt the fun stops. 
You made a successive pats or parts you did it safely and had fun doing it what more can you ask. 
Tin


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## gbritnell (Jul 10, 2012)

Hi Tim,
When something is posted by myself or one of the 'old timers' it's to give the new fellows an idea of where to start. It's not always easy to do exactly like we do so this is where the learning part comes in and it looks like you've done quite a nice job of it. The valves look good and should work just fine. Keep up the good work.
gbritnell


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## Brian Rupnow (Jul 10, 2012)

Very innovative way to make valves. I like that.---Brian


----------



## vcutajar (Jul 11, 2012)

Nice one Tim

Another way of doing it.

When I did mine I also had maching marks on the stem, but I left the stem about 0.05mm oversize and sanded the stem down to size using the valve guide as a gauge.

Vince


----------



## rhitee93 (Jul 11, 2012)

Neat approach Tim. I am not sure i would have even considered such a large cut on a part like that, so I certainly learned something form this post.

My Upshur Farm Engine plans showed up this week. I hope to be following in your footsteps soon


----------



## tvoght (Jul 12, 2012)

Thanks for your comments Tin, George, Brian, Vince, and Brian.
Glad you are all watching. Everybody else, too.

Yes George, learning is what it's all about. The big take-away from the valve
experience has been that I am losing my fear of tool-grinding. A big step
in my opinion, to lose one's fear of something.

Some further work has convinced me that the next time I make valves, a jig will not be necessary, but making
this one and using it somehow helped bring the process into focus for me.

Today, I made valve guides and retainers out of brass. The work was so
straightforward I'm not going to describe it, except to show a little picture.






It seemed about time to make the valve seat cutter, and I approached it with
apprehension. I made it pretty much to Upshur's plan, but keeping in mind all
I had read from gbritnell on the subject, and also the counter-bore cutter
that Dave (steamer) showed recently in his Wallaby build.

I used W-1 drill rod. Placed in a collet, I center-drilled and drilled for
a pilot. The pilot will be a #42 drill blank (the same size used to drill the
valve guide). I did not want to make the pilot integral with the cutter,
because this is to be my first successful tool steel hardening experience, and
I don't want the fear of a warped pilot to be part of it.






I used the valve jig I made previously to cut the cutter. The follower support
is not necessary, but this was easy to do and to get an angle matching the
valve.










Into a collet block it went, and to the mill. I milled to form one side of
the flutes...






And then the other.






Then I had to file in the back-rake. I had to just jump in and start filing
before the geometry became clear in my head. I ended up making part of one,
and then a second more correct one. Here is a side-on shot of one of the
flutes showing how I brought the rake up the cutting edge. The collet block
was handy for holding the part under my magnifier lamp while filing.






Now the hardening. I've read it time and again; heat to bright cherry red and
plunge into water (W-1 rod, remember). I guess it was bright cherry red when
I plunged. I've also seen reference to cooked carrots... It was definitely
a uniform color, and I felt 'heated through' the entire cutting area.
I think it is George who suggested that since this is a hand tool with very
light duty, there is no reason to draw the hardness. So I called hardening
finished. I dressed the cutting edges some with a diamond lap.






I stuck in a drill blank pilot and cut a seat in a test piece. It cuts,
and even under magnification, the finish looks pretty good. Still, I'll be
doing a little more work with finer diamond laps and I'll loctite the pilot in
before I go at my head with it.







Thanks again everybody for looking,
--Tim


----------



## Allen (Jul 12, 2012)

One of the sets of gas engine plans I used to sell (sorry, I don't remember which one) showed a "cheating" way to make valves. Basically, first you drilled a ball into a bead, then silver soldered the bead to the stem stock, then mill the top half the bead flat.... and you have a valve.


----------



## tvoght (Jul 13, 2012)

Hi Allen, that is an interesting way to make a valve.

The valve guides I made previously were turned for a sliding fit in reamed
holes in the head. I admit my plan was to just loctite them in (the plans
say that would be alright). Then I was reading Vince's Kiwi log again, and I
saw where he had pressed his in.

Funny thing about reading some of the build logs here, you are prompted to try
and do better. So I remade a pair of valve guides for a slight interference
fit in the reamed holes (about a half a thou over), and came up with a little
doo-hickey like Vince did to ensure they would be pressed in straight.

I had gone out and got some #42 drill rods yesterday, one of which will be used as
the pilot in the valve seat cutter above. I used another to make a "toolmaker's reamer"
(with hat-tip to steamer. See
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=9854.0.)

That reamer was used to finish the holes in the valve guides, and a couple of
parts of the doo-hickey you see below.

Here is a plug turned to closely fit the reamed guide holes in the head.
It is reamed to fit a length of the #42 drill rod.






The following photo sequence shows the plug and rod in place in the head, then
the addition of the valve guide, then a "presser" piece which is also
reamed #42 and bears on the top of the valve guide.














The actual pressing took place in the mill vise. Here is the setup after
the first guide has been pressed in to depth. I did apply some 609 loctite to
the valve guide before pressing it in. I don't know if that does anything for
a press fit.






And here is the head with both valve guides installed.





Thanks,
--Tim


----------



## Troutsqueezer (Jul 13, 2012)

Looking very nice, Tim. On mine, I sanded the milling marks out of the head before installing the guides. Was a bit easier that way.


----------



## tvoght (Jul 13, 2012)

Trout squeezer,
Yeah, you're right. I realized that soon after I pressed them in. I just got caught up in the moment. Thanks for your attention!

--Tim


----------



## rhitee93 (Jul 13, 2012)

tvoght  said:
			
		

> I just got caught up in the moment



Now that's never happened to me 

It's looking good Tim. I am still happily following along.


----------



## tvoght (Jul 13, 2012)

This picture is for Dennis. Milling marks gone.






And yes, getting to this point would have been much easier without the valve guides installed. I also addressed the gouges I put in the sides by clamping it unprotected in v-blocks. I hope I can pretty things up more when it's closer to finished. The sad fact is, I will probably never achieve the level
of polish most of the guys here do. I will justify it by saying my models are meant to be 'realistic' and represent the 'real world'...

--Tim


----------



## Brian Rupnow (Jul 13, 2012)

Tvoght---Don't worry---If your luck with valve cages is anything like mine you'll have those ones in and out half a dozen more times anyways. ;D ;D----Brian


----------



## moconnor (Jul 13, 2012)

Hello Tim,

Great job so far on your engine. I am following along with interest.

A little trick that you can use when trying to judge the color of steel when heating a small part or a cutting tool with a propane torch or similar for hardening, is to keep a magnet close by as you heat the part. The type with a telescoping rod with the magnet at the tip that is commonly used to fish-out small parts that are dropped works well. Carbon steel becomes non-magnetic at 1420 deg. F. This is near the transformation (critical) temperature that you are trying to achieve when judging the 'cherry red' color in plain carbon and low-alloy tool steels. The transformation temperature is the temperature that the tool steel must reach in order to become hard. In the case of W-1, this transformation temperature is also about 1420 deg. F. The magnet will help to take some of the guess work and interpretation out of trying to determine the color of the heated steel and lets you know that this point has been reached when it is no longer attracted to the steel. It is best to slowly and evenly raise the temperature to this point. Once the magnet is no longer attracted to the tool steel, make sure that the entire working surface of the tool is at this temperature or slightly above. Then quench immediately. Ideally, we would like the part to soak at the critical temperature for a period of time, but for small tools heated with a propane torch, it is too easy to overheat them.

This works perfectly for W-1, but many of the higher alloy tool steels have their transformation temperature above the point of becoming non-magnetic (for example A-2 which is about 1750 deg. F). It works well with O-1, as its transformation temperature is just slightly higher (1500 deg.F), so just soak it a bit longer. It is very important to not overheat the tool steel, especially with water hardening tool steels like W-1, as there is a good chance that cracks will develop if it is quenched from too high a temperature.

Try it next time. It should take away some of the worry about whether the tool steel will be hard after the quench.

Regards,
Mike


----------



## tvoght (Jul 13, 2012)

Mike,
 Thanks for that. I had heard that magnet trick before, and for some reason, had been skeptical. When you explain that the point at which the metal becomes non-magnetic and the transformation temperature are not exactly the same, and in fact differ significantly for some alloys, that makes it much
clearer (and much more believable intuitively). I will definitely try it the next time.

--Tim


----------



## tvoght (Jul 14, 2012)

Still more work on the head. The plans show the upper edge rounded over, and
though it seemed a little late in the game, I decided to go ahead and do it.
In my 4-jaw Taig chuck on the rotary table, I centered things up and used a
corner-rounding bit on it. Uneventful. Job done.







To lap the mating surface with the cylinder, I laid wet-or-dry paper on my
little granite block and scrubbed in a figure-8 pattern (where did I read that
thing about the figure-8 pattern?). I worked down through 150, 320, 400, and
600 grit to get to the point you see in the first picture. 600 is the finest
I had. I laid a sheet of paper down on the granite and then squirted out a
blob of toothpaste, then lapped some more. The second picture shows the
result. The camera really brings out scratch marks, and I'm hard pressed to
pick out any in that second picture.










Before I proceed, I wanted to make up a little pressure testing fixture to
test the valves. I used the squaring fixture I'd made for drilling side holes
in the head. I milled out a chamber for the valves to operate in and drilled
and tapped for a small pipe into the chamber. I have pipe, taps and dies at
3/16-40, which is the thread PM Research use for small steam engines.
I lapped the mating surface of the plate like I did the head.






I hope this helps me nip any sealing problems in the bud early on. This shot
also shows that I made and installed a plug for sealing up the outer end of
the cross hole made for creating the right-angle bend in the sparking hole.
That leaves only the rocker arm post hole to fill.






Thanks for your vigilance,
--Tim


----------



## Allen (Jul 14, 2012)

If it helps, Joe Tochtrop has (or at least had) a nice 1/4"-40 miniature Champion spark plug. They seemed to be less prone to fouling than homemade surface gap plugs, and weren't all that expensive.


----------



## ProdEng (Jul 14, 2012)

The test fixture is a good idea, you can use soapy water as a "leak detector". Also makes it possible to test the piston/cylinder seal. Another idea for my notebook 

Jan


----------



## Troutsqueezer (Jul 15, 2012)

For the rocker arm post - even though I (think) I had followed the plans exactly, the post seemed to stick out just a little too far. Before you Locktite it in, you may want to check how the rocker and post assembly will interface with the valve stem. Mine still works ok but I would have expected the rocker arm to be parallel with the head but it was slightly off.


----------



## vcutajar (Jul 15, 2012)

Tim

I like the idea of the pressure testing fixture (KP for that). Have you used it yet?

Vince


----------



## tvoght (Jul 15, 2012)

Dennis, thanks for the heads-up on the rocker arm post length. I just checked, and indeed the numbers don't seem to add up right.
Does your post seem to be about .063 short?

Vince, I've not yet used the pressure testing fixture. I still have to cut the seats and install the rocker arm post. And I'm awaiting the delivery of some springs.
When I use it, you all will be the first to know!

--Tim


----------



## Troutsqueezer (Jul 15, 2012)

tvoght  said:
			
		

> Dennis, thanks for the heads-up on the rocker arm post length. I just checked, and indeed the numbers don't seem to add up right.
> Does your post seem to be about .063 short?
> --Tim



Actually, mine came out a little long.  Headset problems, no doubt. 

I looked for a picture that shows the angle I was dealing with but this is the best I could do. Kinda hard to see. There was about a 15 degree angle relative to the head so I punched out the post and put in a new one.


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## KM6VV (Feb 17, 2017)

I know this thread has long ago closed, but can someone point me to the source of the plans for the Upshur engine?  Are they from "Strickly I.C."?

Thanks,

Alan


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## Cogsy (Feb 17, 2017)

They're available electronically from this site : http://upshurengineworks.com/


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## Cogsy (Feb 18, 2017)

KM6VV said:


> I know this thread has long ago closed, but can someone point me to the source of the plans for the Upshur engine? Are they from "Strickly I.C."?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Alan


 
And I should have mentioned that they are extremely good value. The farm engine plan set, for only $10, allows you to build 4 variants, either air cooled or water cooled and horizontal or vertical. All variants can be hit and miss or throttled. This was my first I.C. engine and I managed to get it running even without any skills at all at the time. One of these days I'll have another go and make one which does the design justice.


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## KM6VV (Mar 24, 2017)

Ordered on PayPal, the acknowledgement had a link for the download.  but it took me a week to notice it.  

Thanks.




Cogsy said:


> And I should have mentioned that they are extremely good value. The farm engine plan set, for only $10, allows you to build 4 variants, either air cooled or water cooled and horizontal or vertical. All variants can be hit and miss or throttled. This was my first I.C. engine and I managed to get it running even without any skills at all at the time. One of these days I'll have another go and make one which does the design justice.


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## Petit (Apr 3, 2017)

I have also purchased the plans, just make sure you actually save them to your computer. They send you a link to open the plans and then after so long the link will go dead, well mine did anyway. Saying that though they were more than happy to resend me the link again. 
I've been looking at building the aircooled version and got excited to see this thread as i havn't seen anyone building one yet. Then i realised this thread was back in 2012! Oops.


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## KM6VV (Apr 4, 2017)

Yeah, I was so happy to find the thread, that I took a chance and  posted.  My old prints from buying the metal kit weren't that readable  (and limited).
I need to get building!  
So many projects, so little time.



Petit said:


> I have also purchased the plans, just make sure you actually save them to your computer. They send you a link to open the plans and then after so long the link will go dead, well mine did anyway. Saying that though they were more than happy to resend me the link again.
> I've been looking at building the aircooled version and got excited to see this thread as i havn't seen anyone building one yet. Then i realised this thread was back in 2012! Oops.


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