# Its a start - Another EZ engine



## rodw (Mar 3, 2013)

Well, I finally have it finished. A big thanks to the guys on the forum here who put together the EZ engine and the build instructions. These plans are the reason why I joined this forum in the first place as I stumbled on the plans googling "Metric Steam engine plans" way back in November.












This is probably not the prettiest EZ in the wild, but building it taught me a lot of things. Like an M3 hole is not 3mm in diameter which explains the black M4 bolt on the valve shaft.
















The main problem I had was the difference between the metric and imperial plans. Whilst the 2" flywheel v's 3" did not prove to be a drama, specifying a 3mm thick crank v's a 1/4" (6mm) one did! This meant you can't add a setscrew to hold the crank in position. I had a lot of trouble stopping the crank from spinning on the shaft under compression and did not really want to remake it because I had made it out of a turned down piece of round stock which I milled, drilled and tapped before parting it off on the lathe. 

When I first started, I could turn it over by blowing in it with my mouth but then I must have got some glue that wicked down inside the bushing which tightened up the flywheel (and did not stop it spinning).

Anyway, after some mucking about which put some marks on the crank, I decided to have a go at pinning the crank by drilling a 2mm hole on the join between the shaft and the crank. I was expecting the drill to follow the soft ally which it did to a certain extent but it did eventually work! The shaft was a bit proud of the surface so I had to mill it level first which added a bit more character. Then I was able to drill my hole and eventually insert a tiny pin cut from a 2mm dia nail which I superglued in.






This "nailed" the problem and it runs on about 5 psi of air tight shaft and all.


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