# My first engine



## Powder keg (Jan 17, 2008)

Hey you got the pictures figured out:O) good Job!!! Both on the model and the pictures:O)

Wes


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## rake60 (Jan 17, 2008)

Beautiful work Birk!

I also like you hobby costing analogy.
I'll be using that... 

Rick


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## dparker (Jan 21, 2008)

Birk: That is really impressive. I wonder if they had shows in Belgrade MT when I went to MSU in Bozeman in the 60s. That model must have taken more or at least as much work as building a steam locomotive. I am impressed with people that can stay with a project that is that complicated until it is completed. 
Good job!------don


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## DickDastardly40 (Apr 20, 2008)

Very nice and nicely shined too! :bow: How long did it take you?

Congratulations.

Al


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## mike4517 (Apr 20, 2008)

It took me 2 weeks.
I got the plans fron jan ridders
mike


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## DICKEYBIRD (Apr 20, 2008)

Wow...a beautiful job indeed! ;D

I'm wanting to build a flame licker myself but haven't summoned the courage yet due to the rumoured difficulty in adjusting them to run properly. Have you run yours yet?


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## Bogstandard (Apr 20, 2008)

Hi Mike,

Glad you got around to showing the pictures, that engine is so nicely made, it is a shame to keep it to yourself.

A real nice job.

John


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## Cedge (Apr 20, 2008)

Mike
Impressive piece of work. It's good to see another lover of shiny metal...LOL. I'm one of those obsessive types that thinks "if it ain't polished, it ain't finished"....LOL. I'll admit I'm getting better. I'm actually making a tool that will have a brushed surface when I'm done. The new 12 step program seems to be helping a little...(wink).

Steve


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## rake60 (Apr 20, 2008)

Beautiful Mike!

I've built that engine 3 times now.
Still haven't built one that RUNS... 

Rick


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## mike4517 (Apr 21, 2008)

Hi Dickeybird

I have it sort of running but not properly yet.
Go ahead and build one its all about doing it and enjoying yourself you learn alot along the way
mike


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## Bogstandard (Apr 21, 2008)

Rick,
Has nobody told you, you have to light the wick.

DB,
Getting them to run is all the fun. They are slightly difficult to master, but once you find the sweet spot for the burner, and the correct temperature for the cylinder you can run them whenever you want. I run mine all the time (and it shows it, the cylinders are nearly black), because I love the way they operate.

John


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## Brass_Machine (Apr 21, 2008)

Nice job Mike! Got those plans myself but haven't yet made the plunge.


Eric


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## mike4517 (Apr 21, 2008)

Hi Eric

give it a go
mike


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## gilessim (Apr 21, 2008)

Nice job there Mike!, I made one too and mine still isn't running properly yet either!

Giles


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## Bogstandard (Apr 21, 2008)

The first steps to get one of these running is set up the piston timing. Set it up wrong and you will be struggling.
The first thing is make sure you have the right sized operating lever hole in the contra piston. It should be slack, not a close fit. The next bit is to set the operating arm gap, the one where the bottom of the power piston hits. 
Push down on the angled operating rod until it touches the top of the cylinder head, with the piston in the full out stroke, there should be approx 0.1mm gap between the bottom of the piston and the tip of the adjusting screw. Where the rod runs thru the cylinder is one of the few places you should put some very thin oil, it has to be almost friction free. I also, using a fine needle put a minute drop on the little end and one drop where the operating rod goes thru the hole on the top of the contra piston. Nothing at all anywhere near the bore and pistons.
The flame should be on the head side of the suck in hole. I find that a twenty second burn of a gas blowtorch is required to bring the cylinder up to temperature, then a few gentle suck ins of flame to get rid of the condensate in the cylinder. When things are getting very close to running you should find that the engine will start to 'pop' out of the suck in hole. This means that the engine is up to temperature and the piston is sealing. 1 or 2 mm out on the flame position, either up/down or side to side will be enough to stop it running. I use glass fibre wick so the flame stays the same shape and doesn't alter, as would do if a cotton wick is used. 
I eventually fixed my own design burners into position, so it is warm up, light wicks, turn over by hand a couple of times and away it goes.

Maybe this will help, maybe it won't, but it is worth trying just to see if it does. I spent ages finding the settings for mine. But both are exactly the same settings.

John


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## WMarco (Apr 30, 2008)

I'm a newbie here,
I made the elbow from john-tom, It's my first engine but I liked it very much to build. The squareness was a Little problem, but it runs 

Here are the picture's















All comments are welkom


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## b.lindsey (Apr 30, 2008)

Very nice results...thanks for sharing and welcome to the group.


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## zeusrekning (Apr 30, 2008)

Welcome, and the elbow looks good.


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## Philjoe5 (Apr 30, 2008)

Welcome to this group. You've built a great looking engine. I like the flywheel. Did you make it from barstock?

Cheers,
Phil


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## WMarco (Apr 30, 2008)

Thanks,
I made the flywheel from barstock, First I made both bronze parts, and then the aluminium flywheel. The bronze cylinders aren't a press fit but the allu flywheel is heated so it "grew" and by cooling it down wit the cylinder in it, it will never get out


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## Bogstandard (Apr 30, 2008)

Lovely engine you have built there.

It brings back memories of this site a few months ago, where it seemed like everyone was building one.

I think a lot of them went under the bench or recycled because they couldn't get them to run.

John


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## bretk (Apr 30, 2008)

Group,

 I am planning on having a go at an elbow soon, does anyone have any advice on how to make it a less painful process?

Regards, Bret


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## rake60 (Apr 30, 2008)

Welcome to HMEM WMarco 

If the Elbow was your first engine and it runs, any future 
engines will be easy for you.  

I built that engine about a year ago. 
It was easily the most frustrating engine I've ever built.

Rick


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## Cedge (Apr 30, 2008)

I see we have another masochist on the forum. I too chose the elbow as a first engine and was so bold as to make some serious modifications to the plans. I'll second Rick's opinion... that little engine was nearly enough to make a grown man cry. The machining was basic and straight forward, but getting the darned thing to run was quite something else. I was literally dreaming of 90° pistons by the time I got all of them sorted out.

Bret
I suggest a good single malt scotch.....(grin). It's a good project for developing patience and humility. You'll get it to run, but squaring up those pistons is... uh.... humbling. It is also an extremely satisfying confidence builder when it finally does run.

Steve


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## chiliviking (Apr 30, 2008)

I.m not familiar with that design. Where could one find a breakdown drawing of it? Excellent execution on the construction of the project. I't is a beautiful piece and must give a sense of great accomplishment that it actually runs(by other comments this seems very difficult).


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## rake60 (Apr 30, 2008)

Here's a link to the plans: _Elbow Engine Plans_


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## mklotz (Apr 30, 2008)

Maybe there's some hidden benefits in building the elbow. Need a perfect 90 degree reference square? Just fiddle with an elbow engine until it works, then pull out the pistons and put them in your toolbox for future use as squares.


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## Bogstandard (Apr 30, 2008)

As it says 'YOU CAN MAKE THIS ENGINE'

Getting it to run afterwards is another project in itself.

If you are even slightly prone to throwing yourself off cliffs, sticking your head in a vice and tightening it up, or even having a bit too much to drink, this one will definitely see you over the edge.

I didn't have much trouble with mine, but of course I don't suffer from any of the above.

But I did get thru a few domestic pets.

John


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