# 2 Cylinder Steam Engine



## ShedBoy (Sep 11, 2011)

Messed about with some foam and ali today and got a engine block for my troubles. Engine is based on a plan I have in a reprinted book from 1933. 25mm bore and stroke. 






Do something with it next week. Back to work tomorrow :'(

Brock


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## cfellows (Sep 13, 2011)

Any more info on this engine? Is it double acting? Vertical... Horizontal?

Chuck


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## ShedBoy (Sep 13, 2011)

Chuck the engine is from a book I bought called unusual projects from the first year of model craftsmen magazine 1933.




 This is what it looks like. It is a single acting high speed marine engine. I am making a metric version with a few changes. The block is going to be square shaped (simple) and I will be using bearing for mains. I wanted to cast something. When I go home I will cast a sump and valve chest. The valve chest will hopefully be bronze or brass.

Brock


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## ShedBoy (Sep 24, 2011)

The monolithic block has been sitting at my computer looking very boring so I had a go at making another more to the picture. 












This was the second go at it the first had some issues, this one may need a touch up with some weld but it should be okay :-\.
For all the foam building check out this thread called lost foam. The monolith is still looking at me but now has a companion. May be another engine in it
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Sep 25, 2011)

Got some shed time today  First up was fix that casting error




Hit it with the die grinder and roughed it up a bit




I am getting better with the tig




Flycut the top




Same on the bottom.




Faced the sump in the 4 jaw as it was easier to grab solid




Bolt together




Two become one
Brock


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## stevehuckss396 (Sep 25, 2011)

Great start. I will be following along.


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## ShedBoy (Sep 25, 2011)

Cleaned up the sides




The rear end was clean in the 4 jaw on the lathe. The front had to be done in the mill because the valve drive mount is in the way. Next job was to remove the centre so the crank has somewhere to spin. If I done this again I would dig out the foam to save some time.




Set up for angled sides.




One side done, one to go.








Done. Time for the sump while the vice is set up.




First side.




How i set it level with the jaws. The maget hold the jaws and slide as you tighten. One less hand required 




After finishing the bottom I thoght I would take advantage of my sloping casting and put a drain groove in it. I just pulled the deeper end up a couple of mm.




Then cut the groove.




Said groove.




I think they look okay 8)




Back with the monolith near the mouse. Back to work for a week tomorrow 
Thanx for looking in.
Brock


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## Brian Rupnow (Sep 25, 2011)

I see that you have the same "Tilt-a-Whirl" vice that I have. They are not a real great vice for accuracy, but they sure are versatile!!!----Brian


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## hopeless (Sep 25, 2011)

They must of had a world wide special as I have 1 as well ;D
Pete


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## ShedBoy (Sep 25, 2011)

I find the vice only as accurate as the setup applied. It certainly is solid when locked down. I need one a bit smaller though as this one weighs about 25kg.
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Oct 5, 2011)

Got some more done on this one.




Serious overhang figured it would be okay as it is not continuous all the way.




Forgot to take a finished pic but it came out fine.




Started on some bearing carriers.
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Oct 5, 2011)

Got the bearing carriers done nearly just need to drill some holes and clean up the outside faces








Front in












Some precision ground bar to check alignment so far so good. Hope it spins okay once bolted down :-\
More later
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Oct 6, 2011)

Decided to take a break from bearings for a bit a started on the crank. The plan said CRS flat bar or round and doesn't mention any hardening, I decided on flat but I didn't have 1/2" thick only 10mm. The journals are all 8mm so I guess it should do. This is my first go at turning between centres so I quicly whipped up a drive pin to go in the chuck mount holes.








Does the trick 




Marking out




Removed a heap with the mill




Ready for the dreaded intermediate cuts. Found a seat to go in front of the lathe. Was not looking forward to this bit.




Overhang :-\




Some time later one is done.




This is where it sits at the moment, just need to polish it to final size then start on the rest. I think it is going okay so far.
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Oct 7, 2011)

Got some more time on the crank this arvo. Really sick of intermitent cutting. 




Big ends done, set up for mains








I am nearly happy








Now just need to fit it to the other bit. I am happy with my first attempt at turning a crank but it takes alot of patience. Don't know how I would go at something with more throws. Thanks for looking in.
Brock


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## Brian Rupnow (Oct 7, 2011)

Very interesting post Brock. I never thought that aluminum castings that ugly on the outside could be cleaned up into decent engine parts. Don't take that as a put down in any way, please. My previous experience with aluminum casting was with Volkswagen of Canada, where we used H13 steel die-casting molds for our aluminum wheels, and they were always very clean appearing fresh out of the molds, with no visible porosity or rough surfave finih. They then went directly to the big CNC lathes that cleaned off about 2mm of material and left beautiful sparkling wheels, which went directly for clear powder coating. My education continues------Brian


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## ShedBoy (Oct 9, 2011)

No offence taken Brian  I am new to casting but enjoying the journey. I call it a 5metre casting, it looks good at that distance :big: The picture shows up with alot of shadows which don't help. I am having fun which is what matters to me. The sump does have some porosity but I think the min bearing carrier sorted it.
Brock


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## metalmad (Oct 9, 2011)

Hi Brock
If u push ugly hard enougth, it becomes beautiful :big:
nice job Mate
Pete


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## ShedBoy (Oct 9, 2011)

Beauty is just a light switch away :big:
Question for the masses, is bronze okay for making conrods?

Brock


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## Maryak (Oct 10, 2011)

metalmad  said:
			
		

> Hi Brock
> If u push ugly hard enougth, it becomes beautiful :big:
> nice job Mate
> Pete



Except for "Nuff Nuff" ;D (If you served in the RAN during the 50's-60's - you know who I mean)

Best Regards
Bob


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## G-Force (Oct 13, 2011)

It's nice to see other guys casting come out as rough as mine do. but hey at least we didn't pay top dollar for them and if you mess that one up there's plenty more in the sand box were that came from. cant wait to see it all finished.  olllllo


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## ShedBoy (Oct 20, 2011)

I am having an absolute crap day   . It started off okay,









Got main bearing drilled




Bored cylinders okay




Took down deck height




Even got an exhaust port done.




Senile cat decided I needed some company in the shed, usually not a bad thing but it was very vocal, more than usual.




Could only get the lathe to go backwards due to the switch falling apart




Had new one in stock because I had to glue the old one up 6 months ago, bit of wiring and done. All the while cat talking to me. I think the cat is pyschic.




Got the lathe going to start on some cylinders in cast iron








First one in like a dream.




Second one taught the neighbourhood kids some new words I think :fan: :fan: :fan: th_wtf1 :redface2: :redface2:
I have shut the door to the shed for now. Will go back out when i have cooled down a bit. 2 holes the same size, two cylinders the same size, one end had to crack. I am blaming the cat! Guess the furnace is going to make another appearance.
Fuming in the southwest.
Brock


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## metalmad (Oct 20, 2011)

Bugger
thats a tough break
sorry about the pun mate, it just had to come out. 
now go make a better one 
Pete


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## ShedBoy (Oct 20, 2011)

Yeah I have just been breaking it apart. I am putting it down to my 5 metre casting :-[. I might do some grinding and welding on an xs650 street tracker frame which has found its way onto my bike lift. I find building motorbikes very soothing, but the neighbours don,t find it as soothing in the middle of the night. Where is that foam gone. "tough break" made me laugh, thanks Pete.
Brock


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## metalmad (Oct 20, 2011)

I sold my yamaha 650 turbo last year.
One day ill get something else, maybe a Brit.
Pete


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## cfellows (Oct 20, 2011)

Sorry to see that break, Brock. I know the feeling all too well when something like that happens to a piece I've put a lot of work in to. But, somehow, I always pick myself up after a few days and give it another go. The end result always seems to be worth it!

Chuck


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## ShedBoy (Oct 20, 2011)

I may skin a cat a different way. Found some interesting stuff in the shed. Going to have a play around in the morning. I may fabricate a new crankcase. Watch this space for the easy way out. Contingency plan away :big:

Brock


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## ShedBoy (Oct 20, 2011)

Hey Pete if you are into your brit stuff I picked up a lovely thing a month ago. 1923 JAP 350cc engine, turns over mint, just need the rest of bike to go around it, or it will be mounted in a glass coffee table. 
Brock


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## metalmad (Oct 20, 2011)

nice one
used to have a BSA ex police 650 oil in the frame job too 
Pete


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## bearcar1 (Oct 20, 2011)

Ouch!! Way too bad about your mishap Brock. Your cat was trying to tell you something that time. Next time around, toss the liners in the freezer overnights and then bring them out and quickly press them in, they usually almost fall into place using this method. Doing press fits can get dicey, especially if the pieces aren't precisely square to one another. I really appreciate the work that you did on that crankshaft and bearings. I'm certain that the next casting (no. 3?) will be a huge improvement over what has been done to date. Thanks for sharing with all of us and I'll be watching for smoke on the horizon. Be safe.

BC1
Jim


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## ShedBoy (Oct 21, 2011)

Got in the shed early and found some foam again




That shape looks familiar








Best one yet












Faces cleaned up, drilled and tapped.Some squaring up next. I removed alot from the foam where to crank spins so there will be alot less machining.
Thanks for looking in and support.
Brock


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## Deanofid (Oct 22, 2011)

I've just been watching so far, Brock. Heard myself groan when I saw that split in your casting. Just 
plain bad luck, but you bounced back quick. Good on ya.
Your crank looks great, btw!.


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## metalmad (Oct 22, 2011)

nice job 
now thats what I call a good hard push in the right direction :big:
Pete


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## ShedBoy (Oct 23, 2011)

Got a bit done on the new castings. Got the block and sump faced and joined together and cleaned up inside the sump and face the ends to size. This casting is alot better than the previous one, no porosity yet. The castign seems a bit gummy while machining, getting alot of build up on the end mills. Oh well back to work tomorrow, seems I went backwards this break. Gained more knowledge though. Going to try melting some bronze next week I think to make the valve chest.

Brock


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## Ken I (Oct 23, 2011)

Brock, been following this thread with interest but so far just lurking.

Sorry about the crack, I think Murphy's law has something about the likelyhood of failure being proportional to the square of the effort thus far expended.

Turning the air blue is very theraputic but not appreciated by all - redirected aggression helps - keep a dead domestic appliance on hand and go to it with a hammer.

Keep up the great work and postings.

Ken


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## steamer (Oct 23, 2011)

sorry about the crack Brock.....probably doesn't need a press fit though....perhaps a little loctite.

The new casting looks great mate!

GoodOnYa......you'll get there.....regardless of the vocabulary lessons! ;D

Dave


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## bezalel2000 (Oct 23, 2011)

Hi Brock 

Second casting looks great,
I hope you have identified what you did different to get it right.

It can be real frustrating, not knowing how you got the good one if its followed by a string miss runs.

No need to ask how I know ;D 

Nice work on the engine too

Bez


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## ShedBoy (Oct 24, 2011)

Thanks for the support everyone. I was pressing them in as described by the build notes because it recomends to finish boring them when fitted hence the 13mm bore, but I reckon I am going to put in stepped liners and the valve chest can hold them in.
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Nov 2, 2011)

Got back to the machines today. Finished hogging out the block and sump then bored for main bearings. Decided to use the 4 jaw in the lathe to bore the cylinders. Worked good. Put a step in the top for an interference fit of 0.04mm. 




Reckon I measured about 20 times each hole.








Got one cast iron cylinder sleeve made, tight sliding fit for the bulk of the sleeve the top has the press fit bit. I am really happy with the accuracy I am working to. Slowed down alot with lots more measuring. Back to it tomorrow make the second cylinder then lap them to size, 0.05mm undersize. Maybe some pistons and rods depending on what else comes through the door. Dam love jobs.
Brock


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## arnoldb (Nov 2, 2011)

You're doing a nice job Brock Thm:

It's good to see you don't let little (and not so little!) setbacks faze you!

regards, Arnold


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## kustomkb (Nov 2, 2011)

Real nice work you are doing there Brock.


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## Blogwitch (Nov 2, 2011)

> I am really happy with the accuracy I am working to. Slowed down alot with lots more measuring.



That is one of the secrets of this game, if more people did it, we would see vast improvements in some of the work being shown, or not being shown because of bad workmanship.

There are no prizes in this hobby for finishing first, so why rush things?

Not only will you be able to enjoy making it for longer, but you will get a lot more satisfaction because you are getting it right first time.

Don't get me wrong, even the very best machinists make mistakes, just a lot less of them, which you should be aiming for.

Coming along very nicely indeed.


John


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## ShedBoy (Nov 3, 2011)

Finally managed to press in some cylinder sleeves 





Lapped to 18mm both within 0.003mm of each other 8)




From the inside




Cut exhaust port and lowered deck to final height.




Machined cylinder ports and drilled from outside into the exhaust port.
Block is nearly done 
Brock


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## metalmad (Nov 3, 2011)

nice one Mate 
keep em coming
Pete


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## ShedBoy (Nov 6, 2011)

Got some done over the weekend after building a motor mount bracket for an old industrial sewing machine after the cast one snapped during unloading from a trailer and repiring a faulty generator. For my troubles I recieved a bench mounted sandblasting cabinet which I am going to modify into a vapour blasting cabinet. Back to the engine.




Pistons turned up




Need something to hold them to the crank.




This is the second piece for the conrods. I originally had a hunk of bronze (super hard) which ate a 2.5mm drill and would not spit the broken bit out . That has made it to the melt pile. Had a go with some brass.




One nearly done




Both fitted to big end just need some final fitting to crank and some profiling on the little end. Making conrods is not the most fun task. I think these will be remade one day :-\. Have an extra day off work this break so I may get more done before going back to work.
Thanks for looking in.
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Nov 17, 2011)

Had some more time in the cave over the last few days




Made up a mandrel to hold the rods while some machining was done on the big end cheeks. Then milled the sides down a bit thinner.




Been seeing filing buttons a bt lately so I thought I would give it a go, very handy and quite quick. I did use the belt sander to get rid of alot before filing. Didn't bother hardening them. Put everything together to see if it would turn. Took a video of result
http://s1080.photobucket.com/albums/j325/brockster13/Steam engine/?action=view&current=MOV001.mp4
<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid1080.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj325%2Fbrockster13%2FSteam%2520engine%2FMOV001.mp4">
I am fairly happy but I think there is a loose little end in there.


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## ShedBoy (Nov 17, 2011)

Well one of my video links worked. There is no rings in there yet but it seals quite well, I am going to try some acetal for rings. After the success of pistons moving up and down with no violence I was keen to make a start on the valve chest. I was going to cast a bronze one but the god of rain said no. Sticking to the original plan and use ali bolted to a steel plate.




Plate marked out ready for drilling




 Plated drilled and valve chest block squared up. Just nedd to put in the steam ports aftr finding the diameter of number 26 and 28 drills.
Thanks for looking in
Brock


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## metalmad (Nov 17, 2011)

I like the filing button trick and might try it myself in the next few days 
Pete


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## ShedBoy (Nov 20, 2011)

I have been in my shed all weekend, got lots done.




Valve slots were drilled then filed




Underside of valve plate ground out to aid flow, used a dremel.




The beginning of a valve chest, holes all spotted from valve plate.




Spotting chest cover plate




Valve chest attached with countersunk screws.
More pics coming.
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Nov 20, 2011)

More pics




Drilling block spotted from valve plate




My cheap and cheerfull tapping guide/ drive dog




Chest on, nearly looks like an engine.








Stainless gland will squash an o ring




Gland, rod and chest together








Squaring up with 3 jaw. Worked fine.




Valve drive support beginning




More filing buttons
Still more to come
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Nov 20, 2011)

Collection of parts




Modifying a cheap clamp. Got 5 of these clamps for $9.99. Good for a while, throw away item.




Good for holding round now. Drilling the valve drive disc.








Little bit off but nothing that can't be fixed. Looks pretty I reckon




That is a TIG weld on a 4mm shaft. I am no expert they are qute an easy machine to use on steel. Ali is a different story.




3mm drive pin weld in. No distortion from welding. Everyone should try a TIG on steel you will be suprised at the results.




Had an idea for grinding out the valve block using a dremel grinding stone. Come out real good but is not really fast.




Valve block inside the valve chest. Just need to conect the valve rod to the drive disc and turn a flywheel. Fingers crossed it should work. Back to work tomorrow so nothing for a week :'(. Thanks for looking in
Brock


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## Herbiev (Nov 20, 2011)

Looking great Brock. I'm picking up heaps of useful tips on the way :bow:


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## ShedBoy (Nov 29, 2011)

It has run in anger and nothing died  Trying to upload a video. Soon
Brock


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## ShedBoy (Nov 29, 2011)

[youtube=425,350][/youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgb6H8ftDA8
Can you here me starting to burn up


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## ShedBoy (Nov 29, 2011)

Finally got the silly button to work. Need to put everything on the back burner now as I have to empty my shed, tear it down and install a new bigger one.

What do you think of the first run?
Brock


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## steamer (Nov 29, 2011)

Awesome Brock! That little guy screams!



Dave


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## ShedBoy (Nov 29, 2011)

Thanx Dave that would be nice.

Brock


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## metalmad (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Brock 
congrats on first pop :bow:
well done mate that thing does scream :big:
Pete


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## cfellows (Nov 29, 2011)

Nice runner, Brock. Gotta be satisfying to take it from scrap to a nice, running engine!

Chuck


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## smfr (Nov 29, 2011)

It was great seeing this one come together, especially the cylinder sleeves. That thing screams!

Simon


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## ShedBoy (Nov 29, 2011)

Thanks for the nice comments after the shed build I will make a nice mount for it, probably some bed mout so it looks like it can go in a boat. Also need to adjust the valve timing a bit as it takes a bit to get it to turn over. No machining for me for a while. Next build will be a shed thread.

Brock


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## arnoldb (Nov 30, 2011)

Nice one Brock, congratulations Thm:

It really does scream along !

While you're rebuilding the shed, make it twice as large as you think you need; it'll still end up too small though 

Kind regards, Arnold


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## Ken I (Nov 30, 2011)

Nice runner you have there Brock - glad to see it back from the precipice of broken to the splendour of running.

Ken


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