# 1/3-rd scale Myrick Model H vertical hot tube engine



## myrickman (Jan 29, 2012)

Here is the beginnings of a project to make a one-third scale model of a Myrick Model H engine circa 1912 from Olean, NY. I saw this model in finished form at Coolspring Power Museum a few years ago. The fellow who made it intended it to be a one-off. It was made from aluminum castings. This one will be all cast iron. The patterns for the engine then went to another friend who had plans to put it on pattern boards but alas, he ended up returning them to the original owner. The original owner sent them to me and here we are. I have a copy of the orginal blueprint for this engine so it will make sizing the piston, gears and con rod much easier. The enlargement of the drawing I made just happened to be exactly the same size as the model patterns- how is that for luck? Flywheels are 11" and quite beefy so with a 2" bore and 2.5" stroke, it should thump pretty good for a model. My plans are to replicate the earlier model H with the "lollypop" governer instead of the usual 2-weight system found on many other models. Con rod will be bronze. A few artistic liberties were taken with the fins; fewer than on the original engine. Will try to run it on a hot tube and propane. Pictures of the project will be posted to my picasa album at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/113212157040763340674/MyrickModelHModel
Check back every few weeks. Today I finished the piston pattern.


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## willburrrr2003 (Jan 30, 2012)

Looking good!!!  I love to see casting projects  please post pics of the pours and when you take the parts out of the sand!

Good luck, and best wishing on your project!

                   Will R


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## JorgensenSteam (Jan 30, 2012)

Nice patterns and engine.


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## myrickman (Feb 20, 2012)

Couple of new pix on the link the original post. Working on a useable hot tube which will scale down. Took some time fooling around with fuel pressure and air vents to get the heat right. Next thing when the engine is done is to try various lengths to get the timing right.


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## myrickman (Sep 30, 2012)

I posted a couple of pictures of the castings from the foundry to the picasa album at the top of the thread. I was pleased with the way they came out. The finished model will weigh in at about 60-70 pounds. This is going to be a team build of sorts with two friends of mine over the winter.


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## myrickman (Nov 25, 2012)

I got back on this build today and should be working on it hard throughout December. This weekend was spent machining the base and bearing caps. The plan is to pour Babbitt bearings  with a 1 inch OD and 3/4 inch ID.  If you go to the link to the Picasa album in an earlier post, there are many more pix.


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## idahoan (Nov 25, 2012)

Great stuff Myrickman

Thanks for the the tip on the Picasa link: I enjoyed looking at your progress and setups.

Dave


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## myrickman (Nov 26, 2012)

Used in the oil and gas fields in the NY/PA area. Stands about 4 feet tall.


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## myrickman (Dec 4, 2012)

Made some more progress on the model over last few days. Got the flywheel rims and hubs finished. The keys will be 3/16" gibs. Crankshaft diameter 3/4". If you go to the link at the top of the thread you can see how I did the bores. Then they were dogged to a piece of 3/4" drill rod on the lathe for cleanup. One flywheel has the inner and outer hubs machined to accept a sleeve for the governer and the outer one to clear the lollipop which rotates the sleeve which moves in and out against two spirals lots in the sleeve. The head and intake chest was begun today. Since this a natural gas engine, a hole in the intake valve seat supplies the gas to the engine. The head cleanup was straightforward, but making the passage from the combustion chamber to the valves took a lot of setup. The passage is at a 35 degree angle so I had to mount it to a tilt table which was bolted to an angle plate. I'll cut the passage in two days when I get back to it. I included a picture of the mocked up engine to give you an idea of what it will look like. Have to order a 16DP 20 and 40 tooth gear set for the cam drive.


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## vcutajar (Dec 5, 2012)

Following your progress as you move along the build.

Vince


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## Brian Rupnow (Dec 5, 2012)

Very impressive build. You seem to know what you are doing, and I mean that as a compliment.---Brian


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## myrickman (Dec 6, 2012)

Thanks Brian and others for the kind words of encouragement. There are so many great builds documented on this site. I have learned a lot of shop tricks from them. Seeing others' projects is very inspirational and helps keep the momentum going.


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## myrickman (Dec 10, 2012)

I uploaded 9 more  pix of the Myrick build to the Picasa site. See the top of the thread for the link. This time, there are pix of the rotary table being used to machine the arch piece which supports the cylinder. Also detailed is the setup used to cut the passage between the combustion chamber and the valve chest.


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## myrickman (Dec 18, 2012)

Added some more pictures of the build to Picasa link at top of thread. The bore was honed in to 2.000 on a Sunnen  hone by a good friend of mine. Machined the piston od and cut the ring grooves for two 3/32 rings. Next was to finish up the intake valve assembly. The valve seat needs to be wide enough to seal 2 0.050" holes which deliver gas during the intake stroke. Valves were made from drill rod in two pieces. The governer assembly was begun. The lollipop on the outside of the flywheel pivots against a shaft. On the inside of the flywheel, a dog rotates a sleeve. 2 helical slots in the sleeve (not done yet) move the collar in and out to move the latch arm against the exhaust valve to achieve hit and miss governing.


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## myrickman (Dec 22, 2012)

Worked on the pivot point for the governer latch lever. I hogged it out a piece of 1 inch round stock and soldered on the ear which holds a spring to push the lever out away from the latch block. Shown is the full scale gear which is about 6 inches across and the scaled gear. I did not put the radii on the vertical tabs until I make the lever and drill the holes for the retaining pin.  The scaled gear will get a dishing on the front face like the full scale and to remove the china embossing.


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## myrickman (Dec 22, 2012)

Made the stand for the model from 50+ year old tongue and groove mahogany. It will get two rows of brass screws where the decking joins the runners. Usually I make this last but had the wood shop fired up on another project.


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## myrickman (Dec 26, 2012)

Made up the crankshaft over last two days. The web holes were 0.001 undersized. I heated the webs to about 1100F and slid them into place. A one inch gage block kept the spacing correct. The journal pin was press fit. Cross pins were also press fit through the rods and the webs. All pin ends were TIG welded to fuse the pins to the webs. When it was all finished, there was a slight spring of the webs together. A quick bump on the arbor press brought the assembly back to running true. If you go to the picasa link at post beginning, more detail is shown. For some reason I can only attach one photo at a time from my iPad. Here is shown the crank after the first welding was done and the center cut away.


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## myrickman (Dec 30, 2012)

Spent most of the day finishing the governer sleeve actuation. A spring-loaded weight and arm on the outside of the flywheel rotates a shaft through the flywheel spoke and drives a dog or finger which rotates the bronze sleeve a few degrees. Two spiral slots in the sleeve and two pins in the flywheel hub cause the sleeve to move in and out parallel to the crankshaft axis. To layout the 35 degree slots, I made a sleeve to go over the bronze governer collar where I machined a large slot where one side passed through the layout sleeve center. Then I scribed one side of the slot in the bronze sleeve, rotated the outer sleeve, and scribed the other side of the spiral slot.


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## myrickman (Dec 30, 2012)

Once the slots were laid out, the sleeve was placed in the mill and the right side of it against a stop. The cutter was centered on the sleeve axis (x direction) and the y axis was eyeballed to be within the center of the layout lines. Through 7-8 rotation steps, y-axis adjustments and plunges, the spiral slot was developed. Afterwards, a small flat file was used to dress down the ridges leaving a smooth slot. The sleeve was rotated 180 degrees and the slot profile repeated. More detail is on the Picasa link at the thread beginning.


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## myrickman (Dec 30, 2012)

Here is what the finished assembly looks like. It works freely and the sleeve moves in and out about 3/32"; plenty to move the latch lever and hold the exhaust valve open.


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## idahoan (Dec 30, 2012)

Hi Myrick Man

Your engine is coming along nicely; great work on the Governor and also the crankshaft.

Thanks for sharing,
Dave


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## myrickman (Jan 7, 2013)

I always like pouring main bearings instead of brass sleeves to make fitting easier and to ensure alignment. Here is the fixture I use to align the axis of the bore with the mains. For the initial pour, a sleeve goes on the opposite side to center the crankshaft mandrel in the saddle. I had this fixture made for another restoration so all I needed to change was the white plastic cylinder which fits in the bore.


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## myrickman (Jan 7, 2013)

The shims for the crank mandrel were smoked with a candle flame and placed in the cap/saddle assembly. The tin-based Babbitt was heated to 700F for the pour and the bearing preheated to 250-300F.


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## myrickman (Jan 7, 2013)

Finished pour with caps and saddles dressed for a test fit. Still need to drill the caps for the oil cups and make the oil grooves. We're getting closer; the rod is at the foundry and should be done by next week. The rod will also get a poured main journal bearing.


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## myrickman (Feb 10, 2013)

Last week's installment was to machine and Babbitt the rod. Still needs some proper looking fasteners. Those will be made from 303 stainless hex.


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## myrickman (Feb 10, 2013)

Since the cam is a simple symmetrical one, it was made on the rotary table. This profile is similar to the original. I used a lift angle of 100 degrees to give me some leeway with the lash and holding the governor latch in. First I made a trial piece from blue proofing wax and it looked AOK. Still some angst about putting the cutter to the metal.... Zero degrees on the table was the high spot and the diameter of the stub on the gear side.   Then the table moved 0.165 in. The table rotated to 50 degrees and a horizontal cut made. Then the table was rotated to the 310 degree position and another horizontal swipe made. From then on one rotates the table until the two flats meet up and viola. This is the profile on the original...not very elegant is it?


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## myrickman (Feb 10, 2013)

I was pleased with how it turned out and when installed on the engine, the little 3/16 lift rod had no problems following it. Actually, the bottom of the lift rod gets a rectangular shoe, so that should make the lift smoother.


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## vcutajar (Feb 11, 2013)

Keep it up.  Learning new things as you move along with your build.

Vince


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## myrickman (Feb 17, 2013)

Spent this weekend making nuts and bolts and working on the governor pick and latch block. The lollipop weight on the flywheel rotates the brass sleeve and moves it left/right on the spiral slot. The left side of the sleeve rubs the pick arm which moves it into the catch block (hidden from view). This pick arm is a mock up which is soldered together. The permanent one gets welded and will be all steel. A small compression spring on the top of the pivot point keeps the arm against the brass sleeve shoulder.


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## myrickman (Feb 17, 2013)

A good friend of mine got me making all my fasteners from 303 stainless hex. They just look so nice and they stay that way. I can knock to a 1/4 inch bolt in about 10-15 mins...easier when they are small as I use a threading die in the lathe to cut the threads. Most of the larger ones are 1/4-20s, the small ones are 10-32s.


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## myrickman (Feb 17, 2013)

Old girl weighs in at about 60 lbs... Hope to get the rod in and finish up the valves next weekend. Should not be long now. For working from an undimensioned print I am pleased how it is turning out. The big IF will be can I get it to fire on the hot tube. I have several larger hot tube engines and have a decent grasp of what makes them work (or not). A tin shroud goes over the fins.. That is coming. A groove gets cut in the left flywheel to drive a cooling fan.


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## myrickman (Mar 10, 2013)

Here is a trial gas cock I made from a 5/16 cross casting and some 5/16 tubing I bought for PM Research. The handle needs some cleaning up but I'm happy with the way it works. This sort of valve was a staple item on gas-fueled oil patch engines. I made a jig to hold the raw pipe fitting castings which is just intersecting 45 degree slots in a piece of aluminum.


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## myrickman (Mar 10, 2013)

When I installed the rod assembly, horror of horrors, the rod hit the side of the crankcase. Had to use one of the rods from kit #2 and re-machine it. This time I took a quarter inch off each side and put the cap nuts in from the bottom. Somewhat of a departure from the original, but I think it'll pass.


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## myrickman (Mar 10, 2013)

The nice thing about doing this over was I have all the jigs made so this part was easy. Improvement over rod #1 was to put dimples in the shells to hold the bearing tight. Way easier than trying to tin it and get everything to stick. In the top right corner you can see rod #1.  After dressing the corners, the rod fit nicely in the engine and will be final shimmed for running.  The only big hurdle now to getting it running is getting the exhaust valve seat to seal; it is being stubborn.... :wall:


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## myrickman (Mar 17, 2013)

Finished up the running bits today and got the exhaust valve to seal so-so.. Took it out to the garage and dialed in the hot tube burner. Turned on the propane and it fired right up. Once I re-make the exhaust valve with a cast iron head, I should get it to seal better. When I try to lap it in, it cuts the head and not the seat. The hot tube is about 2.5" long made from quarter inch stainless tubing. When I get the valve to seat properly, it should hit harder and get up on the governer latch. Still, it will run nice and slow like I prefer.  
[ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RktbcVtR3bw[/ame]


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## idahoan (Mar 17, 2013)

Nice job and congrats on getting your engine running: it sounds great!

I agree with you, I like them running nice and slow too.

Dave


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## Brian Rupnow (Mar 17, 2013)

Big congratulations!!!-----Brian


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## myrickman (Mar 24, 2013)

Finished up some of the minor bits today. I made a fan and hub/pulley which goes with the shroud. Still scratching my head at trying to do the stretch out for the shroud where a 3 inch cylinder intersects a 3.5 inch cylinder. I have some references on how to do it.... Made the fittings from PM castings and installed the gas line. Then there is the issue of paint. I am hedging towards using some Penetrol with lampblack in it. I'd like to keep the Oil patch look. Got the exhaust valve seating much better now. Using a cast iron head was the ticket. The lapping compound now cut evenly into both the seat and valve. Before, it was cutting only the valve. She is at least presentable to take to Cabin Fever. I best get some sort of cart or park close as it weights every bit of 70 lbs.


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## myrickman (Mar 24, 2013)

Pix of the fan and some of the plumbing. BTW, that is what the original fans look like.  Kinds cheesy without a shroud. I have to scare up some 1/8 rubber tubing this week to finish the fan belt. Maybe some RC black fuel line??? Maybe some 1/8 O-ring stock??  Ideas??


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## myrickman (May 14, 2013)

Finally got around to making the shroud from some old galvanized steel. I turned a 3.5" round nylon  and then bored a 3" pocket in at right angles. Then a 3" piece of round nylon was inserted into the pocket. I traced the intersection of the 3" with the OD of the 3.5" using a sharpie. To get the patterns for the sheet metal, I wrapped transparent plastic film over the two mandrels and traced them out with an exacto knife. From there it was a simple matter of cutting and soldering. That water-soluble plumbers flux I picked at home despot was the only thing which would successfully solder the old sheeting. Here is the result. I'll post what the original looks like in a follow up post.  Thanks for all your kind and encouraging comments. Cheers, MM.


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## myrickman (May 14, 2013)

Could not attach to last post


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## myrickman (May 14, 2013)

The full sized engine...about 4 feet tall, 650 lbs.


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## deverett (May 15, 2013)

Great engine.  Enjoyed seeing it at CF and meeting you.

Dave
The Emerald Isle


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## myrickman (Jun 17, 2013)

Took the model to Coolspring power museum this past week along with the full-sized engine. The model ran flawlessly often starting on 1-2 flywheel flips. Here it is at a local show a few days before on a trial run. The man who gave me the patterns also had his friend show up to Coolspring with a scaled, engraved name tag with serial number 002, since his was the first. Very neat...
[ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aJd7gVMk2cI[/ame]


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## myrickman (Jun 17, 2013)

Picture from Coolspring show with the model and full sized engine.


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## jwcnc1911 (Jun 17, 2013)

That's pretty awesome, I like how you can see it hit in the video.


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## Brian Rupnow (Jun 18, 2013)

That, sir, Is simply magnificent. Wonderful job!!!---Brian


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## lovemanop (Jul 26, 2013)

You work out Come Very beautiful


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