# Gail's version of Chuck's Horizontal single is alive



## GailInNM (Jul 9, 2008)

And still another version of Chuck's Horizontal single is running. It still needs a base and some tinkering with the springs. It will probably be a little while before I get around to that.

The cylinder and piston are cast iron. The flywheels came out of my old castings box and are zinc. I think that I only had one casting session with that pattern and the pattern is dated 1984. But they were about the right size and weight. The base is built up of 1/4 CRS plate pieces screwed together. The crankshaft is built up with the rod in place during construction. The rod has a 1/4 X 1/2 ball bearing in the big end. I put fins on the cylinder, well just because I like fins. Not what you would want for steam, but it will probably never see steam. Looks right for an IC engine which it supposed to sound like. And on air, they won't make any difference. 

Video is first run. RPM is about 180. 20 PSI with a needle valve in the line to regulate speed. Sorry about all the background noise.
Gail in NM, USA

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/user/nmsteam#p/u/7/Aj9aco2viLM[/ame]


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## Divided He ad (Jul 9, 2008)

Nice one Gail ;D 

I like fin's... Not the people...I don't know any of those! ...I like the ones you made ;D I think they add quite a nice look to the engine, which is looking very good.

I don't remember seeing any build photo's in the WIP section? Were there any? if not could you post a still photo or two please? Just so I can take a closer look at those flywheels and some of the other detailing ;D


Ralph.


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## b.lindsey (Jul 9, 2008)

Very nicely done Gail and the video shows it off well !! This design would make a nice addition to any steam/air collection with its unique sound and valve arrangement. Beautiful finish to the engine as well.

Bill


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## bretk (Jul 9, 2008)

Gail,

Very Nice !  :bow: :bow: :bow: I like the fins too, Hmm, maybe I need to chuck the cylinder back up in the lathe???  :

-Bret


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## cfellows (Jul 9, 2008)

Great Job, Gail. You're engine looks a heck of lot better than mine :-[.

I'm still experimenting with air feed, piston valve springs and sizes to get a sharper exhaust note. 

I've tried using a pressure regulator to vary the speed. It makes for a very smooth run and slow idle speeds, but the exhaust note is lacking. 

Higher pressures and restriction of the air volume seems to give a better sound. Keeping the cam dwell short also improves the sound.

Chuck


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## GailInNM (Jul 9, 2008)

Thanks for the comments/advice/suggestions everyone.

For those just joining us, here are some of the links to earlier work on this style engine.

Photos and description of Chuck Fellows Engine that started all this madness
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2088

Chucks drawings for the original
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2100.0

Bret's work in process
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2154.0

Bret's video of his first runs
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~lhartswick/Diamond-turning-facing/3Final-version.jpg


Today I hope to get som drawings done up for the first round of changes that I know that I need to make on this engine.

Ralph, I did not do a WIP on this engine, so there are no previous photos. When I get the new parts made, I will do a complete tear down on this engine to both install the new parts, but to also clean up some of the existing parts. I will take some detailed photos of the parts while it is in little bitty pieces as well as some of the partially assembled engine so you can see the relationship.

Chuck, thank you for starting this all and for the helpful information that you have been passing along all the way.

Bret, thanks to you also. We were building at almost the same time. You were a good boy and posted progress all the while. I am a hermit, so did not post anything. Your WIP was most helpful. 

There is nothing like successful prototypes to follow to make life easier. 

Gail in NM,USA


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## Brass_Machine (Jul 9, 2008)

Very cool Gail! Nice work.

Eric


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## CrewCab (Jul 9, 2008)

I really love these Horizontal Single's 8) ............. very nice work Gail and a big thanks to Chuck, Bret, yourself and BS ;D for all the input. I'm determined to have a go at one a little further down (or should that be "up") the "learning curve", for the moment though I think it probably best to set my sights a little further down the scale, just where though still remains a mystery ???

CC


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## rake60 (Jul 9, 2008)

Great Job Gail!

Rick


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## GailInNM (Jul 9, 2008)

Here are some photos of the first run configuration. I plan to tear it down soon for retrofitting with new parts I am making now so the next photos will be different.


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## cfellows (Jul 9, 2008)

Gail, how did you fasten the cam to the cam gear?

Chuck


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## GailInNM (Jul 9, 2008)

Chuck,
I made the cam and the gear hub as one piece out of SAE 660 bronze. The gear is just a 1/8 thick gear blank cut from 12L14 steel. Actually I cut the gear as a 2 inch long section so I could make up new gear/cam assemblies and switch them out as a unit so I could try different cams easily. The hole in the gear blank is a finger press fit on the hub part so a drop of Loctite 680 makes them as one. The hub is reamed to 0.203 and the shaft is turned to fit. Then I turned down the end to 3/16 to fit the bearing cap mount and allow free play. When I turned the shaft down, I turned the 3/16 part 0.005 eccentric to the 0.203 part so I could rotate the shaft and set the gear backlash if necessary. Always a good idea with homebrew gears and all that sort of thing. 
Gail


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## CallMeAL (Jul 10, 2008)

Wow! Two of these great engines at the same time. Wonderfully done in both cases. Similar, but each uniquely differant. Now I earn to build one!


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## Divided He ad (Jul 10, 2008)

Gail, I really like the cam idea too. I was thinking of a cam that style, having worked on the cars for years.... That's what a cam looks like in your head! 

I am Eagerly awaiting what you are retrofitting.... surely there can't be much you could change.... it looks and runs so well! ;D

I may leave it for a while... so that I have a lot of knowledge built up first.... then I might tackle one of these very cool engines ;D 



Thanks for the photo's, 


Ralph.


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## Paolo (Jul 10, 2008)

Very Nice work Gail..I'm thinking at my next work... :big:

Paolo


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## bretk (Jul 10, 2008)

Gail,

 Very impressive cam/gear setup. Certainly more adjustable than my beveled nub in the setscrew hole of a purchased gear. I must give gearcutting a try 

-Bret


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## GailInNM (Jul 10, 2008)

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Bret: Gear cutting is quite easy once you get started. I have a full set of 48 DP and 64 DP cutters that I have acquired mostly one or two at a time as I needed them over the years. The gears for this engine are 48 DP with 20 and 40 teeth. The number of teeth selected was so I could cut them with a 5C speedy indexer which only goes in one degree increments. I have an dividing head so I can cut any number of teeth, but it is too heavy for an old man to lift safely on to the mill table by myself, so I have to wait for someone to come over to help me to both mount it and then put it away. 

The gears were cut from 12L14 and I cut an extra long section for the cam gear so I could make up extra cam/gear assemblies as needed for playing. It took about an hour to prep the stock and cut the gear stock so I can just slice off as needed. See attached photo.

First order of business on the changes is to make up a new cam. The cam diameter has to increase to get the dwell time I want, so this means making up a new shorter push rod. The push rod is a length of 1/8 OD x0.014 wall hobby shop aluminum tubing with a 2-56 threaded bushing Loctited in each end with Loctite 680. The bushing are turned from 1/8 AF brass hex stock to make adjustment easier.


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## Mcgyver (Jul 10, 2008)

very nice Gail


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## CrewCab (Jul 10, 2008)

Speaking of gears, as cutting them is certainly out of my league at present I was browsing for UK suppliers ??? ........... without much success I might add, the only ones I found that might work were *These*, bit they seem a bit too thick (or .... wide).

Does anyone have a link to a UK supplier for suitable items.

Cheers 

CC


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## cfellows (Jul 12, 2008)

GailInNM  said:
			
		

> Video is first run. RPM is about 180. 20 PSI with a needle valve in the line to regulate speed. Sorry about all the background noise.
> Gail in NM, USA



Gail,

What kind of needle valve did you use for speed control? Is it something you made? Got a picture or a rough drawing?

Thx...
Chuck


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## GailInNM (Jul 12, 2008)

Chuck,
The valve is just a standard commercial one used for flow control in pneumatic systems. I have had it on my test regulator for probably 20 years, but it probably came from MSC or McMaster. It is 1/4 NPT female in and out and is hooked right in to my regulator. It has a big knob on it so it is easy to adjust. I have another one that I can put in line at the engine that is sold by home improvement stores around here for water control for evaporative coolers. As I recall, you are in a dry part of the country, so you probably have them in your area also. It is 1/4 compression tube in and out. When I want to run a conventional steam engine slow, I put it very near the steam chest and keep the pressure up high on the inlet side of it. I allows you to run conventional engines, particularly multi cylinder ones, much slower that way. Using it as a flow control, as the engine slows down, the pressure in the chest will increase to keep it going. It needs to have as little a volume between the valve and the engine for that to be effective.
Gail in NM,USA


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## GailInNM (Jul 12, 2008)

Most of the essential modifications are complete. I still need to make a base plate and do some changes in the intake and exhaust fitting and piping, but I needed to check to see if the mods worked. Video is at 82 RPM.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/user/nmsteam#p/u/6/ZYLc1-x4-F0[/ame]


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## chuck foster (Jul 12, 2008)

gail...............thats one very nice sounding and very slow running engine you have  :bow: 8)

didn't think and engine would run that slow 

chuck


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## bretk (Jul 12, 2008)

Gail,

Holy Crap ! That is SLOW !  :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

-Bret


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## cfellows (Jul 12, 2008)

I love it! What are the specs on the spring you used for the piston slide valve (wire size, diameter, length)?

Chuck


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## GailInNM (Jul 12, 2008)

The spring is from a Walgreen's Corner Office gel pen, but stretched out a little bit. Started off as 0.85 long from the pen and I stretched to 1 inch long. Specifications are: 0.20 Outside diameter, 0.015 carbon steel wire, with 8-1/2 active turns and two tight turns at each end. 

My piston is 0.265 diameter instead of 0.25 that you had. My bore was a little bit rough at .25 so I reamed to .265 as I had a flex hone that size to smooth out the bore. I counter bored the piston 0.312 to provide extra room for the spring so the spring retainer is the bolt on flange at the end of the cylinder with a 3/16 hole through it. 

The real key to making it run slow it to get rid of all the friction possible. The only plain bearings are the rod small end, which is 2024 teamed .1255 running on a dowel pin, and the cam gear which is bronze 660 on a 12L14 shaft. I may change out the cam gear bearing to a ball bearing sometime in the future. 

Th main cause of friction on small engines is Oil! My piston and cylinder are cast iron. They were lapped independently of each other with 600 mesh (25 micron) diamond using brass laps. I lapped to a clearance at 0.0005 inch. At these speeds, cast iron against cast iron has a very low friction coefficient and is quite happy running dry. As soon as you put even the lightest loin on it, the viscosity of the oil at least triples the drag. The real problem is that if the air is moist, it will rust very quickly. I will probably make another piston and lap it for 0.0010 to 0.0015 clearance so I can use light oil and still have fairly good slow running. For the video, I removed the cylinder and cleaned the piston and cylinder with brake cleaner and dry compressed air. After the video, I ran it for about 2 hours and it picked up enough oil from my air line that the low RPM increased to about 100 RPM. 

I can get a really good "bark" form it by running the RPM up to about 1000 by increasing the air flow, then load the engine down with a rag on the flywheel to about 150 RPM That makes the air pressure build up in the cylinder and then gives a sharp report when it exhausts.

Gail in NM,USA


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## rake60 (Jul 12, 2008)

I'd say there are TWO :bow:'s in order here.

 :bow: #1 to Chuck for his design and sharing it here.

 :bow: #2 to Gail for showing just how far that design 
could be taken.

I LOVE slow runners!
Great work on BOTH fronts!

Rick


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## GailInNM (Jul 12, 2008)

Thanks Rick.
Don't leave Bret out. I stole a lot of ideas from him and got a good bit of information from him also. And mine will never get dressed up like his !! And his is a good runner too.

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2422.0
Gail in NM,USA


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## rake60 (Jul 12, 2008)

And a :bow: to Bret as well!

THIS is the type of a hobby community I'd dreamed could happen.
YOU people have proved it's possible!

Rick


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