# My first engine



## Ross_macker (Dec 30, 2008)

Hi all, 

i have just started my first ever engine and i am not too sure about my model. I decided to build the Elmers Wobble Plate motor. I have made the base, colums, bushes, wobble plate, crank shaft (including crank plate), and fly wheel. I have been assembling as i go and have noticed that when i spin the fly wheel it only turns a couple of turns then stops. i have oiled the bushes. just wondering how freely it should all turn ???

any help would be much apreciated.
thanks
ross


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## tel (Dec 30, 2008)

Sight unseen. I'd say you have done very well to get it to spin that much - running it under power will free things up considerably


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## b.lindsey (Dec 30, 2008)

Hi Ross,
Elmer's Wobble Plate is a nice little engine. After years of running mine, I doubt it spins more than a couple of revs just by turning the flywheel, but it runs very well on 4-5 psi. As long as you don't feel any binding as you turn it over by hand, you should be in fine shape and it will only get better with some runnning time on it. I case you haven't noticed yet, this group loves pictures!! Hope you will post some of your first project.

Bill


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## mklotz (Dec 30, 2008)

Bob is correct. As long as there is no binding, it's more or less impossible to relate how often it turns to eventual engine performance.

Mine has a solid steel flywheel and, with a reasonable flick, will turn over a few times but that doesn't mean much in the greater scheme of things.

Go ahead and finish it and test run it. That's where the satisfaction lies. If you're still unhappy with its performance at that stage, look to the fit of the wobble arm on the wobble plate. That's the place where most of the problems will lie. I recommend a light grease rather than oil on the wobble plate.


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## Ross_macker (Dec 30, 2008)

Hi,
Thanks. just wanted to know that i was on the right track. i am only 25 and have not done that much machining yet....

anyways here are some pics....










hope it works
thanks


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## cfellows (Dec 30, 2008)

Gonna be a nice engine. Unfortunately, you can't see the posted pictures unless you have a login to facebook.

Chuck


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## Ross_macker (Dec 31, 2008)

hi all,

ha ha that fixed it. ;D

btw it is twice the size of the plans as i don't normly work with things this small.

thanks
ross


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## Maryak (Dec 31, 2008)

Ross_macker  said:
			
		

> btw it is twice the size of the plans as i don't normly work with things this small.



You too 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Coming along very nicely.

Best Regards
Bob


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## stevehuckss396 (Dec 31, 2008)

Ross_macker  said:
			
		

> btw it is twice the size of the plans as i don't normly work with things this small.



Nice job! I love these air engines and Elmer is the king.

I'm just the opposite, I tend to go smaller and smaller. 

Steve


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## Ross_macker (Jan 2, 2009)

hi all,

What is the best way to go about finishing the bore and piston ??? Just the machined finish would not be good enough. I thought about using a brake cylinder hone ??? I had to make the cylinder out of aluminium as i could not find any brass to make it out of.

thanks
ross


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## Brian Rupnow (Jan 2, 2009)

That doesn't look like a wobble plate engine to me. It looks like a wobbler which is something entirely different. An aluminum piston in an aluminum cylinder won't work too well---the two similar metals will "gall" and seize up. Should be an aluminum piston in a brass cylinder or vice versa. As far as finishing--Use a reamer to create the cylinder bore, then turn the piston to size using conventional lathe tools, for a "snug" fit. Use some plain white toothpaste for a lapping compound, and slide the piston in and out of the bore by hand untill it loosens up. These air engines are not terribly demanding of a real precision fit. Better to have it a bit loose and add a couple of drops of 30 wt. oil to the bore---it will seal the piston and act as a lubricant.---Brian


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## b.lindsey (Jan 2, 2009)

Well, Brian beat me to what i was going to add...a reamed bore done with a good sharp reamer is sufficient assuming you have a reamer the correct size. Most of Elmers designs used common sizes for bores, pistons, etc. Elmer does call it a wobble plate engine Brian...with the addition of a few more parts it should become clearer. Here is a picture that may help.

Bill


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## Brian Rupnow (Jan 2, 2009)

Thanks Wlindii--I see the error of my ways. When I hear "wobble plate", my mind jumps to "swash plate". I guess that its not a common wobbler, as I had thought. the "wobble plate" controls the valving.---Thanks.


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## Philjoe5 (Jan 2, 2009)

Nice work Ross. :bow: You've done a lot more machining than I did when I was 25 so congratulations and great success in your future projects. 

Cheers,
Phil


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## Ross_macker (Jan 2, 2009)

thanks, i will have to see if i can get hold of a reamer. i have just started out and dont have much tooling. The cylinder is made from aluminium but the piston is still brass. Is there any other way of doing it without the reamer???

Thanks for the pic Bill. I have not been able to find a decent pic of one finished. :bow: now i know what i am aiming for.

thanks
ross


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## Divided He ad (Jan 2, 2009)

Hi Ross,

You beat me to my next type of engine build...They look really good to me  
I meant to have started it last year!! Now more like this summer!

Anyway... It looks like it's progressing nicely. 

The cylinder can be done very effectively and cleanly with what is called a 'D' bit....Gives a smooth finish and can shape the bottom of the cylinder too (Some I've seen are made with rounded ends) You can get these cheaply enough from some engineering supply company's. Mostly in imperial sizes (don't know where you are?) so the metric heads might have to make the piston to the plan size... I convert all my builds to the nearest metric ;D

Idea is that you use a drill to get the hole just under the 'D' bit size then use it as a kind of reamer to open the bore smoothly to size.
(Good enough for Boggie, good enough for me!)


I would assume that in aluminium you would need to use a lubricant of sorts whilst drilling (both with twist drill and 'D' bit) 

I'm sure some of the older knowledgeable guys will shout up if I'm wrong!? 


But that's how I would go about it. Since I don't have too many reamers either ;D


Good luck, I hope to see it running soon... But probably no where near as much as you do 



Ralph.


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## Ross_macker (Jan 9, 2009)

hi all,

finally got around to getting some more done. have the cylinder and head done and have finished con rod..... no piston yet. that should be tomorrows job...


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## Divided He ad (Jan 9, 2009)

Looking good Ross ;D

How did you do the cylinder in the end? 


Now just a few fiddly bits and you should have a nice little engine 



Waiting for the video 


Ralph.


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## Ross_macker (Jan 10, 2009)

hi, i ended up just using the hone. i got the best finish i could on the lathe then machined the piston and honed the bore till the piston was a nice smooth sliding fit. i put a few drops of oil on the bore and it all still turns over nicely....


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## b.lindsey (Jan 10, 2009)

That is looking very nice R_m. Looking forward to a video as well.

Bill


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## Ross_macker (Jan 26, 2009)

hi all,
i finally got around to finishing the machine work on my wobble plate motor ;D. 
i actually got it to run for a bit just by using the air blower in the intake ;D. i could not run it for long tho as my blower has a crack in it and my compressor could not keep up with them both.
now all i have to do is make it look pretty.
will upload a video when i get a chance


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## b.lindsey (Jan 26, 2009)

Very nice work R_m. Congrats on completing it and the first run too!!! Looking forward to the video as well

Bill


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## Ross_macker (Jan 26, 2009)

I may need to make a new wobble plate tho as the valve doesn't open fully into each port. Or i was thinking of just making the groove in the valve bigger to allow it to fully open. Other than that i am very happy with the results considering it being my first one and my complete lack of tooling...... 
thanks to all for your advise


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## mklotz (Jan 26, 2009)

Before you start remaking parts, try one of the other pivot holes in the arm that actuates the valve. That may increase the valve throw enough to solve your problem. In fact, I think that's why Elmer put those three pivot points in the plans.


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## Ross_macker (Jan 27, 2009)

i have it in the lowest one as it is. when i made the wobble plate the fit was a bit loose on the hub so i tried to just hold it at the right angle..... that was when i discovered that i cant braze to save myself ???. i wonder if it would make much difference making it from steel??? that way i could just tack it in place with the tig at work.


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## mklotz (Jan 27, 2009)

It doesn't need to be brazed. Since it's spinning in the open air it will never get very hot, even if the engine is operated on steam. Just soft solder it.

I made a little fixture to hold it at the correct angle, then applied a couple of solder pillions to the joint and hit it with the torch. Worked a treat and has been running just fine for years.


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## Ross_macker (Jan 28, 2009)

oh ok. i have not done any soft soldering before so i have no idea ??? i also don't have any flux or solder  that is why i tried to braze it. i wonder if i made the parts up again if a radiator shop would solder them for me ??? worth a try i suppose ;D


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## mklotz (Jan 28, 2009)

I frequently use solder paste for small jobs like this. I get it at OSH but I would imagine that HD or Lowes would have it too, as would any credible plumbing supply store.

Soldering paste, as the name suggests, is a thick paste-like substance containing finely ground solder in a matrix of flux. After cleaning and degreasing the joint well, apply a fine coat of the paste and join the parts. Apply heat to the more massive piece of the assembly until the paste turns to bright silver and you're done.

Since the solder and flux is all in place before heating begins, you have excellent control over the amount and placement of the solder so you get really neat joints with no sloppy "runs".


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## b.lindsey (Jan 28, 2009)

Ross,
I can't tell from the pictures...did you solder the wobble plate to a hub or directly to the crankshaft? A brass hub and plate should hold up for ever and makes soft soldering (as Marv suggests) even easier. Also the smaller sub-assembly is easier to hold/fixture to get the offset just right.

Bill


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## shred (Jan 28, 2009)

mklotz  said:
			
		

> I frequently use solder paste for small jobs like this. I get it at OSH but I would imagine that HD or Lowes would have it too, as would any credible plumbing supply store.
> 
> Soldering paste, as the name suggests, is a thick paste-like substance containing finely ground solder in a matrix of flux. After cleaning and degreasing the joint well, apply a fine coat of the paste and join the parts. Apply heat to the more massive piece of the assembly until the paste turns to bright silver and you're done.
> 
> Since the solder and flux is all in place before heating begins, you have excellent control over the amount and placement of the solder so you get really neat joints with no sloppy "runs".


Hmm.. I've had terrible luck with the solder-in-a-syringe paste stuff sold at my local HD & Lowes. Balls up, won't flow, burns easily at the slightest provocation.

A little jar of flux and some thin wire solder from four spaces away in the same aisle works well for me.


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## Ross_macker (Jan 29, 2009)

hi all,
thanks for the advice. i made a new wobble plate today ;D. i got some flux and some solder. it still took some work tho.... until i worked out that it was easier to heat from the opposite side to the solder...... doesn't matter its all done now. all i have to do is fit it to the motor and get it to run smooth again. I got the offset a lot better this time.

thanks ross


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## Ross_macker (Jan 31, 2009)

hi all,
i finaly got around to making a vid today. had a few issues during the week. i had the cylinder locktited in place put it let go. so i had to weld the cylinder on but then the piston would not fit properly so i had to use some cutting compound to free up the piston again. all is good now tho..... as you can see ;D 
[youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GOxLVzan9Bk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GOxLVzan9Bk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]


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## Maryak (Jan 31, 2009)

Congratulations,

A very nice engine. :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


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## brian99s (Jan 31, 2009)

Great Job. Engine looks and runs great. 

Brian


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## malcolmt (Jan 31, 2009)

Hi Ross

Absolutely superb, VERY well done, i love the action of the valve gear and the fact that it will run so slowly.

First class job :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

Kind regards

Malcolm


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## Divided He ad (Jan 31, 2009)

Now that's why I want to build this engine... How good does it look when it's going slow?!?!


Nice work Ross, :bow:  ;D


How good is that feeling when you get it running?! 


Looking forward to the next one ;D 


Ralph.

P.S. There are some good threads on soldering out there, both silver and soft. A little search should find them easily enough?... Just in case you want any further info to help in future?


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## ksouers (Jan 31, 2009)

Ross,
That's a very fine looking and running engine. :bow:

It's amazing how slow it will go. Don't get to see that too often with small engines.


Kevin


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## rake60 (Jan 31, 2009)

Congrats Ross!

Looks and runs great!

Rick


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## Philjoe5 (Jan 31, 2009)

Cool engine Ross. I like the slow rpm action. :bow: :bow: :bow:

Cheers,
Phil


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## chuck foster (Jan 31, 2009)

very nice engine ross :bow: :bow:

chuck


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## Ross_macker (Jan 31, 2009)

hi all, thanks for all the comments ;D. i pulled the engine down today and painted it. here are some more pics....














now all i have to do is decide on what to do next...... i cant seem to find any that i like that i don't need a mill to do......


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