Who's up for a challenge
- Thread starter gwfami
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Help Support Home Model Engine Machinist Forum:
My hat is off to you and others who do this miniature work! It is way beyond my ability even to conceive of how to go about it, much less to execute it so beautifully.
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1/16 bore 1/16 stroke engine powered by steam from a thimble boiler and alcohol lamp.
Excuse the typo in the description. You can watch it run by clicking under the picture on the left.
It's just a blur unfortunately.
https://www.davesage.ca/thimble.html
Excuse the typo in the description. You can watch it run by clicking under the picture on the left.
It's just a blur unfortunately.
https://www.davesage.ca/thimble.html
Very nice job, Sage !
PS: Your" Tapper" Ringbom is just beautiful, and from your description it runs just as it ought to !
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Thanks.
My Thimble Power Plant
I made this Thimble Power Plant back in 1976. The engine has a 1/16" bore and stroke and a #11 thimble for a boiler. It takes 1cc of water, is heated by a tiny alcohol flame, and runs about 2-1/2 minutes at blurring speed and a barely audible buzz.
No special watchmakers equipment was used. I had an old Unimat )and an 800 lb Rockwell vertical mill !! The smallest drill used was the standard #80. This was used for the ports which were located by a Drilling Jig as used on my larger engines: the "Steam Truck Engine" (3/16" bore and stroke) and "Bijou" (1/8" bore and stroke), and also on "Dickins". As for special cutters, the engine required a 000-120 tap (and two screws), a 1/16" dia end mill, and a 1/16" dia chucking reamer to finish the bore (done on the Rockwell mill !).
Complete plans, pictures, and constructional details were published in the October, 1976 issue of Live Steam magazine. I still have the original Thimble Power Plant (stored in a baby food bottle). Today would be a good day to fire her up for a run. !
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I made mine from the same plans.
Lots of fun to build.
Lots of fun to build.
