Been learning a lot on how to make these rings. Missed the note about anti-seize between each ring before annealing. Ended up welding a bunch together. Oh well. Process is slow. Cut more rings and will be polishing and annealing this weekend.
Ageless 9 and 18 Radial
- Thread starter rlo1
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This little kiln works great!
Finished rings that are ready for gapping. They will get cleaned and polished after gaps are set
Going to make a couple more batches of rings to have the spares……..Why? Because they are a pain to make! 
Lots of WD40 to make sure they dont start oxidizing.
Nice work I remember I was dreading the rings but once I managed to find the right iron witch was not easy to get hear in Australia it really went very well ok I snapped a few and a few didn’t pass the light test but all in all not as hard as I was expecting
"light test"??? please elaborate. Thank you.
The light test is to install the ring in the cylinder and get it absolutely flat. Then shine a light up the cylinder and see if any light passes between the cylinder wall and the ring.
See Post #287 here: Ford 300 Inline Six
Thank you!
Great Thread! Wish I had seen it last month. I am going to use some of that information on my next batch of rings. Thanks for the link!
Well, I am breaking more rings than planned when trying to set them on the pistons. I got one oil ring on and then broke 10 more. Ugg. I may have made the gray cast iron too brittle by over cooking them in the kiln. I have tried several times. I ordered some ductile cast iron as I read somewhere at some point that Ductile is better for rings than gray cast iron. Machining cast iron is a mess. This is a tough project and there are a lot of hurdles to overcome yet.
I think you got that backwards. Gray cast iron is better than ductile.
1 - Did you drill the holes in the ring at even intervals all the way around or did you remember to not drill the 2 holes in the back, across from the gap.
2 - I noticed you grooved the outer diameter of the rings. I don't remember seeing that detail on the drawing. Could the loss of material in that area be causing a weak spot.
I'm curious because I have my rings machined and will be cooking them soon. I cook mine at 1100F for 3 hours. Not that big of a difference from what you did. I considered cutting a groove like yours in the control rings. I'm thinking the 2 extra holes would be a bigger problem than the groove if that is what you did. Again, just wondering.
1 - Did you drill the holes in the ring at even intervals all the way around or did you remember to not drill the 2 holes in the back, across from the gap.
2 - I noticed you grooved the outer diameter of the rings. I don't remember seeing that detail on the drawing. Could the loss of material in that area be causing a weak spot.
I'm curious because I have my rings machined and will be cooking them soon. I cook mine at 1100F for 3 hours. Not that big of a difference from what you did. I considered cutting a groove like yours in the control rings. I'm thinking the 2 extra holes would be a bigger problem than the groove if that is what you did. Again, just wondering.
I Interpreted the drawing as having a center groove.
I heat treated 8hrs+ so I think I may have made them more brittle... I set it and forget it.... Doh.
I did leave out the rear two holes in the rings, they always broke anyway. I am going to try again with both materials and shorter annealing time. This is a learning process and this part of the build is difficult for me. I need to learn how metals react to different types of treatment if I am going to build more complex engines.
I heat treated 8hrs+ so I think I may have made them more brittle... I set it and forget it.... Doh.
I did leave out the rear two holes in the rings, they always broke anyway. I am going to try again with both materials and shorter annealing time. This is a learning process and this part of the build is difficult for me. I need to learn how metals react to different types of treatment if I am going to build more complex engines.
How about making the groove a little shallower? Holes a little smaller? surprised to see a chamfer on ring edges.
Don't know if there is any advantage, but have seen some modelers cut narrow slots with a slitting saw instead of holes. Have an English two cylinder that came with pre made rings, 1 1/2" bore. Unfortunately I broke one of the oil rings and made one as you make yours. That cylinder always had an oiling problem the other cylinder did not. Don't know if it was due to the design or execution.
Don't know if there is any advantage, but have seen some modelers cut narrow slots with a slitting saw instead of holes. Have an English two cylinder that came with pre made rings, 1 1/2" bore. Unfortunately I broke one of the oil rings and made one as you make yours. That cylinder always had an oiling problem the other cylinder did not. Don't know if it was due to the design or execution.
I think I had problems too and ended up leaving a extra hole out and that worked for me , o heated up with oxy to a cherry red held it for probably? 10 seconds then let cool on the jig o and mainly had the heat on the jig as to get the hole lot hot , worked for me in the end but yes you will brake some o and biggest help is smallish batches of maybe 8 to 10 rings at a time incace it goes wrong
Bentwings
Well-Known Member
How aere you installing these using a sleeve?
On most of our auto race engines we wind them on high dome pistons still are an issue but most posts are now much closer to flat too so we just wind them on . Much bigger bor so les bending of course . We don’t make ours but they do brak but not often . Most are moly filled so I suppose there is a get treatment most top rings are a variant of stainless. Top rings are chrome faced. Many are ring within a ring or hapless as it’s called one ring fits in the groove or counter bore of the top ring gaps are opposit another is the dyke ring which has counter bore depending on compression to force them to push against the cylinder wall harder. Oil rings are built up of inner flexible spring with chrome faced stainless some use a very thin wall sleeve to install but other just wind the rings on
Byron
I will have to look at the drawings a little closer for that groove. I may have missed it. I suspect the 8 hour bake may be the problem causing the breakage. I made plenty of extras.
Sounds like you are doing another batch. Try the grey iron again but only bake for 3 hours at 1100F. I got that from a very smart guy very well educated in metal treating.
Sounds like you are doing another batch. Try the grey iron again but only bake for 3 hours at 1100F. I got that from a very smart guy very well educated in metal treating.
Bentwings
Well-Known Member
In view of the fact that we use chrome faced stainless steel rings
Could a stainless bar of round stock turned at th diameter needed or maybe a thou over size the go over it with a smooth roller like a hard smooth knurl roller an purposely work harden the surface squishing it down to finished diameter . You would need a carbide cutter to break through his to cut the ring off but you would have a hardened very smooth faced ring. Maybe have a single cylinder test enginge for testing this you could fit s Briggs with a cast liner then try his ring condition . Briggs probably already tried this years ago but it’s worth testing again. We use a smooth cross hatch finish on bores . Often just the abrasive ball brushes . We call themdingleberry hones we use thes to finish cast cylinders too
Byron
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I installed them very gingerly with bum puckered and mouth just right lol and plenty of lube think a bit of Tung actions too yer there small and finicky but I am shore my fallers where down to pore heat treatment try and try agan and I got there think biggest thing for me was missing a extra hole
