ED Baby from new casting

[edholly]

After building 5 diesels now, including one from a casting, have decided to take up the challenge of building a smaller one. I know the fits etc are much more critical and that is what will make it that bit harder..

Amongst the MEN plans is the ED Baby, but I don't think the raw casting is available anymore, and the crankcase can't really be hogged out of solid. So I spent a day making a pattern and will take it to the foundry where the Holly modified Owen Mate was cast. This time I will get them to do it in their fine-cast process, which looks just like die-casting.

Attached is a photo of the pattern for it. I have tried to be as faithful to the MEN drawing as possible. The pattern here still needs a bit of fettling, mainly blending the excess Devcon holding the mounts on.

It is an interesting design with the angled NVA mount, and it will be interesting to see what the foundry think of my pattern around this area, it could be that a bit of fettling on the raw casting might be necessary, something that you wouldn't have to do when diecast.

Also attached a photo of the 5 engines built so far. You can see a raw casting and pattern for the Holly modified Owen Mate in the background.

Ed

 

[edholly]

Here are a few photos of the pattern now ready to give to Camcast.

I took it there today and they advised that the cost of 2 castings using fine sand and then heat treating will be $50 each.

Have now finished them and sprayed them with silver matt paint to see how they look - and this is the result. They are 2.75 inches long.


Any one out there had fine-casting done to compare pricing, although I think it is pretty reasonable as they will be able to cast that angled NVA housing using some special process they have.

The extensions either end are to hold in the chuck, process is to hold by rear and centre the nose piece with a dial gauge - then turn it around and do all the machining from the rear except for the crankshaft drilling now that the nose is centred. Then will most likely make up an extended rear cover and hold with that to ensure the drilling starts in the centre of the nose for the crankshaft. .

Ed

 

[menglor]

I have to ask!

Where did you get the plans for these? its way above my technical skill level, but I would love to see the plans

 

[edholly]

The plans are available to members of the Model Engine News website.

If you look at this page you will see the list of plans available. (you may have to cut and paste)

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/user/Desktop/Model%20stuff/MEN%20DVD%20stuff/men/index.html

MEN is run by Ron Chernich and you should read his latest newsletter which can be found at http://modelenginenews.org/ and click on 2013 then click on Nov

Ron has been an inspiration to many a budding engine builder, admirer and those interested in model engines generally. I can tell you without Ron ( and David Owen) I would never have been able to build any of the engines I have.

Ed

 

[menglor]

if I use that link you just posted, its going to try and get it from my Hard drive and fail.


I assume you meant to post this link.

http://modelenginenews.org/members/index.html

thanks for the heads up . I am definitely going to look at this stuff.

 

[menglor]

if I use that link you just posted, its going to try and get it from my Hard drive and fail.


I assume you meant to post this link.

http://modelenginenews.org/members/index.html

thanks for the heads up . I am definitely going to look at this stuff.

Ok, so I just went and posted a request for membership then went back to read his nov update.

Frankly Wow, knocked the wind out of my sails , since really this looks like an awesome place to start reading to find out that he is closing up shop because of Cancer.

My heart goes out to anyone who has medical problems that seem to be knock the wind out of you.

I myself have had my fair share of adversity, but I am lucky it wasnt terminal. Although, sometimes its hard to remember that others have it much worse.

 

[Ron7]

As some forum member forwarded me a link to this thread by email, I've taken a very uncharacteristic step an registered so I can respond, first hand.

First I'd like to thank everyone for their positive, supporting response to the November MEN Editorial, not to mention the donations! (Money, money, money, etc ;-)

The good news is that the Motor Boys group will form an administrative Board who will ensure that the domain registration is kept current, and that a host remains online for the entire MEN Archive, as it stands when I can no longer fiddle with it. Keeping the site as a regularly updated webzine is not possible but we feel that what we have will remain of use as long as there are Model Engineers who build and model engine lovers who collect. Oh, and those who actually run the noisy, smelly things as well!

Next, another plan will see every CAD plan or sketch I have, finished or not, converted to PDF and made available through DVD distribution. Similar to the old MEN Life Membership scheme, but different enough in that existing Members won't feel duded, while new Not Exactly Members will have what they want and need.

Around the time that the Original Motor Boys formed, we decided we would avoid commercialism. I still feel this was the right decision even though John Goodall lambasted us publicly as a group and me in particular in his Model Engine World Editorial page--a print magazine from the 1990's--as being "secretive" and ethically moribund. Hurmphhh. Since his dummy spit, the Boys and I have answered countless questions in the interveening fifteen years, willfully and happily. In doing this, we ourselves have learned amazing things, and established connections with exceptionally knowledgable and fascinating guys (Gordon Cornell and Steve Rothwell spring to mind) and provided, through MEN, a way for them to make their hard earned skills and knowledge freely available to all. I truly believe in Creative Commons licensing as a genuine win-win in our modern connected world.

So MEN will go into maintenance mode as of January, 2014. This means twiddling will still take place (I'm ashamed of the current FAQ page), and maybe some special insertions will appear while the date on my autobiography/obit page remains blank. All in all, I call it a life well lived and I'm proud as hell every time I see a model IC engine that MEN and The Boys helped come to be in some way.

Keep up the great work guys...

Ron

 

[edholly]

I note that Ron Chernich was the last person to do a post on this thread, how I miss Ron and his wonderful ModelEngineNews every month as I am sure a lot of us do.

RIP Ron.

It has been a while since I had the casting made for the Baby and have been busy since then going down the twin cylinder track in its various forms.

Have a bit of time at present so started on the build of the ED Baby, and this is where its at presently, still sitting on the lathe, and hopefully will stay there till all the rear end and crankshaft tunnel done.

 

[edholly]

This is my 10th engine now - and I think this one is the most intolerant of any little errors.

Have the crankcase finished and the backplate along with the muff.

The muff is a bit taller than planned, my first cut for a fin was 40thou above where it should have been, I measured from the downside of the tool not the upside and it was 40 thou thick. Noticed it too late to rectify, so will have to live with a slightly taller one than original. Could make another but already invested some hours into this one and its only aesthetics.

Now to make the steel and cast iron bits ....

Re the porting - never used a slitting saw to do this type of work before, sure is a nice way to create them, but of course there hidden now under the port holes - which I think look great !

 

[edholly]

The Baby was finished some time ago - and it did run but not well. Bursts of about 10 seconds max then cutout. Has reasonable compression, so suspect my needle valve production is to blame, power output very poor.

There's a short video of it running on the RCGroups.com website and you can see the video here ... http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1054975&page=482

Since building this I've made another Owen Mate but changed the design to incorporate a ball bearing in a bolt on nose, something David Owen said he wanted to do one day ... I am about to start another thread here called a different Owen Mate ... look it up if you get a chance ... made it in 35 hours and exactly 7 days ....

So to finish here - I would say my Baby is a partial success - runs but has a mind of its own ... must be a female engine ... !