Entablature Steam Pumping Engine
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Rivergypsy
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Dve and Maxx - many thanks for your kind comments!
Progress so far - the entablature is finally polished and fitted with new square stainless nuts, and I've been industrious and made a miniature spanner set for it - 1mm up to 4mm in imperial and metric. The aim is the fettle the handles into a true radius, and then I'm tempted to try and laser etch Snap-On into the handles
Underway there's the final batch of fasteners for the top end of the engine, but there's only so many you can make in one sitting without losing the will to live... :wall:
Progress so far - the entablature is finally polished and fitted with new square stainless nuts, and I've been industrious and made a miniature spanner set for it - 1mm up to 4mm in imperial and metric. The aim is the fettle the handles into a true radius, and then I'm tempted to try and laser etch Snap-On into the handles
Underway there's the final batch of fasteners for the top end of the engine, but there's only so many you can make in one sitting without losing the will to live... :wall:
Rivergypsy
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And a little more - the split bearings for the valve linkage, a small end pin, some oil cups and a polished main bearing cap ;D
Rivergypsy
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And here's the weekends work - the connecting rod is on for good now, along with the sheave and rod for the feed pump. I'll get some more pictures soon, but whats currently underway is the rough finishing of the flywheel ready for polishing, and the links for the valve gear. Quite a contrast - 1mm cutters during the day, and 12" files by night, lol.
There's a new project just starting to kick off too - a pair of scaled down twin ME beams which I'm doing with Pete, but more to follow on those soon Should provide a bit of light relief around the compound condensing engine and the Leavitt...
There's a new project just starting to kick off too - a pair of scaled down twin ME beams which I'm doing with Pete, but more to follow on those soon
Should provide a bit of light relief around the compound condensing engine and the Leavitt...
idahoan
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Hi Dave
I have been meaning to get a comment posted on your latest work; wow it just keeps getting better! and you are making good progress too.
The little spanners are great; do you plan to heat treat them?"
Keep up the great work and thanks for taking time to post the updates.
Dave
I have been meaning to get a comment posted on your latest work; wow it just keeps getting better! and you are making good progress too.
The little spanners are great; do you plan to heat treat them?"
Keep up the great work and thanks for taking time to post the updates.
Dave
Rivergypsy
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Fannblade - many thanks, and I'm glad you like it!
Hi Dave,
Again, many thanks for your kind comments. The spanners I probably should have made from a steel I could have heat treated, but i had some 5mm stainless sheet here, so machined them from that. I'm busy polishing the flywheel right now, but when I get a moment I'll get the spanner handles nicely radiussed and polished.
Cheers
Dave
Hi Dave,
Again, many thanks for your kind comments. The spanners I probably should have made from a steel I could have heat treated, but i had some 5mm stainless sheet here, so machined them from that. I'm busy polishing the flywheel right now, but when I get a moment I'll get the spanner handles nicely radiussed and polished.
Cheers
Dave
Rivergypsy
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Hi Tom,
Many thanks, and I'm glad you like it!
What are you working on at the moment?
Dave
Many thanks, and I'm glad you like it!
What are you working on at the moment?
Dave
Rivergypsy
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Well the flywheel finishing is coming along nicely now; the rough filing is finished (strangle how what seems to be a reasonable finish suddenly looks more like a ploughed field when you start polishing), and I'm well on the way to getting it down to 180 grit emery cloth. It's slow going to get the rads blended nicely, but it's taking shape. I'd initially tried not to do a test fit until the finishing was complete, but last night I lapsed... ;D
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Would the flywheel on the prototype have been cast rather than polished?
May just be me, but a sandblast matte finish on the flywheel would look good against the polish of the rest of the engine.
Excellent work as usual.
May just be me, but a sandblast matte finish on the flywheel would look good against the polish of the rest of the engine.
Excellent work as usual.
Rivergypsy
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Hi Kvom,
Yes it would, but then so would the plinth. What happened on the original was the timber base and plinth had the corner pieces and inserts affixed, and then it was painted to simulate a casting. I know I've not followed 100% to the original, but hopefully enough, and it's gone down well enough at home to be allowed space on the dining table, which I do like!
Thats a fair point on the finishing, i'll keep trying it at different levels of finish to see how it goes. To be 100% sure all the marks are gone it may be safer to take it right up to a shine, and then let it down a bit, if that makes sense. So many marks that are easily missed only spring to like at the final polish.
Many thanks!!
Yes it would, but then so would the plinth. What happened on the original was the timber base and plinth had the corner pieces and inserts affixed, and then it was painted to simulate a casting. I know I've not followed 100% to the original, but hopefully enough, and it's gone down well enough at home to be allowed space on the dining table, which I do like!
Thats a fair point on the finishing, i'll keep trying it at different levels of finish to see how it goes. To be 100% sure all the marks are gone it may be safer to take it right up to a shine, and then let it down a bit, if that makes sense. So many marks that are easily missed only spring to like at the final polish.
Many thanks!!
Rivergypsy
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Hi Phil,
Many thanks for your kind comments. It's not 100% there yet, but the aim is to complete it by the London model engineering exhibition in January. It's chasing down the last little details that takes the time though...
Cheers
Dave
Many thanks for your kind comments. It's not 100% there yet, but the aim is to complete it by the London model engineering exhibition in January. It's chasing down the last little details that takes the time though...
Cheers
Dave
nevadablue
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A museum piece for sure. Thank you for taking the time to share the beautiful pictures. Seeing such a build is inspiring and educational for sure.
Rivergypsy
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Nevadablue and JW - what can I say? Thank you very, very much, and I'm really glad you like it.
JW - if you ever make it to the UK feel free to give me a shout
JW - if you ever make it to the UK feel free to give me a shout
awesome thread for a great build.
I find that it is always difficult to keep an homogenous level of finishing on every parts, the museum touch.
The wood between metal looks smart, is it made of oak ? it looks also whitened (limed ?) or is it the photographs ?
I find that it is always difficult to keep an homogenous level of finishing on every parts, the museum touch.
The wood between metal looks smart, is it made of oak ? it looks also whitened (limed ?) or is it the photographs ?
Rivergypsy
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Hi Gedeon,
Many thanks, both for your comments and also the help on those gab ends! They look easy now, but at the time nearly drove me round the bend.
The finish is hard to keep even, and it has to be said isn't 100% matched right now, but I'm trying, lol.
The timber is Burmese teak, and the light streaks are the low points of the grain. It gradually darkens and blends in as it ages, and I'm also working on filling the grain by building the layers of beeswax, but it's slow going...
Many thanks, both for your comments and also the help on those gab ends! They look easy now, but at the time nearly drove me round the bend.
The finish is hard to keep even, and it has to be said isn't 100% matched right now, but I'm trying, lol.
The timber is Burmese teak, and the light streaks are the low points of the grain. It gradually darkens and blends in as it ages, and I'm also working on filling the grain by building the layers of beeswax, but it's slow going...
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