First engine

[coffeebean16]

First engine. Air powered wobbler. Got the plans and instruction from mrpete222 on YouTube.

 

[minh-thanh]

Congratulations !
Personal opinion, grind clean scratches of bit milling will make the engine more beautiful

 

[ZebDog]

Congrats on your first build

 

[aka9950202]

Well done. What is your next project?

Cheers,
Andrew in Melbourne

 

[Don Pittman]

good job...it will only be a start of a long rewarding past time.

 

[Tim Wescott]

Congratulations !
Personal opinion, grind clean scratches of bit milling will make the engine more beautiful

But, if it works, it's automatically pretty -- you can only make it look better after that.

(Coming from an experienced design engineer who's been sold a few too many really good looking failures over the years).

 

[Pthunberg]

Very nice congratulations. That was the first engine I built also.

 

[Peter Twissell]

Good start.
There's an old saying in engineering:
"If you can't make it good, make it shiny".
The saying refers to anything made for a customer, preferably one that you're never going to see again.
I prefer another saying, common among motorcyclists:
"Chrome won't get you home".
Function comes first. I'm much more impressed by something that works than something that just looks good.
Either way, if you're happy with it, you've succeeded!

 

[coffeebean16]

Flame eater from “steam and sterling 2” is next in the list.

 

[Cogsy]

Great first engine but I wouldn't recommend a flamelicker as your second. They can be very difficult to get running and many of them end up as paperweights even when attempted by seasoned machinists. But it can be done so if your heart is set on it then go for it! Good luck.

 

[minh-thanh]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I usually make the engine run and then make it look better., Anyway, I'm also happier when the engine run and it look better.
Of course I am a new person.

 

[rsmith111333]

Flame eater from “steam and sterling 2” is next in the list.View attachment 117107

Where can I get the drawings to
Make this ? Thanks

 

[Tom 1948]

Wobblers are good builds to get familiar with basic machining. I am still learning myself and I have been doing it for a few years. On my builds I try to make them run on as little air pressure as possible. Its a personnel challenge. I have been able to get some down to a pound or less of air pressure. You got to work at maintaining a good seal while reducing the parasitic drag. I approach it as if i was building a high performance race engine.

 

[Steamchick]

Of course you'll get some 'criticism' - but it isn't meant as such, just advice so you can learn and improve, as we have done. My advice is as follows. The mating faces between the cylinder and mount needs to be polished smooth. This is so the ports seal as the cylinder passes back and fro between them. Lubricate the cylinder/support faces with Molybdenum as this will ease or prevent scuffing between the aluminium faces. Any scoring will cause leakage which isn't any good for sound running. To linish faces of the aluminium cylinder and column, use progressively finer grades of wet and dry paper, lubricated with water or light oil or parafin, and with the abrasive paper flat on a good surface, work the part in a figure-of-eight pattern, while applying some, but not heavy, pressure. When you get to 1000 grade paper you can finch with grinding paste or toothpaste... Clean the finished surface thoroughly before re-assembly. Lubricate the surfaces and the central pin when re-assembling. Ensure none of the grindings get into the cylinder or on other parts. Cleanliness IS next to God lines for running engines..

 

[coffeebean16]

Where can I get the drawings to
Make this ? Thanks

I got mine on amazon. But they are available from multiple sources. I have volumes 1&2. There are at least 3 available. I’m very satisfied with the books. Step by step instruction and full drawings showing every dimension you need to know. Between the two books I have several years of work if I were to build every plan set. But I’m not retired.
Dave

 

[Master]

Great job coffeebean16. I've made three Flame Eaters. One runs great the other two look good on the shelf. Besides that the good runner is dirty from running. My good friend said about small engines "making them is easy, making them run is difficult.

 

[Pthunberg]

You might want to have a look at some of Elmer’s Engines. The plans are available free on the internet. Some of the parts can be kind of small, but then so are the materials required. I have completed 4 of his engines. Great way to learn machining methods and so far all have run well.

 

[Danuzzo]

I like your engine, Coffee. Similar design to my first engine which is currently in progress. Hope I can get mine to work.

 

[coffeebean16]

I like your engine, Coffee. Similar design to my first engine which is currently in progress. Hope I can get mine to work.

Danuzzo,
Couple things I found helpful.
Make your piston to fit your bore. It’s much easier to make a new piston than a new block. I polished with compound to get a fit that pops when you cover the ports and pull the piston out.

sand and polish the mating surfaces between the block and the upright so you get a fit that doesn’t allow light to get through. I know the finish(or lack there of) of the rest of my project drew some attention. I paid close attention to those two in order to make them as airtight as possible.

If you have questions I’d be happy to tell you about my build. Obviously I lack the experience of the other members here.

dave

 

[Master]

I've made about 25 engines. (They are addictive). So far compression hasn't been a big problem. I seem to run into issues with carburetor air leakage. Can't seem to get the right gasket material. On these small engines it doesn't take much to create a problem.