Open Column Launch Engine from Kit

[zeeprogrammer]

Waiting for the slitting saw...

I was thinking about the next project. Visions of a beam engine, a locomotive...dreaming you know? Then I reread some of this thread...reality began to set in. I have much to learn. Much. Oh so much. In addition, I remembered why I started with the Launch Engine. So I brought out the Elderberry Mill Engine kit I had bought. Looked at the drawings and construction manual. Well...that's a sore that doesn't need reopening. After washing the salt out (yeah it's not any better)...I have to say...it still seems the way to go. (The 3rd kit in the series is a locomotive!)

So while I wait I'm preparing for the next one. I hope to do a better job on the thread. Some rules I'm setting for myself include:

1) No ranting. While it does me some good...it does no one else any good. I can't guarantee there won't be a grumble here and there...but I'll do my best.

2) Avoid any reference to the manual. Eventually, I'll have to deal with just drawings and I don't need to create a crutch.

3) Well I'll leave that to you all. What do you want to see? Where did I fail to meet expectations (assuming there were any)? [EDIT: I mean expectations...there were certainly failures. :big:]

Thanks all.

 

[steamer]

Zee,

Rant and rave if you like....just keep making chips....you'll get there and we'll follow along...... ;D
I don't think I'm speaking for myself in saying:

Your doing just fine....no judging here is warranted or wanted....we all do things are own way and as long as we're all respectful of each other.....have at it. Helpfull hints and tips are offered. Safety is the only restriction on behavior.

This is all why I come here.........It's a great place.

keep going

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Rant and rave if you like....just keep making chips....you'll get there and we'll follow along......

This is all why I come here.........It's a great place.

keep going

Thanks very much steamer.
Oh I'll rant and rave. Be sure of that. I just don't need to push it onto everyone else.
It's a very great place.
I'll keep making chips...I'll keep going...the last 4 months have been the most fun I've had in a long time.
And, I've met more interesting people on this forum than I have in a long time too.

 

[zeeprogrammer]

BUMMER!!! Bummer! bummer.
I ordered the replacement slitting saw yesterday.
No expectation it would be here today.
Came home at 5:15 and sure enough...not here.
Fine. Time for some Chinese carry-out and a bottle of wine.
Half-way through the wine...package shows up!!!
Arrggg!
I don't drink and drive. I don't drink and machine.
Arrggg! I gotta wait!
Is this what they mean by 'machining teaches you patience'?
Arrggg!

Not only that...they got the order wrong. I ordered two slitting saws...just in case...you know? I got one. Now I have to be extra extra careful.

Oh sorry...didn't I recently say something about rants?

Oh man I can't wait for tomorrow.

(For those of you wondering...please note the time of this post. I didn't just come home and pop a bottle. Or did I? Or is just half-bottle gone? Just when did I come home? Why am I talking to you?)

 

[Foozer]

Oh man I can't wait for tomorrow.

Your staring at the mill right now aren't ya?

 

[mklotz]

From what you've said, I believe this is your next project...

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3136&category=

Looking at it, it's a one-for-one knockoff of Elmer Verburg's horizontal mill engine, the plans for which are available free from the john-tom site...

http://www.john-tom.com/ElmersEngines/43_horizontal.pdf

so you're paying $80 for perhaps $30 worth of very common materials and an instruction book of dubious utility. While it's nice to have all the stock to hand, this isn't exactly a bargain.

Not to make you feel bad but, for the benefit of future readers of this thread, consider this when selecting a project. Elmer's plans are available and very well done. Engine kits aren't always the best choice when starting out.

I built Elmer's horizontal (I have his book) from stock early in my career.

It's an interesting project and you'll learn lots from doing it. It uses a slide valve which will test your skills a bit but, if you plan to build any more of his engines, it's good experience since he uses very similar designs in many of his other engines.

 

[zeeprogrammer]

From what you've said, I believe this is your next project...

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3136&category=

You are right. (Well maybe...keep reading.)

so you're paying $80 for perhaps $30 worth of very common materials and an instruction book of dubious utility. While it's nice to have all the stock to hand, this isn't exactly a bargain.

You are right. But compared to the experience of this forum (and you)...it's a drop.

Not to make you feel bad but...

Why stop now? (Seriously though...your tip is a good one and well appreciated.)

I don't feel bad about doing this. If I've given pause to the next person...then it's a win.

Seriously...what do you recommend Marv? For my part...I'd like to do another 'learning thread' (albeit better). I hope I've gotten across the idea that I get as much joy out of helping others as I do making things for myself. If there's a better project for accomplishing this...I'm all ears...and luckily so far...all fingers. (Not that I would do any project... I do, after all, have additional desires that need satisfaction. Did I just hear a song?)

My point though...just as doing the next project should be an improvement over the last...so should the next thread.

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Your staring at the mill right now aren't ya?

Yes. And my eyes keep straying to the new blade and the rotary valve just waiting to be cut. Must resist.

Yes...I'm leaning back...finishing the bottle and looking at the equipment.

Or did I finish it already? Or maybe I'm not leaning anymore? I never noticed mark on the floor before. And why am I talking to you? oooo deja vu.

 

[steamer]

OK your shut off! :big: :big:
Zee.....really...have fun with it and don't worry so. It's just an engine.

Ok your mother will stop talking now :

Dave

 

[vlmarshall]

I was thinking about the next project. Visions of a beam engine, a locomotive...dreaming you know? ... (The 3rd kit in the series is a locomotive!)
...3) Well I'll leave that to you all. What do you want to see?

What? Wait, which series? What locomotive? Links, links!

That one gets MY vote for your next project. ;D

 

[zeeprogrammer]

What? Wait, which series? What locomotive? Links, links!
That one gets MY vote for your next project. ;D

Thanks Vernon. The 'series', if you will, is the Elderberry Launch Engine (which is the one I'm in the process of butchering now) then the Elderberry Mill Engine (another project that needs 'modification') and, apparently, the 'Elderberry British Toy Locomotive'.

I started on this road last Feb. Never cut metal before. But when I was a kid (and despite the innocent looking kid on the left...that was more than 40 years ago) I got bit by the bug. Bad. Magazines that showed steam engines and in particular, garden railway locomotives'...oh man...I'm finally living that dream. Whether I'll ever get to build, much less ride, a loco...we'll see.

But my chances of fulfilling that dream have increased a hundred-fold with the help of this forum.

By the way...check out your email. Hee hee. Ah hee hee.

 

[Foozer]

You are right. (Well maybe...keep reading.)

The one model Marv suggested, looks good, you can handle it. After all the fun I had over one silly part I started making a cylinder similar to the model shown. Thought it would be difficult but turned out (so far) a lot easier than I thought. Just cut a hunk off some brass stock and went for it. Flea Bay has lots of bar stock variety packs, like 18 inches of various sizes in one bundle, convenient for newbies like me. As Marv pointed out, the steam chest could be a challenge but what fun is easy

 

[zeeprogrammer]

The one model Marv suggested, looks good, you can handle it. Flea Bay has lots of bar stock variety packs, like 18 inches of various sizes in one bundle, convenient for newbies like me.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Robert. When I started the thread on the Launch Engine, I already had the Mill Engine kit. Knowing that I would 'want to make duplicates' I ordered extra metal to cover both engines. Luckily...I still have some left!

Course...that assumes I'm successful tomorrow with finishing the rotary valve!

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Well here it is...the rotary valve...

Okay okay. If you cut with the sharp end...

Overall I'm pretty happy with it. The groove closer to the end is a little off but we'll see what happens before I go making another one.

I may have one other problem. I missed the fact that the drawing specified a half-inch diameter cutter for the groove. I used something significantly bigger. This affects the ends of the groove. Instead of a sharper incline coming out of the groove it's more of a low ramp. We'll see what happens.

Thanks for all the help.

Time for a little polishing, final fit of the piston, and investigation into whether the connecting rod has to be bent or not.

 

[zeeprogrammer]

This picture was in the first post...

All the parts...

The wall of shame. What appears like dirt is the debris of my pride...

Now for fitting and assembling.

 

[mklotz]

I don't feel bad about doing this. If I've given pause to the next person...then it's a win.

Seriously...what do you recommend Marv? For my part...I'd like to do another 'learning thread' (albeit better). I hope I've gotten across the idea that I get as much joy out of helping others as I do making things for myself. If there's a better project for accomplishing this...I'm all ears...and luckily so far...all fingers.

Just so there's no misunderstanding...

I was objecting to the *kit*, not the engine choice. Buying the kit for the launch engine was probably a good idea. Now that you have some skills, the kit for the mill engine would be less necessary but it's a done deal so I'll shut up about it. My warning for future readers is in place and that's all I was trying to accomplish.

I think the horizontal mill engine is a fine choice for your next project. It's very straightforward yet has a few features that will help you to improve your skills. You'll learn some good stuff too - how slide valves work and how one goes about reversing a steam engine by altering the slide valve phasing wrt the piston motion. It's also an easy engine to get running. Since it's double-acting, it's more powerful and thus a bit more forgiving of minor inaccuracies. On the artistic side, it has lots of link motion when running so it's very intriguing to watch.

 

[zeeprogrammer]

I think the horizontal mill engine is a fine choice for your next project.

On the artistic side, it has lots of link motion when running so it's very intriguing to watch.

Then that's what's next! Thanks Marv.

It may be a while before I get started...
First need to finish this one and play with it a bit.
Then equipment needs more adjustment, family visiting, I have some travel to do, etc.
And...I want to make (or purchase! ) a couple of sorely needed tools.

While I'm here...I'm starting the assembly and polishing some parts. Some of the brass has tarnished (is that the right word?). What is recommended for keeping the sheen? Some kind of clear coat? A wax? Leave it?

Thanks.

 

[mklotz]

Brasso (tm), as the name suggests, is my stuff of choice for polishing brass on the rare occasions when I polish anything (bling ain't my thing). I've used paste wax to protect polished surfaces. It works for a while. Others prefer lacquer but that's beyond my patience level.

While building an engine, I keep a list of tools/jigs I need to make (not including the ones made immediately because they're needed to finish a part). Then, as a break between the concentration of making engine parts, I attack this list before starting the next engine. It's another Zen thing and I'm happy to see you think alike.

Tool making exercises your design abilities. With most engine building, you're simply trying to make a part that matches the print. With tool building, you need to think about the way(s) the tool will be used in your shop, design minimization and functionality, etc.. - invaluable skills when you face more complex jig and fixture design challenges.
[I liken perfect tool making to writing an assembler program that will completely zero core including itself.]

Some good choices for you (useful but not terribly difficult projects) would be:

Vise stop(s)
Some means of holding your DTI in the mill chuck/collet
Piloted small tap holder(s)
A miniature depth gauge
A pump center for centering work in the 4jaw

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Vise stop(s)
Some means of holding your DTI in the mill chuck/collet
Piloted small tap holder(s)
A miniature depth gauge
A pump center for centering work in the 4jaw

Thanks Marv. All good ones. (I had to look up 'pump center' but I found it.)

 

[Foozer]

Well here it is...the rotary valve...

Okay okay. If you cut with the sharp end...

Overall I'm pretty happy with it. The groove closer to the end is a little off but we'll see what happens before I go making another one.

I may have one other problem. I missed the fact that the drawing specified a half-inch diameter cutter for the groove. I used something significantly bigger. This affects the ends of the groove. Instead of a sharper incline coming out of the groove it's more of a low ramp. We'll see what happens.

Your having way to much fun, don't you just love that compulsive behavior syndrome? [rag] So I know what you did last night, not a lot of hours between blurry keyboard and machine work. . . Be Careful . . . getting to enjoy your enthusiasm of the hobby but don't want to hear about you getting hurt[/rag]

The valve? thinking the dia of the cutter determines the timing, the start and stop for the steam flow. For the same depth of cut the cutter radius will change the effective timing. Exaggerated pic attached. Dont know the specs for the design so I could be way off in left field (as usual). White pie slices are what the timing changes would be.

I know I'm terrible at description and I don't even drink