Plumbing Parts Engine

[PhillyVa]

Hi Chuck,

I'm liking this build and your weld looks OK (just fine) to me. Did you do a back weld?

Regards

Philly

 

[cfellows]

Hi Chuck,

I'm liking this build and your weld looks OK (just fine) to me. Did you do a back weld?

Regards

Philly

Thx, Philly. Yes, the bottom was also welded then ground flat on my belt grinder.

Chuck

 

[Bill Mc]

Hi Chuck - You are coming along just great with your engine. I have gathered most of the materials for the full-sized version of this engine (namely Henry Ford's First Engine) and I will soon be getting started on it.

 

[b.lindsey]

Chuck, this is an interesting build to follow. I have a friend locally who built the original Henry Ford version and it could be somewhat finiky to run. I think your adaptations should help greatly in that regard while maintaining the spirit of the original. Great work so far and I look forward to more.

Bill

 

[cfellows]

Hi Chuck - You are coming along just great with your engine. I have gathered most of the materials for the full-sized version of this engine (namely Henry Ford's First Engine) and I will soon be getting started on it.

Hi Bill Mc, thanks for the comments. I look forward to seeing your build progress and how it goes.

Chuck, this is an interesting build to follow. I have a friend locally who built the original Henry Ford version and it could be somewhat finiky to run. I think your adaptations should help greatly in that regard while maintaining the spirit of the original. Great work so far and I look forward to more.

Bill

windlii, I'm hoping that my head design and switching to a petrol foam carburetor will fix most of the temperament problems.

Chuck

 

[cfellows]

I've been a little uneasy about my approach to the valve guides I pressed into the head. It's pretty hard to be sure they are in straight, and, subsequently, to get the valves to seat against the inside of the head. Lo and behold, I just got my new Model Engine Builder magazine yesterday and it has an article on valve cages. Love this approach, since you are making the entire valve cagepiece, including the seat, on the lathe before you press it into the head. This gives you a much greater probability of getting the valve to seat properly and the aligment of the cage with receiving hole in the head is not nearly as critical.

As a reminder, the previous valve guides were only pressed part way into the head the valve seat would have been cut into the cast iron cylinder side of the head. The new valve cages are larger in diameter and go all the way through the head. The valve stem and head are all contained within the valve cage.

Here's a couple of pictures of the new valve cages in place and the previous valve guides laying in front of the head.

 

[4wheels]

Fasinating engine - it is my "to do list" or "bucket list" along with a million others regretably. Only regetable in that I doubt if I will be lucky to get 20% anything like finished.
I like the way you can adapted and change the design details as you go. A very practical approach to be admired.
Keep it up.
Cheers,

 

[cfellows]

Fasinating engine - it is my "to do list" or "bucket list" along with a million others regretably. Only regetable in that I doubt if I will be lucky to get 20% anything like finished.
I like the way you can adapted and change the design details as you go. A very practical approach to be admired.
Keep it up.
Cheers,

Thanks, 4wheels. I like to keep my options open as I proceed with a build. I would hate to scrap the whole project because of one, unforseen design element.

Like you, I unfortunately have a lot of unfinished projects. Here's a picture of my unfinished engine drawer There's parts for at least 4 engines in there...

Chuck

 

[RobWilson]

Hi Chuck

I thought i was the only one with a draw FULL of UN FINISHED engines under construction :big:


Regards Rob

 

[cfellows]

OK, more pictures! The significant other went shopping today so I had some quality time in the shop. These pictures are in reverse order again, showing the result first and how I got there in subsequent pictures.

I am building the engine with a 3/8" crankshaft and the flywheel I'm using had a 1/2" hole from some previous unrealized use. I decided to make a tapered collet type clamp to fasten the flywheel to the crankshaft. The finished product is shown mounted in the vise:

Another picture from a different angle shows the 4 screws that pull the tapered clamp into the flywheel.

Here is the flywheel and the tapered clamp shown separately. What is not shown is a slit cut axially along the length of the collet.

And here is the setup in the lathe after I cut the taper and bored the 3/8" hole

The taper in the flywheel and on the collet clamp are both cut with compound set at a 4 degree angle

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Chuck---That is really slick!!! I have used "Squeeze Lock Hubs" for years now on a lot of the things I design, but I never thought of applying that to model work. How wide is your sliting saw?--I'm assuming that you used a slitting saw in your mill, right?---Brian

 

[vlmarshall]

Nice hub! You forgot to point out the importance of the two THREADED removal holes in the hub. ;D

 

[cfellows]

Chuck---That is really slick!!! I have used "Squeeze Lock Hubs" for years now on a lot of the things I design, but I never thought of applying that to model work. How wide is your sliting saw?--I'm assuming that you used a slitting saw in your mill, right?---Brian

Ummm... actually, Brian, I just used my metal cutting bandsaw to cut the slit. The slit is about .035" wide.

Nice hub! You forgot to point out the importance of the two THREADED removal holes in the hub. ;D

You're right, Vernon. The two holes with no screws in them are threaded so you can loosen all 4 screws, remove two of them and screw them into the threaded holes. They act as jacks to loosen up the collet so you can remove the shaft. Very important, or you'll really bugger up the collet trying to get it to "let loose".

Chuck

 

[4wheels]

I didn't to where I am today by bu88ering up my collet!

Really nice job and as stated above "Very slick" much better than a plain sleeve and grub screw(s). Keep it up.

Cheers,

 

[Deanofid]

Nice looking taper lock, Chuck. I used to work as a welder/repairman for various rock companies. I think every conveyor sheave I ever changed out had one of these on it. Hadn't thought about one for years! Good job on this one.

 

[cfellows]

Got some more work done on the Henry Ford engine the past couple of days. I finished making the piston out of cast iron. I was a little dismayed to find out that my cylinder bore was conical. I managed to fix it by lapping the cylinder, a process that seems to be somewhere between black magic and holding my mouth just right.

I also completed the crank shaft. The "disk" is made from 1/4" thick cold rolled and is mig-welded to the 3/8" shaft. I was going to silver solder it, but I couldn't get the valve opened on my brand new bottle of acetylene. Back to the welding supply shop to see if they'll trade it out.

And, finally, I attached a step-up block under the crankshaft bracket to bring the assembly up to the correct height. An example of using what I had on hand for the crank bracket and making adjustments later with the step-up block! I also added a couple of coats of polyurethane varnish to keep from getting oil stains on the raw wood.

The wooden base, by the way, is made out of Birch hardwood.

Chuck

 

[cfellows]

Another bit finished. Here is the connecting rod. It's about 10" from hole to hole and is made from a length of 3/16 drill rod. The large end is a 5/8" diameter by 1/4" thick brass disk drilled out to the center hole to receive the 3/16 drill rod. It's silver soldered into place. The small end is a 3/8" diameter by 1/4" thick piece of drill rod. It was radially drilled and the 3/16 con rod pushed all the way through before being silver soldered into place. The 1/8" wrist pin hole was then drilled through both pieces.

And another mock up with the con rod (roughly) in place.

Been putting it off, but I guess the valves are going to be next, well after the wrist pin and crank pin...

Chuck

 

[zeeprogrammer]

I'm enjoying this thread. It makes me think of the times...hm...I don't know quite how to say...when things began. It's not really true...ideas build on ideas...but it makes me think of the first car, the first airplane...that kind of thing.

The pic of the flywheel, crank, and angle iron...is just classic. This is cool.

 

[cfellows]

I'm enjoying this thread. It makes me think of the times...hm...I don't know quite how to say...when things began. It's not really true...ideas build on ideas...but it makes me think of the first car, the first airplane...that kind of thing.

The pic of the flywheel, crank, and angle iron...is just classic. This is cool.

Thanks, Zee. That's kind of the look I'm going for. Rustic, but not crude... Made with standard materials on hand, but carefully machined.

Chuck

 

[rake60]

Looking great Chuck!
I believe even Henry would be impressed by the improvements.
Thm:

Rick