Scratch built Rider-Ericsson hot air pumping engine video

[modelman1838]

Hi All
As I see a 1/4 scale Rider-Ericsson pumping engine is now being shown in work in progress I thought I would show you a video of my scratch built Rider-Ericsson.
It was built using the drawings in the book S&S you can build which are for a 2" bore engine. I scaled mine down to 1 1/2" bore which suited me better. It is made entirely from plate ,sheet and bar stock and in the book all of the machining dimensions are given but not the casting ones. but as the drawings are obviously CAD drawn they can be confidently scaled.
As a word of caution I would suggest that the hot cap be brazed to the displacement cylinder instead of silver soldering and the gas burner be reduced in output as very little heat is needed for this engine. Mine runs well on a small piece of candle. HUGH

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGK9AwcP3is&feature=player_detailpage[/ame]

 

[b.lindsey]

Very nice Hugh!!! Looks as good as the casting set and certainly runs well. I am now wondering how small one of these can be made and still run well. Thanks for sharing the video!!

Bill

 

[RonGinger]

That is a fine piece of work, all the more because of the fabrication instead of castings. Those legs are a real work of art, to be soldered up and finished so well.

You mention the flywheel is made of 4 pieces of plate. Can you elaborate a bit on how thats done?

You say it runs on only a candle, so it must be well fitted. I built the casting kit and mine nearly takes a blow torch to run.

 

[lazylathe]

Great work Hugh!!! Thm:

And like Ron says if it runs on a bit of candle then it is truly remarkable craftsmanship!!!

Nice video too!!

 

[reFlad]

Awesome!

Ronald

 

[modelman1838]

Ron
You ask how the flywheel was made, well it was all made out of 8mm alloy plate sandwiched together. I first made the spoke parts which were 61/2" diameter and produced as a thin 8mm flywheel partly by milling on the rotary table and partly by hacksawing and filing to produce the curved spokes.These two pieces were then bonded together with Araldite and put on the lathe and the rim part machined down on both sides to about .40" thick to 5.0" dia. I then made up two rings 61/2" o/d with 5.0" i/d again out of 8mm plate and bonded these to the spoke part.This was the returned to the lathe to finish turn the rims. That evening a friend came round with a slab of alloy 7.0" dia x 1.0" thick to ask if it would be any good as he new I was making a fly wheel.
Hugh

 

[SignalFailure]

Superb.

 

[crab]

Thats a great little engine Hugh.Thanks for showing it.
Bill L.

 

[AussieJimG]

Lovely engine Hugh, and very ingenious the way you built it. I received a set of castings as a Xmas present a couple of years ago but overestimated my ability and made a couple of mistakes so put it to one side.

But if you can make it entirely from scratch, maybe I should try again.

Thanks for showing us

Jim