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The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum
The Original Unofficial Toy Steam Forum
Established 2006
The biggest, most popular steam forum around! Accept NO imitations!
We have a growing community of regular posting members who chat about all aspects of toy and model steam.
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Sandman
Steam Supreme Being
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 8311
Location: Ayrshire Scotland
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 Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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Chuck, your ability to see engine parts in everyday objects never ceases to amaze me.
I have to say it's rubbed off somewhat, as I've now got a little measuring tape on my car keyring.
You should see some of the looks Mary gives me as I measure up objects when we go shopping. 
_________________
Ouch! Where's the burn cream
Did someone mention Bowman? |
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SillyBilly
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| It's a fire extinguisher that thing aint it? |
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Chris
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2269
Location: Hampshire
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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| MooseMan wrote: | | Chuck, if you have the time - would you mind explaining how you go about measuring and setting out the portfaces for your oscillating cylinders? |
That would be great, even for those of us not planning on making an engine. Knowing more about the process would be interesting.
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Chris
http://www.chrisfisher-photography.co.uk |
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oldstuff
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 2530
Location: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:05 pm Post subject: |
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| IndianaRog wrote: | | Chuck, belated congrats on another great looking engine and YES, I'd love to see that Brass Sprayer tank converted into something steam oriented...maybe your first mobile and a big one at that!! |
A mobile?!
Could make beer runs to the party store with it.
Maybe plow snow with it this Winter, or help tow
cars and trucks out when they get stuck. 
| Sandman wrote: | Chuck, your ability to see engine parts in everyday objects never ceases to amaze me.
I have to say it's rubbed off somewhat, as I've now got a little measuring tape on my car keyring.
You should see some of the looks Mary gives me as I measure up objects when we go shopping. |
Tell me about it. But do you think I can find a simple, cheap
u-bracket deep enough for a flywheel...anywhere? Nooooo! 
| SillyBilly wrote: | | It's a fire extinguisher that thing aint it? |
Maybe that's what is! I just assumed it was some sort of garden sprayer.
Probably got layers and layers of wonderfully toxic, banned-substance
residue crud caked inside it. Can't wait to get a whiff when it steams up.
Whatever it is, or was, I intend to hack, pound and grind it into something else!
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-Chuck
Twin-cylinder, CSE-3
"Put that in your Dremel!" |
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James
Site Admin
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 26144
Location: Nr. Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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It's one of them things you use for spraying insecticides ain't it?????
_________________
Forum Founder, Owner and Admin.
Yan, tan, tethera, tethera, pethera, pimp!
Lincolnshire!
"The wealthy and great
May roll in their state
I envy them not, I declare it
I eat my own lamb
My chicken and ham
I shear my own fleece and I wear it!" |
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oldstuff
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 2530
Location: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:22 pm Post subject: |
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| James wrote: | | It's one of them things you use for spraying insecticides ain't it????? |
That's I thought it was...now I'm not sure. 
_________________
-Chuck
Twin-cylinder, CSE-3
"Put that in your Dremel!" |
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Sandman
Steam Supreme Being
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 8311
Location: Ayrshire Scotland
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| oldstuff wrote: | | James wrote: | | It's one of them things you use for spraying insecticides ain't it????? |
That's I thought it was...now I'm not sure. |
It's an old fire extinguisher.
You twist the top handle to operate it. 
_________________
Ouch! Where's the burn cream
Did someone mention Bowman? |
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James
Site Admin
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 26144
Location: Nr. Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:25 pm Post subject: |
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Aye mate! I always see them up at the antiques place!
_________________
Forum Founder, Owner and Admin.
Yan, tan, tethera, tethera, pethera, pimp!
Lincolnshire!
"The wealthy and great
May roll in their state
I envy them not, I declare it
I eat my own lamb
My chicken and ham
I shear my own fleece and I wear it!" |
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oldstuff
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 2530
Location: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Sandman wrote: | | oldstuff wrote: | | James wrote: | | It's one of them things you use for spraying insecticides ain't it????? |
That's I thought it was...now I'm not sure. |
It's an old fire extinguisher.
You twist the top handle to operate it. |
You must be right...it does have a sort of twist-to-unlock feature built into it.
I should check out old fire extinguishers on ebay first before I destroy the thing!
Some fire fighting stuff goes for good money, but I wouldn't think old extinguishers
are worth much...still, doesn't hurt to check first!
Update: I found one, much better shape than mine. http://cgi.ebay.com/Empty-Brass-F...PageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Started off at only $6.95, yet closed
with no bids, so I have no problem making a steam engine out of it. 
_________________
-Chuck
Twin-cylinder, CSE-3
"Put that in your Dremel!"
Last edited by oldstuff on Wed Aug 29, 2007 1:41 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Steve_S
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Posts: 3213
Location: Leeds UK
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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Chuck, sorry I missed this earlier. That's a fantastic engine you've made.. it just looks so well proportioned, and it runs very well too! I'm sure any/all of us would love a pig in our collections. How fast can you make them?!  |
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oldstuff
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 2530
Location: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 1:33 am Post subject: |
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| Chris wrote: | | MooseMan wrote: | | Chuck, if you have the time - would you mind explaining how you go about measuring and setting out the portfaces for your oscillating cylinders? |
That would be great, even for those of us not planning on making an engine. Knowing more about the process would be interesting. |
What follows is merely some tips and tricks that helped me get it done and
even so, many times it wasn't right and had to be done over. I feel certain
there are better, faster and more accurate methods of doing this.
Learn by doing. It would be unusual if you get it right the first time you try this,
so shrug it off as normal if you have to do it over. Even the act of writing this
gave me some new ideas to try out for speed and better accuracy in doing this
job, but how that goes is for a later time. This is what's worked for me so far.
If you to do an entire engine from scratch, we have to go back to the first Pig
engine. Much was taken from a Mamod Minor 2 which I had on hand to refer
to. However, if you have an existing engine and only need to make a new
port face, you can skip a lot of what follows.
The cylinder block is about 1" long, 1/2" wide and 1/4" thick. The trunnion hole
is done first and should be just a tad forward from it's lengthwise center. When
you install the trunnion screw in the block, you know it needs to be straight
as possible, so the hole you drill for it should be straight as possible, too.
The steam port hole in the block can be done now. I try to get a centered
position that allows about the same amount of clearance from the block's
end as you get from the two sides.
Without a doubt, the trickiest maneuver is getting the port face holes right.
Their position depends on the length of the crank, length of the piston, length
of the rod, even the crank-pin hole in the rod's end. Likewise, the length of the
cylinder and location of it's port hole bears a relationship in gauging how long
to make the crank, piston, piston rod, etc.!
But, assuming all this is done right, and the trunnion hole in the port face has
been done, you can now do the steam holes for the port face.
Put the block onto the port face via the trunnion. Cycle it by turning it a few
times against the port face area and remove it. You should see outlined on
the port face, an arc etched in it from the block's port hole because that hole
hasn't yet been smoothed out. This arc and the marks you'll make in the next
step, helps guide the position for the two holes to be drilled in the port face.
Now reinstall the block assembly with the piston connected to the crank. Move
the crank to a 12:00 o'clock position and trace/scribe the position of the block
onto port face. Turn it to reach a 6:00 o'clock position and again scribe the
block's position.
You now have referrence marks of the block's postion at full intake and full
exhaust. You should see something similar to this:
Now, remove the block to take measurements.
Measure distances from the side edges of the block to the steam hole in the
block, also the distance from the center of the hole to the center of trunnion
screw is helpful. Use these distances, along with the block postions and arc
etched on the port face, as a guide for marking the drill points for the holes.
I had been using a 1/16 drill bit. But with this last engine, I found that by
using a smaller drill first, I could somewhat compensate for likely errors.
In other words, if these initial, tiny holes didn't quite line up, I could enlarge them
in the direction they needed to go and still keep the hole size reasonably correct.
The same technique applies to drilling the block hole, start small and you'll
have room to make "corrections".
You know you've got it right when the block and port face holes line up
reasonably well at the 12:00 and 6:00 positions. It doesn't have to be perfect
for an engine to run, but it'll run better the closer to perfect you get it!
When satisfied, you can polish-out the etchings you made on the port face.
Depending on how deeply you etched, you may want begin with sandpaper,
say 600 to 1500 grit. But I finish it off with a small buffing wheel chucked in
my power drill with the port plate lying on the flat of my vise for support.
_________________
-Chuck
Twin-cylinder, CSE-3
"Put that in your Dremel!" |
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Steve_S
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Posts: 3213
Location: Leeds UK
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Very interesting Chuck. It's something I havent tried, but I will. |
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bessytractor
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 31 Dec 2006
Posts: 2425
Location: Chertsey, Surrey
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| Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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| good job Chuck, your engines look superb, I especially like the twin cylinder version. I found your boiler making bits very useful, seeing as I need to make a boiler for my engine. I'm now designing a varient of my engine, but a double acting V-twin. It could be a total disaster |
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oldstuff
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 2530
Location: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
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| Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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BT,
A disaster? Yes, it might be...but could be a smashing success, too.
Adventure is risky...maybe that's why it's so fun!
Thanks for the nice comments!
_________________
-Chuck
Twin-cylinder, CSE-3
"Put that in your Dremel!" |
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toxx
Steam Legend!!
Joined: 23 Jun 2007
Posts: 2175
Location: Vienna, Austria
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| Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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... Chuck, it's simply wonderful! Great work, mate!
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... keine Wunder sind vollbracht.
No miracles ... yet. |
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