SHED MATTERS. MARINE ENGINES.

[Stanley]

Close of play yesterday. Bodge, note that the last two ripe bananas went in a butty last night and a fresh supply is ripening in the bowl! All con rods now have fitted pins complete with collars and fitted taper pins ready for driving home. Tip. Number the rods and pins and put fitting marks on to aid orientation when you are installing them. All con rod feet re-blued ready for marking for bolts. We are ready for some con rod fitting and running in. Note that the eccentrics have been left loose on the shaft to reduce effort needed to turn the engines when running the pistons in on the lathe.

[Stanley]

Got down to serious con rod fitting. The new bots installed, some careful measuring to find centres for holes in the foot of the con-rod and then some high risk milling! I hate this stage, one mistake puts you back to square one so everything double checked.



We have progress! Shot on available light so you could see the blur of movement. The HP con rod is a blur as it thrashes about in its slide. I left the cover off so I could make sure there was plenty of oil in it. Only one problem, I had forgotten to make the oil hole in the con rod assembly so after this I took it out, adjusted the tightness of the crank brass and it's ready for the oil hole and re-assembly. Only one tight spot, the crosshead binds slightly at the bottom of the guide but this will soon ease with running. As it is you can turn the engine over with your fingers apart from that tight point. The nice thing is that the clearances are so small as the engine rotates and it's nice seeing the assembly missing the supporting column and crosshead guide by a hairs-breadth. All going well, slowly and surely will crack it. I'm not going to get excited and start rushing at this stage!

[Stanley]

I started the day by taking the first con rod out and giving it an oil-hole. Then I had a closer look at the tight spot and found it wasn't in the crosshead slide, it was a slight misalignment in the face of the foot and the bearing. Skimmed a bit off to level it and re-installed. Ran much better. Then I started the same process on the second con-rod. This is a much better fit, I always knew that number one was the tricky one because there was a slight problem with the centre line of the cylinder.



This was close of play after some more high risk milling. It's just hung on the crosshead and I think you can see that once it has its oil-hole it is going to be a straightforward fit on the shaft. Today I shall get this fitted and run both in again on the lathe and then address the timing of the valves. Once that's done, all this engine needs is the pipework and it will be a runner! Exciting stuff but I'm going very carefully, no last minute cock-ups! I shall get the second engine to this stage and then do the pipework on both at the same time. That's where I will hit the problem inherent in the design of the castings and that's going to need a bit of thought....

[Stanley]

Nice day in the shed yesterday. It all started well because the No. 2 con rod fell into place nicely but then I found I was into some serious fitting! First problem was that the con rod fouled both the front aperture in the bed and the crosshead guide. Not a big problem, a bit of careful filing soon cured that but then I hit the next problem. The piston was fouling the bottom of the cylinder before the crank reached BDC. so....



Whip the piston out and skim a bit off the bottom of it. Put it back in but I still wasn't quite there so we had to go down another route, I didn't want to take any more off the piston.



I made another piston rod slightly longer than the original and this cured the problem. I put the engine in the 1956 lathe and ran it for about ten minutes. No problems, very nice small clearances but as if by magic everything just clears everything else! When I stopped the lathe it ran on, no tight spots. None of the taper pins are tight yet so I took it out of the lathe, didn't want anything fouling and having a cock-up.



Close of play. I've tightened the glands on the piston rods and the engine still turns freely. Today I shall time the valves, finish the final fitting and lace everything up tight. Then I can run it again in the lathe, adjust the main bearings and locknut them and get to the stage where this one is finished and ready for running when the pipework is fitted. At that point I'll swap engines and go through the same process with the second engine.
No surprise that some serious fitting was needed. These are complicated little engines made with no proper drawings and you have to expect some problems but there is nothing fundamentally wrong so it's just a matter of old-fashioned fitting. This was exactly the same process that the old engine builders went through in the days before mass-production and interchangeable parts. They erected the finished engine in the shop and checked that everything was correct before dismantling it, taking it to its final home and re-erecting it. Luckily I can pick mine up!
A satisfying day, we're getting there. No rush and no cock-ups.
I have the sort of brain that's forever counting and reckoning things up. As I was doing all this I did a calculation that came to 500 hours on each engine at say £10 an hour including overheads plus at least £500 an engine for castings and materials and got to at least £5,500 for each engine. Ridiculous isn't it!

[Stanley]

Nice quiet day with no surprises. Finished lacing the first engine up and ran it on the 1956 lathe for about half an hour.



All the rods flailing about looking completely berserk but actually doing exactly what they should do, dead on time. That's the fascination to me of watching and engine like this running.
In the process of lacing up I did the valve timing so I suppose I'd better give you the idiot's guide (That includes me!). If you want to go and get the books and read the subject up, good luck but you'll soon find out that the 'simple' slide valve is nothing of the sort, it's fiendishly complicated and I confess that I have never fully bottomed it. I'm in good company, many of the finest loco engineers would agree with me. So, here's the Stanley method which will make the engine run! Take the lid off the valve chest and first thing is to make sure that mid point on the eccentric stroke is mid point on the valve position. You can do this easily with the way Newton taught me to install the valve rods because all you have to do is turn the rod, no lock nuts or dismantling needed. Once you have this sorted make a decision which way you want the engine to rotate, you can make it go either way but in all the full sized compounds I have worked with the LP crank always leads the HP by 90degrees. Don't ask me why because I don't know, it seems to have been the convention for normal rotation. In our case the engine runs clockwise when viewed from the HP end.
Take the lid off the cylinder and rotate the shaft the correct way until the piston is at TDC. Then rotate the eccentric on the shaft till the valve has just gone over TDC and is starting to reveal the steam inlet in the face (the top one of course). Lock the eccentric to the shaft and rotate to check that the same event is happening at the bottom of the valve for the return stroke. If it isn't, make a small adjustment to the valve rod to even the events out. The idea of this setting is to allow the steam to start on its journey through the restrictions of the steam passages in time for it to get there just as the piston passes TDC and comes onto the power stroke. It's always lagging slightly because of the constrictions. This won't give you the very best performance but it will make the engine run. If you want to start tuning for maximum efficiency you're on your own because in order to do this you have to go deep into construction and theory and this is why the old engineers took so long getting to grips with it. As Johnny used to say, we aren't driving a 500 ton boat!
Another thing to note is that there is bronze in the oil on the bed after it has passed through the crank bearings. This is because I overtightened the bearing caps to make the brasses bed to the shaft. Sounds cruel but it's actually a very good way of lapping them into each other and getting a good fit. Don't go too hard at it or you'll rope the bearings. Just do enough to make them run a bit hot. Once you're satisfied that the shaft is bedded, fit the lock nuts on the bearing caps and run a bit longer for a check. Then, when the engine is back on the bench slack the bearing caps back a fraction and re-lock them. You haven't got a lot of grip on the flange at the end of the shaft with your fingers but if you've got it right you should be able to get a bit of movement with fingers alone. Remember there's a lot of friction in the cylinders.



Here's the end result. The No. ! engine with all its parts installed and tightened down. All it needs now is the pipework to make it a runner. One tip: I used to spend a lot of time making paper gaskets but now I just make sure that mating surfaces are accurate and put some Loctite Liquid Gasket in. The purists will start shouting foul but I was told by Newton that after a few scalding accidents on the footplate because of gaskets blowing on HP steam lines, the GWR decreed that all joints should be accurate mating services sealed by red lead only. If its good enough for God's Wonderful Railway it's good enough for me. Anyway, it works, never had a joint leak.



So, close of play. The next engine is sat on the bench and ready for exactly the same process. Quietly away, we're getting there!

[Stanley]

I started the day by touching up my current milling cutter, 15 degrees back rake, 5 degrees cutting edge and grind the corners off. All as per Tubal Cain. No point in taking any chances when you're engaged in high stress milling!



Then into the job! It soon became obvious that this con rod was out of centre like the others. Quite disheartening because it was another example of how badly I had got the centres wrong when installing the cylinder block and the standards. All a consequence of not having drawings of course but I would have expected to do better. I told you I was a Bum Engineer! If we disregard the mistakes and accept that these engines aren't going to be exhibition quality I can console myself with the fact that they'll look all right on the sideboard and will run like stink when they get steam or compressed air on them. Even so, I admit to being a bit disheartened by my incompetence.



Unfortunately things got worse when I got the con-rod fitted. It fits well and turns over freely but the piston fouls the cylinder base on BDC. Same problem and solution as the last engine, rip the piston rod out and lengthen it a touch. No problem of course and I can soon put it right but it then dawned on me that the mistake that led to this was getting the centres of the crank brass and the crosshead pin wrong. I could cure it by simply putting a 1/16" packing strip between the con rod foot and the brass but would rather re-make the rod than do it that way.
So, the bottom line is that we are still on course for two engines that run but I#m beginning to realise I pushed the boat out a bit making a design that is far more complicated than a single. The reason I didn't get into these problems with the big compound I made is that that one was actually two big singles bolted together with a common crankshaft. This avoided the complications of the single cylinder block.
Why bother you with all this? Simply that it gives some clues to anyone who wants to make the same design. The crucial element is to get the centres of the bores dead in line with the crankshaft and that's where I went wrong. Don't worry, I'm not depressed, it's sometimes a good thing to be reminded of your limits and these engines have certainly done that! Perhaps I'll be a better engineer in future.....
Enough of this, get on with it!

[Tripps]

You mention Tubal Cain again. Do you recall the poem? I only remembered the first couple of lines.
Whilst looking it up, I see it also has Masonic overtones. Amazing where this site takes you.


TUBAL CAIN
by Charles Mackay

Old Tubal Cain was a man of might
In the days when the Earth was young;
By the fierce red light of his furnace bright
The strokes of his hammer rung;
And he lifted high his brawny hand
On the iron glowing clear,
Till the sparks rushed out in scarlet showers
And he fashioned the sword and spear.
And he sang "Hurra for the handiwork!
Hurra for the spear and sword!
Hurra for the hand that shall wield them well,
For he shall be king and lord!"

To Tubal Cain came many a one,
As he wrought by his roaring fire;
And each one prayed for a strong steel blade
As the crown of his desire.
And he made them weapons sharp and strong,
Till they shouted loud for glee,
And gave him gifts of pearl and gold,
And spoils of the forest free;
And they said, "Hurra for Tubal Cain,
Who hath given us strength anew!
Hurra for the smith, hurra for the fire,
And hurra for the metal true!"

But a sudden change came o'er his heart
Ere the setting of the sun,
And Tubal Cain was filled with pain for
The Evil he had done;
He saw that men, with rage and hate,
Made war upon their kind,
That the land was red with the blood they shed,
In their lust for carnage blind.
And he said, "Alas! that ever I made,
Or the skill of mine should plan,
The spear and the sword for men whose joy
Is to slay their fellow-man."

And for many a day old Tubal Cain
Sat brooding o'er his woe;
And his hand forebore to smite the ore,
And his furnace smoldered low.
But he rose at last with a cheerful face,
And a bright courageous eye,
And bared his strong right hand for work
While the quick flames mounted high!
And he sang, "Hurra for my handicraft!"
And the red sparks lit the air;
"Not alone for the blade was the bright steel made!"
And he fashioned the first ploughshare.

And men, taught wisdom from the past,
In friendship joined their hands;
Hung the sword in the hall, the spear on the wall,
And ploughed the willing lands;
And sang, "Hurra for Tubal Cain!
Our staunch good friend is he;
And for the ploughshare and the plough
To him our praise shall be;
But while oppression lifts its head,
Or a tyrant would be lord
Though we may thank him for the plough
We'll not forget the sword!"

[Stanley]

David, Tubal Cain was the pen name of Tom Walshaw who was a regular contributor to Model Engineer in the 1970s. He also wrote several books for the ME workshop series and a very good book on Ornamental Woodturning. I came into contact with him when I found the coffin of chucks belonging to his Holtzappfel lathe but he made a derisory offer and they finished up in London.

Yesterday was a learning curve. I spent so much time playing hell with myself the day before that I lost the plot as regards fault finding and rectification. I'd better come clean....
I had made up my mind where my problem was and instead of having a rethink and a proper investigation I did the typical Old Fart thing, crashed on and made a new piston rod and fitted it. Problem was that it still didn't make a complete revolution! It fouled before reaching the bottom of the cylinder. Here I have to say that my deteriorating eyes had a part in the mistake, perhaps it's time I got my cataracts sorted! The problem was nothing to do with the piston rod, it was the con rod fouling the crank because I hadn't taken my reduction far enough. After primal scream therapy I took the rod out and reduced it further, took the new piston rod out and put the old one back in and lo and behold, at close of play I had an engine with a perfectly functional HP cylinder. There's a lesson in here somewhere....



I shall put this behind me and carry on, keeping calm as I go.....

[Stanley]

Wendy called in yesterday to deliver my book and while she was in the shed I showed her the current engine and she asked a perfectly sensible question, what could it be used for. I told her "Nothing useful!" it could be an ornament or if someone built a model of a Puffer they could make a boiler, fit the engine and sail it on a pond! In truth it's just scratching an itch, the need to take lumps of metal, impose your will and breathe life into them. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.



Yesterday was OK. The con rod was no problem and perhaps the best fit of the four. However, if you look at the pic you'll see that on TDC the piston is not at the end of its travel. It was fouling at the bottom of the cylinder (I made quite sure this was the case this time!) but I already had a rod half made from the day before so I made it the correct length and fitted it. No problem, we had a functioning cylinder.



Close of play. Ready for valve setting and a run in the lathe before final lacing up and tightening. All routine. I have decided that before doing the pipework I'll make sure that the engines have an extended period of running in the lathe to polish the bearings and bores and generally make sure they are as free as possible before putting steam (or air) on them. Because of the design there's a lot of internal friction in the design for such a small engine. The freer they are the better. Happy with progress and looking forward to the next few days. Just how it should be in the shed, calm and rewarding!

[Bodger]

If you attched a 100psi boiler, what guesstimate would you place on Horse Power output ?

[Stanley]

Bodge, Bahrett did a steam test on the engine he made and the figure he came up with was .445hp at 60psi condensing. This is fairly low pressure and I think that at 120psi non-condensing you would get well over .75hp. Quite enough to drive a one inch to one foot model of a puffer. Full scale engines probably gave 200hp plus.



No dramas yesterday. Quietly away valve setting and lacing everything up. All the bolts fitted to covers and everything tightened down except the main bearing caps.



Close of play. The second engine on the lathe and running at over 300rpm. No problems, it runs nicely and today I'll give it some more running, tightening the mains down till they start warming up and then slackening back a touch and locking the caps down. Then a good tidy up and I have to address the pipework... There are going to be problems and I'm still trying to come up with an imaginative solution to a design flaw in the original castings. We'll get into that later. I'm having to think about wood for the plinths as well. We must be close to a finish!

[Bodger]

A nice little gas fired boiler connected, and mini cone pulleys, it woud drive a small pillar drill etc ?.
Is there any form of governor on? , or would that be gilding the lily ?

[Stanley]

The original engine was designed to be a prime mover for a home workshop just as you describe. It's quite amazing how many small steam and gas engines were used before the advent of universal mains coverage. ME is full of designs for them. The most unusual application was in the Second World War. A small generator powered by I think it was the Stuart Sirius engine complete with a boiler that could be fired by any fuel was part of a wireless set used by agents parachuted into enemy territory. There's a lot of information about this, they actually were used and were successful. (LINK)



Well, we've got there. All the motion work is finished, the engines are laced up and ready to run once the pipework is fitted. Not exhibition standard but I like them! Now I have to address the tiddly bits. I am the worst man with solder under the sun but this isn't my biggest problem. If you take note, the boss for the HP exhaust is on the same side of the cylinder casting as the LP exhaust. This means that the LP exhaust will foul the logical track of the HP exhaust to the LP steam chest. This gives me a problem and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. I think I've arrived at a solution but I shall continue thinking about it as I marshall my materials. I am lucky (or forward thinking!) as I have quite a lot of heavy walled copper pipe from various sources, as I always say, when you see good stuff don't walk past it.
By the way, I gave Newton another good laugh by having a tidying up session. I now have to become a pipe-fitter and system designer.... This will be a laugh!
I know myself well enough to be aware that my head solves problems better if I can see them so the first thing Ill do is make the tidiest fitting I can devise to enable me to fit a full-bore exhaust on the LP exhaust port. Once that is fitted I can see the rabbit and find a way of getting the connection and receiver between the two cylinders. The HP steam inlet is easy as it's outside the track. Only question there is do I make two junction valves? Decisions, decisions!

[Stanley]

The first thing yesterday was to get my materials together. Luckily I have plenty of heavy wall copper pipe. Two lengths here, 1/2" OD, 3/8" bore and 1" OD, 7/8" bore. The idea in my mind is that the larger bore becomes the receiver and the small bore does for the other pipework. Then a search to see what fittings I have.



Over the years you collect all sorts of stuff and if like me you have a tidy mind they finish up roughly sorted into containers. Here's just one tipped out on the bench for a search. There were other sources as well and they were all searched.



Close of play. Various bits sorted out, some more useful than others but at least I know what I have got. The plan is to fit the obstruction first, the exhaust from the LP cylinder, because the receiver and the compound pipework has to fit round that. Once that is in place I can make the receiver and associated pipes. The last job will be to fit the steam pipe to the HP and perhaps make two junction valves...
The only downside yesterday was that I managed to trigger off a back storm. Not good! I have an article in mind for the BET so I think I'll treat myself to a quiet day today..... My mind will be working on the pipework during the day. One of the things I like most about the shed is the quiet thinking about problems, everything from machining problems to design, keeps the brain going even when you are asleep, I've often woken up in the morning with a solution in my head that wasn't there the day before.

[Stanley]

Nothing to report, spent day nursing my back. Much better now so there is hope!

[Stanley]

Have decided to make the exhaust on the LPs first and have arrived at a design in my head. Every intention of making them this morning...... Bits of shiny brass!

[Stanley]

On the whole it was a good day even though it didn't go quite the way I expected.



I started the day by checking the threads on the engines by running the taps through them. My memory was accurate, one 3/8" on the steam inlet and all the others 1/2", all 26TPI. Got the necessary dies out ready for action. Then a good clean up of the lathe, first because it's nicer to work with clean stuff and second because I am on brass for a while now and like to collect my non-ferocious scrap separately. Found a brass end that I can get one of the bosses out of.



I'd done my fag packet drawing and cracked on with the boss but when I got to this stage a strange man loomed at the window.



That's right, our Leader is alive and well and back in Barlick! We had a pot of tea and a good chat part of which was about the site and Ian will be glad to hear that Doc is going to apply the platform updates later this week when he has finished his latest task. I am sworn to secrecy but can't resist one clue, such a shame that the canal isn't 30 feet wide.....
I told Doc about a small problem I had. I'm getting to the stage where I have to think about base plinths for the engines and want to use some good wood. I have had about my person for many years a very heavy piece of timber I fished out of the canal. It was bleached and impossible to identify but after over ten years drying out is is as heavy as it was the day it came out of the water. We got it out and Doc said he'd get it split into three 3/4" boards after surfacing. At this point I took Jack for a walk, had my dinner and fell asleep in the rocking chair. An hour later I woke to find Doc in the yard....



It turned out the timber was Keruing and it will make some nice plinths and backing boards. I know the timber well, a very resinous Malayan hardwood closely related to Mahogany. We used it a lot for wagon flats on the milk pick-up wagons because it was so resistant to wear and knot free. So, a different day but a nice step forward.
One thing I have decided is to scrap the Bodge Memorial Flanges and fit small flywheels. The only reason I'm doing this is so that the engines can be turned easily by hand for cleaning, it will keep the bores free as well. So I suppose they now become compound mill engines!

[Stanley]

Finished making the boss, sorted out an elbow and made the exhaust pipe. 3/8" bore copper pipe. Copper is a bugger to thread as it tries to rag up all the time. That means the die jams and if you tighten the vice you distort the tube. Do not despair! Put a close-fitting bar of steel up the bore so you can tighten the vice without collapsing the pipe and use a good thread-cutting lubricant like Trefolex on the die. This will give you a clean thread.



The first engine has its exhaust.



A piece of 3/4" brass in the lathe for the next boss. That's enough for the day, no rush!

[Stanley]

This says it all really. The second engine has its exhaust and I went furtling for what I'll need for the receiver that will connect the HP exhaust to the LP steam valve. I can see the rabbit now that the exhausts are fitted and it's not going to be too bad. I cut a couple of pieces of 1" OD condenser tube and polished them up. Then I went into the treasure box and found some 1" brass rod which will make the plugs for each end of the receiver. Am still mulling over the connection between the receiver and the ports, bit of a problem in that we need either a union or a flange, still thinking about this.... The pipe diameters scale up OK. If I remember rightly the recommended capacity of the receiver is two and a half times the swept volume of the HP cylinder and the 7/8" bore pipe is as near perfect as makes no difference. The more observant might notice a couple of castings. While I was in the treasure chest I realised I had two flywheel castings that Johnny intended for the engine. I am going to put a 3/4" Keruing plinth under the engine and this gives me enough clearance for a 5" diameter flywheel. These will do nicely! (Sorry Bodge, the flanges will have to go)
There won't be anything done today because apart from shopping etc. I have my mate Daniel visiting for a planning session for the new book he is doing which includes a contribution from me. It will be an interesting and enjoyable day. Bugger the shed! (Sorry Lads!)

[Bodger]

You could always use the fly wheels as power transmission ?

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley , it looks like you have been keeping busy and things are shaping up nicely. The plinths should look nice , all the better that the timber has been fished out the canal, your treasure chest seems to have no limits too
I have hardly had a chance to do anything to the lathe , it just seems to be one thing after another stopping me the past couple of weeks but I should get back to it next week ok. One of the jobs I have been meaning to do is rebuild some milling vices, mainly as they are all balanced on various things in my way, so I decided it would be worth the effort to get them done to make more room.
Here are a few shots of the job.

This is the vices all stripped , sanded and ready to be painted.



One coat of etch primer , this chips less easy in use.



Painted with two coats of grey machine paint.



Stanley your vice is the one that has been reassembled second from this end , not that you can see much from the photo , they are now all back together , I am keeping two , one swivel and one plain, gave one to my friend John and one to Stanley ( both going to good homes ) so a bit more room to work in and they are too heavy to keep moving.
Cheers Mick.

[Stanley]

Mick, I'd forgotten that you promised me a bigger vice. Really pleased! Mind you, you are so good at finishing machines off it will make everything else in the shed look second-hand! I'm really impressed at the way you finish things off, mainly because you are so much better at it than I am.
Nothing done in the shed yesterday because my mate Daniel visited and we spent 12 hours talking about serious matters pertaining to a book Daniel is making on his years in Barlick. I live a solitary life and it was good to have a really deep conversation with someone I admire and trust about subjects very close to both of us. I slept like a log last night and will have an easy day today so look for further progress on Sunday.....

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley , glad to hear you had a good day yesterday and also slept like a log too, a day away from the shed will do you good. The vice probably looks better in the photo so dont get too excited , its all ok and an Abwood, the only thing that it could do with is the jaws renewed really as they have been milled away a bit but still useable as it is, you might as well have the swivel base Stanley as its there and easy enough to use without the base but you never know when it might come in handy too.
I saw that 'meteor' or space junk or whatever it was that has been on the news all day. Last night at 11pm when I let the dogs out in the garden, I looked across, it was like a welding arc, blue /green flare type glow followed by a long trailing tail of bright yellow , orange and red sparkling fragments. It travelled almost horizontal and slowly, really bright and colourful and silent. It looked as if it went direct over Newcastle city centre from where I was and looked much bigger and closer tan the video on the news. It looked like a once in a life time sort of site , did anyone in Barnoldswick see it that you know of ? , it seems to have been seen from all over the country.
I welded the bracket for the lamp on the lathe today but not got photos loaded yet, will post tomorrow .
Cheers Mick.

[Stanley]

It certainly looks as though it was space debris burning up. I can soon make new jaws for the vice.....
One good thing about stopping and considering the pipework is that I have got it sorted out in my head now and have a plan! It should be tidy and easy and avoids all flanges and unions. If it's as good as I think it is I could well rework the big compound and give it the same treatment.

[Stanley]

Started the day by fitting stub pipes to both engines for connection to the receiver.



Made brass plugs for the end of the receiver. These are bored out 1/2" and will be fitted with connecting pipes to the stubs. The receivers are too long at the moment but will be cut down once I can measure the length needed accurately. (Don't forget to back your drills off when boring brass. Nowt worse than a jam up at this stage!)