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Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 14 Jul 2022, 12:21
by Stanley
Unusually, Shed Matters spilled over into the kitchen after my second sleep.
I have spent an hour and a half trawling the ME volumes 133 and 134 and have scanned and copied 40 pages. I had about my person some pocket files and one of them is now my workshop manual, all 40 pages protected by plastic pockets.
As for what I have learned.... the answer is not a lot, as they are very general articles and most of the drawings I already have on a larger scale. However, it will have clues that will repay careful reading, in short, I have better resources now than before.
One thing I have learned is that this project will never result in a practical pump as some elements of it are fiendishly complicated. The best I can aspire to is get it closer to completion than it is now.... Believe me, even that lowly ambition will be a bit of a bloody triumph if I pull it off.
I shall have a spot of lunch now and a rest!
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 15 Jul 2022, 06:51
by Stanley
I spent an hour on ensuring that the crankshaft was a good running fit in the standards. I started by putting a 5/16" reamer through the bearings and the rest of the time on repeated fittings and easing of the castings. At closing time I still hadn't got the fit I wanted but at least I know exactly where to start tomorrow morning!
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 17 Jul 2022, 06:50
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 18 Jul 2022, 06:18
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 21 Jul 2022, 05:53
by Stanley
I went in the shed and surveyed the piste. I confirmed what I had to do, strip the pump and cylinder block down and check everything again, adjusting to make it fit properly. I also realised it was warmer than I thought in there and came out. Sorry lads but I shall give it a while longer.
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 23 Jul 2022, 07:07
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 24 Jul 2022, 06:44
by Stanley
I think you can see my problem in the first image. My Standards are still not pe4rfectly square and so cannot line up with the base of the steam cylinders at the top. So I decided to take the shaft out, force the standards into a correct position and measure for the dimensions of the crankshaft. As you can see from the second image I can't get them in far enough because they are fouling on the bottom lids of the cylinders. These are going to need reducing in diameter. Then I cleaned all the parts and lids so that I can read the witness marks that will keep me straight. So tomorrow I shall be into some very careful turning again but this time the lids. Then a refit and measure to see how much room there is for the shaft. It's going to need reducing again. The third image is where I finished up, all my parts identified and ready for another attempt to get a fit.
I'm not interested in how it got like this, the real root of the problem is that there are many important dimensions missing off the original drawings so I'm working in the real world, making the parts fit!
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 25 Jul 2022, 06:29
by Stanley
The first thing I did was reduce the diameter of the lids so they don't interfere with the standards. Then I assembled the standards with the pump and the steam cylinders and measured the space I had for the crankshaft which was approximately 25 thou less then what the drawings indicate so I reduced the width over the outside flanges by 15 thou on each side. I finished with the standards fitting properly and the shaft definitely going to fit. I put more witness marks on and tomorrow I'll strip it all back again and refit with the crankshaft in place. Theoretically it should fit now but I won't be satisfied until it is in place and running freely.....
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 26 Jul 2022, 06:51
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 27 Jul 2022, 06:47
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 28 Jul 2022, 06:15
by Stanley
This morning was simple. I trawled through all the bronze castings I have to identify which belong to the pump. I have found enough to persuade me what we can reasonably hope to achieve. It will basically be what we have here but with the addition of the cylinder and pump pistons and the valve chests and eccentrics. So I know now where to go next. Finish the flywheels and make the eccentric straps then make the steam chests and lids. That's more work than it looks and I don't get any better at staying the course in the shed!
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 29 Jul 2022, 05:59
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 30 Jul 2022, 06:26
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 31 Jul 2022, 06:09
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 01 Aug 2022, 06:32
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 02 Aug 2022, 06:54
by Stanley
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 03 Aug 2022, 06:00
by Stanley
Only a short spell in the shed as I was late up but we now have both steam chests at the same stage, ready for further adjustments in the vertical mill tomorrow.
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 04 Aug 2022, 06:28
by Stanley
More work on the steam chests. Not there yet but a lot closer and as you can see I haven't forgotten my witness marks.
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 06 Aug 2022, 06:23
by Stanley
This morning has been all about steam chest lids. I have to make them square and the right size. Not as easy as it sounds and I spent an hour and a half doing it. They are somewhere near the right size!
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 07 Aug 2022, 06:36
by Stanley
First job this morning was to make the steam chest lids a bit prettier. When I had done that I realised that I had to have a planning morning. First I needed to settle where the steam inlet was going to be as this dictates the hole pattern for the studs that will hold the steam chest and lid on the valve face. I did that and set out the hole pattern and then realised that I needed more 6BA studding and nuts than I had available so I had to adjourn to the computer and spend money on 2X12" lengths of 6BA studding and 100 full nuts. That sorts that out, tomorrow I can go on with the holes knowing that the 6BA fastenings are on the way! The firm is quite good and they will be delivered early next week.
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 08 Aug 2022, 06:46
by Stanley
Two pics tell the story, an hour and a half in the shed and all I did was drill 12 holes....
More to it than that of course and I have all I need to go forward tomorrow to drill the cylinder block for the holding down studs. I need to sort my witness marks out tomorrow, I got mixed up as usual with my opposite hands but nothing I can't sort out.
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 09 Aug 2022, 06:38
by Stanley
As I said yesterday I cocked up the orientation of my castings yesterday so the first job was to get the orientation right and put another set of witness marks on all the castings. Then I drilled and tapped for 4 studs and fitted them. This means my lids are held tight in place and tomorrow I can mark accurately the the other 20 stud holes (!) through the clearance holes in the steam chest. An hour and a half to fit 4 studs.... but there was quite a lot to it.
It's growing slowly!
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 09 Aug 2022, 10:14
by Stanley
The 6BA studding and 100 nuts arrived this morning....
![Big Grin :biggrin2:](./images/smilies/board/biggrin.gif)
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 09 Aug 2022, 19:02
by BobH
Which supplier did you use for the 6BA studding and nuts Stanley? I have a couple that I use, both quite good at delivery.
Re: Shed Matters 3
Posted: 10 Aug 2022, 02:33
by Stanley
EKP in Barnstaple. Did they used to be Kenyons?