Shed Matters 3

[Stanley]

Just one task this morning, bore the crank pin brass and fit it to the flywheel. Plenty of scope for a disaster here, 3/8" is a big bore for a small brass like this. Very carefully done and remember to back off the drill to stop it grabbing! All went well, the brass is a good fit and only requires the sides reducing slightly but that can be done when I am fitting it to the connecting rod. I deserve my breakfast!

[Stanley]

This morning I concentrated on making the connecting rod. The stock provided by Stuarts is 1" X 3/4" and much too long so there has to be sime very careful mounting in the lathe and then even more careful measuring. Measuring and marking to decide my cuts is my hardest task as I get older because I find it so easy to make mistakes..... So that's why it took me 45 minutes to get to the stage you see in the picture. Marked and ready to start cutting tomorrow. But now the focus is on breakfast and then second sleep!

[Stanley]

This morning I finished cutting the connecting rod out of the stock. As you can see, it was a lot of metal removal to get down to a small component. The problem being of course that I need the full 1" X 3/4" at one end for the foot that connects to the bearing. Quietly away and no mistakes. Now for breakfast!

[Stanley]

I started the day by very carefully marking the centre of the con-rod foot in the lathe and then cleaning Mrs Harrison. Then I removed the brass from the crank pin and did some more careful measuring and marking before drilling the con rod foot to accept the bolts that join the two halves of the brass. Then I married the two and tomorrow I shall cut the foot and the brass to be an easy fit on the crank pin. But today's task now is breakfast!

[Stanley]

Just one task this morning. Clean up the fit of the con rod foot on the bearing brass using the VM. Very careful cutting and the result is an assembly that's ready for fitting to the crosshead. But that will do for tomorrow. Right now it's breakfast!

[Stanley]

Later in the morning and I was feeling guilty because, even though it has stopped raining I was not going out until later this afternoon when I have to go for my flu and Covid jabs. So I went in the shed and did a bit of overtime. I milled the flats on each side of the small end of the con-rod so it will fit in the slot in the crosshead. I feel better now!

[Stanley]

It was a good job I did that bit of overtime yesterday because when I went in the shed and resumed work on refining the con rod I found that my sore arm from the flu jab was severely limiting my abilities..... I persevered until I had drilled for the crosshead pin and massaged the con rod end until it fitted nicely in the crosshead. Then I stopped. As you can see I am ready to fit the con rod to the engine. But for now I am defeated and will have an early breakfast. I'm more for nourishment than punishment!

[Stanley]

This morning was spent in fitting the co rod to the crank pin and the crosshead and making sure the clearances in the cylinder were correct so we had a full revolution with clearance at both ends of the stroke. That took an hour to get absolutely right but it is fitted perfectly now and I can move on to the valve train tomorrow. Now the task is breakfast!

[Stanley]

A good solid hour this morning making the eccentric as the first blow in making the valve train. As you can see I have sammed up the various components and will have a look at fettling castings tomorrow. Right now I am focussed on breakfast.
One thing that struck me this morning is that I am definitely shrinking! I had to get a buffet to be able to reach the top row of drawers in my Taps and dies cabinet!

[Stanley]

Good progress this morning on the eccentric strap. An hour of careful milling and sanding and we are ready for the next stages tomorrow. But for now the focus is on breakfast!

[Stanley]

More work on the eccentric strap. Some hand work with a file to refine the overall finish. The faces of the lugs where the bolts are to be installed cut flat and deep enough for the bolt heads and the nuts. Witness marks put on one face so that orientation can be correct when installing the bolts. Then drilled for the bolts and sawn in two with a small slitting saw to ensure tidy cutting. Then fitting the bolts and finally back under the pillar drill to drill the oil hole in the strap.

[Stanley]

This morning I milled out the pocket in the eccentric strap that will take the link that connects it to the clevis in the valve train. All very difficult if you can't see straight! Then I had to cut down the stock strip supplied to make the link itself. All this entailed two trips to the tool and cutter grinder to sharpen cutters and then some careful high risk milling. I'm ready now to make the link. I'm looking forwards to breakfast.

[Stanley]

The job this morning was to bore the eccentric strap and make sure it fitted the eccentric. That's done.... tomorrow I make the link. I had to bore the strap first so that I can accurately measure the link. Now for breakfast!

[Stanley]

JUst one task, take the link forward between the strap and the clevis on the valve rod. Careful measuring and marking and then drilling the 5BA clearance holes in the link. Then marking and drilling the strap using the link and finally drilling and tapping that hole, Countersinking the hole in the link and fitting the link to the strap. That was a fiddle! All told it took me an hour and a half to get to here. Now I want breakfast.

[Stanley]

I started by cutting the link down to length and shaping the end that will fit in the clevis. Then I reduced the 5/32" rod to 1/8" and threaded the end of it that fits in the clevis. Next I bored the stock for the clevis and drilled and tapped it 4BA for the rod. All done very carefully and checked and re-checked. That's how I have to work these days to avoid errors! We have progress and I am looking forward to my breakfast.

[Stanley]

An hour and a quarter spent on work on the clevis.... I finished up ready to move forward to finish it tomorrow. I wasted a bit of time by cutting the slot 1/16" instead of 1/8" and had to go back to do it again. No matter, the mistake wasn't terminal and we are on track. It just took a little longer...... Now for breakfast!

[Stanley]

First job was to finish the clevis, the legs needed shortening and the link end rounding off. Then the valve rod had to be cut to length and threaded to fit in the valve. Next the valve had to be fettled to get the rags off and then milled in the VM to get the faces square with each other. That's done and tomorrow I can do the finish milling to size. But that's enough for this morning, my attention now is on breakfast!

[Stanley]

This morning I milled the valve to dimension and ended up by cutting the slot for the driver bar. Tomorrow I shall mark and mill out the clearance for the exhaust in the base. But at the moment my aim is on breakfast.

[Stanley]

This morning I drilled the body of the valve for passage of the valve rod. Then I cut the pocket in the base of the valve that forms the exhaust passage. Next I refined the driver, marked it for the valve rod and drilled and tapped it. You see the result, the valve ready to be installed in the chest but first I have some more castings to fettle. That's for tomorrow, now I want my breakfast.

[Stanley]

I spent an hour on the governor stand. It's a complicated casting and normally I would do it by hand on the grinding wheel but this morning I decided to be a good boy and refine it using the vertical mill. As you can imagine. it's difficult to hold it to mill all the faces accurately and to size. Even more difficult is getting the relationship of the major face that bolts on the engine bed and the centre of the hole that accommodated the valve rod accurately measured and marked. But as you can see I got there. A bit of hand filing needed now and then drill for the rod. That's tomorrow sorted! Now for breakfast.

[Tripps]

it's difficult to hold it to mill all the faces accurately and to size.

In its omnipotent wisdom Google made me watch a video of a 'fractal vice' recently. I'm sure you're aware of them, but see Youtube for more detail.

[Stanley]

Well worth watching David. I had never heard of them until I saw that video.

[Stanley]

This morning I spent almost an hour on refining the governor stand, mostly with a file and by hand. Then drilling it for the valve rod and after that attending to the fit of the steam chest and the fit of the valve. Then I fitted the rod and the valve and checked that the governor stand was correctly bored. All is well and the next job is to definitively fit the rod and valve to the cylinder. That's where I will start tomorrow. Right now the task is post on the site and have breakfast!

[Stanley]

This morning I have spent an hour on a very fiddly job.... Marking and drilling the governor stand and bolting it to the bed of the engine. All this effort for two 5BA fasteners! Never mind, it's done and tomorrow I can go forward refining the fit. Right now I deserve breakfast!

[Stanley]

This morning I took a very critical re-edited edited of yesterday work and decided it wasn't good, so it I undid what I had done and did it all again but better. (I'm my own worse critic critic. It was the right thing to do and this time I got it right. Re-fitted the eccentric strap and the eccentric arm and then set the valve so it will be correct. Tomorrow I shall go through all the final touches and get ready for a running trial. I'm glad I went through it again, it's right now! I have earned my breakfast.