SHED MATTERS. MARINE ENGINES.

[Stanley]

My dad used to have a saying. "If some bugger can build it I can take it to bits!"

I got carried away yesterday and did half an hour overtime to get me to a straight edge.
Started by sorting a plug gauge out for the 1 1/8" bore.




I spent a few minutes cleaning the first strap up after turning it and then cracked on with the others.


Close of play. All the straps ready for some light cleaning up. All went well apart from one near cock-up but I managed to save it in time! I've popped the casting in to remind you all of where we started out. So much of this type of work is simply reducing a casting by half! The trick is to do it in the right way!

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley, glad that it was only a near cock up ! I would agree with your dad's saying 'if some bugger can build it , I can take it to bits' ....... thats not so much of a problem .........its the putting it back together that is the tricky bit .

A rest from it today anyway , its back to the woodturning. The sun is out up North today for a nice change !

Mick.

[Stanley]

Remind me where you are......

[Stanley]

Too busy running my life to get in the shed yesterday and it begins to look the same way today! I'll try to get some light filing in at some point but I can't promise anything at the moment.

[Stanley]

Nice quiet morning tidying the straps up, only one bit of additional facing required on the lathe. Done with great care! This is the time you cock-up! The flat file is used by rubbing the straps on it to get them perfectly flat and square. The small warding file is for de-burring and smoothing the fiddly bits. Most important and a top tip is the wire brush which has been sharpened by grinding its face to get sharp edges on the bristles, try it, you'll be amazed how a sharp wire brush cuts! All the edges have been broken and the final touch will be to polish them on fine emery on the surface plate.



Next thing was to ease the bed a little to give adequate clearance for the eccentric boss. The little Dremel grinder is a handy tool for jobs like this.



Last move was to fit the No. 3 strap on its eccentric. First time it's been on and a perfect fit. Not too tight and enough play left in the side fit to let it adjust to the inevitable small discrepancies in the fitting. Note that any wear can be taken up by filing the matching faces of the strap. All fits well apart from the right hand side fouling the aperture in the bed slightly. A bit of work with a square file will soon cure this. I shall fit the LP eccentric next and then make the valve rods taking the measurements individually from each valve. It gets a bit tiddly at that point......

[Stanley]

A bit of fiddling with the square file to get clearance but by close to end of play one engine with two eccentrics fitted and ready for the connecting rods to the valves. I was going to go straight to the rods but decided this was silly, far better to get the other engine to the same stage while I am in the groove with eccentric fitting.



So, next engine up for shaving! I'll fit the eccentrics to this one and then measure up for the connecting rods and get to the stage where I can run both engines in with the valves working before I go on to the main crank bearings and con rods. Exciting to realise how close we are to getting some compressed air on and having two engines running! All the hours get to be worthwhile at this stage. Nothing nicer than seeing lumps of metal come to life!
The other thing that struck me was how full the crankshaft will be when the crank bearings and con rods are in place and how nice to see all the bits moving in their own order. I always think that this is why steam engines are so good to watch, all their guts are hanging out and you can see what's going on.

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley , it looks like you have been busy and got plenty done there Its still been sunny up in the far north , Newcastle upon Tyne , so good weekend been had. When you mentioned about the wire brush did you go over the brass with it to get brushed type finish , I can not tell from the photos ? I will have to try it anyway , it makes sense I know I have done that on a needle de - scaling gun and it makes a massive difference.
I have been distracted with a wood turning project that I will post on the wood working section but managed to get more done to the lathe today.







Looking pretty stripped now, thought I might as well do a decent job now its gone this far , have had a good tidy up and layed most of the bits out cleaned on the bench.



The most troublesome bit was a taper pin on the clutch shaft the one with the ground off top going through a collar on the left of this photo , knocked through and jammed against a rib in the casting before it knocked all the way through the shaft , so it would not knock through or wiggle back in and the shaft was jammed so would not rotate, there was also no room to get a grinder in to remove some of the knocked through end of the pin to enable it to be drifted out.




The only way out seemed to be to drill an exit hole for the pin to be knocked further through , it worked a treat , The pin knocked through the hole and the shaft came to bits to remove. I then tapped the hole 1/4 Bsp and fitted a plug to seal up the hole. Job done and if the shaft should ever need to come back out the plug could just be removed again. This is the rear of the casing with the plug covering the hole in place.


Cheers Mick.

[Stanley]

I don't know about me being Busy! Nice solution to the taper pin, I bet they do the same at the factory if they need to get it out.
Spent my usual couple of hours in the shed yesterday....



First job was to get the eccentrics fitted to the second engine. Same process, relieve the end of the bed, slightly enlarge the apertures in the bed and fit them. Only adjustment I needed to make was to slightly reduce the thickness on one strap. It was too snug a fit. The straps need to have a bit of room to adjust themselves to the thrust, the important dimension is the play on the diameter up and down. Give them a touch but not too much! The old fitters would have them dead accurate but we're not running a 1500 ton ship! Once the second engine was ready I had to think about stock for making the rods. It's always surprising when you come to do this because the diameter is governed by the largest dimension which is the foot that bolts onto the top of the eccentric. The old fitters were lucky, they had forgings that were roughly the right shape. We have to chop them out of the solid so I needed some 1" diameter bar. I had an old machine bolt in the stockpile which with a bit of luck will make the four rods. First thing to do was to get it into the lathe and make it the right diameter.





Close of play. Nearly down to 1" and a nice easy start to today's work, no thinking needed, just switch the lathe on and get the bar to size, then some careful measurements to get the length.

[Stanley]

Sorry lads! Doc and I were playing out yesterday and nowt got done. I shall be in there today.... Nearest I got to shed work was draining the cutting oil tank on the lathe and having a quick sweep up of swarf to keep levels down....

[micktoon]

Morning Stanley , I hardly got anything done to the lathe yesterday either, mainly as I had to make anothe small wood box as its my girlfriends birthday today, I will post photos in the woodwork section as there is not much posted there. Today is also out as Sarah is off work so we are going out for the day.
Hope you manage to get back in the shed today and all goes well.
Cheers Mick.

[Stanley]

First job was to get my 1" bar.



My old mate the HM and the saw came in handy again! Far easier than a hacksaw.



Next job was to find the length of the rod. Cover off the valve chest, set the valve at mid position. Set the eccentric at mid position also and measure the distance from the centre of the hole in the valve rod add a bit for the end of the rod and we got just over 4 1/4". Not critical because there is plenty of adjustment on the valve rod in the chamber.



Close of play, ready to make the rod but didn't want to start at that point. I like to have a straight edge! (And it was warm in the shed)

[Stanley]

Close of play yesterday and yes, you're right! I changed my mind. I decided to rough out all the stock I needed for both the eccentric and the main connecting rods. The sharp knives in the box will have counted and realised I have five billets for the eccentric rods when I only need four. I cannot tell a lie, I cocked up with the first one and used the measurement between the centre of the fulcrum pin in the valve rod, forgetting to add 1/4" for the meat in the clevis. I could have got away with it as there is plenty of adjustment on the valve rod but I decided to make another the right length. Swarf cleared up, Cutting oil drained from lathe and returned to the reservoir. All ready for attacking the eccentric rods tomorrow.....

[Stanley]

Shopping and household tasks got in the way as usual. I shall be in there today! Escaping the Olympic Games might push completion forward a bit.

[Stanley]

A day of honest endeavour in the shed yesterday. Most productive day's work since December but in truth a bit too much, me knees are protesting today and I'd better take notice and have an easier day.
All the Eccentric rods are chopped out, some measuring, finishing and fitting needed now. Only one slight cock-up. If you look at the front one it has a groove near the base. The tool tip was obscured by fine swarf and instead of clearing it I carried on! No detriment and as my dad used to say a drunken man on a galloping horse will never see it! Drained the cutting oil, a bit of swarf clearing this morning first I think!

[Stanley]

Started by blueing the rod bases then some careful measurements to match the holes in the foot with the tapped holes in the strap. Fitted the rod and marked in situ for the shape. Than a sharp cutter in the VM and some careful cutting.



I hate this stage, one mistake and many hours of work wasted! Having got one accurate edge I cut the others by hand and finished up ready to drill for the fulcrum pin and cut the slot for the valve rod. Scary work, this was enough for one day! Too much stress!

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley ,

You have been busy ! no wonder your knees are playing up a bit. You will know what they feel like but looks an easy day has been earned if you ask me . I can see what you mean about it being a stressful stage too, there would be a lot of turning to be done to get back to where you were if a mistake was made .
I am back onto the lathe today after a couple of days off, I am going to try to scrape all the old paint off the gear covers and cabinet today, I am thinking of making the cabinet under the headstock into another cupboard so all the chucks etc will be stored in the cabinet , its a bit tight at the moment.
Hopefully there will be photos later on .
Cheers Mick.

[Stanley]

Started with some more high risk milling to get a 1/4" flat on each side of the jaws.



Drilled a 3/16" hole for the bottom of the slot and another at right angles for the fulcrum pin. Then some careful hand cutting and filing, too dangerous for milling!



Close of play. Eccentric rod fitted. Now I need a tiddly little fulcrum pin and retaining washer. That will be one down and three to go. I shall roughly time the valves when I have the LP in and then put the engine back on the lathe and run the valves and eccentrics in. Slow but steady!

[Stanley]

I think we've all kidded ourselves from time to time and bought gizmos that never came out of the box. I forget who the retailer was but at one time i found a range of small tools and bought them. They have all been useful. Here's one of them, in essence its a small steady incorporating its own cutter and the actual steady is a brass bush you make yourself to suit the diameter of bar you are working with. It works operfectly on very small bar sizes and once set up you can knock little components out very quickly and accurately. I got it out yesterday to make the fulcrum pins, 3/16" with a 1/4" head. I'de been held up by other tasks and only had an hour in the shed. Most of this was taken up with setting the cutter up but making the others will be easy.



Close of play I had made one pin. This has a bigger head than I shall give the others because I wanted to try it out and still be able to hold it in the chuck for threading.Might even make four new ones because they are so easy. It would be a good idea to make a mounting block for it as well so that it doesn't need setting up for centre. Just bang in in the tool-post and away you go. I've often thought about doing that but then discarded the idea so I could get on.....

[micktoon]

Good morning Stanley , that little gizzmo you have there looks a good idea , I am glad it works as so often that sort of purchase seems not too. Looks like you are making steady progress.
I have been back onto the lathe , I have put some of the 'bodywork' back on for test fitting so I can improve some parts the way they fit and allow room for some brackets for the inverter housing and work light etc.

The four bolts in this photo show where the inverter barcket will mount, I drilled and tapped the holes and will make a bracket to fit them.



Its school holidays so my three little neices were here for the day , although there was lots of other entertainments on offer they all insisted on helping with the lathe ! There is Grace 9 years , Lily 6 ( & a half ) and Sadie 4 years, so they were put to work scraping the old paint from the splash guard for a good hour or so and loved every minute of it , they are almost disappointed they are going to Butins for a weeks holiday now as they will miss being involved with the project !



This is a shot of the lathe with the bits back on , its starting to look sort of prepared for paint but still lots to do. I am making the headstock end of the cabinet into a cupboard with a couple of shelves, altering the way the rear splash guard fits on so it wont rattle so more to follow soon.



Thanks Mick.

[Stanley]

I like the progress. It's going to be better than a new lathe by the time you've finished. Then you'll have all the fun looking for the accessories you are missing, if any. I tripped over a collet set and the Harrison tool post with pre-centred tool holders. Then there's the small matter of the two-jaw chuck! Keep your eyes open! Love the pic of the kids joining in, catch 'em young!



Good day yesterday. I started by finishing the first pin and fitting it. I decided not to piss about, threaded the end 2BA and a simple nut for retention. No vibration and hardly any movement, it'll never come loose. At this point I took the lid off the valve chamber and adjusted the valve rod so that mid point on the eccentric was mid point on the valve. This is a crucial moment because you find out if you've got the throw on the eccentric right! All is well, it's tight but OK so lid back on temporarily and box on. Just in case you're new to slide valves, adjusting for the mid point is all you can do at the moment. The actual timing of the valve, that is the position you lock the eccentric on the shaft, can't be done until you have the main con rods on and can get an accurate relationship between the position of the piston and the event on the valve. The main thing at the moment is that when you turn the crankshaft the valve goes up and down without fouling internally.



Crack on with making the fulcrum pins. Dead easy knocking out the blanks now the lathe is set up with the small steady adjusted for centre and depth of cut.



Once the blanks are made the next job is to thread them and then reverse them in the chuck and turn the heads tidy. Bleeding obvious tip here. One of the most difficult things to do is get the die central on the pin so you don't have a drunken thread. If you use the flat end of the tailstock barrel like this it will keep the die square and you'll get perfect threads.



Job done. I made an extra pin just in case... Turn the engine round and take the LP eccentric off ready for making the eccentric rod but I decided that once I got into rod finishing I wanted to do all three before going any further. So I allowed myself a diversion into what could be described as displacement activity. Not a bad thing to do at times because it allows the back of your head to think about the next job while you do something entirely different.



I made a packing block for the little steady that makes it a matter of only a moment to install it at the correct centre height. A small thing but we all know how much time we waste adjusting packing strips to get the right height. I milled a piece of 1" square bar to the correct sizes, marked the top with the letter punches and put it away in its box with the tool. Next time I need it all I have to do is bang it into the plain tool post and away we go. A small thing but a step forward. Not a bad morning's work. I finished up by putting another coat of blue on the eccentric rod feet and I'm ready now for some serious rod fitting! When I have this one done I shall mount it on the 1956 lathe again and run the valves in. It will be nice to see the eccentric rods going up and down! Real progress.

[Bodger]

Stanley, i,m sure you probably already do this, for holding threaded parts cut through one side of a nut of the same size, and use this for gripping the thread without damage,.

[Stanley]

Good lad Bodge. It's a useful tip and yes I have done it in the past but not for a long time. Useful to be reminded and there will be people looking at this to whom it will be new.

The good news is that Bodge is keeping an eye on me! The bad news is that nothing has been done because my new lens landed on the doorstep just as I was about to get my hands dirty.



I'll leave it up to you to decide whether there is any improvement....

[Stanley]

And today is shopping.... I want to get back in so I'll do my best!

[Stanley]

Fitting an eccentric rod to the strap. First accurately drill the 3/16" holes for the set screws then mark the base for cutting. A bit of high risk milling and we are ready for a tidy up by filing to a dead accurate fit. Next job is the slot for the valve rod. Not much to show for a morning in the shed but I had other tasks.... Quietly away will do it. I don't want any mistakes!

[micktoon]

Good to see you are still making steady progress Stanley.

I have been doing the cabinet on the lathe, making the headstock end into a storage area. I cut the hole in the front of the cabinet to the size I wanted the new cupboard to be with a grinder.



I had some spare plate that I cut to size and used as the shelves and door, I made the lower shelf flush with the front edge of the new cut out so there will be no lip to lift chucks over and under the shelf I welded two posts inside the cabinet to support the underside of the new shelf so the shelf will not sag with heavy things on it.



The top shelf had angle iron welded to the back and sides then a 10mm x 40mm thick bar welded under the shelf, again to stop any sagging if loaded up with heavy chucks etc.



I then positioned the door on the cabinet and welded metal pin type hinges to it , the door can be lifted off if need be , I will have to decide what type of handle or latch to use, I will see what I have lying about and go from there.

This is the finished door and shelves.





Its turned out quite well and wil be a useful space to store the various chucks and tooling in.
Cheers Mick.