Shed Matters 3

[Stanley]

I decided I was a bit too quick to abandon the engine yesterday. I was pissed off because it didn't behave. I took another look at it this morning and put right the obvious problems. The first thing I did was to make sure that the valve could float freely on the valve rod. Then I eased the working of the valve rod in the gland and finally adjusted the valve setting and made sure it was correct. It still wouldn't take off but it was trying, the problem was that the pressure was leaking through the seating of the valve on the face. So it's obvious that the cure is to make a better job of finishing the surface of the valve face on the cylinder by lapping it in properly, something I evidently failed to do. So the message for Ashley, (Whose engine this is) is to get a set of BA spanners, remove the cylinder and make a really good job of lapping the valve to the face. I promise it will run! (He told me he likes a challenge.... )

[Stanley]

Something entirely different this morning. I have passed the problem of the valve face on the Stuart engine of to Ashley and spent over £600 out of the burial fund on another set of castings. So I felt free to move on to a current problem. This is that I noticed a while since that the ceramic insert in the door of my Morso stove had fallen out. This was due to the ceramic having cracked across the bottom two corners. So I set to to cure this. The screw thread on the adjustable vent on the door was terribly stiff so I took that off and attacked the screw threads on the two clips that hold the ceramic and the baffle on the inside of the door as well as the vent. That took up an hour and I have ended up with the bottom clips soaking in penetrating oil to see if I can free them. If I can't do that easily I shall leave them alone and just use them as fixtures to loosely retain the ceramic, it was the tightening of the grip on the corners due to corrosion that caused the problem in the first place. I have a new ceramic and packing and one way or another I shall finish this tomorrow.shall

[Stanley]

First job was to reassemble the stove door with a new ceramic installed. Loosely this time because it was the clips tightening due to corrosion that broke the previous ceramic. I used 'Never Seize' on all the threads. A bit optimistic but it does make a difference. Then I took the dirty tablecloth off the big surface plate, cleaned and oiled it and put a clean cloth on. The old inch and a quarter Whitworth tap is one that was laid on the floor rusting. I shall never use it again but it's interesting to see what the old fitters had to work with. That will do for this morning, I'm ready to move forward. (Unless I can think of any more displacement activity!)

[Stanley]

The castings for the next engine are here..... No excuses now!

[Stanley]

Today was 'get your ducks in a row' day. I unpacked the castings and stowed them in the right places, then I cleaned the lathe and fitted the big original 3 jaw SC chuck. If you remember I cut the crank pin into the slug that is the crankshaft stock at the same time as I did the last one for Ash's engine. So the turning is on centre and is for the two legs of the crankshaft. Note that the slug is still installed in the gap to take the pressure of the centre without bending the shaft. Then, the last thing I did all my measurements again and made sure I knew exactly what I was doing.
The temperature in the shed is 24C, a bit hot for me but it could be lower tomorrow.

[Stanley]

Today I started the muck-shifting job of finishing turning the crank shaft. It's not easy removing heavy cuts from stock with a light lathe like the Harrison. You have to do it slowly and with care always remembering that the drive is being transmitted through the weak point you have introduced into the stock. I shall turn the shaft round tomorrow and hold it differently but for today I was quite satisfied with what I have done. All the swarf is out and in the bin as well.

[Stanley]

More muck shifting. I reversed the stock in the chuck as that meant I could grip it by the flanges on either side of the crank pin. This means that the drive is going direct into the st0ck being cut and not through the crank pin. I took 100thou cuts, very heavy for a small lathe like this, 1/5" being taken with every pass of the cutter. It took me 3/4 of an hour to get to the point where I could stop and clean up my chips. There will be finishing cuts tomorrow but these will be light and precise, not brutal roughing cuts like today!

[Stanley]

Creeping up on the final dimensions of the crankshaft and finish, I have it very close after this morning but it's too hot to measure accurately for finished size. I have cleaned my chips up and put them in the bin.

[Stanley]

Only one image this morning. I have spent an hour and a quarter finishing the crankshaft, doing the final turning to size and finishing the surfaces. It is now ready to fit to the engine. I can forget it and get on with engine building.

[Stanley]

I started on the flywheel. First the hand work of removing most of the flash with the file, especially on the parts the lathe can't get to like the spokes. \then set up my favourite casting tools, big carbide tipped cutters that are exceptionally rigid. Then half an hour of careful turning to get the rim concentric. I shall finish the first rough turning and the boring for the crankshaft tomorrow.

[Stanley]

This morning I finished turning the flywheel to size (But not polishing it, that comes later....) I broke all the edges, bored it for the crankshaft and put a witness mark on to remind me which end is which. Then I cleaned Mrs Harrison and put the inside jaws back on the 3 jaw chuck.
That done I went for early doors shopping and that is all put away. Now for Breakfast.....

[Stanley]

Dead simple this morning. Using the grinding wheel to clean the excess flash off the castings. Rough but a great improvement. Ready for accurate machining.

[Stanley]

More castings. The cylinder casting is the most difficult as there are no surfaces to use as a reference. Much of the work is pure guesswork! I had a good hour and half and am ready for cutting the ends of the cylinder, the last preparation for boring. I think I have at right.

[Tripps]

NIce Sunday night video from Geordie John

Stuart 5A Steam Engine

[Stanley]

I saw it last night David just as I was off to bed. I shall watch it today...... The first engine I ever built and it is back home with me now as I am looking after it for Susan....

[Stanley]

I did some very careful measuring and then some even more careful setting up in the vertical mill. My task is to reduce the length of the cylinder to 2 1/8" and cutting the faces dead square with the valve face. I did an hour of careful milling and while I can't claim the cuts are dead accurate, they are as good as can be expected under the circumstances and perfectly acceptable for the job in hand. I am ready to set the cylinder up and bore it now......

[Stanley]

Today I had to do some wood bothering to make a plug for the cylinder bore. I've done that, cleaned up after myself, installed the plug and done some very careful measuring. I have a centre and have installed the cylinder ready for boring tomorrow, it is set up on centre. No rush with any of this, I need it to be accurate.

[Stanley]

Boring the cylinder. Quietly away and a very good result, within a thou of all my measurements which isn't bad for an Old Fart like me! I am very pleased and have tidied the mill up. I shall sharpen the cutter tomorrow morning.

[Stanley]

I shall be absent off parade today. I was up late and it's Early Doors Shopping at the Cathedral of Choice!

[Stanley]

I was looking forward to a pleasant morning in the shed working on the lids. I decided to refine the finish on the cylinder by marking it up for orientation, essential during the next stages. I touched up my milling cutter first and then set to. I skimmed the valve face with a fly cutter to get a dead flat surface. I decided to use the fly cutter on the steam chest lid as well and that was a big mistake because the corners of the lid are chilled and it played hell with the single point cutter. However, I persevered and after an hour and a quarter in the shed I was rubbing the lid down on a sheet of emery. That's as good as it's going to get. I shall finish the other surfaces tomorrow.

[Stanley]

I finished the lid and moved on to the steam chest. First I cleaned up the interior by hand using a file and then moved on to refining the body under the mill. Thankfully, there are no cold shops in this! Good progress and I will continue with it tomorrow morning.

[Stanley]

I finished milling the steam chest casting this morning, marked it and its lid with witness marks and had a chip chase. Tomorrow we move forward into the bed castings.

[Stanley]

More work on the cylinder. First I cut the exhaust port in the valve face, then drilled the exhaust port and threaded it to accept the exhaust pipe, 1/4" X 32tpi. Last job was to sharpen the milling cutter and replace it in the mill ready for the next phase of milling castings. A productive hour and a quarter! Now for breakfast....

[Stanley]

i drilled and tapped the steam chest for the steam pipe and than made the two pipes for the steam and exhaust. Then I milled the bottom of the base flat. Tomorrow I shall work on the base and the bed castings. A good hour and a quarter.

[Stanley]

I started the morning with half an hour of handwork with big files on the base and bed castings. Then into the mill and I finished up milling the face that the cylinder bolts on to. Tomorrow I shall mill the beds for the crankshaft bearings.