Member postings for Brian John

Thank you. Flame eaters might be a real pain to get going but they do make a wonderful sound !

The engine is running well now. Only the burner seems to be giving problems with the flame blowing out sometimes. I have reduced the length of the wick nozzle to get it lower and that has helped a bit but now it sets fire to the breather hole in the filler plug ! I am going to design a new burner so that the flame is much lower ; I think the engine should be drawing from the tip of the flame where it is the hottest.

**LINK**.

Edited By JasonB on 19/08/2016 09:44:25

The Nitrile balls were melting slightly as the engine heated up ; Silicone has a much higher temperature range so I think it is the Silicone balls that are doing the job now. As I said before, the packets were not marked so I am not sure what they sent me.

The 8mm slide valve rod had the slider plate fully opening and closing which is what I would have thought it should do. The 9mm slide valve rod has the slider plate fully closing but only opening about 75% ; this has resulted in much better running but I have no idea why.

I made a slightly larger slide valve rod (part #11). This one is 9mm diameter whereas previously it was 8mm. I am now using what I think are the Silicone balls for the ball valve and I had two successful runs today : one run of 10 minutes and the second run of 15 minutes. Other than the flame blowing out three times, the engine ran very well. If it runs again tomorrow then I will post a video.

I still have to make a new burner with some sort of adjustment in the horizontal axis. The engine is quite sensitive to flame placement. Perhaps something to do with magnets ?

NOTE : The US company is going to resend my order for free and this time they will clearly mark on the packets what is what. This should not be needed if they send red Silicone balls and black Nitrile balls as initially requested.

The Silicone and Nitrile balls have arrived. I did order red Silicone and black Nitrile but the whole order is black balls so I am not sure which is which as they were not marked on the plastic bags. There seems to be a slight improvement in the running of the engine but it still stops after 60 seconds. Bengs are sending me a new slider plate with my latest order so I am hoping that might improve things when it arrives.

NOTE : How can I tell Silicone from Nitrile balls as they look very similar ? Which has the highest melting point ?

I found that the slide valve rod was sticking in the hole of the slider plate. This was preventing the slider plate from sitting flush against the cylinder head. So I enlarged the hole on the slider plate slightly and it moves more freely now.  The engine ran for 30 seconds then stopped. It will only run for about 30 seconds from cold ; once it stops then it will not run at all. What could be causing that ?

Edited By Brian John on 06/08/2016 12:15:51

I have re-machined the cylinder and polished it using 2000 grit and then metal polish. I have made another piston (my third for this engine) and polished it with 2000 grit then metal polish. There is a much better fit than previously but it still will not run. I do not understand why this engine ran successfully three times in one day ( 3 X 10 minute runs) last week but now refuses to run at all ?

I was hoping the new Nitrile and Silicone balls would solve things when they arrive but now I do not think so. The engine should run with the supplied ball valve because it did before.

I am also puzzled that some people recommend pre-heating the cylinder before running. This seems rather counterintuitive. Can somebody explain that ?

Edited By Brian John on 04/08/2016 12:10:27

The 3/16-40 drain cocks have arrived from Live Steam Models in the UK. They look quite nice. Would you fit them directly to the cylinder head cover after drilling and tapping it or solder in a pre -threaded bush first ? Using the bush would make it easier to position the tap in the upright position.

There are four drain cocks in the set : 2 X RH and 2 X LH. I am not really sure what the difference is as they look exactly the same. Can somebody tell me what I should look for ?

I usually get a decent enough finish for steam engines with the boring tool but I am just enquiring about the ''final finish'' . Stirling engines and flame eaters, in particular, need a very smooth bore. I usually use 1500 grit but I wonder if it should be even smoother.

I have spent the day turning some wooden mandrels on the lathe. It is the first time I have machined wood...much easier than metal . These will be used to polish the inside of cylinders once they have been bored out to the correct size. What grade of wet and dry should I be using for various engines ?

I have read that steam engine cylinders should not be too smooth as the surface needs to hold steam oil. So what is ''not too smooth'' ...1500 grit ?

Flame eaters and Stirling engines are different and do require a very smooth finish. The finest wet and dry I can get in Cairns is 2000 grit. Do I need to go to metal polish and some sort of polishing mop to get it to a mirror finish ?

There is nothing wrong with the piston/cylinder seal after all. It is still very strong : piston very slowly sinks under its own weight when placed on a flat surface. I have spent all day making adjustments and polishing all the moving and mating parts to a mirror finish...all to no avail. I will put this engine aside now until the new Silicone and Nitrile balls arrive.

I made a lubricator for this engine as obviously it does need oil on the piston and cylinder to work effectively. I even made a ''hat'' for the lubricator ! The engine looks more balanced now ; it looked a bit strange before.

There was always the chance that I would damage the cylinder bore by doing this. I drilled and tapped for M3 then carefully removed the excess metal from around the hole using some 2000 grit wrapped around a piece of dowel. I thought I had done a good job but even that small adjustment has mucked things up. I seemed to have lost my ''pop'' sound for the engine so I guess I will have to make another, tighter fitting piston to give a better seal. These things are so fussy !

Edited By Brian John on 30/07/2016 08:58:16

Cica Spares : okay, thank you for that. I will try them on Monday. I can use the current tips for roughing out or cast iron flywheels.

Is the number the same but just change the letter prefix  ie. CCGT 060204 ? 

I think this is them :

https://www.shop-apt.co.uk/carbide-inserts-for-turning-uni-tip/ccgt-060204-alu-ak10-carbide-inserts-for-turning-ground-and-polished-for-aluminium-uni-tip.html

Edited By Brian John on 29/07/2016 11:47:47

I have purchased these indexable tip cutting tools from India.

**LINK**

The LH cutting tool had a stripped thread and they will be sending me another. I tried to machine some brass today to see how they went. Other than my small boring bar, this is my first use of indexable tip tools. I can get an excellent finish when taking a facing cut but turning a diameter is no good. The finish is quite rough and nowhere near acceptable.I know I have the correct tool height as there is no pip left when taking a facing cut.

Any suggestions as to what the problem might be ? I have tried various speeds and using auto feed and also taking the tool height up and down 1mm....all no good.

Do you think a fan would really help ? I will think how I can do that : something small facing side-on should not cause any problems.

My main priority at the moment is to get some consistency with the engine. I want it to run for 10 minutes every time...not just when it feels like it ! I am hopeful that when the new Nitrile and Silicone balls arrive from the US then things should improve.

That ebay company listed above said they cannot reduce the ebay postage cost but they directed me to their website (Painful Pleasures) which has both Nitrile and Silicone balls for sale. I have ordered three of each in both 6mm and 8mm sizes ; the total postage to Australia is only $8.

**LINK**

I have read the instructions again today and they said the engine should run for 10-15 minutes before it gets too hot and stops. I am guessing 15 minutes is during a German winter with the windows open ! I can get 10 minutes from this engine so that may be all it will do. If I can get it to do that every time then I will be happy.

NOTE : there is always somebody selling what you want but even with Google and the internet they can be hard to find.

Edited By Brian John on 27/07/2016 18:25:51

The ball really needs to be rubber or synthetic rubber as I doubt plastic would stand the heat. The exhaust system does get hot : I have burnt myself a few times so I know !

I will have another look at ebay. I was not aware that postage was negotiable.

I am not having much luck on Ali Express either. I thought you could buy anything from there. What is another name for a ball (valve) ?

Aha...Alibaba has plenty !

Edited By Brian John on 26/07/2016 14:37:32

Did you take any progress photos ? I am interested in how you made these.

They look excellent. I bought mine from the UK as I did not think I have the skills yet to make my own. What size thread is on those ?