Here is a list of all the postings Brian John has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.
Thread: Has anybody built Beng's Danni Steam engine. |
16/10/2016 08:13:46 |
I have started making the control valves : I made the main shafts from 4mm silver steel checking for fit with the steam chest covers. I drilled and tapped the ends of the shafts so that the joint parts (20) will screw in. I only needed 5mm of thread but I drilled the hole down to 10mm so that it was more like a through hole than a blind hole... less chance of a broken tap. I used plenty of tap magic and I drilled out to 1.7mm rather then the 1.6mm I would use for brass. It all went well with no problems. The 6mm diameter parts I made from gunmetal bronze turned down so that it fitted the steam chest and then centre bored to 4H7 so that the silver steel shaft will fit through it. It was a fiddly job turning them down to 3mm wide after parting off ! How should the 6mm parts be fixed to the shaft ? I was thinking of using some sort of Loctite product but I am not sure if it would hold. I could also soft solder it and I think that might be the better option. I also considered pinning it somehow but I am not confident of drilling holes in the shafts. Edited By Brian John on 16/10/2016 08:14:38 Edited By Brian John on 16/10/2016 08:16:37 |
Thread: Problems with newly purchased indexable tip cutting tools. |
16/10/2016 02:08:04 |
The auto feed is probably a little bit worse than manual feed.....it is certainly no better. |
15/10/2016 14:34:18 |
I will order a few of the CCMT and keep them for steel parts. |
15/10/2016 10:17:28 |
Thank you very much for that information. I have just ordered a box of 10X CCGT 060202 tips from Hong Kong. What should be used for steel : CCMT 060202 ? |
15/10/2016 08:34:42 |
What is the difference between CCGT 060202 and CCGT 060204 ? Which is better for brass ? |
Thread: Has anybody built Beng's Danni Steam engine. |
14/10/2016 07:40:24 |
Michael : yes, I see now. I will try that next time. The two steam chests are now complete. The instructions were right and the steam chest is quite a complex piece of work with lots of M2 blind holes and steam holes that have to be drilled to the correct depth. I had intended to drill and tap the steam inlet pipe for 3/16-40 but the hole is too shallow for those taps so I ended up going with my original idea of silver soldering a bushing into the steam chest. The bush is threaded 3/16-40 so that I can fit a displacement lubricator later. (At this stage I am not sure how the lubricator will fit neatly with everything else.) I will make the control valve next. Now that I have completed the steam chest, I must get the valve to match the bore of the steam chest. UPDATES : the vertical mill slide from China will not be here until next year...maybe January ! In the mean time I am still waiting for the fly cutter which seems to have gone missing in action. |
11/10/2016 11:52:37 |
Ian : I did think about using a vice but the parts are too small and awkward to be held in the vice. The vice might also damage the flat surfaces which are essential for a good seal. Aha...perhaps holding the piece end on in the vice with the edges to be removed sticking out from the vice. I might try something like that next time. Michael : I did think about a jig of some sort for the tool post but I could not think of anything. Do you have something in mind ? NOTE : I was running the Dremel stone wheel at the slowest speed and using eye protection while I did so. I always use eye protection when using a Dremel. Edited By Brian John on 11/10/2016 11:54:44 |
10/10/2016 10:30:29 |
Then how are those ''edges'' to be removed ? I was going to use a slitting saw but the items are far too small and cannot be held in the tool post. NOTE : Dremel stone wheels are cheap and can be discarded once clogged. Ian : we posted at the same time ! You mean hold it in one hand while filing with the other ? Edited By Brian John on 10/10/2016 10:31:55 |
10/10/2016 08:06:16 |
I am still waiting for the fly cutter to arrive so I have not cut the flat on the cylinder yet. I have made four cylinder covers but I have not yet drilled and tapped the cylinders. I will wait and see if I stuff things up with the fly cutter...I am not very confident about it ! I made the steam covers today (parts 22 and 23 - front row of photo) : very fiddly little things. Grinding the flats on each side was a real pain. I used a stone in the Dremel tool ; you only get about 20 seconds of grinding before the brass part gets too hot to hold. I tried using thick riggers gloves for my hands but the part was too small to get a good grip. How would you have done this ? I have also made threaded bushings (3/16-40) for the steam chest covers (part 18 - middle row) and silver soldered these in place. The instructions say to soft solder it but this will make things easier after the steam chest has been soft soldered to the cylinder with solder paste. I have also made threaded bushings (middle of the front row) to be silver soldered to the top of the steam chest although the hole there is 7mm deep so I may be able to drill and tap for a 3/16-40 pipe nipple...I am still thinking about that. Tomorrow I will finish the steam chests. I have only drilled and reamed the 6H7 holes so that I could make the steam covers.
Edited By Brian John on 10/10/2016 08:10:55 |
06/10/2016 14:37:29 |
Would a better quality vice help ? I have been looking at this one for a while now :
|
06/10/2016 10:27:56 |
1. It does not look like they have used any solder on the steam chest cover here although the instructions say to soft solder it. Could I get away with using Hylomar ? 2. Making the crank shaft : I am having eight of the crank arms (part #7) sent out to me so I can have another go at making the crank shafts. I did manage to make a crank shaft for the flame eater engine without any problems but perhaps that was a fluke. How can I get the holes in the crank arms parallel so that the shafts end up parallel to each other ? I intend to Loctite two of them together and then drill the pair both at the same time. Is there another way to do it ? NOTE : The crank arms are pre-drilled to 5.8mm and I use the 6H7 reamer to enlarge the holes I have been lining up the top edge of the crank arm with the top of my drill press vice but this is not getting a satisfactory result. Edited By Brian John on 06/10/2016 10:30:04 |
Thread: How to identify M2 first, second and third tap |
05/10/2016 10:14:08 |
Do you have a photo of your guide block ? Do you use Tap Magic or similar ? |
Thread: Has anybody built Beng's Danni Steam engine. |
03/10/2016 11:26:04 |
We had a power failure in this area this afternoon so I was without a lathe for most of the day. I finished putting the mahogany timber lagging and the boiler bands on the boiler instead. There is no real need to do this but it does look much better and makes it a easier to pick up when it is hot....it looks quite smart too !
Edited By Brian John on 03/10/2016 11:27:53 Edited By Brian John on 03/10/2016 12:09:39 |
30/09/2016 12:04:50 |
Yes, I could try that. I will also try making it out of gunmetal and see how that goes. What about using a 1.7mm tap drill into steel instead of the usual 1.6mm tap drill ? That might lessen the chances of a broken tap although I am still not keen. I have to make at least two of these control valves so I might try a few different methods. I think I could even do away with half of part 20 and join the control valve directly to the remaining half by making the rod longer and grinding a flat on the end. A hole could be drilled in the flat and a nut used to hold the screw. Edited By Brian John on 30/09/2016 12:09:13 |
30/09/2016 11:43:09 |
Part #20 (joint part) connects to the control valve.
Edited By Brian John on 30/09/2016 11:43:28 |
30/09/2016 11:03:21 |
I am really not keen on drilling and tapping into any type of steel : that is just asking for a broken tap in a blind hole. M3 would be okay but M2 taps are not exactly robust. |
30/09/2016 10:32:43 |
I used the parting tool from the Arc Euro cutting tool set to do it : this parting tool is too thick to use as a parting tool on my lathe but it worked perfectly for this. I put some back rake on it with the bench grinder. I was able to take a 0.1mm cut then just move it down the length of the cylinder until I got to the other end. I did this ten times at that was it. I have ordered a 14.5mm fly cutter to cut the flat...I may as well give it a go. I am thinking of making the control valve (part 21) next but it is supposed to be made from 6mm diameter stainless steel. There are two problems with that : there is an M2 thread to cut in the end and the rod must be a nice smooth finish to pass through a 4H7 hole. I think I would struggle to get a good finish on either stainless or silver steel on my lathe and as for drilling and tapping the M2 hole... I know how that would end ! Could I make the whole thing from gunmetal bronze ? Edited By Brian John on 30/09/2016 10:35:35 |
29/09/2016 07:59:17 |
Did anybody try the Tubal Cain formula ? I am not getting 4.4mm. I have made two jigs to support the cylinders while I turn the outer contour. I will do that tomorrow as I ran out of time today. What tool should be used to do this ? I used a centre drill to drill a small hole in the end of the M6X75mm set screw so that it can be supported between centres. I still have not decided how to make the flat on the cylinder : I am considering all options. I do not think the 4 jaw chuck would be successful. Like it or not, I may have to wait for the vertical milling slides to arrive in Australia in December. The other way is to remove the top slide then bolt the cylinder to the tool post and use a fly cutter in the lathe chuck. Edited By Brian John on 29/09/2016 07:59:44 Edited By Brian John on 29/09/2016 08:01:34 Edited By Brian John on 29/09/2016 08:08:15 |
28/09/2016 08:24:34 |
Maybe, but I am not sure the grub screw would have had enough ''grip'' on the shaft. I will remember that next time and give it a try. |
28/09/2016 08:09:09 |
I made up two jigs today : one jig with the 18mm hole bored 3mm off-centre and one jig with the 18mm hole on-centre. I could use the off-centre jig to make any future eccentrics but I think the packing method is better now that I know the formula. I used the jigs to reduce the thickness of the eccentrics today and it all went well. Edited By Brian John on 28/09/2016 08:09:43 |
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