Member postings for Brian Rutter

Here is a video of the common cylinder linkage in slow motion, starting to get my head around it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1cIWtB7boA

I think I could manage a seperate power cylinder but that would be my limit.

Toodlepip

Plans and castings appear to be available from AJREEVE https://www.ajreeves.com/heinrici.html

I like the configuartion ( but not the price of castings) and I am looking for a home for couple of displacer cylinders about this size.

Toodlepip

Edited By Brian Rutter on 16/11/2020 07:32:36

Chris,

I think you are misspelling the name try googling HEINRICI (with an i at the end) and you will have a lot more success.

They look nice, it may be a good project, I will give it some thought.

Toodlepip

Brian

I follow this guy he makes tools to make machines to make anything.

His latest post "Homemade Gear Cutting Indexer" is worth a look

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GPm4odtna4&t=177s

or if you want to see others here is his channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHsqqRjziUaMwZgQZHw-n1w

Have a look at this beautiful Astrolabe and watch it being made by hand.

I follow this guy and do not know how to describe him ; Engineer, Artist, Engraver.

He makes tools by hand to make machines to make anything and he is fun.

https://youtu.be/8U7ED6k5NLg

Edited By Brian Rutter on 04/10/2020 08:00:14

Another variation on a theme.

Search for "Wifi Inspection Camera" in E-bay and you will get a variety of gadgets for around £20.

5.0M cameras up to 10m of cable etc etc,

These can stream photos or videos wirelessly to computers or phones.

Toodlepip

Brian

Tom,

Welcome from another financially challenged steam enthusiast.

My own compromise are Stirling Engines, with a bit of imagination they can be mistaken for the steam variety but with the lower pressures involved, materials and equipment can be less of a financial burden.

I need to build stuff - to do that I need a lathe - build a lathe.

That's my problems sorted for a couple of years, Good Luck with yours.

Toodlepip

Brian

My mum is elderly, not very mobile, rather stubborn and when she takes her hearing aids out to sleep is completely deaf.

Door bells and telephone systems are taken care of but a couple of near misses with fires prompted made me look for additional safeguards for her.

I have initiated a system using the Local councils Telecare Alarm system.

In the event of a fire and a fire alarm is activated it connects to an alarm panel in mums house which automatically notifies the council control room, who then inform the fire brigade. While you are waiting for the fire brigade to arrive the control room can send out a patrol, or telephone a neighbour or a member of the family (me). The exact sequence of events can be agreed with the local control room.

The fire alarms connect by bluetooth to the alarm panel and the panel connects to the control room using using mobile phone technology, so it is a completely wireless system that takes 20 minutes to instal, is maintained by the council who check it out a couple of times a year.

It makes me sleep easier.

Why a horse rasp? - A woodworking rasp is a quarter of the price,

I have been using the same ones for five years on aluminium and they have never clogged.

Toodlepip

Hi Geoff,

Welcome, I am a newcomer to the forum myself but have lived in Middlesbrough (TS1) all my life.

The Alba looks like a nice project, I have seen a couple of restorations on the forum and they look more than worth while. Look forward to seeing your progress.

Toodlepip

Brian

Made it up as I went along - but originally inspired by engines by Gary Knight on YouTube.

Edited By Brian Rutter on 28/06/2020 09:00:58

Edited By Brian Rutter on 28/06/2020 08:58:52

Many thanks to all responders.

Everything is now as it should be.

Toodlepip

Brian

Edited By Brian Rutter on 26/06/2020 10:38:37

Then added a firebox

Edited By Brian Rutter on 26/06/2020 09:12:56

Due to the coronovirus lock down, I was limited to materials in my shed.

The displacer conrod is 1/8" brass. This is fine for vertical enginess but in the horizontal configuration it is not too clever.

I added a slider to limit the vertical movement

Edited By Brian Rutter on 26/06/2020 09:27:54

Edited By Brian Rutter on 26/06/2020 09:28:41

It was at this point I had to chose either water cooled or air cooled.

Mistake Number 1

I went for the air cooled variety.

Mistake Number 2

Circumferential fins are very wasteful of materials so I chose longitudinal fins that I could cut from scraps of copper pipe.

Trying to solder these fins on was a bit of a nightmare way beyond my skill sets. The first few were OK but with the later ones, every one I tried to solder the previous few desoldered and fell off.

It took forever and turned out to be the worst soldering I have done for a long time.

Up until this point I was intending to have a nice shiny copper engine, the gronky soldering made change my mind to a painted model.

Of course I would like to build a steel flywheel but I can't. So I had to make do with a wooden one.

For reference it is a 200mm (8" diameter wheel made from HDF laminate flooring with 3mm of lead on the outside of the rim.

THe wheel runs on two 8mm bearings from fidgit spinner and the conrod is 4mm diameter bamboo.

When Mum is not looking, cut about 20mm off the bottom of her steradent tube.

This will be a nice fit into aa piece of 28mm copper pipe.

Fill the tube with two part epoxy glue, forming a recess for the connection to the con-rod.

The piston should be a good fit in the cylinder, if you close the outlet from the cylinder with your hand the piston should not move. When you open the outlet of the cylinder the piston should slowly slide down the cylinder under its own weieght.

The thermal joint flanges are out of 3mm Aluminium Sheet

The thermal break is nothing more than a couple of layers of HDF laminate flooring.

Up until this point everything came out of the "really useful box of stuff" the exeption being the 2.1\2" end cap on the hot end.

Everything here is soft soldered apart from the end cap which is fixed with Gun Gum exhaust repair paste.