Member postings for Steve Withnell

Just showing off because I've got Dropbox cracked.

These are the photo's I took to document the development and build of my version of the Stuart Victoria. It is of course not really a "Stuart" Victoria as it was produced by them (and a nice job they did too), but is not one of their designs. This is why there is no "S" on the castings. Only engines designed by Stuart carry the famous "S". Stuart couldn't confirm that, but the history around the origins of the Victoria (and the James Coombes) suggest I'm not far off.

The Victoria is a fantastic kit from Stuart, as it's very easy to modify into other forms, the classic being the Stuart Twin which of course was designed by Tubal Cain.

If you haven't read my Stuart Victoria blog, the configuration of the Stuart I came up with is pure plagirism on my part, it's as good a copy as I could make of a model engine my great - grandfather built around 1905. His engine was as near a copy as he could make of the engine at a local mill, where he was the engineer.

**LINK**

Some of the photo's of finished engines are from Harrogate show to gather ideas of how things were assembled, what looked good and what didn't.

There is also a couple of timing diagrams for the Meyer expansion valve arrangement, which I've been asked for a couple of times. My engine as built hides a single traditional slide valve in the steam chest...I've not got round to make a real Meyer expansion valve, nor fitting the railings to finish off the build. When I retire, maybe I'll get five minutes to get it done.

Most of the photo's are actual crime scene photo's and not reconstructions - that's my excuse for the chips, oil and other stuff all over the place

Steve

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2apmxluzcxph8th/BEVEL%20GEARS.PDF

A description of cutting parallel depth bevel gears which I think is far clearer that Ivan Laws book.

I should have added that  this is from the classic work by Franklin Jones.

Steve

Edited By Steve Withnell on 09/11/2013 13:13:56

Edited By John Stevenson on 13/09/2015 17:37:56

The Stuart D10 plans describe a method for fabricating a crankshaft of the type you describe. If I can find the notes I'll drop you a PM

Steve

I've always hardened filing buttons - if they act like rollers as described there is no issue I think? If they are left soft the file will damage them.

There is still not a chip or drip of oil anywhere!

Leaves me very ashamed...

I'm with Bazyle, I think this was made in the toolroom as "lunchtime" job. So wouldn't assume anything about anything thread wise. Lovely piece of kit by the way.

Steve

Not tried this before, but here is a link to the file in my Dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e1vyhn042t1qth8/Gears_Final_180410.xls

Steve

No files folder on the site?

Hi Geoff,

I do have an excel spreadsheet that calculates all the various parameters. It was on line but the webspace got shut. I'll dig it out and post it here somewhere.

Steve

I machined a crankshaft using a Rotary Table with a tailstock supporting one end. The tailstock was supplied with the RT and has height adjustment. This made the setup up quite simple.

The upper and lower halves of the tailstock are effectively wedges, the screw pulls the halves together, causing the centre to rise. The camera has lied about the length of the bed by the way.

Isn't a Quantum change the smallest quantity of change we can measure?

It is true that these aircraft are simply not in the same technology class at all. Both were stunning in flight.

Steve

I was I was just starting, I seem to have just stopped! I think the decision tree is "New Chinese" or "Old British". If you go New Chinese, then a lot of the machines appear the same, so it's really about choosing a supplier with good access to spares and a good customer service rating. If you go "Old British" then it's about deciding if you have enough experience to pick a good one yourself or if you will need help.

Dave - In the old days, a turner would be apprenticed for 7 years, so if it takes you 3 or 4 weeks to get on top of this, well thats not bad progress.

I've no idea of your background, so can't really judge the issue you are facing. What make and model of machine is it that you bought, who did you buy it from? What measuring equipment are you using?

I can scan and post the setup for my lathe (10x22 chinese) if that would be helpful to you.

Steve

It will get bigger nearer the tailstock. Even if you have your lathe set up perfectly. This is because the aluminium bar will move away from the tool at the tailstock end if it is unsupported. My lathe is similar to yours and the handbook describes mounting a 50mm steel bar 100mm long and using that as a test piece to set up the lathe.

Even with a big chunk of steel you only take the very lightest of cuts.

Harold Hall has a good book - "Lathework - a Complete Course" Really easy to follow and its a cheap book too.

Steve

I seem to recall Richard Branson made the offer at the point the aircraft were taken out of service, there is no way Air France or British Airways would allow a Concorde to fly in Virgin livery - it would have been far too demeaning for BA's ("Bloody Awful" reputation.

At the time there was also

TAP - "Take Another Plane"

SABENA - "Such A Bloody Experience Never Again"

TWA - "Try Walking Across"

Sorry, it's my age.

Steve

Geoff,

Stop worrying and get a SC6 off ARC. The SC6 will give you plenty of elbow room between centres even if you do not plan on machining parts that long. Sometimes it's helpful to be able to get the tailstock and saddle well out of the way whilst you fiddle with the workpiece, especially tricky set-ups.

My liability for this advice is limited to what you paid for it

Steve

Old electronics - usual suspects are capacitors - they absorb damp, dry out etc, especially electrolytics. Carbon resistors tend to rise in value over the years and the rise can be large. These things can be checked out whilst you are on the hunt for a schematic. (unless the component markings have vanished!). You can get an ESR meter to check the caps off eBay for less than £20. Chinese of course.

I don't know where the machine has been stored, but keeping the electronics at around 25C for a few days to dry out is one tip I've been given (fan heater blowing through the cab) and the other is to bring the supply voltage up slowly with a variac over 24 hours is another, to give the caps chance to remember what their job is.

So I didn't answer your question at all - but maybe there is something useful here.

Steve

If you turn it round so the exhaust is forward and the induction is at the rear, won't that reduce performance? The exhaust gases are in a high pressure zone, and the inlet in a low pressure zone.

Just a few armchair comments. I've only built one IC engine and not at all high performance, so book learned rather than actually done it, but I am curious as to why turning the ports around improves performance.

Steve

My first 3 jaw chuck had 1/16 inch runout (3 inch chuck).

Sometimes you just have to start with bigger bar stock

We can get a bit obsessed with these things.

The old timers would produce a steam engine with a drill and a file, so a bit of runout shouldn't be too much of a worry.

Steve

Edited By Steve Withnell on 11/10/2013 16:59:42

Pure guess - have you tried brushing the soldered joint with a soft brass wire brush? I've noticed that brushing copper with a brass brush does make the copper brass coloured, maybe the same happens with a lead free solder?

Steve