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Member postings for Ian S C

Here is a list of all the postings Ian S C has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.

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Thread: Edgar Westbury powered hacksaw castings.
24/10/2009 11:33:25
Few yrs back shared a hospital room with the owner of an NZ company that built power hacksaws,and his oppinion was that the hacksaw was one of the few machines in which it didn't matter(within reason)what power you use,just that the less power the longer you wait,on my home made,from scrap machine I used 1/4hp with industrial 12" blades.IAN S C
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
23/10/2009 11:29:27
Gordon you'v just got to use what you can,my first large one is a hand wheel from an old sewing machine.Mark last time I was in Smiths they had Model Engineer mainly 50s & 60s,I bought up a little pile of them a few yrs ago.
22/10/2009 11:59:32
Hi mark,wasn't Smiths by chance,I'v bought quite a few ME,and other books there,including a bound ME vol 1.The rim of one of my flywheels is from the sort of top hat bit on a large disc brake.I was woundering if I flanged the piece to go in the end of the displacer I might use that as an expirement with spot welding by making small overlapping spots,but I think brazing will be the way I go(I havn't built the spot welder yet)Gordon,I'v made quite a few flywheels by using 3 steel discs,the center one is bored to take a hub,and drilled for lightness or spokes cut.Then the other two are bored to the dia of the inside of the rim,all three then clamped up,and drilled and tapped and counter drilled for the heads of the cap screws,I usually use 6 screws,alternating from left to right,I'v got a supply of 160mm dia x 8mm discs.I'v made one 14" dia using 10mm plate,I used 12 1/4" unf cap screws on that one.Oh I forgot I finnish the outside of the rim is done after its all bolted together.Boring out the stainless isn't too bad,although I would prefer a bit more metal on the dia,bore out,put on to a mandril then turn down the outside.
21/10/2009 12:41:11
Started collecting the bits for the next motor,I hope to build one with a ross yoke with a 35mm bore.Found what I think will make a good stainless hot cap,the stainless tube that is the support tube for an LED garden light,32mm dia 97mm long and .3mm wall thickness,I'll cut up another one to get the metal required for the hot end,and I'll make the piston from aluminium,I'll make the cold piston from cast iron if possible,that way I should get fairly near to ballance.I'v got 2 bits of stainless bar to carve out for the displacer cylinder.Now I'v got to work out what I need for a crankcase.I used to have some window weights 1 3/4"dia they had 18 cast on them maybe 18lb,the only ones I have are rough and about 1 1/2"dia and I want to use it to make cylinder liners with 35mm bore and also the power piston,so of hunting.
Thread: What am I doing wrong???
20/10/2009 10:54:10
David C,you beat me to it,I was just about to suggest a possible left hand die,but sounds like the problems been solved.IAN S C
19/10/2009 10:50:20
Hi mark,move the gap to the 12 0'clock possition and use the silver screw for adjustment,checkthat you are starting from the correct side of the die- like a first/second tap the first few threads are tapered off to start the cutting process not all dies have this indicated in writing,but its a bit difficult starting it the wrong way!IAN S C
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
19/10/2009 10:31:00
The blowlamp I'v got is a petrol one,it blew back on me one day about 20yrs ago,and I drop kicked it out the door,then went and got the lpg kit,the old blowlamp was mums fathers,He was foreman plumber at Brown&Poulsons in Paisly Scotland.Got a friend who has a MIG,he's using it to rebuild a Jail Bar Ford van,before he got it he asked me what he should get,and I sugested he should get the biggest he could afford and that I really didn't know that much about MIG,he did just that(big wire reel included)$600 for a machine worth $3500,he uses co2 rather than argon.I must have a go with it,he finds it a dream to use on both pannel steel,and welding up the modifications on the chassis(the vehicle had been hotrodded),Mig would be a good skill for building our little engines,much less messy than stick,although that might improve if I got an electronic mask.
Thread: Wilf Baker's variable feed for mill
19/10/2009 07:16:17
Suppose Janet didn't need a perm for a while,246v enough to curl anyones hair.I find the simple way is ok for my use,others may like something a bit more sophisticated,that gives better,more accurate control.IAN S C
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
19/10/2009 06:32:52
Hi mark sound tho you have lpg for brazing like me,years ago I got a carbon arc torch for the stick welder,but I hav'nt had a great deal of success with that either,used to be able to go just a few doors down the road and borrow a mates oxy welder,but he died last year and I think he took it with him(we reccon he was going someware hot).the only welding/brazing I'v been taught was with gas in the RNZAF back in the mid 60s(did ok in the trade tests,think it was 92%).In that test we made a little fire shovel,the handle along sightly conical shape with a gas welded seam up its full length,think it was about 16 swg,some of the blokes had great fun blowing holes and getting distortion.Reccon with a bit of practice I could do 20 g with gas,but I'v seen that done easy with MIG.Looked at some MIG welders in Smith's City today(they'v got a sale)but they still look a bit above my price range.IAN S C
Thread: Lathe Backgear
19/10/2009 06:05:48
)n my 1324BH Taiwanese lathe I find the back gear essential for some of my work done on a comecial basis,it consist of turning the edge of 160mm dia flame cut discs down to 158mm dia,then boring out the center which is already flame cut to 33mm dia to 35mm,getting through the hard skin is to say the least a bit tedious.I also like the 60 rpm for screw cutting.
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
17/10/2009 12:22:52
Mark you asked about the power of flame lickers,I ran my one working one tonight with a little water pump,it did'nt pump much water,but kept it running at 60 strokes per min,can't remember the reduction but I think the motor would be doing 200rpm or so.The way I was running the thing I need at least 3 hands,if I set it up I think it would pump at 100 spm.The pump is 1/2" bore x 3/4" stroke,and it was lifting the water about 1m,might try again next wk and use meths instead of gas(think the gas is too hot).IAN S C
Thread: Electric motors
17/10/2009 12:01:40
Just rig up a scale using a digital caliperand don't worry about what thread the feedscrew is,IAN S C
Thread: Wilf Baker's variable feed for mill
16/10/2009 12:03:10
I had problems with my power feed on my mill,I use a old Lucas wiper motor,and a power supply with a transformer from a Zerox copier(its BIG),every thing was liveso I checked the transformer,found it was single wound(not isolated),there was room on top of the existing windings so I wound on wire to give about 18V,no more problem.No electronics used,3 speed via resistors,took about 1hr to build,been going over 10yrs.
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
16/10/2009 11:27:33
Eureka,got the low temp motor going again,about 40rpm.Fitted newer,lighter bearings,and removed the cup seal,even with graphite powder workedinto the leather there was too much friction.At the moment the flywheel is the piece of waist I cut from the edge of the disc cut from the larger of the two fry pans that make up top and bottom of the motor.Outside dia 220mm,depth of rim 9mm x 5mm thick,and I used bike spokes for spokes into an aluminium hub.Gee weld bits,thats great,welding an end on a bit of tube-how thin can you go with stainless?I imagine TIG would be the ideal.That motor of Andy's is superb,'fraid mine are similar to yours.My only welder is an ordinary 140amp stick welder thet I occasionaly use to blob bits of metal on to other bits of metal,sometimes they seem to join together.
Thread: steam taxi by MARTIN RANSON
15/10/2009 13:06:59
Sorry Stevieboy I don't know much about valves,there was a bit about this stuff a few yrs back in Model Engineer.Just went and looked at the artical about Florence,seems fairly staight forward,only i'm not sure about the 340-gram butane-propane cylinder,I imagine that is the type used for a camp stove.Nice little boat,my only boat is about 18" long got a horizontal pot boiler with meths burner,and a V twin oscillator with 1/4" bore and 1/2" stroke.The boat is built of tin in the form of a tug boat.Radio control steering only,Its predessor was an 11" tug boat with an oscillator with 3mm bore and 6mm stroke and it worked quite well but no room for radio control.Go by the book you'll be ok,lots of luck IAN S C
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
15/10/2009 12:04:47
Mark I would be starting at atmospheric pressure and slowly increasing possibly 5psi at a time,you may not get much above 20psi for effective performance gain,pressures above this seem to require rather sophisticated heating and cooling systems.performance improvement should be quite good,maybe double non pressurised.Some pressurised motors will not run without pressure.I suspect it might need a fairly heavy flywheel to get it going.I think would like to build something with a Ross linkage,just have to find some bits and see what happens.With these motors hot and cold cylinders generate power,the hot piston has a stainless hot cap on top.Just thinking,a bike pump might be all you need,and could be easier to regulate the pressure.
Thread: steam taxi by MARTIN RANSON
13/10/2009 10:26:26
Hey stevieboy,could you give a description of this steam taxi and its bits etc.IAN S C
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
12/10/2009 11:19:09
Hi Mark,on my first engine,a V type I used a scotch yoke on the displacer so I could shorten the engine about 2".I made it out of aluminium.I cut the slot 3/8" wide,and 1 3/16" long,into that I inserted a bronze bush with a 1/4" slot 1" long,it ran on the 1/4" crank pin beside the con rod for the power piston.I'v got one on a water pump just running on the aluminium,seems ok.Yes you could case harden the slot,I use Kasenit,think I got it at George Henerys nearly 20yrs ago,I think they still have it.I have on a number of occasions heard of it being discontinued,mainly in Model Engineer.I'd just pack the slot with Kasenit powder,heat to red,hold for a few minutes,then quench in water,the remaining Kasenit will pop of leaving a clean gray finish,thats it no tempering required.If you can get some its well worth it,and it lasts as we don't use much.I think there are special grades of steel for case hardening,but ordenary mild steel works ok.Havn't used it much with my motors,but for hard pins etc I use needle rollers out of bearings,also some shafts out of computor parts are hard ie in old printers.Theres a thread on case hardening,sugests 90% charcoal 10% baking soda,might be worth a try.

Edited By Ian S C on 12/10/2009 11:38:14

Thread: steam taxi by MARTIN RANSON
10/10/2009 11:19:00
I'm not sure what sort of tank you have,I pressume its only little,mine takes about 1kg.Don't know about heat shunts,but I suppose it stops the gas tank freezing,heard of similar system on a hot air engine-gas tank in the cooling water tank.I would reduce or remove the heat shunt at first,then introduce it gradually.Is the tank homebrew or comecial,if the latter it should have fittings to fit it to a hose to fill it from another container.My main tank is a 5kg cylinder.I do use a small torch (pencil size) I fill it from a ligher gas refill.IAN S C
Thread: Steering Wheel
09/10/2009 11:23:37
Hi Stewart,no problem with chuck falling out?When I started milling I didn't know anything about collet chucks,and half way through my first job the jacobs chuck fell out,the job survived(sort of)the 1/4" slot drill survived,I got a collet chuck with draw bar.Nice wee wheel.If a method works for you (or me) its ok even if some would say you can't do it that way hi.IAN S C
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