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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: Hot air and stirling engines
24/07/2009 10:44:53
I was thinking of brazing or soldering the spokes into the rim of the new flywheel,but the I thought about the distortion that would occur,so I used Locktite.At the moment it looks like a ships wheel,the spokes protrude about 10mm,I'll trim it up tomorrow,it looks great!In the past I'v chain drilled and filed the spokes.Ian.S.C.
Thread: A simple tapping tool
23/07/2009 12:41:40
Hi Peter and Wheeltapper I was just looking at a b&d drill stand thats been sitting in a corner of my workshop for years,and I was thinking along the same lines as you two,I'll have to do something now won't I.IAN.S.C.
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
23/07/2009 12:32:00
Hi Mark,I'm trying a different way of making a flywheel(I fabricate all of mine)I'v got access to lots of 160mm x 8mm discs(they'v got a 35mm hole in the middle),I dressed the outer dia,then cut out the center to leave a ring about 12mm wide,I then drilled radially 6 hole 5mm dia.I then made a hub 20mm dia x13mm with a 1/4"bore to take the spindle,I then drilled and tapped 6 holes.I have some scrap 5mm rod(Warehouse drying rack)to make spokes.Got it partly assembled before tea tonight,don't know if it will be too heavy for the LTD motor,oh well if it is I'll just have to make another motor!
22/07/2009 13:45:28
Welcome John,about ballraces,I'v just washed the grease out of a pair of races with hot soapy water,I'm going to use them on a low temp,engine.The bearings are out of some surplus American equipment from ww2,they seem ok,they will be on the main shaft,I'v got some little ones out of a disc drive for the con rods.Yes friction and air leaks are killers.Often it's just patience and a sore wrist flicking the flywheel,I think I mentioned abit about running engines in with another motor.If you try long enough they usually go.Bet France is a bit warmer than it is here,although todays not to bad just windy.
Thread: Propane gas burners
20/07/2009 13:36:53
For one of my hot air engines I made a ring burner to go round the top of the hot end.I made the jet adjustable by boring it .5mm and using a sewing needle in the end of the screw adjuster.Just past the jet are two air holes with a sleeve over the holes for adjustment of air intake,I did it this way because I hadn't heard of the brass disc method I must try that.The burner is a hollow ring inside dia 50mm,OD 70mm x30mm high.On the inside there are three rows of 1.5mm holes about 6mm apart,the displacer hot cap is 40mm dia and is central in the hole and the flame is easy to control by ajusting pressure,jet size,air intake.Give you plenty to fiddle with if you get bored.
Thread: Sturmey-Archer gears
19/07/2009 13:09:53
I'v got a stripped down hub right here.The gear on the shaft is 20 t x11/32",the planet gears are 21 t,and the outside ring has 60 t.
Thread: Outrageous Set-ups!
17/07/2009 15:06:55
A number of years ago I was helping a friend to restore a Lanz Bulldog tractor,single cyl 2 stroke diesel.One ring groove was damaged,and we found a new one .020" wider.I couldn't get the locating pin out of the groove,but I loaded the piston (about8" dia x 18" long)into a 4jaw chuck on my friends ancient and very large lathe,and by pulling the chuck over by hand,turned the groove out to size round to the pin,then turned the tool over and by turning backwards cut the groove to the pin in the other direction. The most difficult bit was at the beginning when I had to change the chuck_18" 4jaw!
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
16/07/2009 11:24:43
Just remembered,I'v got a piece of 20mm dia carbon impregnated teflon rod,and I think 15mm is what I need for a piston on a LTD motor with 150mm dia displacer,so things are comming together.I'm going to try and get some nylon screws to join the top and bottom,8 should do.Next job before the motor is to repair my cheap chinese DTI the top fell off when I was setting up the fry pan in the lathe,its held on with an O ring,and that came out in three bits!
16/07/2009 02:49:47
Mark thanks for the info,you need something for it to drive,a little generator,water pump or anything that goes round and round.It will stop it flying apart,Next you need a tacho of some sort,ie James Rizzo's books show a mechanical arrangment,I made one with a 125 tooth gear and a home made worm. Clive,I don't think so.I would be interested in whether the carbon for the piston is lubricated as some brushes appear to be or not.Don't even know what size I need yet.
15/07/2009 12:24:24
Hi mark,motor looks good,should be reasonably powerful(hot air- mouse power),What is bore and stroke?
Thread: New Subscription Freebies
15/07/2009 12:13:21
I think the mag should stay in its paper form,if its in electronic copy,in a year or so that form will be out of date,where as book form never will,it could be handy on both.
Thread: Marking out
15/07/2009 11:58:54
Hi wallace,an empty nail polish bottle just the thing,brush included!I use felt pen. Ian.s.c.
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
15/07/2009 11:43:43
The carbon rods for carbon arc welding are only about 8-10mm dia,ferrite rods are not carbon.A diaphragm sounds a good 2nd choice.Started cutting metal for the motor just before tea time tonight,changed my mind,too cold!Do it tomorrow(why do today what you can put off until tomorrow),i'mcutting the bottom out of a large frying-pan,13"dia.I'v got two of them,one for top other for bottom.I'v got some 6" plastic pipe,foam for displacer,6"diax3/8" perspex disc for the flywheel,plenty of small ball races.I,ll just have to work out the power piston/diaphragm. Thanks for the info.Ian.s.c..ps you'v proberbly noticed I'm a bit of a night owl.
14/07/2009 14:39:09
Clive,start with a simple V engine get it going well,my first one was a little V water cooled engine,when ok.Its now rebuilt as the smaller of my 2 versions of Tapper.Please could you tell me what the piston in your LTD motor is made of,if its carbon I don't know if I can get it although there is an outfit in Christchurch that makes brushes for electric motors so I could try them.
13/07/2009 15:25:39
Clive,not sure how you'd get rid of friction,I think some of the very early engines had little wheels on the displacer!You'd have to keep the magnet away from too much heat,possibly a guide at the cold end(could be brass or ally and sealed).I'v got 2 engines of the Ringbom type similar toJ.R.Senft's Tapper,they work ok although not over powerful,but they show that you don't have to connect the displacer to the crankshaft.Also got a free piston engine,so you don't even need a crankshaft!The piston on that one has a large magnet(came from the magntron of a dead microwave oven)on the bottom end this moves inside a coil and generates a small voltage-2-3volts ac,I don't know if this sort of thing could be reversed,maybe the magnet replaced with an iron core and a current to the coil,a switch could be opperated by the piston.The piston and displacer rest on springs,these replace the action of the flywheel of a normal engine.oops the coil and iron core would have to be attached to the displacer,could work but you would need a power supply.

Edited By Ian S C on 13/07/2009 15:31:09

12/07/2009 13:53:01
Clive 1958,how do you propose to keep oil out of the displacer?If your running the diplacer and power piston in the same cylinder ie beta type there should only be perhaps 1mm between the piston and the displacer.Even a gama or V engine doesn't have much dead space in the tube from the displacer to the power cylinder,you'd be better looking at regeneration,and pressurisation.See James Rizzo's "Tuba"or"Prova II",I think there are others in his 2nd hard covered book(I'v only got the 1st one and the paper back),you need to keep oil away!You can always use a diaphragm,and do without a solid piston,there was a bit about this in Model Engineer a few years back.
Thread: Electric motors
11/07/2009 11:43:34
A universal motor is governed by its load,so its basicly made for driving a constant load ie vacuum cleaners cake mixers,and portable hand tools.I tried using a vacuum cleaner motor with an electronic speed reducer on a flexable drive,it played merry hell with all the nearby radios,and to get any power it was still too fast.
Thread: Hot air and stirling engines
11/07/2009 11:12:52
Geoff that sounds spot on,maybe it will work as a refrigerator instead,that would be ok.It some times helps if you run it in without compression,you'l use less air from the compressor.
Thread: Electric motors
10/07/2009 13:17:50
The starting current for your motor will be about 4 or 5 times the running current,so while your generator seems ok,it will be on overload when you start up.I'm not sure if a universal(brush type)motorwould be ok they usually rev too high,I think your portable electric drill will work.I'v heard of people using DC motors,don't know where you'd get one.Tread-mills have one of about 1hp,I think 200 or so volt,and it works of a reasonably small generator.An old car generator(not alternator)may be run as a motor,there is an artical in ME starting 17 march 1989 about this,it states that it will run ok on voltages up to 24v.Hope this is some help Ian.s.c
Thread: New Subscription Freebies
09/07/2009 16:13:03
David Clark 1,hi I'll leave writting until I get the thing running,its been on hold a while,I must get some cast iron for a piston,the origional had hemp packing in the ring grooves,I might try that.At the moment I have an alloy piston part made,but I don't know what alloy,so I don't know how it will ware or if it will"pick up" on the steel bore.
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