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Cylinder heads have been re-bored to accept new full length valve guides. New valve guides have been fabricated and installed in cylinders after being coated of J.B. Weld. The new threaded insert I made for the sparkplug is installed in the cylinder head, and seems to work fine. Everything I...

I've ran into a problem here with how well my valves seal---or not. Every previous engine I have built used full length "valve cages" in which the valve guide section and the sealing face were all turned from one piece of brass. This engine is designed differently, whereby the valve guides are...

Do a web search for Elmer Verbourg. He designed a whole bunch of different simple steam engines and most of his designs are available.----Brian

Okay, for what it's worth---The new threaded insert is in place. In the picture you can see a "driver" that I used to screw the insert into place after the aluminum cylinder head was threaded 3/8"-16 and the home made threaded insert was coated with J.B. Weld. Then the driver was unscrewed...

The sparkplug thread repair is under way. What you are looking at is a piece of steel threaded 3/8"-16 unc on the outer diameter and 1/4"-32 on the inside diameter. The sparkplug screws into it just fine. Now the question is "Will I be able to tap a 3/8"-16 unc thread into the aluminum cylinder...

I can get gas into my gas tank, and I can get gas out again. Thats all, to nice outside to spend any more time in my shop today.!!!

Steamchick--I have very little going on in the rest of my life. I spend my time either reading for entertainment or working in my shop.---and occasionally taking good wife out for a meal.---Brian

Today, the engine sub base became a gas tank. Not a lot to say about it---a lot of hogging out on the mill, a cover plate drilled and counterbored to fit, and a bead of J.B. Weld all around before the screws were tightened up.

Today I made the nylon points mounting block, the brass ignition points mounting assembly, the ignition cam and opened up a few clearance holes on the main crankcase assembly. It's a beautiful day here in Ontario, bright sun and 70 degrees F. Wife and I went to a take out restaurant and then...

Yowzah!!!--I rooted around in my plate stock and found a sheet of 0.030" brass plate. That will do to make my ignition points arm and the piece that attaches to the ignition rotor. I have enough black nylon left to make the block that holds the other side of the ignition points. I need to make...

One thing for sure, for sure. I'ts a heck of a lot easier to make cams with flat flanks.

Today I will take a crack at making the cams for this engine. These cams do not have a curved flank, so they should be easier to make. I have attached a sketch of the finished cams which will be made from 01 steel and hardened. Lucky for me, I have a piece of 1/2" diameter 01 material on hand.

So, today I made valves. Very small valves. They still have to be cross drilled with a 0.039" hole at the ends for the valve keeper cross dowels.---And I lied!!! Sometime or other I must have made this size of valve before, because in my box of George Britnell wonderful valve seat cutters, I...

I'm getting down to the short strokes on this engine. I still have to make cams, valves, and an ignition point system. The valves are a bit more delicate than those I have built in the past. The valves are 0.094" diameter. All the valves I have made are 0.125" diameter. When will I repair the...

Thank you, Vietti. That is a very novel idea. My engines are only ran at low speed, so I don't anticipate issues with the pushrods. I will keep your suggestion in mind for future engines.---Brian

Yes, that is what the plans call for.---Brian

Today I was busy like the beaver. I made four rocker arms, which are just about at the limit of "littleness" for me to make. Then I made four pushrods, which are posed for the picture, but I haven't actually made the cams yet.

I did cut one thread on my lathe, just to prove that I could. My lathe is not a gear head, so it involved changing a few gears in the back of the lathe. Jason---Why would a fine thread be better?

Good luck!!! My DRO wasn't buggered up, a cable connection had came loose. Big sigh of relief.--I've been thinking about making my own threaded insert to repair the damaged sparkplug threads on one cylinder head. It looks like I can make a piece 3/8" outside diameter with 3/8"-16 thread and a...

Carburetor is finished. A couple of really small parts, well actually 3 machined parts and one rubber o-ring to hold the throttle assembly in place. This is probably one of the simplest carburetors that I have ever seen.