Recent content by PolskiFran

Thanks for the help. I do believe it could be a school project that was never finished. The casting quality seems very good. You don't see that smooth of a finish on castings lately. P.S. Thanks for the welcome back Tin. Hope I can get something new finished for the show in January. Frank

Hi everyone, The pics are of steam engine castings my friend has. Some of the engine is partially finished, as you can see. There are no casting identification marks that I could see. The bore is 1 1/2", with 2" stroke (approx.). The engine would have a reversing gear that would mount to the...

Thanks for the leads. I'll be sure to check them out. Thanks again, Frank

Hi all, A friend of mine needs to replace a displacer piston in a Sterling Cycle engine. It is a small engine but will be used to power a heat circulating fan, so durability is a factor. Any recommendations will be appreciated. Also I am looking for a distributor / supplier, that handles 00-90...

I tried locating some 6-32 hex head screws when I was building my Upshur gas engine. I couldn't find any locally or in the standard supply catalogs so I decided to try my hand at making a few. I tried to follow the dimensions of a heavy head 5/16-18 bolt as a guide. These are common on the old...

Hi Tony, I'm working on restoring a Marklin Powerplant with some of the same problems as yours has. The fitting bushings are threaded for 4mm thread and are soldered from the inside of the boiler. I will need to make a few replacements. This should be easy using the lathe. An external pump...

My Upshur Vertical gas engine has a 3/4" dia piston, 3/16" wrist pin, and a crankshaft made from 1/2" thk. hot rolled steel with 5/16 dia. journals for both the connecting rod and main bearings. It has been working well for years. Hope this helps, Frank

I have talked with a few people who run their engines on lp gas. One said he will never go back to gasoline again, because it was so much easier to start and cleaner to work with. Another wanted to run his on lp but was having trouble locating a regulator that would regulate in ounces due to the...

A friend of mine used to use automatic transmission fluid for machining brass and aluminum in his automatic screw machines. We used to use a mix of lard oil and kerosene for cast aluminum. Hope this helps, Frank

Thanks for the help. I don't think it is Zamac, it seems to be softer. It does seem to be a good deal softer than the material used in the gears on my Atlas lathe. It does have the same "finger nail scratch test" qualities as babbitt. I have been comparing with some old "Slush Cast" toys, but...

A friend of mine showed me an old model steam engine he had picked up at a junk yard. It was apparently home made. The cylinder, steam chest, cover, and flywheel were cast from a material that was babbitt-like. There was a material like this used for making castings for toys back in the early...

Not to slight anyone's work or any comercial product on the market, but I have seen a few hand tappers made using 2 old engine connecting rods fastened above one another for the reach arms. Some used connecting rods from large diesel engines and some used rods from Briggs and Stratton lawnmower...

Great Job Chilli ! Mine is still in the box "climatizing". ;D I hope mine will look as good. Frank

Nice basement set-up. I do like your mill. I could have used one like this for several of the oddball jobs I have done in the past. Welcome to the board, Frank

Depending on the the amount of "shoulder" on the cyl. sleeve, it may be possible to locate the plate in the correct position and rebore to "clean up" the original bore. Then make the corresponding part , cyl. sleeve, to match the dimension in the plate. Some people have a "humble box". I have a...