Hi all;
Got some more done today. It's bits and pieces time. The engine parts are done, but
it needs some plumbing, and all the finishing things, like paint, a lubricator, etc.
This first bit is for friend Zee. Not to make any kind of point to any one, but only to share
that everyone makes mistakes, even if we are actually paying attention and minding our biz!
This piece is the sub base, and I thought it was finished long ago as it was one of the first
pieces made. Today, while fitting it up just for one last check before painting it, I came across
these two holes marked in blue. They're in the wrong place, and would end up under the main
base instead of out in the open, where they will be used to mount the engine to a piece of a tree.
The holes need to be filled so the proper mounting holes can be drilled. The correct position
for the holes puts them right through the edge of the bad holes, so when they are filled, the
plug has to be good 'n tight so it won't spin when the new holes are drilled.
I turned up the end of a decent sized piece of aluminum, with the end that will be the plug
about .002" over the size of the bad holes, and beveled the end just a touch with a file. This
will be a pretty tight press for such a small hole, and that's the reason for making the plug on
the end of a larger piece. It would be a heck of a time getting it in if I cut the plug to the
proper length and tried smacking it in with a hammer.
Now, the larger part of the round stock can be used as a driver for the plug. I have a small
press, and used it to push the plug in. The larger diameter of the driving end gives plenty of
material to hold on to while getting the plug started in the hole. The extra length helps in lining
it up for a straight press.
After the plug end of the piece is pressed in, the bigger piece is cut off near the base plate.
File off the stub from the plug, and the dirty little secret is safe. Except for the part where
I blab it over the internet...
So, that piece got painted today, and I masked off the rims of the flywheels and painted the
spokes and hubs too.
Time for some plumbing work.
I got these elbows from PM Research. They come in a casting tree, as can be seen in the
picture, above. These are 3/16" size, but they have other sizes. You can also get them
finished, already bored and threaded. Being a bit of a cheap skate, (it's the "more time than
money" syndrome), these are a good deal at about $3.50 for the tree.
I cut them off with a jewelers saw, but there is enough space between the els to use a
hack saw too.
They are put in the four jaw and the saw cuts cleaned up. The els are uniform enough to
use the same jaw settings for all of them once the first one is centered up. The only jaw that
has to be changed is the one that holds against the saw cut. Some have a little flash that
has to be knocked off before they go in the chuck.
Once a saw cut end is faced off, the el can be drilled and tapped on that end, then reset in the
chuck for the other end.
Not having any miniature pipe taps, I use a 10-32 tap to thread these. They will need a
little sealant or teflon tape when the pipes are screwed in.
The pipes and other straight fittings are made from 3/16 C360 brass rod. This works fine
for lengths of pipe that are not any longer than twice as long as your drill bit. For longer
pieces of pipe, PM Research has that too. I have a problem with it, and it's one
of the few products they sell that I don't like. They make their model pipe from what I'm
pretty sure is C260, which is one of the worst kinds of brass to turn or thread on a lathe.
It would be fine for soldering, but is crummy for threading.
Here are some of the fittings needed. There will be more, but they don't each need a picture.
So, some painting, some fixing, and in the shot above, some plumbing, done. The lubricator
will go on the end of that piece of pipe, and I should be able to get started on that tomorrow.
Thought I might get this engine done by Christmas, but, not so sure about that now.
Just call me pokey.
Thanks for checking in!
Dean
