Horizontal Double acting Twin Self starter

[Brian Rupnow]

Anybody interested in going along for the ride? I just designed this engine, based on the cylinder bore and stroke as used on the "Beam Engine at Double Scale" which I posted a couple of months ago. I am using the same slide valve arrangement, but have reconfigured it into a horizontal mill type engine. The only thing I haven't personally built on this style of engine is the fancy flywheels and a built up crankshaft. I think I will probably do up full detail drawings and post them as I go along, and I would love it if some folks could build this engine along with me. Since I see the crankshaft as being the most challenging thing to make, I will post a detail drawing of it and build it first.--If I can't build the crankshaft, then there is no point in making all the other parts.

 

[Kludge]

I won't be building along but I will be following along as part of Kludge's Ongoing Education ... ie, looking for ideas to steal for my own engines. ;D

A good number of my engine designs are solenoid driven (mostly for Noelle) with the rest air driven for Noelle (for safety reasons) and steam for me. Some of the air and steam engines will have solenoid operated valves. The Noelle-machines have to be larger (but still fit a USPS Priority flat rate "shoebox") due to vision loss but the rest can be small of the itty bitty order.

So ... I will follow along, learning more about design and construction as I go, and looking for ideas that can be applied to my own creations. Like you, I'm too cheap to buy plans.

As a side note: I got to talk with Brian on the phone today and he's a delight to talk with. But dont' let him fool you about his being a "newbie". He might not have the time with the machining equipment others do but he's an Old School engineer with the design time to back it up. You'd best believe I'll be learning a lot!

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Jeez, Thanks Kludge. Thats the nicest thing anybody has said to me so far this year!!! By the way---send me your real email address---No, I ain't gonna pay you for the compliment, I just want to send you those waterwheel pictures.

 

[rake60]

I'm liking it already Brian!

I built Dave Goodfellow's Siamese Twins Engine a little more than year ago.

His design is similar, but it has a 180 degree throw in the crank.

I'll be anxiously awaiting the progress updates.

Rick

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Tonight I srarted the crankshaft. I had a couple of cheap Chinese paralells 1/2" x 1/8" setting on the shelf, waiting to be sacrificed, so I cut them about 1/8" too long on my bandsaw.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I don't know about you fellows, but I've never had much luck drilling 4 parts individually and geting the holes to all line up. The answer--a trip out to the mig welder in my garage and weld them puppies together at each end.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

A bit of layout and centerpunch work---

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And away we go to the mill for some drilling and reaming.

 

[jack404]

Brian

I dont have the skills yet to do this with you but i have spent the past couple of hours going over the design and i like it so much i have shelved other ideas to put this in thier place for

"when the time comes"

and i will follow you with the build if you go along with it.

if i can help in any way let me know

cranks i have not done any "model sized" but did build racing motorcycle cranks and cam shafts for many years and am scaling down the jigs as a preperation to be able to make these models ( why i'm making the Alu mount for the rotary table, the ones i have made in the past where mostly one peice ) but scaleing down is a lot slower than i had hoped/planned so i am way behind where i thought i'd be. And with another work order just in i'm gonna be further behind a bit more , but maybe not the extra cash will help speed up some parts of the process.

again let me know if i can help in any way.

cheers

jack

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And now to divulge an ancient machining secret--I didn't want to round these off on my old favourite the vertical belt sander---so---I drilled and tapped the head of a big old bolt out of my junk drawer, bolted the crankshaft throws to it, and chucked it up in my lathe.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And Voila!!! The weld is gone, and all the peices are identical.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Welcome aboard Jack. Glad you're liking it. Hang on--I think it'll be a fun ride.--Brian

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And one final bit of wisdom.--I THINK that the holes are exactly in the center of the 1/2" wide crankthrows, but I've been fooled before--thus, before I dismantle things, a punch mark in one place at one end of each peice. That way when I assemble them on the 1/4" shaft for soldering, I can't get one of them bass ackwards.

 

[rodbuilder]

Brian, what cad program are you using for the design. Your work looks good, looking forward to following this engine.

 

[Bernd]

Brian,

Very interesting on how you solved the turning problem. I'd like to add to this if I may. This would have been an ideal job on a faceplate. Bolt a piece of aluminum to your face plate and then mount the parts to be turned. Just another way to solve the same problem.

Regards,
bernd

 

[wareagle]

Brian, its looking good. I wish I had more time (don't we all) to spend in the shop, 'cause I'd love to do this build along side yours! This engine will certainly be in the "rainy day" stack!

Watching with enthusiasm!

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Brian, what cad program are you using for the design. Your work looks good, looking forward to following this engine.

Solidworks-2008

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Bear with me fellows. I am a complete and utter "crankshaft virgin", so I'm making it up as I go along. Since I wanted to keep everything parallel and square, I have built a couple of very simple jigs. the first jig consists of a scrap block of aluminum in which I drilled and reamed two 0.25" holes on the same centers as the crankshaft throws. This should gaurantee that everything stays parallel. The second jig is simply a peice of aluminum machined to 0.340" thick, which is the exact distance required between the crankshaft plates. That should gaurantee the distance I need between the plates. Silver solder does not stick to aluminum, so I should be safe for my first silver soldering step.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

First soldering step finished. Yeah, I know--Dramatic overkill with the solder, but I never clained to be dainty. Besides, I'd rather get enough on there to run in and fill any joints than be sparing with it and have the crankshaft fly apart. --More to follow--

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And here is the second soldering, set up in the jig. If it looks messy and ugly on your monitor, thats because it is messy and ugly. However, it will be going for beuaty treatment shortly.