Ignore this topic

[Jack]

After a few more days of work it's starting to look like an engine.

 

[Jack]

Yes! Those are 2-56 Hex Head Bolts. I think that they look a lot better than socket head cap screws or God Forbid, Philps head screws I hate those but thats all that hardware stores around here have.

I bought a pckage of 100 2-56 stainless steel hex head (1/8") 1 inch long (I can always cut a little off) for $7.50 and 50 4-40 stainless steel hex head (3/16") 1 inch long for $5.80 from

http://www.microfasteners.com/catalog/products/MSCHBS.cfm

They are in New Jersy but they mailed them to me in about 4 days, They are a very easy company to deal with and they have other stuff as well. :roll:

 

[Hal]

ED

I have just taken ownership of a FEXAC milling machine made in Spain.

It was cheap, local and delivered.

One of the reason it was cheap was that one of the power feed wasn't working. The story was that a cone shaped clutch was worn out.

When I got to looking at the parts the cone shaped clutch didn't seem worn, nor was the metal cone discolored from heat.

But the thrust bearing was stuck. I cleaned it up and it freed up but is still very rough and looked like it has a spot or two that has set in a water based coolant for a extended period of time.

The thrust bearing(looks similar to a throwout clutch bearing on a manual transmission) is of the enclosed, cage, ball bearing type.

I.D. is 1.377 -1.378
O.D. is 2.110 - 2.118 (the shield is not truly round)
Thickness is .500 - .512 " "

Ed do you know of a source for the bearing I need?

Of coarse there are no #'s :evil:

Hal

 

[Tin Falcon]

I noticed if I sign in and browse then try to post I have to sign in a second time. If i just browse then try to post it will ask for a sign in then I just sign in once.
Tin

 

[Canyonman]

Well, where to start?

I was one of those "take everything apart" type kids. During High School I became interested in Ham Radio, Cars, and those good old .049 Cox engined planes.

I enlisted in the Air Force in 1976 and served my first tour as a Medic. Being the classic over-achiever I earned ER and ICU special duty assignments.

When it came time to re-enlist, I signed back up as a Armorer/Instructor. And again I soaked up all I could find. Well this strange combination of experience found me in Special Ops, where I "Ate it Up" for 12 years.

I got hurt in a Helo Jump and could no longer "keep up" so they sent me to England to shut down RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge.

I returned to the States and ran a small Range for awhile, then retired.

I then hired on making explosive mixtures for Aerial Display Fireworks. While it is fun to "shoot a show" it gets old fast. If people knew the work and regulations involved, they would understand why a 4th of July show costs so much.

So I used my VA Benefits and got my A & P license. Went back to the AF as a Civilian Contractor Crew Chief. Being Union we have the lowest wages of any Aircraft Mech. around. So if I wanted a new gun, I followed Johny Cash and built it "one piece at a time." Which lead me to the Lathes, Mills, Shapers etc.

I can run the machines but I actually enjoy restoring the Machines more! Reviving an old machine has a satisfaction of it's own. I do tire at times of hunting down parts, making the parts, making do with what I have.

I ran across this site, and I do enjoy these little engines, although I do have a Fairbanks-Morse 52. I wanted a Hit & Miss engine, and that's what I thought I had, but it is a throttle governed engine. Oh well.

The current project is a 13" South Bend with a 7 foot bed. Then I believe an engine is going to sneak up the "List" and bump one of the machines out. Just for some relaxation.

Glad to meet you all.

 

[Jack]

I've been busy in the shop today, here are some more parts for the latest little project of mine.

Tomorrow I will try to make some of the little parts.

 

[Jack]

I have made more parts to the flame Licker but my camera battery is dead, so the photos will have to wait for a day or so.

But I do have a couple questions....

Does the spring hold the valve open and does the cam follower close it? or is the other way around?

Can the cam follower be a small ball bearing or is that over kill?

Does the cylinder head have the counter sunk 1/4" hole have the countersunk on the outside or inside?

Does anyone have plans that haven't been copied a zillion times, I have trouble reading some of the deminsions, or is the PDF version the best there is?

I used a .002 feeler gauge strip for the valve, does that sound right?


I still have to make the connecting rod and the little arm that hooks on the valve rod and cam follower. It should take me another week or so.

You have to remember that I am all alone here and I don't punch a clock. Sometimes I work until 2 am and sometimes I don't work in the shop at all.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Alex:
the simplest way to build a model that is dimensioned in inches is to make it about 20 percent larger. Just for the sake of argument make 1 inch = 32 mm. so half inch will be 16mm etc. this is not a true conversion but it is an easy way to convert a print to metric for a small model you are just building for fun. I am not sure if I answered your question but this is the easiest way I know of to make a print fit metric standards.
Hope this helps you.
Tin

 

[lugnut]

We had a little tree frog that lived in our house all winter. We would go out and find ants and He loved small earth worms, would jump into your hand to get them. After we let him go, we found little frog pop behind one of the pictures in the room where he stayed. He like to hang out in our Rubber tree plant. His name was Fred and we miss him.
Mel

 

[lugnut]

Thanks Ralph. That site is not the friendliest one I’ve looked at. They do have a lot of stuff. But I got the impression that they would rather deal with bigger accounts. Then it might be my lack of savvy.
Thanks
Mel

 

[Jack]

My day isn't complete unless I break at least one tap or center drill. Why don't I quit 15 seconds before I break something after spending hours of set-up or metal removal, NO!!!! I keep working until I snap off a 2-56 or 4-40 tap. I think that I could screw up a 1/2-13 tap if I machined a stick of butter to look like a model engine part. :cry: :cry:

 

[lugnut]

Thanks guys. I ordered some small gears from http://www.smallparts.com/
They have a pretty good selection of gears.
Mel

 

[Jack]

If I where needing Taps and Dies in the small sizes I wouldn't buy a set. You will never use most of them. If you live in a good size city I would find a tool or machine shop supply dealer and buy a good 2-56 tap and die or what ever size the plans call for on whatever your building, in fact I buy the taps 2 at a time (they do break). Don't waste your money on cheap poorly made tooling like these little items, find a tool dealer go there, tell them what your doing. Tapping in a through hole in steel takes a different tap then aluminum in a blind hole. In st. louis the dealer that I go to is just as cheap as ENCO or any other so unless your out in the middle of nowhere find a local dealer and go there and ask a lot of questions and show them what you make. I do Most dealers know what they sell and are only too happy to help and then sell you what you need, and they want you to come back. :lol:

 

[jagwinn]

1980 Master Packaging repairman for the Pillsbury Mills Co., Springfield, Illinois
1988 Household department Machine Repairman, Sterling Drug - Lehn & Fink plant, Lincoln, Illinois
1989 Specialised Air, Airframe journyman, Hulcher Airport, Virden, Illinois
(While still working at Sterling) Licensed pilot.
1990 AutoCAD Draftsman, American College of Technology, Bloomington, Illinois
1993 Associate, Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing, Normal, Illinois
2004 AutoCAD draftsman, Dynamic Controls, Peoria, Illinois
2006 to present (back to machine repair) DEL Laboratories, Rocky Point, North Carolina.
Sears Craftsman 12" lathe.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Guys: Not exactly shop related but is certainly applied to safety when alone.
I will offer a quote from a friend of the family. A young lady college student doing summer intern work in Jamaica.
" You have not lived, until you have experienced fire ants in your toilet paper!!"

Always think safety
Tin

 

[lugnut]

My second most favorite hobby next to my little shop is going to “Garage or Yard sales” I picked up a cigar box full of taps and dies last week for $5. All made in the USA and in good shape. Smallest tap was 2-56 largest was 3/8 –24. I counted 123 taps and dies. Even had a couple of small t-handle tap wrenches in there. I’ve acquired a big portion of my tools that way. Only buying brand names and getting great quality tools. But if you only but one item at a time, buy the best quality you can afford.
Mel

 

[tattoomike68]

My second most favorite hobby next to my little shop is going to “Garage or Yard sales” I picked up a cigar box full of taps and dies last week for $5. All made in the USA and in good shape. Smallest tap was 2-56 largest was 3/8 –24. I counted 123 taps and dies. Even had a couple of small t-handle tap wrenches in there. I’ve acquired a big portion of my tools that way. Only buying brand names and getting great quality tools. But if you only but one item at a time, buy the best quality you can afford.
Mel

Now thats a score, thats what I will do is keep an eye out for a deal like that.

 

[lugnut]

Doesn’t it make you feel good when the little puffers actually run
Mel

 

[tattoomike68]

Doesn’t it make you feel good when the little puffers actually run
Mel

Yes , I was thrilled. its ugly here is the pictures.

You can see the hot roll bar and the shear mark from the mill, its crude but it was a ton of fun, all I can think is next.

It was fun, I will make many more and from here they will be more complex.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Alex:
The steel against plastic does not seem to be a problem. Keep clean and use a little mineral oil. like I said Lucy is my first born. She has logged something over 70 hours of tun time and still going strong. A funny thing with a steel to plastic fit. I repaired a vacuum cleaner a while back, gets lots of use. the steel shaft was actually more worn than the plastic wheel the reason ? Grit got into it and the wheel acted as a lap and wore down the steel.
So to answer your question unless it is run a lot or at high rpms for hours on end . Should last for Years. PS I have used Corian for engines as well as the clear plastics. Clear hard plastics have a tendency to chip if not careful use a zero rake or slightly dull drill bit. also cool the bit with soapy water. The best way I have found to polish plastic is wet sand 320.400.600 then follow medium grade auto polish then a good plastic polish. Mothers plastic polish here in the states works well but a good grade from the auto supply store should work. The cheap stuff is a waste of time and money. With a little practice plastics are great to work with. I continually get comments about the see through engines at the shows . people love to see how the engines work while watching them run.

Tin