Making a Miniature Cubic Zirconia Gem Steam Machine

[Gemhund]

I made this little machine, about 20mm high excluding the inlet pipe, because I needed to see how a very small motor could work.

I made a couple about 10mm high, but they did not run as well as this one did.

So I decided that this size has the most chance of success.

Thing is, making a machine out of gem stone material is far more dicey than metal.

Like, no give or bending that metal has.

Just ‘crack’ and start again.

So once I got a handle on metal miniatures, I felt I could go for a stone machine and have a reasonable chance of success.

Cubic Zirconia, in the gemological world is regarded as completed junk, worthy only of setting into cheap jewellery and as cheap diamond simulant.
It is the cubic form of zirconium dioxide and has a melting point of 2750°C (4976°F) .
It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_scale_of_mineral_hardness

This might be true for the clear material that imitates diamond, but the coloured material is far more interesting and when I have cut it into a nice faceted stone, it does not half do badly for itself.

So, using the rough material pictured, I am going to attempt to make a steam machine as small as my brass model, along the same vein as the gem steam machine.

My delicate hands cutting a slab of CZ for the upright post.

I made the cylinder out of a laminated CZ that was earmarked for faceting a multi colour stone like the third picture above, but instead the rough will be used for the cylinder.

So then I drilled a pilot hole with a 2mm core drill down the center.

The center hole was enlarged to 2.5mm and the polished and then two holes were drilled for the pivot shaft and the inlet port.

The pivot hole does not go through to the cylinder, but stops just short at about .5mm .

Then I drilled the pivot hole through the yellow upright and temporally glued the gold pivot into the rough green and clear cylinder. I temporally glue every thing with two component epoxy, and then when I want to separate it I put the piece under a 200 watt incandescent light bulb. The heat weakens the epoxy and it ( generally) separates .

Sometimes it doesn’t and the piece breaks, and then I wet my pants and freak out and curse and stuff.

OK, the pants part I made up.

I also started the piston in 14ct gold for the metal work, because it is quite hard and it is after all gold, so it gives a bit of gravitas to CZ.

One wouldn’t want to allow the CZ to lower the tone of the neighborhood too much, right?

Here the conrod has the ( big end ) bottom part affixed.

The red CZ in the photo is actually colour change material. So in fluorescent light, it is a golden brown and in incandescent light it is blood red—- seriously cool stuff.
It’s the same material that I cut the stone out of in the first faceted stone picture.

The basic plan is to glue the thing together, get it running, and then separate everything so that each individual piece of CZ can be faceted.

Once every thing is polished, then the components are re fitted and glued with Hxtal.

Once that is done, it is not possible to separate anything again.

A Hxtal joint is stronger than the material itself.

End of part one–( he says in a serious voice)

 

[Jeremy_BP]

That is going to be so cool. I can't wait.
I would love to see more pictures of the techniques for stonework.

 

[gbritnell]

A very amazing project. I've never worked with these types of materials so I'm really interested in how this comes out. I can't wait for the next installment.
gbritnell

 

[nsfr1206]

I think this is gonna be cool!

 

[LongRat]

Very cool indeed. I have a lot of experience machining sintered tetragonal zirconia ceramics. A few years ago at work we were making dental crown components from that material which we were grinding in the fully hard state. I'd love to know how our techniques compare with yours. We were using diamond dental burs, 1.0 to 1.8mm diameter at 200,000 RPM completely dry with no coolant. I suspect the cubic material you are using is far more difficult to work with and easier to damage.

 

[Gemhund]

Here are all the rough components made excluding the cylinder head.

The pink flywheel is far to thick so I trimmed it on my diamond saw like a polony slice.

I turned a dop and then made it round on my Imahashi.

Got to love that pink……..

Sigh, no one said this was an easy project. It broke while I was removing the dop.

So I cut another one and then I temporally glued everything together.

I just glued a cut scrap stone on the top to close the head off.

I made the inlet tubing out of silver.

This motor ran that evening. First shot.

I have got a video of it but I have not put it up.

I was really chuffed because all that was now necessary was to take it apart, facet it and re assemble it and we home and dry, right?

Wrong

While I was taking it apart, it dropped 200mm onto my bench and the upright broke in half.

Like, from the little vice onto the white wood.

That was really unfair, because is was not far and I had dropped similar things much higher without any damage.

It just landed in the wrong position. Frack.

So I made another upright.

Glued the whole thing together temporarily again and it ran well.

And then, while I was removing the silver inlet tube---POW! it broke again.

Well, I didn’t have any more material, so I ground out the chipped section and fitted a lime green piece intarsia style. Worked like a charm and it looks kind of funky to boot.

And all I had to do was just drill through the green part, and not have to position the inlet and outlet holes again

Then I faceted and polished the new crank and upright.

The little crank is 8mm in diameter and has 68 facets on it and the upright is 30mm high and has 11 facets on it.

Then on to the flywheel. I first drilled 2mm holes in it and then widened them to 3mm.

Then I use my hanging motor and wet or dry sandpaper with water to smoothen the inside of the 3mm drilled holes.

This is a VERY delicate stage, because the sandpaper must remain cool, otherwise the CZ cracks without any trouble. And drilling this thing takes a while, with a large measure of patience thrown in.

I polish the holes 200 grit then 600 the 1200 diamond and sometimes 8000 and then finally 50,000 diamond.

The 8000 grit is neither fish nor fowl, but sometimes the design or material warrants that extra step.

I used the original dop to center it and then mounted it to the aluminum dop for faceting.

Like this.

Then I spent a whole day faceting it.

And I also cut the cylinder the next day.

The flywheel measures 18mm and has 50 facets on it.

The holes have four bevels each and the center polished part, making 80 total different planes including the facets. It gives for some serious sparkle.

The cylinder measures 14 x 8mm and also has 50 facets on it and is effectively made out of five separate pieces.

Nothing if not complicated.

There is a nice optical effect that occurs in the flywheel and cylinder, because CZ has a high refractive index.

That, and the fact that CZ comes in many colour makes it interesting stuff to do a project like this with.

Now, if nothing more breaks, I have to facet two or three more pieces prior to re-assembly.

However, Murphy’s law says that is something can go wrong it will.

So I am taking it very casually slowly.

The next post will be when it is finished---or not.

 

[RManley]

Amazing......this is going to look great running!
Hats off to you.

R

 

[lazylathe]

Looks great all faceted up and polished!!!!

Another great bit of engineering!!!

Andrew

 

[b.lindsey]

Amazing, beautiful and certainly one of a kind !!! Gives new meaning to mechanical artwork. Where does one find the material? Looking forward to seeing this little "gem" run !!!

Regards,
Bill

 

[Tinkerer58]

Now that is what I call inspiring. Nice work a real Gem of a toy for the wife and no batteries required. Sorry I couldn't resist that one LOL.

 

[Sic Semper Tyrannis]

WOW People never cease to amaze!!! It wouldn't have entered my head that something like this was even possible!

Congrats. Really nice!

 

[bezalel2000]

th_confused0052





I love your work

and your ability to plough through Murphy's worst.

Well done


Bez

 

[bearcar1]

Some terribly fine lapidary work there. like WOW!! That is definitely a piece of art. Thm:

BC1
Jim

 

[Gemhund]

Not steam punk but sparkle punk.

I made the silver base out of a solid plate and then I carved the little legs sort of old fashioned style.
The two shafts and the piston are made out of 14ct gold .

I also made the spring out of gold.
I got this really lousy Red Dragon type of draw plate that has only one thing good about it.
With a LOT of patience I can draw wire down to .26mm.
The first 30 holes don’t work a rats ass.
Only the last ten holes are manageable, and as true as bob, the last one is only .26 thick, and smooth to boot.
And that is just the thickness needed to make a soft spring out of 14ct gold.

Just to compare the size to a matchstick.
There are 264 facets in total.
50 grams of silver.
About 12 grams of gold.
Build time was about 100 hours.

I made a glass house for him.

And then he can be lifted out of the box, attached to a base plate with tiny pieces of double sided tape.
Connect him and he will run.
Here is the link to the video.
http://youtu.be/QXM_dgiW-ZM

 

[kvom]

Hans' website says his jewelry is "beyond usual"; This engine certainly qualifies for that description.

Anyone visiting St. Maarten ought to drop in for a visit.

 

[kadysmt]

As you have removed the pics, i really wants to see the pics. Because I also work of manufacturing of cubic zirconia, so i would like to get more knowledge on it...


______________________
Cubic Zirconia