Plumbing Parts Engine

[Brian Rupnow]

Thanks Chuck. Right now the finish on the inside of my cylinder is "as reamed". I do have a brake cylinder hone here (The kind with the 3 spring loaded abrasive arms that fits into an electric drill). I don't have a lap, and I'm not sure I'd know how to use it properly if I did have one!!!! Do I need to use the brake cylinder hone, or can I just leave the i.d. "as reamed"?---Brian

 

[Troutsqueezer]

I like this thread a lot Chuck and of course I like the engine too. The effort you put forth to document and share is very much appreciated. I've copied it into Word to add to my growing collection of reference material.

-Trout

 

[wes]

Looks like its comeing right along. Were did you pick up the original plans?

 

[kustomkb]

Great job Chuck!

That's a very cool engine.

 

[cfellows]

Brian, I would suggest the brake cylinder hone at minimum. I usually use a flex hone like this...

Less chance of tapering the cylinder. I also use them with water to take material off more quickly.

Wes, the original plans are available for about $40. I'll have to find the source. My design is a bit of a departure from the original.

Chuck

 

[wes]

My design is a bit of a departure from the original

I like to add my own modifications too.

Wes

 

[cfellows]

Wes, have you posted pictures of your engine?

Chuck

 

[Metal Butcher]

Brian, I would suggest the brake cylinder hone at minimum. I usually use a flex hone like this...

Less chance of tapering the cylinder. I also use them with water to take material off more quickly.

Wes, the original plans are available for about $40. I'll have to find the source. My design is a bit of a departure from the original.

Chuck

Chuck. I've been using a nylon gun bore cleaning brush coated with a lapping compound. Sorta works to smooth up the cylinder bores on some of my builds. But I would like to try using the proper tool for a change of pace.

Were did you get your flex hone, and what grit do you use?

-MB.

 

[cfellows]

Chuck. I've been using a nylon gun bore cleaning brush coated with a lapping compound. Sorta works to smooth up the cylinder bores on some of my builds. But I would like to try using the proper tool for a change of pace.

Were did you get your flex hone, and what grit do you use?

-MB.

MB, the flexhones I have don't specify a grit. I have them in sizes from 1/2" up to about 1.25" Here is a link to their website if you want to read more about them:

http://www.brushresearch.com/product-line.php?line=1

I think I bought all mine on Ebay. If you do a search on Ebay as of this writing, there are 322 available in all different sizes.

I like to use them with water. It cuts faster and gives a smoother finish. I usually hold the cylinder to be honed with one end submerged in a bucket of water. I spin the hone with an electric drill moving it up and down far enough that the abrasive partly exits each end of the cylinder. On the bottom trip it picks up water from the bucket and pulls it back up into the cylinder clearing out the abrasive and ground cylinder particles. Since each of the little abrasive balls is suspended on the end of a wire, you don't have to worry as much about tapering the cylinder by running the abrasive out each end.

Also, I've used these hones to remove a slight taper from a cylinder. Just run it longer in the smaller end of the taper.

Don't run the hone too long between inspections. It removes material pretty fast!

Chuck

 

[Metal Butcher]

Thanks Chuck, for providing all that information. I did look on E-Bay and only saw a few. I guess I used the wrong key words. I'll try again. The water idea sound like a great way to avoid a messy clean up. I imagine a bit of dish soap would work too. Rinse and repeat.

-MB

 

[cfellows]

MB, search the ebay site using flex-hone as the search word.

 

[BigBore]

................with out the dash. Just use flex hone.

 

[Metal Butcher]

MB, search the ebay site using flex-hone as the search word.

Thanks Chuck.

Yep, that worked. I found a seller that has all of the grit sizes in the 1/2" size hone I'm looking for. A bit pricey to buy all the differ ant grits available, so I guess 240 might be a good choice.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-2-...Z370249302235QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools

-MB

 

[BigBore]

Very cool-tool, Chuck. Let's say one wanted to hone a .750 cylinder. What size flex hone would one use? Do you use the size of the end dimension or do you go a bit larger and just push in the hone and let it eat? I guess I'm thinking along the lines of cleaning a test tube. If the tube is .750 you could use any brush that was larger than the tube. A larger brush, within reason, just means that the bristles push harder against the side of the tube.

Ed

 

[Kermit]

Very cool-tool, Chuck. Let's say one wanted to hone a .750 cylinder. What size flex hone would one use? Do you use the size of the end dimension or do you go a bit larger and just push in the hone and let it eat? \...

Ed

The hone would have balls on wires and the length of the outersurface from the axis would be 1/2 the cylinder; .375"

If your hand held drill deviated even .001" from the center line of the cylinder you would only be cutting along an arc of the cylinder and it would quickly become some other shape than round. ;D

You should use a somewhat larger hone than the bore you want. The amount of excess, within reason, will determine how much 'wander room' you have using the hand held drill. SO if you use a hone that will just barely achieve the final dimension. you should use mucho control - as in a drill press set up. DAMHIK :-[


Kermit

 

[Metal Butcher]

Ed, If you cylinder bore is 3/4" you would need a specified 3/4" Flex Hone tool.

There's no guessing at/or picking an oversize tool. They are already a calculated size to properly match your bore size. They are available in fractional and metric sizes.

Below is a link that will further explain, and answer any additional questions you may have.

http://www.flexhone.com/flexhone for cylinders.htm

-MB

 

[cfellows]

Yeah, what MB said. Use the specified size for your bore. I've used these on bores up to .020" oversize and they still polish just fine.

Kermit, there doesn't seem to be much problem with deviation from center using a hand drill. They tend to hold themselves straight. I usually run them for 6 - 10 fast passes through the cylinder then inspect the work. Never had a problem with the bore getting out of round.

I've never used these for brass or aluminum, just steel and cast iron. They might work fine in brass or aluminum, I just never tried it.

Chuck

 

[Kermit]

Okay, well. I'm getting more absent minded than I used to be, but I didn't think I was so far gone already. The whole arrangement of balls on wires would 'droop' under the effect of gravity until it was up to speed in the drill. I could lower it into the hole and not touch the sides at all until I started the drill. I'm really pretty sure about those aspects, at least as it applied to the contraption I was using. I'm currently very curious why there would be such a difference in 'stiffness' between the hones pictured and what I used. Could I have picked up a tool that was meant for paint chipping or something along those lines and been mistaken assuming it was a cylinder hone?

??? I'm starting to think I didn't start to think as long ago as I like to think! 8)


Kermit

 

[wes]

Think I goofed! ??? Tried to insert your quote and was just agreeing with you about making your engine different. Oops!

Wes

 

[cfellows]

Okay, well. I'm getting more absent minded than I used to be, but I didn't think I was so far gone already. The whole arrangement of balls on wires would 'droop' under the effect of gravity until it was up to speed in the drill. I could lower it into the hole and not touch the sides at all until I started the drill. I'm really pretty sure about those aspects, at least as it applied to the contraption I was using. I'm currently very curious why there would be such a difference in 'stiffness' between the hones pictured and what I used. Could I have picked up a tool that was meant for paint chipping or something along those lines and been mistaken assuming it was a cylinder hone?

??? I'm starting to think I didn't start to think as long ago as I like to think! 8)

Kermit

Kermit, the wires that support the balls on these flexhones is really stiff. Not only is there no drooping, but a fair amount of resistance to inserting the brush into the cylinder, even when it isn't spinning.

Chuck