The time has come, the Walrus said, To talk of many things: Of shoesand shipsand sealing-wax
Of cabbagesand kings
I want to talk about lubrication.
I just completed my 5th engine and each has been a learning experience.
The 1st was the "Pip-Squeek". It runs fine and I learned to not work in steel unless you have to.
2nd was the "Elbow Engine" It doesn't run and I learned to not try something that was above a novice capability.
3rd was Brians Hit-Miss. Great runner! I learned to appreciate good plans. (Also learned that the fiddly-bits of the governor are beyond me at this time.)
4th was Brians Beam Engine. This one taught me that I must be getting better as it ran on the first try. ;D
My 5th (just completed) is the "H-Quad" by Ralph Weidman is the one I want to learn about air engine lubes.
When I first tried to run it, it would start up, run like crazy for 15 seconds or so and then bind up. If I let it set for awhile it would loosen back up and run again. Sounds like a major friction problem to me. It has steel pistons in brass cylinders. The wobbler shafts are brass in aluminum and the crank is steel in a bronze bearing. I'm not sure but I think it's the pistons in the cylinders that are causing the problem. It does seem to be getting better the more it runs, so is this just a matter of "wearing in" or should I be using some sort of lubrication?
Dean