Philip Duclos "Victorian" IC engine project

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Bernd:
Steve,

That took a lot of brass b***'s to run that engine like that without tying it down. It may not have vibrated but the lathe could have.

But looking very good and I can't believe the detailed process you are putting into that engine. Nice. :thumbup:

The thing I'm learning here is that you need to put full concentration on one project and see it through to completion. My problem is to many things interest me and I never finish one project.

Keep up the good work.

Bernd

cedge:
Bernd
By the time I took that photo, all the vibration was pretty much gone. What you don't see is me holding the engne in my hand until it wore in a bit. The engine was only on the lathe bed once it was obvious it was stable. Brass ones maybe, but they're not so big as to make me hurt me or the engine....(wink)

I long ago learned that if I had too many things going at one time, nothing got completed. I've got a long listof builds I want to do, but I'm not a huge multi-tasking type where technical things are concerned. I like to be able to think my way through a project un-distracted by other nagging projects. If I'm working more than one engine, the planned mods and such get jumbled up in my head.

Steve

cedge:
Today I gambled a bit and took on a project that saw the cam gear back on the mill for a bit of careful, and I do mean careful, modifications. With all the work in making it one piece, cutting the gear and running it in for smooth operation, this step could have burned a whole lot of work.

The cam on the rear of the gear actuates a rod which controls the exhaust valve in conjunction with the governor. A roller runs inside the rim of the cam side of the gear which rides up on the cam when the engine is ready for a power stroke. This action is somewhat hidden in the original design, so I decided to reveal things a bit so the action can be seen.

The operation began with some careful calculations and a couple of drawings, just to prove the idea was going to fit in the limited space and accommodate the cam. Once everything checked out, the gear was placed on the rotary indexer and drilled for creating six spokes.

As thing progressed, it didn't look much like spokes, but everything was fitting where it was supposed to be and unwanted metal was disappearing at a nice pace.

The whole gear is about the size of a silver dollar and the interior of the cam ring is a radius of only 3/4 inch and drops to 19/32 inch where the cam runs along the rim. Did I mention that the central hub robs both dimensions of 1/4 inch radius? Like I said, things were tight and large movements were not on the menu. As The last cut was made and 6 small spokes emerged, I got the chance to breathe again.

Once the gear was off the mill, I began hand filing the spokes to reshape and contour the corners and edges. I enjoy file work and the time it gives me to think ahead consider any other changes I want to add. The session was quite peaceful and soon the small gear was taking on a nice old fashioned look. Three of the spokes were completely independent and were quickly knocked out. The remaining three were a bit more of a puzzle. The one center of the cam is heavily attached the cam by about half the thickness of the spoke. This required some very delicate file work, especially since half of the spoke was embedded in a solid mass.

The outer two spokes just miss the ramp to the cam and gave little room to maneuver. This is where patience and a steady hand come in handy.

Here is the reverse side, showing the cam and the embedded spoke. Now all it needs is a bit of final polishing to improve on the current hand filed finish.

I think the results were worth all the sweat and the open look should make the engine even more interesting to watch when it's running. Ya just gotta love a good challenge like this one....(grin)

Steve

Brass_Machine:
Steve,

:jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw:

That gear is a work of art. :smart:

Wow. Just wow.

Eric

sbwhart:
That's fantastic work Steve :thumbup: it really adds to the the engine appearance.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Stew

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