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Scott flame licker build

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Bogstandard: Thanks gents. Soon after starting this build, I stated that I would be looking to put my own stamp on this engine, just to make it look a little different from the ones that have gone before that have been built to what is shown on the plans. After getting the big bits out of the way, where very little could be changed, I am now into 'almost anything goes' territory, and I will be looking to make a few changes. Have a look at this con rod, exciting ain't it, not. I have laid out the metal and bearing just to show what the finished item will look like, I am sure a little redesign will help some. I won't be able to do anything with the rod that goes into the cylinder, as it will be tight as is. But the bit on the outside should be able to be given a makeover, so I measured up to see what I had to play with. The plans are nowhere near to scale, so it might look a little funny when I place parts against it. Also at this time I am totally disregarding balancing of parts for changes I will make, if it needs doing, I will do it all at the end. I have decided to go with a two part build, the original bits that goes into the cylinder will basically stay the same, the bits outside are now mine. I will make the two parts, then fix them together, then drill the critical dimension for giving the correct length. I made a rough pencil sketch on the plans of what I want it to look like. Again, just using a few marking out tools, I transferred my idea onto the metal. No special machining needed, just the para on top of the jaws trick to line things up, then cut to split the line. That was done in a matter of minutes. The curvy bits at the back got the same treatment, cut until it reaches the line. As you can see, just a few easy cuts and the complicated looking part is taking shape. I also drilled a few holes to remove metal and allow access for my hand files. The part was then put into the vice and rough shaped. This is too small a job to break out the die filer, things were easily done by hand. The two rough parts were then joined together. The ali blocks under and the weights on top were my attempt to keep the two parts flat and in line with each other. It worked. The joint was silver soldered using my method of fluxing the joints, placing a pallion of silver solder sheet on top of the joint and heating from underneath. The solder flowed right thru the joint and gave a permanent strong joint. After a good clean up, the large hole was picked up using a transfer punch in the drill chuck. Once I had that zero point, I just fed along and drilled the other critical hole. I milled the conrod to thickness in the parts required then set about putting in the half round flutes. A little more shaping up and it is ready to be put away for final shaping and polishing at a later date. There are all sorts of rods and linkages now that will get the same sort of treatment. No plain flat bars for me any more. Bogs

NickG: Really like the conrod John, the one on the drawing looks exactly like my Jan Ridders one!! :lol: Maybe it's time I started exercising artistic license instead of functional license - up until now I tend to make things easier to make! Just as a slight aside, there's a Beam engine near us at the old water works which has running days from time to time. Got into a bit of a discussion with one of the volunteers that helps run it about how fancy it all was. He said that on parts of the drawing, the critical dimensions were shown but there were supplimentary notes "To be made eyeable" - I believe this is what you are doing. Looks great. Nick

sbwhart: Looking good John  :thumbup: Never would have thought of a butt joint. hmmmm that gives me an idea. Stew

saw: It's so very nice.  :clap:

Bogstandard: Thanks gents, DKM, I love just making things like this, I have been doing it all my life and it gets me back to basics when machinery was just a distant hope. I can do a bit of filing when I feel up to it, and it gives me great pleasure just hacking a lump up by hand. A liitle later, when I get to building more complicated things and shapes, I will start to use my die filer Nick, At one time everything was done by eye and feel, if it looks right, then you can bet your bottom dollar it won't be far off. The Victorians put embellishments onto their machinery just because they could, in fact looking at some of their work, I think the add ons took longer to make than the actual engines. Everything had to be 'just so'. Cutting to a line is plenty accurate enough for things like this. Stew, Doing it that way can save a lot on materials, one big expensive piece, or a couple of offcuts, that once made up, turn into something that would be difficult to machine and make if made out of one piece. John

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