Building a Big Engine

[Kelly Anderson]

Fred,

We can make those parts. They will cost more than $1,000, but it can be done.

Kelly

[TahoeSteam]

Any progress on this engine Fred?

[Lopez Mike]

You might consider an end run around this problem. Find a hunk of tubing that is already the right I.D. Either some Shelby tubing or a suitable hydraulic cylinder. Even if the tube doesn't have a good enough finish, you can certainly hone it.

If there are bosses and the like needed on the outside, they can be machined separately and silver soldered on.

I've built cannon barrels this way and it was remarkable how small the chip pile was.

Can't find the exact size? Fudge the design a little.

Mike

[fredrosse]

Work on this big (13 x 27 Bore & Stroke) engine continues. We found heavy mechanical tubing, and Chris machined the main valve columns without outside contracting. Plenty of chips! Chris has made patterns and contracted many cast iron parts, photos show eccentric (8 inch diameter), air pump in progress, plus a photo of Chris & Mark thinking about adapting an old farm implement lever to set the engine's valve gear, forward/reverse and cutoff positions.

[fredrosse]

Eccentric, Iron Casting, 8 inch diameter.

[RNoe]

Impressive!
RussN

[TahoeSteam]

I'm happy to see it's still moving forward. That's an impressive undertaking! What are the plans for it once completed? Boiler? Hull?

Inquiring minds want to know

[fredrosse]

Boiler - Plenty of this size on E-bay, about 30 BHP (9 gal per hour fuel oil) at 50 PSIG.

Boat - The hull may be from a converted sailboat or other displacement boat. Used hulls are quite cheap. Chris may just bite the bullet ans build the hull. 40 ft would be too short, but could be made to work. 60-80 ft would be ideal, but of course that is far more expensive.

[fredrosse]

somehow this wet air pump picture got lost in the last few posts.

[fredrosse]

"Have you see these folks?:

https://www.emachineshop.com/"

Yes, I have used this service to make tubesheets for my boiler, very good work. However their software cannot represent the valve sleeves. I tried to do this, even called their experts, and was told the feature of drilled passages in a tube are not possible. I even sent them a picture of a Diesel sleeve, they told me "no way"