Salty Sea Dog

Thanks for sharing with us the creation of this masterwork Matti!

Hey all! Here are some progress pics:
 
I've put the ropes on the anchors. I based them on the description in Landströms book.

 
I want to have a svabel so I scratched one.

 
 
And here I have rigged one of the anchors, the svabel. I also made and positioned the penterbalk but it's not showing on the pics.

 

 

 
 
/Matti

Hey all! Last days I've managed to do some more details. The railing was less problems to get in place than I imagined. It fitted very well to the shape of the ship. It was a good advice to do it last Nigel as its fragile by it's nature. The ropes holding the anchor and the others hanging will be corrected when the model is positioned on the stand and I can tell how it should hang.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
And with this it turns out I'm done with the model. It's a mixed feeling as I'm happy to have reached my goal but also feel a little sad as I'll miss working on it and talking to you all about it. It has been a great inspiration and source of knowledge, so thanks eveyone for the help and support!
 
These will likely be the last outdoor pctures of her and I will now start on the case so more to come.
 
 
/Matti

As promised the short video of the gearbox in action.
 
michael

Thanks for the likes .
 
I did make the casing today and fitted the gears inside.
 
the gear for the prop through the end that will be shaped with the cone recess.
 

 
The casing with the pinions and the drive gear which will be pinned to the crankshaft.
 

 
The cone end with the pinions dropped in and the gears lined up for the casing to slip over.
 

 
All dry assembled I also spotted three holes for some 0x80 bolts to ensure the casing and cone stay together and do not move relative to each other.
 

 

 
I did check the reverse by rotating the prop to see that it actually worked to this stage. still a long way to go to get it all mounted and working in situ.
 
It did work though so I am pleased about that.
 
Michael

If you were me, Micheal, you would probably have thrown those gears away a month or two before you needed them.
 
Ed

Ed and Row thanks for your kind comments.
 
I had a bit of fun today I had some gear-heads from some pretty old servomotors full of very tiny gears and pinions all with micro ball races. I stripped these apart to see if there was anything that I could use to fabricate the revers mechanism with.

 
With a bit of careful re-machining a couple of pinions and one of the main drive gears I think I will be able to pull this off, the progress so far.
 

 
Cheating a bit I know bit machining gears this small is pushing my limits. I knew there was a reason for saving those gearheads these last 35 years.
 
michael

Thanks for all the likes and nice remarks.
 
I did finish up the head today.
 

 

 
It was starting to bug me. I used needle files then 400 wet and dry 600 wet and dry 1200 wet and dry then red rouge on some swede side of a leather polishing stick.
 
Michael

Michael,
 
I would say you belong those who make real fine, precise, and (very) tiny work (besides the lage scaleyou do splendidly to). It looks magnificent, and I for one would love to hold it in the palm of my hand, just to relish in the workmanship!

Steve the hole through the steel rotating part of the valve is .041 in diameter it is a number 59 drill the locating pin with the washer is also a taper pin and keeps the main part in place. they will work as real priming cups.
 
Dan , yes it is me, and thanks for the compliment
 
John, Thanks for the kind remark The handles on these valve are really no smaller than a large belay pin at .25" long they would be a foot at 1/48 scale and 18 inches at 1/64
 

 
I like the one on the right better than the one on the left so will replace the handle on the left one tomorrow.
 

 
Some of the metalwork that I see being done on many of the ship build logs is much smaller that this engine.
 
 
And thanks for the likes
Michael
 
 

Thank you Ed, Tom, Carl, Bob and Row for your kind comments and to all those who liked the last few entries.
 
I think I could make one of these small stop cocks now in my sleep. I have gone through a number of failures with silver soldering handles mainly because I was using the wrong approach to setting them up to solder.
 
The following sequence shows most of the steps and elements in the stop cocks.
`
First picture shows some 1 inch tapered clock pins cut to length prepared for soldering
 

 
This  one shows the box of tapered steel clock and watchmaking pins that that match the tapered broaches, I decided to use them instead of threading the rotating part and using springs and nuts. 
 

 
The hole through the centre was bored after the threading was done, with a number 59 drill, I used paint thinner as a lubricant, normally I do not use lubricant when machining brass but with these small diameters and threading it helps.
 

 
A finger tip as requested behind the main body of the valve
 

 
Drilling through the body for the steel tapered part. I found it helped to make up a couple of holding jigs with some hex brass rods.
 

 
Using a full pin to test the depth of cut with the taper broach of the valve body
 

 
In the palm of my hand for scale
 

 
The new stopcock on the left with the old one on the right. I Like the shape of the longer handle better and it is also easier to turn, as I am sure they are in full size as well
 

 
Another couple of overall comparison shots for scale
 

 

 
I have all the parts now to make a pair of stop cocks like the new one, plus all of the steps figured out for soldering and final assembly. I think it is also time to finish shaping the top part of the head.
 
Michael
 
 

Jack, Row, Mark, Steve, Matt, Denis and Carl, thanks for the encouragement.
Thanks to all for the likes.
 
I took a break from the drive train today and fabricated the Valve caps these are there to allow the valves to be removed from the head because on the full size engine the head was a single casting. because of the small size of my model I have built the head in two parts. I haven't fully resolved how I will join them yet.
 
The two outside caps which line up with the inlet ports are also set up as priming ports with a couple of little cups above the stop cocks that are threaded into them. like these on the top

 
So I had a bit of fun having a go at making a stop cock to fit into the top.
Looking down into the open valve.
 

 
Now closed
 

 
From the side
 

 

 
The valve cap is threaded 8x36 into the head these were made from some 3/16th rod from Home Depot (nice hard brass)
The valve body is machined up from some 1/8 hex stock, I have a fair bit of it left over from a commercial job 20 years ago (it was a special order locally and I had to buy 16 feet of it) it is also a nice free machining hard brass.
 
The steel insert is a mystery steel (salvaged rods from a library card catalogue system filing cabinet) it seem to machine freely and is 1/8th in diameter.
 
The threads on the valve body is 1x72 with a # 59 drill hole through the length. The cross hole was 1/16 then tapered with the largest clock making tapered broach. the steel was tapered to match on the lathe and threaded 0x80 for the retaining spring and nut. the handle end was shaped with needle files while still on the lathe then heated in a pin vice and bent with some flat pliers.
 
Once the steel was shaped I set it into the brass body put it back into the lathe and drilled through the steel with the handle in the open position using the same #59 drill from the opposite end. It looks a bit crude and now that I know I can make one this small I will set up and make a pair that are a bit closer looking to the ones on the 1:1 engines
 
Michael

I bet that crank would work even with the little grooves but I know the "out of sight out of mind" line would never wash with your brand of perfectionism!
Fantastic and inspirational work Michael and it amused me to think of that sort of language from a gent like you!
 
Incidentally I was just thinking about the dim distant past when I had model aero engines. They always needed lots of mass in the prop to keep the revs at a sensible speed. I'm no engineer but suspect you will need as much crank weight as you can get. Would it be worth thinking about full circle crank webs as you are re making it anyway?
 
Matt

Steve, Carl thanks for your thoughts , and thanks you to all who added a like.
 
Carl the real engine is actually quite a small one.
 
 
Steve, My plan is to have it as a slow running engine am thinking that I will weight the flywheel with some lead in the outer area to give it more mass.
 
My silver soldering was a great success..... not so with the clean up
 

 
look at the upper right hand con rod bearing!
 

 
Yup made the classic mistake of beginning to cut out the wrong piece
 
I went ahead and cleaned it up because after letting the universe know what a silly move it was with a little colourful language, I wanted to see how the shaft fit and can also use it as a placeholder to test fit the con-rods and pistons knowing that I do have to build a new one.
 

 
I was pleased that it did not warp and and my method of setting up the parts and pre-placing the solder by wrapping very fine strips around the shafts outside of the actual bearing surfaces worked very well. I turned up some sacrificial pins that were the same diameter as the spaces between the plates to hold things in line. after cleaning it up and placing it into the bearings the shaft spun nicely between my fingers.
 

 

 
Next on to the con rods and Pistons.
 
Michael
 
 

Row and Carl
This is a picture looking inside the crankcase of the 3hp buffalo just like the one in Skipjack
 

 
I have modeled my crankshaft after this one.
 
Michael

This afternoon after getting the shop warmed up a bit from 3 degrees to 13 degrees C I worked on the parts for the crankshaft.
 
First I thinned down a piece of 1/8th gauge-plate to .094 then drilled and reamed 8 holes to 1/8th diameter.
 

 
Next I cut the piece into the four plates for the sides of the con rod bearings part of the crankshaft, I used a new blade in the jewelers saw.
 

 
A 1/8th set of dowels were slipped through the holes and the group were clamped in the vice and filed to shape.
 

 
Then polished up with 400, 600, and 1200 wet and dry sandpaper., I like it when I can get a reflective surface, then I know it is pretty smooth.
 

 

 
The sides of the plates will get polished Tuesday or Wednesday. Tomorrow is errand day in the big city.
 
I turned up the .344" long 1/8 inch diameter shafts for the big ends of the con rods and did a dry assemble to see how the whole lot looks.
 

 

 
I will silver solder the lot together then cut off the parts of the main shaft that are not needed. "The proof will be in the pudding" as they say, so crossing my fingers for a clean soldering job.
 
Michael
 
 
 
 

Michael,
 
From my hot rodding days, it might... maybe... hope... be easier to fabricate it.  As I recall, on the machined ones the billet had to be ground on a special crankshaft lathe.  No matter what you decide, I can't wait to see what you do and how you do it.  This is some beautiful mill work.

Thanks for all the likes today.
 
I reached a milestone today and got the main bearings roughed in.
 
First I machined up the keeper blocks. and some studs.
 

 

 
Assembled them in order to ream them for the 1/8th shaft.
 

 
I thought it best to use the hand reamer rather than setting it up in the mill for the machine reamer.
 

 
After thinning down the area on the upper crankcase it all went together quite nicely. and the shaft rotates easily.
 

 
I am still deciding whether to fabricate the crankshaft or machine it from solid bar, either way it will be tricky.
 
Michael
 
 

Thanks to all the builders who pushed the like button.
 
Denis, I am learning a lot about engines myself at the moment.
 
Steve yes I am going to make the reverse mechanism as well.
 
Today this morning I was drawing up the feed-water pump, I ended up finding a good internal design in one of my old Model Engineer mags page 1265 October 1981 for a 3 1`/2 inch gauge Stanier 8F. I will need to make it smaller but the design will fit into the pipes that are on the prototype buffalo which pumps off the camshaft like this one on the Old Marine engine site
 
I worked on the pan today and roughed out the half round bottoms for the crankshaft and drilled and tapped all the 0x80 holes for the studs.
 

 
I looked at all my stashes of steel wire and rods looking for some .060 to make the steel 0x80 studs from. I could not find any that was exactly .060"
I then came across a most unlikely source, the re-bar ties left over from building the house just happened to be .060 the stuff threaded up a treat. had to make a small open ended wrench to get to the valve side because of the overhang.
 

 
Did a test fit of the crankcase and pan and water-jacket, it all slipped together nicely. It has really helped with the accuracy of cutting and drilling to set up the dial calipers on the mill, and working from  a 0 centre 
 
Michael
 
 
 

Hi Steve
the extra length serves as a housing for the reversing clutch for the prop. like this one on the old marine site
 

 
 
Thanks for all the likes
 
Michael

Ed hopefully the next set of pictures will clarify my description. Mark well it is not a complete machine job there is some soldering however I did not want to anneal the brass that has the bearings braces so opted for soft solder which will be more than adequate for the oil pan.
 
The first picture shows the material being removes that will become the hollow areas'some parts were machined by the numbers and the bulk was just milled away by eyeballing it.
 

 
Next the 1/32 thick sheet was annealed and curved over a steel bar.
 

 
It took a while to get it fitted cleanly, the flat area on the middle bearing wall is to allow the oil to pass through to equalize both chambers.
 

 
The next picture shows the assembled parts cleaned up a bit getting ready to do the soldering.
 

 
Resting the upper part of the crankcase to see the overall scope of the whole engine.
 

 
In the next picture you can see the central cross member.
 

 

 
There is still a fair bit of cleaning up to do but I am generally pleased with the progress.
 
Again thanks to all who have looked in and pressed the like button.
 
Michael
 
 

Thank you all for the very encouraging comments they are really appreciated., I have been doing a lot of calculating this morning because it looks like the gears for the timing are 64 teeth and 32 teeth respectively. I do not have dividing plates for my rotary table and so it makes sense to use divisions of 360 for making the gears. all the standard gears that are in the ball park for the diameters that I am locked into are not the correct ratio of 2:1. 64DP comes the closest,.
 
I have decided to bite the bullet and make them to a DP of 75 which gives me 60 teeth and 30 teeth for the diameters that I need so now I also need to make the gear cutters for both sizes which means a number 3 cutter and a number 2 cutter. My 48 DP cutters which I made a few years ago are just too big.
 
There is a great article in the Model Engineer October 1 1971 issue by D J Unwin on how to make gear cutters with all the formulas for making them. 
each cutter require a separate tool to make the cutter, They are simple tools but it is an extra step in the chain.
 
Thanks also for all the likes 

Michael and Matt,
 
Thanks for the awesome comments! This is extra awesome coming from two folks with such amazing skills. I am trapped inside my drydock room because my head is now too big to fit back through the doorway!

Michael and Matt,
 
Thanks for the awesome comments! This is extra awesome coming from two folks with such amazing skills. I am trapped inside my drydock room because my head is now too big to fit back through the doorway!

Michael and Matt,
 
Thanks for the awesome comments! This is extra awesome coming from two folks with such amazing skills. I am trapped inside my drydock room because my head is now too big to fit back through the doorway!