Skipjack by michael mott - 1/8th scale - SMALL - 19 foot open launch

[usedtosail]

Cheating? Na! I call it brilliant. I am glad your wife is home and feeling better.

[captainbob]

I'm still watching in amazement.  fantastic.

 

Bob

[Twister]

What Bob said!

 

You know, to work at such a small scale must take the most phenomenal patience - I really must hurry up and learn how to slow down!!

 

Glad all appears to be infinitely better on the home front; take care of yourselves,

 

Row

[michael mott]

Thanks for all the fine comments, the smaller these parts get the more complex it seems to be to make them.

I had to come down to the library, because our home internet has crashed due to a problem at the tower that feeds our broardband. It is fun to work on such a fast system.

 

After drilling and tapping the second set of holes I removed the plate to open up the circular one to complete the installation of the new screws the smaller heads do look better even so they are still really a little on the large size scalewise. The top larger set will be replaced.

 

 

the plate was clamped in the vice to cut off the extra length of the screws... more bits to add to the growing scrap box that has been generated by this build.

 

 

Overall shot of the plates and plugs

 

 

If I had some 000x120 screws and the taps and dies then I would be able to make them a little smaller. Oh well.

 

For a change of pace I started to make the water pump cam parts, I machined some 1/2 inch diameter stainless steel into a .100" disc with a drilled 1/4 inch hole, the reason I just drilled it was to see if by drilling it straight with the 1/4 if it would drill just slightly larger by about a thou or two, and it did which caused it to be a nice slide fit over the .25" diameter cam on the gear.

 

I turned up a couple of sleeves from some drill rod and hardened them as filing guides for the excentric.

 

 

 

Step one is complete, next I need to silver solder the arm link to connect to th piston.

 

 

 

Michael

 

 

[SJSoane]

 

Astonishing, Michael. I would never have believed this to be possible.

 

Your comment about the 1/4" drilling a tiny bit oversize raises a question for me. I have noted that many of my little drills are a smidgen under their stated nominal size. Is this to account for runout, wander, etc., so the final hole size is as expected?

 

Mark

[michael mott]

Hi Mark, usually the very tip is set  the drill stated diameter and at the end of the flutes at the top of the shank the diameter is a bit smaller, at least that is what I have found. Had I wanted the hole to be exactly .25 I would have either drilled it 1/64th smaller them reamed it or bored it out and measured it with some telescoping gauges.  Measuring a drill across the tip is a bit tricky a micrometer seems to work best for me.

 

To get a good tight fit with the larger drills I usually drill them out with a smaller drill first say 1/16 or so smaller then drill with the size that I am wanting. with the smaller drills in wood I find that the wood sometimes has a tendency to form a hole that is a smidgen smaller than the drill almost as if the wood is springy and that the fibres are pushed aside a little as well as cut. This is more pronounced when using regular general purpose drill bits. the specially ground Forstner bits cut the fibres about the perimeter first befor the body of the drill removes the bulk of the material.

 

Michael

[pete48]

Absolutely incredible work Michael. nicely done

 

Best Regards,

Pete

[druxey]

Bee-utiful, Michael! 

 

A set of reamers are very useful to have in the shop.

[dvm27]

Although I have no idea about how an engine works I am fascinated by your machining processes. Thanks for including the ruler in your photos so that we can better appreciate the small sizes you are working with.

[Salty Sea Dog]

This is just so amazingly cool!! Great job Michael!

How do you hold on to tiny round metal pieces when you are assembling? I've had a problem lately with the tips of tweezers pinching round or small metal pieces and launching them to some parallel dimension.

[cog]

My glasses weren't enough anymore ... Now I need a magnifying glass to follow your build!!!

Stunning detail Michael

[EdT]

Wonderful work, as ever, Micheal.  I don't know what else to say except that I am enthralled by your work.  I kmow that like yourself, the rest of us are dying to see it run.

 

Cheers,

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Thanks for all the many likes and fine comments .

 

"How do you hold on to tiny round metal pieces when you are assembling? I've had a problem lately with the tips of tweezers pinching round or small metal pieces and launching them to some parallel dimension."

 

I use a variety of fine tipped tweezers like these

 

 

I started working on the pump body and decided a a different approach than the first one.

First I parted off a disc of brass from some 3/8 bar stock to make the base sheetthis was drilled for a clearance for a 2x56 allen head cap screw, this was then bolted to a piece of maple and set up in the mill to drill and tap 1x72 which is .073" in diameter. My reason for parting off some rod is that the machining qualities of the bar stock are much better that the .025" sheet, the bar stock being free machining and the sheet rather gummy.

 

 

 

The plate was then fitted with some .073" rod that had been threaded and drilled out to .047" which will let me use some 00x90 bolts to fix it to the crank case

 

 

The next picture shows the body temporarily positioned, because the tubes are threaded into the back plate and I want the whole assembly to look like a casting I will solder the lot together.

 

 

The back plate still need some final shaping, I will do that after it is one piece.

 

That's about it for today.

 

Michael

Edited March 24, 2015 by michael mott

[EdT]

That certainly is quite enough for any day, Micheal.  Bravo!

 

Ed

[captainbob]

How do you hold on to tiny round metal pieces when you are assembling? I've had a problem lately with the tips of tweezers pinching round or small metal pieces and launching them to some parallel dimension.

 

When I was learning watch repair I learned that if you squeeze too tight you loose the part and also periodically you need to reshape the ends of the tweezers to be parallel instead of flaring apart.

 

Bob

[Landlocked123]

P.S. : the Most Honourable and Noble Swiss Watchmakers´ Society at Geneva would be pleased to send you their application form. They are constantly looking for new masters of their trade and will surely and with the greatest pleasure accept you as their new fellow. I neither saw any really working spark-plugs of 2 cm length, nor did I ever hear of such things. Mein Gott, Michael, where is this going to end ??

 

I saw this today and thought it was a logical next step:

 

http://www.ablogtowatch.com/jacob-co-astronomia-tourbillon-baguette-watch/

 

Be sure to watch the video.

 

You are amazing.

 

Best,

 

Landlocked

Edited March 25, 2015 by Landlocked123

[michael mott]

Thanks to all for the likes and comments

 

Today I mounted the waterpump with 4 00x90 hex bolts

 

 

The other milestone was to finally get the head mounted.

 

 

and made a spark plug wrench.

 

 

 

 

Michael

[Omega1234]

Hi Michael

 

Truly phenomenal workmanship! I have absolutely no idea about the mechanical/ engineering aspects, nor the technical terms you've used, but I know enough to appreciate the skill and workmanship you've put into building your motor.

 

Pretty awe inspiring stuff!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[cog]

A small wonder ... I marvel at your ability to create something so stunning

[Twister]

Michael,

 

100% agree with Patrick & Carl. I, as I'm sure many others are, am continually awestruck by your machining and manufacturing talents - not wishing to repeat myself, but if I could acquire just 10%, actually scratch that, just 1% of your skills my abilities would improve no end!!

 

This incredible creation is getting dangerously close to completion and I'm finding it increasingly difficult to contain thoughts of 'when's it going to run?'. Conversely, there'll be a part of me that'll be sad to see it finished; reading of your thoughts & processes has been hugely rewarding and educational and I'll definitely miss the ongoing instructive prose.

 

Anyway, keep up the phenomenal work!

 

Regards,

 

Row

[shipmodel]

Bravo, Michael. Bravo.

 

Dan

[popeye the sailor]

jaw droppingly cool!

[Krelis]

I am sure by now everyone is sitting on edge of chair for first start up, perhaps make it a live event with the "Live stream" app, beer and crisps ready, see if it runs?

[IgorSky]

Hi Michael,

I saw this video and at once have remembered your engine which you build here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yOl2JeavdE

 

Best Regards!

Igor.

[Jack12477]

Amazing !  Did I count correctly ? 32 cylinders ?

[pete48]

Hi Michael, I am with all of the above just beautiful work

 

Best Regards,

Pete

[michael mott]

Thank you all for your continued encouragements, and likes

 

Igor that video is just amazing and humbling all at the same time, I don't think I have the patience for something as complex as that. 

 

Well I am back at the library as the home system is still not working, I am told I need to upgrade the service equipment that communicates with the tower!??

 

I have started the work on the valves now. first the wall of the water jacket needed to be relieved a little to clear the .100" coil springs that return the valves after the cams have lifted them.

 

I used a .125" Dremel mill after resetting the indexes so that I could follow the numbers for the drilling.

 

 

 

 

The valves are turned from some 1/8th drill rod /silver steel and the cutter reduced the diameter with a single cut I simply fed the material out of the collet and kept the cutting close to the collet. these two are the first test parts to get the dimensions correct, slide fits etc. and the machining sequences, this is the reason for all the extra bits in the scrap boxes.

 

The valves are .665 long and the stem is .062 the spring keeper section is .047" in diameter just visible on the shorter valve stem.

 

 

While I had the tool set up for cutting the bevel and reducing the diameter at the same time I used the same tool to turn the blank to make the valve seat cutter this is just a bit more complex because it needs to have the cutting faces cut in yet then will be hardened and tempered. It will be used in the drill press to cut the seats.

 

 

the next picture shows the valve pushed in and the flare is visible waiting for the body to be cut.

 

 

The last picture shows just some of the left over bits from all the work so far, in the little drawer marked Skipjack hardware.

I need to sort it all out into one of those plastic bead trays with the curved bottom compartments.

 

 

Michael

 

 

[captainbob]

Beautiful work Michael.  It won't be long before we hear a lovely buzz coming from your shop.

 

Bob

[cog]

Talking about humbling ...

[michael mott]

Bob, Carl, thanks for the kind words. And to all who visited and showed their appreciation.

 

Just a small update.

 

The trial shaping of some springs and the fitting of the valve spring keepers.

 

The first picture shows test fitting the valve into the .052" slot of the keeper, they are .110" on the major diameter and .081  on the minor diameter and .070" high.

 

 

The raw springs, these are just freehand off the mandrel which is an .067"  drill  which creates an internal diameter of .081"

 

 

Trimmed up a bit.

 

 

Trial fitting on the block.

 

 

Now I need to get some consistently formed springs made. The second from the left is the best one so that is the goal.

 

Michael