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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- Making a Stuart Half Beam Steam Engine (aka Grasshopper).......
In this video, part 18 of the series, I do the test build and run.
Many thanks to everyone for the help and advice provided, especially Peter (aka Model Steamers). Peter's channel can be found at:
/ @modelsteamers671
For a history of Stuart Turner Steam and his many engines, please check out Steve Allen's excellent website which is currently being developed at:
stuartturnerste...
I hope some of my videos help inspire others to venture into model engineering.
If you can offer me any help or advice, please leave a comment.
If you would like to keep informed of my new videos, please subscribe.
If you find my videos of value you could always help me continue making them by making a small donation at:
paypal.me/AndrewWhale
Backing track credits......
Music: (intro) Water Lily by the 126ers - RUclips Audio Library
WARNING: Metal turning can be dangerous! I am not sure whether the methods I use are established ones, and I do not recommend them.
Please do not copy me without doing your own risk assessments!
You are responsible for your safety - not me!
Dear Andrew, Just finished a Stuart S50 ! Great to see you doing such a fine job. Lovely presentation of your builds as usual. Such fun when it runs.God Bless.
Fantastic! I hope you have fun with your S50.
All the best.
Andrew
Hi Andrew, you're fully justified in being "chuffed". I admire your patience and ability. Very well done and seasons greetings.
Thanks Steve - I am well chuffed!
Wishing you have a great Christmas.
Andrew
Thanks Andrew. Binged all 18 videos. Nice work. Made in Yorkshire. M
Crikey Mark! I'm glad you enjoyed them. Yeah - made in Yorkshire in my made in China workshop (garage actually).
All the best.
Andrew
@@learningturningmetal yes all my tools come from China. M
Nice work Sir very nice
Thanks mate! 👍
A really nice piece of work. It looks great already, before painting. Not only does it run, it is smooth and quiet as well. Even better than that, it sounds like a steam engine. I dont think you can call yourself a novice any more!
Thanks Tim. I must say I am extremely happy with it. Sadly I still have loads to learn!
All the best.
Andrew
Kudos Andrew! Not only does it look good but you got a runner.
Thanks Craig - what a relief!
Cheers
Andrew
Well done Andrew. If I didn't know any better I would say that you look like a well seasoned model steam engine machinist.
You must really be pleased with this huge accomplishment.
Ha ha Roberts - well you do know better! Yea, I'm really pleased with the result so far.
All the best.
Andrew
I got almost as much satisfaction from seeing it run as you did ! Congratulations on such a good build looking forward to your next one.
Ha ha - thank Steve.
All the best.
Andrew
Rightfully chuffed indeed. That's running nicely!
nice Sir very nice
Well done, Andrew. A really nice job. It still amazes me to see the great strides you have made since your early days.
Thanks Richard. Yeah it's two years ago to the month that I purchased my little Sieg SC3 mini lathe. I knew absolutely nothing about model engineering at the time. It's definately been an interesting couple of years and I've suprised myself somewhat. It was hard enough learning all the lathe and milling terminology, and then came all the steam engine terminology! I certainly have a better understanding of how steam engines work, and have a far better appreciation of what must go into running and maintaining a proper live steam locomotive. Though it has turned out to be a rather expensive hobby!
All the best.
Andrew
@@learningturningmetal I can imagine it's not cheap. I've been trying to get started after watching youtube videos for my job, to get a smattering of the lingo, and falling for the wiles of such as Engineer Bruns, abom79 (who is in a separate class of his own), This old Tony, MrPete and then a Yorkshireman just starting out. I have probably learnt the most from MrPete and Blondihacks, but watching your struggles have been exceptionally rewarding.
For video quality, you are right up there with Blondihacks - and that is NOT damning you with faint praise, that lady is very talented. I thank you people daily for having the fortitude for making your videos and for the sheer amount of hard work and time it must take. Please keep it up.
Thanks for sharing. Very wel built and a very good presentation. You have good reason to be over the moon!
Thanks Rudy!
Cheers
Andrew
It lives! Exciting stage of the build Andrew - great work🤓
Thanks Clive - nearly there! The paint should arrive in the next few days.
Take care and have a great Christmas.
Andrew
Andrew, why is the cylinder top plate on the angle ? I do not think that it is an optical illusion. When you were setting the valve timing the top linkage rod looked at least 1/8 " out of parallel with the top cylinder cover. That would have made the gland nut tight too.PLEASE CHECK it out before you do any damage. Well done by the way, all you need now is to find the BLUE paint for it.
Hi Dave - I wondered if anyone might notice that. I noticed it too when producing the video. I've checked the engine and by the naked eye looks spot on. I guess it must be my camera lens playing tricks when close-up. It's really wierd. Thanks for the pic too. The valve chest also looks to be at an angle (leaning right), and the flywheel tilted to the left. All in all, it looks like a bit of a dogs dinner, but in reality it isn't really. Definately something for me to double-check on the final build. Blue paint ordered a couple of days ago from Pheonix Paints. I've gone for L.N.E.R Garter Blue. I think I read somewhere that it's a cardinal sin to paint a static model steam engine in loco colours - but hey ho.
All the best.
Andrew
What a cracking engine, nice work Andrew!! Mike
Thanks Mike!
Congratulations Andrew! It's great to see it running.
Cheers John!
Awesome video Andrew well done love it
Hi Andrew
Well that turned out as I thought it would, fantastic, you have all the right to be proud, I hope to see it run on steam soon.
It's all fun now and since the bug has bit we can't wait for you next project.
Just a little tip, I run an oiler in the air line that way you can keep the cylinder lubricated, they are not expensive on ebay.
All the best mate.
Cheers Gary.
P.S. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and all your RUclips friends.
Thanks Gary - yeah I am well pleased with the result. I hope runs well once painted and rebuilt. Thanks for the oiler air line tip - I'll investigate.
How come I always end up buying something when you leave a comment!
Wishing you a great Christmas and New Year.
Cheers!
Andrew
G’day Andrew well done, always good to see and hear all of your hard work come to life.
Cheers
Peter
G'day mate!
Cheers Peter!
All the best.
Andrew
Looks great. When setting up glands I glue the brass adapter in place and drill through it into the casting to ensure alignment. I also glue any parts that require accurate alignment and drill together. If you have three parts to align I glue the middle to on and drill then separate and glue the middle to the other side and drill. With linkages like the valve setup if you have reciprocating parts like the horizontal levers the should have the centre of movement perpendicular to the linkages they are connected to. Yours bottom at the horizontal and then move up. This means that the upper half of movement will have a shorter throw on the linkages than the lower half of movement. This will result in slightly more powerful in one stroke than the other. Not a problem on this engine but if you had reversing gear it would make timing for both direction a problem. I usually make the valve spindle a bit longer and the line up position before threading and cutting to length to get the correct geometry. Having worked on over thirty Stuart engines I can say that they should all be treated like a hand made clock. No 2 are the same. Not helped by mistakes in some of the plans. So I often machine certain items to fit the rest of the construction and not to the plans. I also examine what I call paths of accuracy. The elements of the design that have to be really accurate, I give these special attention and often leave parts partially machined until I have the complete path of accuracy ready then align and machine to fit. Eg the Victoria, the cylinder has to be parallel to the sole plate surface, the centre line has to align with the height of the cranckshaft centre and the centre of the sole plate. The cross head guides and cross head have to align with these existing alignments. The crank has to be exactly at 90 degrees to the crankshaft and the big end pin has to be parallel to the crankshaft. It must also line up with the cross head. Out of the 7 Victoria’s I have worked on I have yet to find a Victoria that has complete alignment, and one is still in a box, in pieces because I cannot drum up the energy to sort it all out. Cylinder, cylinder mounts, cylinder end caps, cross head, crankshaft, crank, crank pin, eccentric strap and main bearings all need fixing or replacing. A real shame cos it’s got the best connecting rod I have come accross. I hope you don’t mind the diatribe? Still working on the web site
stuartturnersteam.com
I would appreciate your feedback.
Steve
Hi Steve - many thanks for such detailed advice - definately 'food for thought'. When I made my first engine, not so long ago (the S50), I hadn't a clue how steam engines worked and I was pretty new to machining too. Three machines on and I have a slightly better understanding of how they work. Gluing parts together to ensure correct alignment is a great idea. So far I think I've only tried matching steam chests and covers - and I've tended to leave things like brass adapter glands as the last thing to machine. I take on board your comments about valve linkages and I will try to follow your advice when doing the final build. I must say that your website looks ever so professional - I've put a link to it in my general description above.
I'm sort of OK following plans and identifying errors in advance of machining - but not great at thinking outside of the box. However, I was thinking only the other day that it would be fantastic if there was a central resource where model engineers could report errors found on all Stuart drawing versions. Maybe something to explore for your website, as it would follow an historical theme and it would be the place to go to for Stuart model engineers with plan queries.
As a very experienced model engineer, I was wondering whether you had any experience of the Cowells 90ME? My Sieg SC4 is quite capable but I quite fancy a 90ME for making small items. Maybe not entirely necessary, but I wouldn't mind having a go at making gears and possibly a simple clock.
Again, many thanks for the advice.
All the best.
Andrew
Lovely engine! Well done!
Thanks Kevin 👍
Great work. Keep going with these videos. Keep making engines. This will go far
Looking good Andrew
Cheers mate!
Nice one Andrew, you made a great job of it. That's got to bring a smile to your face when it runs as smoothly as that.
If you want to try it on the hot stuff give me a shout and I can loan you a boiler for a few weeks.
I'm sure I speak for everyone else when I say I really enjoy your engine builds and look forward to seeing another one in the new year any thoughts yet on what you want to tackle next ?
Thanks Peter. Yeah once painted I'll take up your offer of boiler loan. Not sure what to tackle next - I might just bite the bullet and have a go at making a hit n miss.
Wishing you a great Christmas.
Andrew
That came out awesome! It ran great!
Thanks Dominic!
All the best.
Andrew
Well done Andrew! Looks superb! :)
awsome andrew looking forward to my 1st engine runnning
Thanks Nigel. I hope your engine turns out well. It's very satisfying making your first engine and springing it into life. I hope you catch the bug!
All the best.
Andrew
Very nice indeed, my compliment to you
Well done Andrew.
Nice job, well worth the effort :)
ATB Adam
Thanks Adam - I got there in the end.
ATB
Andrew
Beautiful engine!
You did a great job.
Please forgive me if I sound rude but I have to point out that something looked a little out of alignment with the linkage over the steam chest. I just thought that I should point it out to you so that things don't wear unevenly. Great build series,I really love your enthusiasm!
Thanks mate. Well spotted regarding the linkage. I also noticed it when producing the video. In real life it looks dead straight so it must be camera lens distortion. Dave Tricehurst noticed it too. Please also check out my reply to him too.
Many thanks for the feedback - really appreciated.
Andrew
Another great video.
Any chance of workshop tour video? For a fellow Yorkshire based amateur machinist.
Thanks Stephen. Unfortunately I think a workshop tour video would be pretty boring. I've only got a Sieg SC4 lathe, s Sieg SX2P mini mill, an old Meddings pillar drill and a few bits n bobs. ☹️
All the best.
Andrew
Well done Andrew,looks like it will run slowly and it is not run in yet.
Thanks B. Yeah I need to check Keith Appleton's channel out. I think he did a video on how to run little steam engines in.
Cheers
Andrew
Andrew
Great job.
What will be the next project and vids..
Bfn
Thanks mate - maybe a hit n mis project next. I need to give it some thought.
All the best.
Andrew
Great.
Thanks Damian 👍
Congratulations on the nice videos. Can you please tell me where you bought the draincocks?
Best regards
Hi. Please email me at learningturning@btinternet.com and I will email you back details.
Cheers
Andrew
Good call on the gland nut! Want to step softly here.... Are you going to set the timing for early admission ?
Hi Dan - now you must enlighten me here regarding early admission timing. It sounds interesting!
Cheers
Andrew
@@learningturningmetal
Advance the timing so steam starts to enter the cylinder near the end of the exhaust stroke. This steam cushions the piston helping it to change directions and reduces the shock to the reciprocating mass. It reduces stress on the engine and often makes it run smoother. Your engine is new, tight and well machined so it will be interesting to hear how the sound changes.
I have never built a steam engine. But Keith Appleton has explained and shown this on many of the engines he has worked on. Looks to be a fussy thing to do.
Thanks for explaining Dan. It makes a lot of sense.
Cheers
Andrew
Would be really cool if you made one of the 16mm association locomotives, like wild rose. Simple and really nice runners. You can get the drawings for free on their website
Interesting. I'm not sure where I would it though.
Cheers
Andrew