A couple of random things to tack onto Saturday night's post about my choosing the next longer project for my shop.
The first goes with the idea of hit and miss engines. If you go to a home machinist show like Cabin Fever or a smaller, more local show, I can almost guarantee you're going to see one of these engines from PM Research:
This is a kit of the castings used to make the engine, and while they sell an "almost completely" built kit that's "fully machined" it's not like it's ready to just dump some gasoline, oil and water into it and hit the starter. Yes, this is called a Red Wing engine and the casting reads Red Wing Minnesota. I think.
Before I started on the 1x1, I read about an alternative engine published in a magazine called Model Engine Builder in 2006 which is made from what's referred to as bar stock - chunks of various metals in standard sizes instead of castings like this one - and I bought a pdf of the issue. "Bar stock" isn't exactly like going into your local lumber store and buying dimensional lumber like 2x4s or 1x10, but it's more like it than not. The main difference is in the variety of shapes and sizes you can get in a wide variety of metal alloys.
For the first time, I did a search on YouTube tonight to see if anyone had posted a video of this engine, and found this 17 year old video, which still isn't as old as the engine.
To me, the Red Wing looks better, but more videos would be more better.
One of my best friends in high-school used to collect the full-size engines and restore them. He had quite a collection, and became quite an expert on them. He'd drive out in the country and ask farmers if they knew anybody who had them. Some he got for free, and some were "$20, and YOU haul it away...".
ReplyDeleteFascinating engines, a bit of black magic and Rube Goldberg, but they did the job.
That could have been fun way back in high school, but I had never looked at machining things as a hobby back then. Or woodworking and other hobbies I've played with. I got started trying to make a telescope mirror back in like 10th grade. Never finished that one, and didn't actually completed my first mirror for around another 20 years. Much closer to 40. That's an area where machining things is very useful.
DeleteSo, SiG is going Hollywood on Youtube? $4,000 for the model as depicted? Full size the engine was maybe the size of a riding mower. How about just making a batch of full scale engines / replicas? Would it make sense to 3d print them? Patent files probably still exist.
ReplyDeleteThat's funny! The video I have with the most views has barely gone over 600. I don't have to ponder what happens if I don't get monetized. Never been, never will be.
DeleteOur local fair ("Hay & Alfalfa Fair" technically) has an exhibition of these every year.
ReplyDeleteDifferent sizes and shapes, mostly antiques, but an unmistakable sound.
Some retired farmer even gave the neighbor kid one: he discovered later it's worth three or four figues and treasures it.
Steam has always been my interest. I had plans for a steam bicycle but it never got off the drawing board. Now retired and on page 99 of a hundred page honey do list I think I will dig out the crate of parts I accumulated and give it a go.
ReplyDeleteTBH, steam scares me a bit. I realize that's not very rational. The design has a big effect on that, and as a bicycle, I tend to think of having the heat supply pretty much between my legs. Which means it has to pretty much be insulated to the point that it's impossible to burn myself on it.
DeleteYeah, I know, somewhere around seven or eight billion people ride a motorcycle every year and don't get burned to death. I said I realize it's irrational.