# My first model steam engine!



## wildo (Apr 9, 2019)

I haven't been machining long- about 1.5 years now. I started out making precision spinning tops like in my profile picture. But I caught the bug and couldn't resist an attempt at my take on a single action oscillating steam engine. I'm so pleased with how it turned out! Hope you all like it:

It’s not perfect but it is completely from raw material, and built 100% by me using my own engineered plans. There should be something new to notice at just about every single angle you look at it. There’s aluminum, dymalux walnut, brass, copper, stainless, tungsten, and damascus steel- and all that is just in the base alone. The flywheel is tungsten, “stitches” pattern timascus, and bronze; the flywheel is actually bolted together with real, tiny micro bolts. The crank is pinstripe damascus with a mosaic crank pin and an inset tungsten counterweight. The connecting rod is brass and is hooked to a stainless piston in a twist timascus cylinder. The retention spring nut is zirconium and copper with a timascus inlay. The intake and exhaust is copper with brass flanges & braces- with a flamed stainless muffler. And finally the damascus main body has lots of copper laminations, and a brass inlay at the top.


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## mikey (Apr 9, 2019)

WOW, Willy, that is a total work of art! I loved the attention to detail and the very cool blend of the different exotic materials. I haven't heard of Timascus before so I learned something. On top of the beautiful work you did, the thing runs!!! Congratulations on one of the most beautiful little engines I have seen!!

And you know what else is cool? You did all of it in that neat little bedroom machine shop of yours, on old iron no less. 

You done good, buddy!!


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## Tom1948 (Apr 9, 2019)

Great work! You sir are an artist.


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## jcp (Apr 9, 2019)

As Mikey said, absolutely outstanding!


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## macardoso (Apr 9, 2019)

Beautiful! Nice video too. I can never get myself to slow down to document everything.


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## BFHammer (Apr 9, 2019)

Very impressive!  Thanks for sharing - love the integration of various material - really makes it a piece of art. 

At the rate your going I expect the next step to be a forge so you can make your on damascus!


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## savarin (Apr 9, 2019)

That is not a steam engine.
that is a motile work of art.
Thanks for showing.
(oops, just found this reply sitting here, should have posted as no3)


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## wildo (Apr 10, 2019)

Thanks everyone! I'm really pleased with how it turned out!


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## rwm (Apr 10, 2019)

Great work! How's the shop working out? how many guests have actually slept in there?!
R


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## wildo (Apr 10, 2019)

rwm said:


> Great work! How's the shop working out? how many guests have actually slept in there?!
> R



The shop is fantastic. It's kind of amazing to walk into a room and start machining. Of course, the idea of a bed was entirely silly. I know that now!


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## hman (Apr 11, 2019)

I'd give you a "like," but I can't seem to find the one that says "Aw, shucks!"


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## rwm (Apr 11, 2019)

I didn't think it was silly except that it took up space for tools! How is that mill working out for you. I was considering getting one but it is probably too heavy for my space.
Robert


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## wildo (Apr 12, 2019)

rwm said:


> I didn't think it was silly except that it took up space for tools! How is that mill working out for you. I was considering getting one but it is probably too heavy for my space.
> Robert


 The mill is just fine- I like it and use it in practically every project. I do find that the table seems to move about .003" right (x) and .002" back (y) when I raise the table from low to high. This drives me crazy and obviously means I can't move the z axis between setups. Conceptually, I'm sure it's a gib issue, but I'm not entirely sure how to track it down and fix it. Otherwise, I love the size. It's a great machine and I'm glad I got it over a benchtop machine.


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## hman (Apr 12, 2019)

"I do find that the table seems to move about .003" right (x) and .002" back (y) when I raise the table from low to high."
To the best of my knowledge, this kind of error could only have two possible causes -
1. Loose gib (easy to detect/fix)
2. Vertical ways not perpendicular to the table (probably a major scraping job)


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## Overkill19 (May 15, 2019)

Wow!, I’m in the process off seeking out my first lathe. That project makes me very excited to get going!! Very nice!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## wildo (May 15, 2019)

Overkill19 said:


> Wow!, I’m in the process off seeking out my first lathe. That project makes me very excited to get going!! Very nice!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you! This is about 1.5-2 years of learning to get to this point. I'm really proud of it!


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