This engine was purchased by my brother-in-law as a project with a mind to convert it to a hot tube gas engine from spark ignition engine, it was tested on 29/07/1920 and supplied to Brown & Son Barnoldswich on 09/08/1920.
Its last use was nothing more than a bearing for a transfer shaft between to other pieces of machinery (awful waste of such an engine).
The crank and flywheel had been long since lost but most other parts were there albeit quite rusty.
He stripped down what was left for cleaning and had a new flywheel made, I made a hot tube ignition assembly as a start for the conversion.
Already owning a complete spark ignition 1F he suddenly decided he had no need for two 1F’s so I purchased the engine and intend to carry on with the project.
His has twin flywheels but mine is having one larger wheel, I need to make a crank of which the two webs are already started (blanks machined and pre-rusted for age effect).
I made a cylinder oiler as even if I found an original it’d probably command a stupid price.
One of the piston rings was broken so I will have to source a new one from somewhere.
Update
Update
Crank is well under way now, I have made the shafts, cut the key ways and pressed them into the webs.
The shafts now need welding into the webs and then truing up.
This is the progress so far
Update
Crank is now all welded and trued as far as posible with little equipment, the crank turns reasonably well in situ (see video link poor quality and a bit dark))
Update
Fitted valve gear to test home made drive gear on crank
When I received this engine there was no big end cap so I've commenced making a replacement
Update
I have made the big end bearing from phosphor bronze and all it needs is the end cap sides profiled the same as the other half of the big end and oil grove machined into the inside of the bearing shells.
Update
Big end assembly is now complete and piston/rod tried in bore, piston traveled slightly too far up bore and topped out on TDC.
I've machined the cylinder mounting holes to allow cylinder to sit two millimeters further forward which had sorted the problem, I think maybe the home made big end journal is a little larger than should be making it go further.
I've now gapped the rings that I had made by Cox N Turner engineering and assembled piston/rod assembly to test it and it's quite smooth.
Update
Continuing the loose build I found the exhaust valve guide was exessively worn so I made a phoshor bronze sleeve and used the same valve.
Loose build now sports hot tube assembly, valve train and gas valve.
Update
Having no crank supplied with the engine there was obviously no big end lubricator/catcher I've machined a replacement from brass
Click images for bigger pic's
Update
Engine is now getting near completion now I've mounted it loosely on it's partially made trolley and I've set the valve timing.
I needed to fabicate new pivot assemblies for the valve rockersas the originals were missing and were temporarily replaced by bolts.
Engine has now got compression, I need to make another burner ring for the hot tube assembly as I made the holes too large in the first one and then I'll cobble up a gas system to try starting it.
Trolley main frame
Valve timing
Update
Having now got to a stage now where I should be able to go for a starting attempt.
I temporarily piped the burner and carb and lit the burner, however the tube wasn’t getting hot enough as I’d made it with a too thick of a wall thickness, I made another tube and gave it a try.
The engine started surprisingly easily considering it was my very first experience with hot tube engines
Video of hot tube running
With the intension of running this engine at The Strumpshaw Steam Rally I needed a water tank soon and nothing coming available I borrowed a copper fire extinguisher from which I made a cooling tank.
Click thumb nail for picture
Once I was sure every thing was working as it should I set about making the final gas pipe work and here are a couple of pictures of the nearly complete pipe work.
Click thumb nails for pictures
Update
I made an exhaust from a brewery CO2 cylinder and 1" bsp pipe work channelled through the trolley
Click thumb nails for piccies
Update
Engine is now very near completion I have yet to make both air cleaners (cylinder over run inlet and air intake), the engine now runs quite well but with gas pouring from inlet between inlet valve openings (approx. seven revolutions of the crank).
I need to control the gas supply to the carburettor.
The engine has now been rallied at Strumpshaw here is a short video.
Work is carrying on to complete
Click thumb nail for piccy
Update
After some experimentationi have managed to encorperate a gas demand valve to deliver gas at a time and rate that the engine needs it, with the inlet mostly covered to produce a depression it's now running on a fraction of the gas that it needed with an open inlet.
I have now completed the final pipe work for the gas feeds that has no more use for the small gas control tap that I fitted just before the carb so I have now removed it.
Revised pipework with tap removed
Gas bag (demand valve)
Click image for big pic'
Click image for big pic
Update
I have now made one of the air cleaners (carb cleaner) this isn't very original but will be functional, the filter part needs covering and the whole thing needs aging to make it look a bit more like one that has been on for some years.
Click images
Update
I have since revised the primary air filter by making a solid outer case with a ring of holes around the circumference to keep more true to what would have been standard.
I have also made a filter for the secondary inlet on the end of the cylinder, for this I copied an existing original from another 1F.
Rivised primary carb filter
Click on image
Secondary filter
Click on image
First running flaming out and timing too early
Click images
Update
04/07/15
Been a long time and a lot of rallies but I've had to do a little work, the engine started to not govern and run away with it's self (obviously couldn't leave it unattended).
Turned out the pecker pivot had become very worn and occasionally sticking, I've bored the pecker and sleeved it with brass and is now working perfectly again.
I've incuded a couple of pictures of the pecker with it's bush in.
Click the images
