Assembly Instructions

Graham IndustriesPO Box 15230

Rio Rancho, NM 87174-0230www.grahamind.com

VR1A1/2” bore, 5/8” stroke, single cylinder, reversing

steam engine kit

5100

7

5100

8

5305

553

053

53057

5304

053

041

5306

1

5306

2

54100

A20

02

53016

5302

7

5303

3

5305

1

5304

7

5304

9

5305

0

5304

653

048

5306

4

5100

4

5300

9

5300

753026

5300

5

A200153

004

5301

9

5302

1

5309

5

A2004

53069 53068

A2005

A2006

A10

01

A10

02

5100

5

5100

6

5300

8

A20

26

FILL

ISTE

RH

EAD

PAN

HEA

D

SCRE

W H

EAD

5410

1

5400

354

008

5402

0

5410

3

BUSH

ING

S SH

OW

N 4

TIM

ES S

CALE

TYPE

S

Qty Part # Description

1 A1001 Steampipeandflange(1/8”OD)1 A1002 Exhaustpipeandflange(3/32”OD)1 A2001 Piston and rod assembly1 A2004 Valve spindle assembly1 A2005 Valve drive block assembly2 A2006 Eccentric strap assembly1 A2010 Crankshaft assembly

2 10000 Nut, 0-807 10208 Screw, 0-80 x 1/8” pan head slot6 10212 Screw, 0-80 x 3/16” pan head slot1 10216 Screw, 0-80 x 1/4” pan head slot1 10224 Screw, 0-80 x 3/8” pan head slot12 10408 Screw,0-80x1/8”fillisterheadslot7 12216 Screw, 2-56 x 1/4” pan head slot9 12220 Screw, 2-56 x 5/16” pan head slot5 12228 Screw, 2-56 x 7/16” pan head slot7 12412 Screw,2-56x3/16”fillisterheadslot1 12608 Setscrew, 2-56 x 3/32”

2 40003 O-ring, 1/16” ID x 3/16” OD1 40006 O-ring, 1/8” ID x 1/4” OD1 40012 O-ring, 3/8” ID x 1/2” OD1 40030 Wrench, male hex, .035” AF

1 51004 Cylinder cover1 51005 Steam chest cover1 51006 Washer, Brass, 3/16” ID2 51007 Seal retainer, 1/16” ID1 51008 Seal retainer, 1/8” ID

PARTS LIST

Qty Part # Description

1 53004 Cylinder, machined1 53007 Steam chest1 53008 Valve, slide1 53009 Cylinder mount1 53023 Nut, 5-401 53040 Eccentric, with hub1 53041 Eccentric, without hub2 53046 Link, 2 hole short1 53047 Lever, reversing1 53048 Handle1 53049 Link, 2 hole long1 53050 Link, 3 hole1 53051 Link, curved1 53053 Standard, Left1 53055 Standard, Right1 53061 Crosshead guide1 53062 Crosshead1 53064 Pin, crosshead/con rod1 53095 Connecting rod

4 54003 Bushing1 54008 Bushing2 54020 Bushing1 54101 Bushing1 54103 Bushing

1 BFLY1 Flywheel

BEFORE STARTING

Thank you for purchasing the Graham Industries VR1A vertical reversing steam engine assembly kit.

The VR1A kit contains approximately 100 parts. As many of these parts are very small, care must be used in opening the parts packages to prevent loss of any of these parts. A compartmented tray is useful for holding parts while assembling your engine. A well lighted clean area is essential. A large sheet of paper or light colored cardboard to work on also helps.

Theonlytoolsrequiredareasmallslotscrewdriversetandasmallfile.Lightmachineorinstrumentoil will also be necessary to lubricate the parts as the engine is assembled. While not required, a small pair of tweezers and a small pair of needle nose pliers are useful for holding small parts.

GETTING STARTED

Becomefamiliarwiththepartscontainedinthekitbycomparingthepartswiththeidentificationdrawingandparts list. In most cases, it will not be necessary to remove the parts from the packages. Look over the as-sembly drawings to get an overview of where the parts go.

For notation purposes, when referring to left and right sides of the engine, the engine is considered to be verticalwiththeflywheelendbeingthefrontoftheengine.Leftandrightarethendefinedasiflookingfromtherearoftheenginetowardsthefront(flywheel)end.Thereversingleveristhenmountedontheleftsideof the engine.

As you assemble the kits, some of the parts may have burrs from machining on them. These can be removed withtheaidofasmallfileortheabrasivepapersuppliedwiththekit.Somepartsmayhavemachiningmarkson them from the cutters. Except as noted, these will not affect operation, however, you may want to remove thembyfilingandsandingforappearance.Ifyoudesiretopaintyourengine,itissuggestedthatyouas-sembleitfirst,thendecidewhattopaint.Theenginecanthenbedisassembledasnecessarytopainttheseparts.Ifpaintingtheflywheelandbase,agoodgradeofprimerisnecessarytogivegoodadhesiontothepaint. Also, all oil must be removed for the paint to stick. This can be done in hot water using a dishwashing detergent. Rinse with hot water and dry completely.

The sealing and sliding surfaces of several parts need to be smoothed. As the operation is the same for all the parts, it is best to do all of them at the same time. The operation can only loosely be called lapping, but itwillgiveamorethansatisfactoryfinish.Thefollowingpartswillbelapped.

1. Bothendsandtheportfaceofthecylinder(53004).Donotroundtheedgesofthevalveportsintheflatface of the cylinder block. They must be left sharp to preserve the valve timing.

2. Thefaceofthevalve(53008)withtherectangularcavity.3. Bothfacesofthesteamchest(53007)thathaveholesineachcorner.4. Onesideofthesteamchestcover(51005).Whenthecoverisexamined,noticethatonesidehasthe

edges slightly rolled from the stamping operation while the other side has sharp edges. Lap the side with the sharp edges.

5. Onesideofthecylindercover(51004).Eithersideisfine.6. Onesideofthetable(53009).Lapthesidethathasonlythecenterhole,andnotthesidethathasthe

center hole counterbored.7. Thesealingfaceofthesteamandexhaustflanges(A1001andA1002).

Removeanylargeburrswithafilebeforethelappingoperation.Keepthefilecleanatalltimesusingafilecard or brush if you have one. This is very important in the case of aluminum, as the small particles will scratch the surface of the aluminum. The same applies to other metals also, but to a lesser extent.

Asheetof400gritabrasivepaperissuppliedwiththekit.Findaflathardsurfacetouseasasurfaceplate.Itdoesnothavetobesuperaccurate.Atableorcountertopthathasbeenfinishedwithapressureplasticlaminate is satisfactory. If you are into woodworking, the table on a table saw will work well. Place the abra-sivepaperontheflatsurfaceandwettheabrasivesurfacewitheitherwaterorlightoil.Placetheparttobelappedontheabrasivepaperandrubthepartinafigureeightpattern.Rubonlyafewstrokes,andthenrotate the part and change your grip on the part. The entire sealing surface should show signs of the lapping operation. If not, continue lapping until it does.

OPTIONS

Only a few assembly options are available. The only simple one is the position of the steam and exhaust pipes. The drawings show the steam inlet on the left side and the exhaust on the right side. As the cylinder and steam chest are completely symmetrical, these can be reversed during assembly if desired. Both steam and exhaust pipes can actually be on the same side, but except in special applications, it would look odd.

If someone needs to, the reversing lever can be placed on the right side, but it will require some work and a few precautions. First, the reversing lever will have to have a hole drilled and tapped on the opposite side forthehandle.TheleftandrightstandardsmustbeswitchedwhichisOKastheywillfitineitherplace.Theparallel motion linkage for the valve can be assembled either as shown or mirrored left to right as desired. Do NOT rotate the eccentric 180 degrees. It must stay in the same relationship with the crankshaft as shown on the drawings.

ASSEMBLY

InspectthePISTON-PISTIONRODassembly(A2001)forburrsorsharpedgesonthepistonandremoveifnecessary.

Lightlyoilthepistongroove.Slidethe3/8”IDO-RING(40012)over the piston and into the piston groove. Put a drop of oil on the o-ring.

Holdthecylinder(53004)withthevalveportfacetowardsyouandthe exhaust opening to the left. Slide the piston into the cylinder with the piston rod down. If you want the exhaust on the other side, now is the time to change it. See OPTIONS.

Turn the cylinder over so the piston rod is pointing up. Place the round gasket with the hole in the middle on the cylinder, aligning the screw holes. Place a drop of oil on the gasket to keep it from moving.Slidethecylindermount(53009)overthepistonrodsothe lapped side is next to the cylinder and the long dimension of the mount is perpendicular to the cylinder valve port face.

Securethemounttothecylinderwith(2)2-56x1/4”(12216)panheadscrews.Thesescrewsgointotheholestowardstheflatendsof the cylinder mount.

Slidethe1/8”IDO-RING(40006)overthepistonrod.Becare-ful going over the threads on the piston rod so the threads do not damage the o-ring. Press the o-ring into the counterbore on the cylinder mount.

Slidethe1/8”SEALRETAINER(51008)overthepistonrod.Se-cure it to the cylindermountwith (2)0-80x1/8”fillisterheadscrews(10408).

ChecktheCROSSHEAD(53062)andCROSSHEADGUIDE(53061)forburrsandremoveifnecessary.Checkthefitofthecrossheadin the guide Remove the crosshead from the crosshead guide.

Installthe5-40specialnut(53023)ontheendofthepistonrod.Thread it almost all the way up.

Install the crosshead on the piston rod. Thread it about 3 turns onthepistonrod.Turnthecrossheadsotheflatsidewiththethreaded hole faces the valve port face on the cylinder.

Slidethecrossheadguide(53061)overthecrossheadandsecurewith(4)2-56x5/16”(12220)panheadscrews.

Slide the threaded end of the valve spindle assembly (A2004)throughoneoftheendholesinthesteamchest(53007)fromtheinside of the steam chest until the unthreaded end of the spindle fitsinsidethesteamchest.Thenslidetheunthreadedendthroughthe other end of the steam chest. Installa1/16”IDO-ring(40003)oneachendofthevalvespindlerod using care not to damage the o-ring when sliding over the spindlethreads.Usealittleoiloneacho-ring.

Secureeacho-ringinplacewitha1/16”holesealretainer(51007)using0-80x1/8”fillisterhead(10408)screws.Threada0-80nut(10000)ontheendofthespindle.

Checkthefitofthevalveonthevalvespindle.Itmustbeafreeeasyfitwiththedrivesleeveonthevalvespindlefittingintheslotofthevalve.Ifnot,openuptheslotinthevalvewithasmallfile.

Set the valve on the steam chest so it covers all the ports.

Place the rectangular gasket with the cutout in the middle on the cylinder face. Align the screw holes and place a drop of oil to hold the gasket in place.

Install the steam chest on the cylinder with the intake hole facing away from the exhaust hole on the cylin-der and the valve rod facing the same direction as the piston rod. The drive sleeve of the valve spindle must engagethevalveslot.Temporarilysecurethechesttothecylinderwith(2)2-56x7/16”panheadscrews(12228).OnlySNUGthesescrewssoastonotdamagethelappedsurfaceonthesteamchest.Thesescrewswill be removed to install the steam chest cover later after the valve has been adjusted.

This ends the cylinder sub-assembly.

ECCENTRIC SUB-ASSEMBLY

Set thecurved link(53051)onaflatsurfacewith the3 tappedholesnearestyou.Inserta0-80x1/8”panheadscrew(10208)into a 54020 bushing from the large end of the bushing. Insert the bushingintothesmallholeinaneccentricstrapassembly(A2006)and screw it to the right end of the curved link. You will notice that the eccentric strap has a brass insert. Install the eccentric strap so that the side where the brass insert sticks out farther is facing down. The strap should extend towards you. Turn the curved link over and repeat with the other eccentric strap. The two straps will be attached at opposite ends of the curved link and on opposite sides of the link.

Starta2-56x3/32”setscrew(12606)inthehuboftheeccenticwithhub(53040).Settheeccentriconaflatsurfacewiththehubdown.Placethebottomeccentricstrapovertheeccentric.

Inserttheeccentricwithouthub(53041)intotheothereccentricstrapfromthetop.Turntheassemblyover.Connectthetwoeccentricswitha0-80x1/4”panheadscrew(10216)butdoNOTtighten.

Lineupthe3/16”holesinthetwoeccentricsandslidethecrankshaft(A2010)throughtheholestomaintainalignment. Tighten the screw holding the two eccentrics together. Remove the crankshaft.

Removeanyburrsonlinks53046,53049and53051byrubbingthemontotheflatfaceofafile.

Settheassemblyonaflatsurfacewiththehubfacingup.Inserta0-80x1/8”panheadscrew(10208)through a 54003 bushing from the large end of the bushing. Insert the bushing and screw in one end of a 53046 link and attach to the curved link in the center hole.

Turntheassemblyover.Insertbushing54008)inoneendoftheother53046link.Inserta0-80x3/16”panheadscrew(10212)inthebushingfromthelinksideandsecuretothecenterholeofthecurvedlink.

Settheassemblyonaflatsurfacewiththehubfacingdownandthe eccentric strap big ends towards you. Adjust the two 53046 linkstotherightside.Screwhandle(53048)intothesideofthereversinglever(53047).

Insertthedoubleendedbushing(54101)betweenthe53046linksengaging the two holes in the ends of the links. Insert a 0-80 x 3/8”panheadscrew(10224)throughthebushing.Placethere-versingleverunderthebottomlinkwiththeflatsideupandsecurethe linkage to the reversing lever with the 0-80 screw.

Thisfinishestheeccentricsub-assembly.

PARALLEL MOTION LINKAGE

Inserta54003BUSHINGinthecenterholeofLINK53050.Inserta0-80x3/16”panheadscrew(10212)inthebushingfromtheopposite side of the link that the bushing was inserted from. Insert thescrewintothesmallholeinLINK(53049)andsecurewitha0-80NUT(10000).

Attach the linkage just assembled to the VALVE DRIVE BLOCK(A2005)byslidingtheremainingROUNDholeinlink53050over

the short end of the pin extending from the valve drive block. The long link must be away from the valve drive block. Secure with a 0-80 x 1/8” pan head screw.

Screw the valve drive block to the valve spindle on the cylinder sub-assembly about 3 turns. Make sure you installed a 0-80 nut on the valve spindle before the pre-vious step. Position the cylinder assembly so the steam chest is nearest you and the crosshead guide is down. Rotate the valve drive block so the links are nearest the crosshead guide. Position the links so the elongated hole in link 53050 is to your right and the long link is to your left.

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Removeanyburrsfromthestandards(53053and53055).Attachthe standards to the base (A2026) using (4) 2-56 x 5/16” panheadscrews(12220).Thebearingblocksonthebaseareatthefront of the engine. With the bearing blocks away from you, stan-dard53053(thestandardwithtwo0-80holesinit)willbeonyourleft and the 0-80 tapped holes will be towards the bearing block end.

Insert a 54003 bushing into the elongated hole in link 53050 from the side of the link nearest the 53053 standard. Secure the link and bushing to the standard with a 0-80 x 1/8” pan head screw. Insert a 54003 bushing into the 53049 link from the side of the link away from the standard and secure to the upper hole in the 53055 standardusinga0-80x1/8”panheadscrew(10208).

Position the eccentric assembly so the hub faces the steam chest and the curved link is up. Slide the eccentrics between the bearing blocks and engage the pin on the valve drive block into the curved slot.

Slide the 51006 washer on the crankshaft. Slide the crankshaft throughtheinsidebearing(betweenthestandards),theeccentricsand the outer bearing.

Insert bushing 51003 in the reversing lever and secure to the stan-dardwitha0-80x3/16”panheadscrew(10212).Makesurethelugsonthereversingleverfitoneithersideofthestandard.

Rotate the crankshaft so the crankpin is nearest the base. Rotate the eccentric so the hub setscrew is to the side of the engine op-positeofthereversinglever.Insertthe.035”hexwrench(40030)in the eccentric setscrew. While keeping the crankpin nearest the base, rotate the eccentric so the hex wrench is 3/4” above the base where it crosses the standard. Slide the crankshaft against the inside bearing and slide the eccentric towards the opposite side of the inside bearing. Tighten the eccentric setscrew. The crank-shaft should be able to slide in the bearings a little bit.

Placethesmallendoftheconnectingrod(53095)inthecrossheadguide and slide the large end on the crankpin of the crankshaft as-sembly. Slide the piston and rotate the crankshaft until the con-necting rod can be engaged in the slot in the crosshead. Align the holes in the connecting rod and the crosshead and insert pin (53064)fromtherearoftheengine.Screwinthepinfirmly.

Slidetheflywheelonthecrankshaftandsecurewiththe4-40x3/32”setscrewandthe.050”hexwrench.Thereshouldbesomefore-aftplayinthecrankshaftwiththeflywheelattached.

Rotate the crankshaft until the piston is nearest the top of the cylinder. Adjust the piston position by rotating the piston with a small screwdriver in the slot in the piston rod. The piston is adjusted so the top of the piston is half way between the top of the cylinder and the point where the steam passage meets the cylinder bore. This is about 0.015” below the top of the cylinder.

Rotate the crankshaft to bring the piston down and tighten the 5-40 lock nut on the piston rod against the crosshead.

Move the reversing lever to one extreme. Rotate the crankshaft until the valve is in the uppermost position of travel. Adjust the valve spindle until about 3/4 of the lower steam port is uncovered by the valve.

Rotate the crankshaft until the valve is at the bottom of travel. The upper steam port should be uncovered the same amount as the lower one was in the previous step. If not, adjust the valve spindle until the openings are equal at the two valve extremes.

Tighten the lock nut on the valve spindle against the valve drive block.

Place the remaining round gasket with no center cutout on the top ofthecylinderandalignthescrewholes.Useadropofoiltoholditinplace.Placethecylindercover(51004)withthelappedsideagainstthecylinderandgasket.Securewith(6)2-56x3/16”fil-listerheadscrews(12412).

Remove the two screws holding the steam chest to the cylinder.

Install the remaining rectangular gasket with no center cutout on the face of the steam chest. Install the steamchestcover(51005)withthelappedsideagainstthegasket.Securewith(4)2-56x7/16”panheadscrews(10228).

Attachtheexhaustpipeassembly(A1002)tothecylinderusing(2)0-80x1/8”fillisterheadscrews(10808).This is the larger diameter pipe.

Attachthesteaminletpipeassembly(A1001)tothesteamchestusing(2)0-80x1/8”fillisterheadscrews(10808).

RUNNING

The VR1A is designed to run on a maximum of 30 PSI steam or air. At 30 PSI, the no load speed will be about 4,000 RPM. Pressures higher than 30 PSI may cause mechanical failure in the engine. If the engine is run onsteam,thesteamsupplyboilerMUSThaveasafetypressurereleasevalvesettonohigherthan30PSI.

After the engine has a few hours of running on it, it will run on less than 5 PSI with no load. For testing and running it in, air operation is recommended. When running on steam, a lubricator to supply oil to the engine is necessary. When running on air, a few drops of oil in the steam pipe every few hours of running is all that is necessary.

Oil all the bushings, eccentrics, crankshaft bearings, crosshead and any other rotating or sliding points before startingtheengineforthefirsttime.

To test and adjust the engine, connect an air source of about 10 PSI to the steam pipe. The reversing lever canbesetforeitherdirectionofoperation.Theflywheelwillrotateinthesamedirectionasthereversingleverisrotated.Afterconnectingtheair,rotatetheengineflywheelinthesamedirectionasthereversinglever has been roated and the engine will start.

Do not apply more than 15 PSI to the engine until it has run for at least one hour.

The settings used to adjust the engine while assembling are close enough for casual running, however, you maywanttorefinetheadjustmentsbyadjustingtheeccentricpositionuntiltheenginerunsequallywellinboth directions.

LIMITED WARRANTY

Graham Industries warranties that the materials supplied in this kit are free from defects for a period of 60 days from the date of purchase. If any defects in material are discovered during this period, the defective materialwillbereplaceduponwrittennotificationtoGrahamIndustries.GrahamIndustriesreservestherightto require the defective material be returned to us for inspection. This warranty does not apply to materials that have been damaged by improper assembly or by operation outside the limitations described in the run-ning portion of the assembly manual.