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Author Topic: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup  (Read 1430 times)

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Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« on: November 06, 2022, 04:59:43 pm »
Working on restoring my large Plank engine and I found that the oil cup for the eccentric is pointed down. On one side the cam is permanently pinned to the shaft, and the flywheel on the other side is permanently fixed to the shaft with a set screw that has no slot. Therefore, it would be tough to try to disassemble things in order to reverse the eccentric. Of course I can oil the eccentric from the outside but it is curious that the engine apears to have been made this way.

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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2022, 05:03:58 pm »
Yep ......  that ain't right!?!?
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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2022, 09:54:25 pm »
That falls into the "what the heck were they thinking" category. Maybe it was to let the old oil out 😊
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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2022, 12:05:26 am »
“Australian Special” better sell it to @Damnfmaschine
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Nick

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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2022, 01:17:08 am »
Have you opened it?
Perhaps treasure to be found. Or the philosopher's stone. Or decades-old muck...
Very tempting!
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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2022, 10:31:43 am »
Oil well with a wick to lube the eccentric? No real idea.
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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2022, 11:42:37 am »
Quote from: Nick on November 07, 2022, 12:05:26 am
“Australian Special” better sell it to @Damnfmaschine
That’s a good idea Nick, sell it to me at a heavily discounted price because of the ‘Australian’ oil cup and I’ll rectify that matter.
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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2022, 12:05:37 pm »
@skepyic49,
Sometimes these are not oil cups, but grease cups that are not fully screwed in. Whenever one needs to ad lubricating grease, just screw in the cap a little more to push grease into the eccentric.
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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2022, 01:33:35 pm »
Quote from: Maxwell on November 07, 2022, 12:05:37 pm
@skepyic49,
Sometimes these are not oil cups, but grease cups that are not fully screwed in. Whenever one needs to ad lubricating grease, just screw in the cap a little more to push grease into the eccentric.

This was my thought when looking at my phone, but enlarged it looks to be an oil cup, not a grease cup.
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Nick

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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2022, 02:40:40 pm »
Quote from: Maxwell on November 07, 2022, 12:05:37 pm
@skepyic49,
Sometimes these are not oil cups, but grease cups that are not fully screwed in. Whenever one needs to ad lubricating grease, just screw in the cap a little more to push grease into the eccentric.



I've seen grease cups for all of the Babbitt Bearings on full size hit and miss engines
but have yet to see them on model steam engines.
Perhaps the cups threads are holding it in the center of the eccentrics. Did you try to unscrew the cup
and work the ring off?
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Tommy

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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup: UPDATE SOLUTION
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2022, 05:10:12 pm »
Removed the oil cup, drilled and tapped a hole for it where it should be and re-installed it. Plugged the extra hole on the bottom of the eccentric ring. Took me a little while to figure it out. All is well that ends well. On to the next set of issues with this engine.

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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2022, 11:33:58 pm »
I don't have a clue what that was about, haha. Don't think that would work.
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Re: Plank Engine Oddity: Upside Down Oil Cup: UPDATE SOLUTION
« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2022, 02:07:56 pm »
Quote from: skeptic49 on November 07, 2022, 05:10:12 pm
Removed the oil cup, drilled and tapped a hole for it where it should be and re-installed it. Plugged the extra hole on the bottom of the eccentric ring. Took me a little while to figure it out. All is well that ends well. On to the next set of issues with this engine.

(Attachment Link)

Nice work Jim.

Looking forward to updates on the restoration.
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