# STUART Triple compound steam engine



## ZAPJACK (Nov 3, 2010)

Hello everybody,
This is a nice engine what I've build a couple of year ago
From cast iron casting from STUART engines
it's a triple cylinder, compound double effect steam engine
With air & water pump, rotation inverter, 
Assembled crank shaft
The big problem of continental European model engine builder, it's the use of imperial sized drawings.
We always need a calculator to change imperial in metric
So it's a waste of time and the begin of dimensions differences
Otherside, it's dangerous to think in both standard
For example, a standard iron axle. British of US standard are 1/2" (=12.7mm)
But in metric, we must choice between 12 or 14mm!!!!
So in this case, we use 12mm. But we must adapt the other dimensions
It's not always easy.
But, OK, without difficult, no fun
Bye


----------



## gbritnell (Nov 3, 2010)

That's a very nice piece of work. I have always liked the marine style engines with their open workings. I don't have any problem going from Imperial to Metric as long as I have a calculator available. I would hate to do it by hand though. What other engines have you built?
gbritnell


----------



## sunworksco (Nov 20, 2010)

*I need two of the STE engines for a project.*
For what the unmachined Stuart Triple Expansion steam engine kit costs ( $930.00USD ), would it be better to machine stainless-steel and silicon-bronze material using their blueprints?
Why are their kits so friggen expensive? Are they melting traces of gold in the crucible?
I would think if they are using induction furnaces they could use 316L stainless-steel inplace of iron.
Why hasn't anyone disassembled a newly built Stuart Triple Expansion engine and had the parts 3D laser printed?
*See www.nextengine.com*
You could then have the parts drawings in a 3D CAD software for CNC machining or better yet EDM spark erosion.
Thanks,
Giovanni


----------



## pioneeraviator (Dec 6, 2012)

Hello

Im new in this forum.
I really like this Stuart triple cylinder project. I checked too that this kit can be bought at many stores. Mabye is there anybody who has the plans for this machine? Im really interested in it.

Thanks

Laszlo


----------



## GWRdriver (Dec 6, 2012)

*Zapjack*,
Very nice job on this difficult to build model.  I agree that converting MM to In, and In to MM, can be bothersome although I'd have thought by now that Stuart drawings would be in Metric.

*Giovanni*,
There are several ways to look at this but the first one IMHO would be to set a value for your time, as an amatuer and a hobbyist.   How much is your time, or spare time, worth?   Multiply that rate by the hours it would take to recreate the Stuart castings (100hrs min?) either by hand or 3D, and to acquire or fabricating all the other bits which are contained in the kit.  Sometimes in light of this the cost of the castings becomes a bit less painful.   The cost may be unjustifiable and prohibitive under any conditions and that's when model engineers resort to other means to get what they want.   If I needed to save the cost of castings, and I accepted that I would spend quite a bit of time either way (at whatever rate), since there's a need for two engines and some small economy of numbers could be realized, I would consider fabrication of the cylinders and bedplate from bronze or steel and then machine them as you would castings.


----------



## Jasonb (Dec 6, 2012)

Giovanni, I'm sure you don't need the whole kit with all the barstock and fixings for your project, you could just buy the few castings that you need, Stuarts sell the individual bits.

Someone on here has it drawn in CAD and is making a larger version a bit of searching may be worth while.

Zapjack, nice job on the engine.


----------



## Herbiev (Dec 6, 2012)

Laszlo I am pretty sure that if you contact Stuarts they will be able to sell you the plans. Secondly please post an introduction in the welcome section. Members are more likely to reply if they know a bit about you


----------



## KBC (Dec 6, 2012)

sunworksco said:


> *I need two of the STE engines for a project.*
> For what the unmachined Stuart Triple Expansion steam engine kit costs ( $930.00USD ), would it be better to machine stainless-steel and silicon-bronze material using their blueprints?
> Why are their kits so friggen expensive? Are they melting traces of gold in the crucible?
> I would think if they are using induction furnaces they could use 316L stainless-steel inplace of iron.
> ...



Giovanni ,
What a great idea why don't you be the person to do that,
The 3D scanner is only( $2990 )  2250 G.B.P.  and a good well built triple will cost you about 2,000 G.B.P. on e-bay, I shudder to think what it would cost from Stuart R.T.R. if they would make one, + the time taken to scan, make the parts,  machine the parts  lets say another  5.000 G.B.P giving a guesstimate of 9.250 to 10,000 G.B.P. 
I am guessing at these cost as I have missed the development and  expansion and use of C.A.D. scanners due to my age, I'm just an old retired Clydeside hammer and chisel engineer and as you say Stuarts prices are expensive but when you do this we can all look forward to cheaper Triple castings and parts.

OH, forgot the Law suit on Copyright, wouldn't even try a guess. ( U.K. has world wide co-operation on Copyright Laws. )

George.


----------



## sunworksco (Dec 6, 2012)

Hasn't the copyrights expired ?
In any case it is always better to create the CAD drawings from blueprints. You can achieve a much higher printing resolution on the parts with less sanding and polishing. I am going to do this with the 1906 Stanley Rocket race car engine in 1/4 scale.


----------



## Jasonb (Dec 7, 2012)

As I said yesterday someone has taken the time to get it into CAD

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/f31/stuart-triple-scale-up-5978/index2.html#post111115


----------



## KBC (Dec 7, 2012)

sunworksco said:


> Hasn't the copyrights expired ?
> In any case it is always better to create the CAD drawings from blueprints. You can achieve a much higher printing resolution on the parts with less sanding and polishing. I am going to do this with the 1906 Stanley Rocket race car engine in 1/4 scale.


 
Giovanni
Patents run out after 25 years, on the news this morning a Guy has just paid out 20,000 G.B.P. to save being extradited to the U.S.A. for breaching Copyright by downloading and selling Pirate copies, so all you guys that copy onto CAD drawings, print and sell or use these prints of companies drawings should keep quiet about it or you could have a free U.K. holiday at the expense of H.M.G.

Further more some months ago you stated on another forum that you intend to make available about 1/2 doz kits of the Stanley Rocket at 1/4 scale, how would you feel if somebody made pirate copies of your efforts and sold them on at an under cut price?

So Stuart Triple castings may not be so expensive in the long run.

Just a thought.

George.


----------



## charlesfitton (Dec 7, 2012)

http://sarnia.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-s...-turner-model-steam-engine-W0QQAdIdZ435651366


This one (partially built) is for sale in Ontario, Can. 

Could be a bargain. I get the Tap set. (Actually - no connection to the seller at all)

f


----------



## pioneeraviator (Dec 7, 2012)

Hello Folks

Thank you very much for your replies. I plan that i will make a Stuart 3 cylinder for myself because i really like it. I entered top this forum because i didn't know any way where to start.

A little about me. Im experienced in machining because i remanufactured the Anzani 3 cylinder aeroplane engine from 1909. Louis Bleriot fitted this engine to his Bleriot XI monoplane you can check him there: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70vsvisAb2Q[/ame]

im making these engines in series and for selling.

you can check my progress there: http://www.pioneeraviator.com

And here while we run my engine: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtvATWW6xo4[/ame]

Maybe if you have some question or maybe if you are interested in a engine feel free to ask me.

Laszlo


----------



## pioneeraviator (Dec 7, 2012)

And i have an old 1 cylinder steam engine from 1918. I attached some pictures of it.


----------



## pioneeraviator (Dec 7, 2012)

And i would like to congratulate for the engine in the first post. It's such an amazing work. 




ZAPJACK said:


> Hello everybody,
> This is a nice engine what I've build a couple of year ago
> From cast iron casting from STUART engines
> it's a triple cylinder, compound double effect steam engine
> ...


----------



## sunworksco (Dec 7, 2012)

KBC said:


> Giovanni
> Patents run out after 25 years, on the news this morning a Guy has just paid out 20,000 G.B.P. to save being extradited to the U.S.A. for breaching Copyright by downloading and selling Pirate copies, so all you guys that copy onto CAD drawings, print and sell or use these prints of companies drawings should keep quiet about it or you could have a free U.K. holiday at the expense of H.M.G.
> 
> Further more some months ago you stated on another forum that you intend to make available about 1/2 doz kits of the Stanley Rocket at 1/4 scale, how would you feel if somebody made pirate copies of your efforts and sold them on at an under cut price?
> ...



Hello George,
Good argument !
I will not copy the Stuart engines.
Fortunately there are no current patents for the Stanley racing engine.
I'm planning to make at least 24 Stanley Rocket engines.


----------



## Herbiev (Dec 8, 2012)

Laszlo. Thank you for the introduction. I am sure our members found it a very interesting post. I'm sure I did.


----------

