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The cylinder was the real project. Originally, the steam ports were poured lead. A metal thermometer base was bent into a square to hold the slide valve and rod. Unfortunately, I hit it with heat and the whole steam chest fell off in a glob. Under the lead was a crude filed flattish surface...

Should have it together tomorrow.

I abandoned the quick disconnect idea after your last post. There is a specialty hose business here in town, but any flex hose that could handle steam was not very flexible and would not look nice. I saw a system using hard line to a flange and another to a union.

I’m using my old clock staking tool to make holes in the bands. I ran out of little screws to attach them however, the are scheduled to arrive today so I should be able finish up tomorrow. That brings me back to coming up with a common connection from the engines to the boiler. I found an...

I’ve seen examples with the displacement lubricator attached to the steam chest. My understanding is that it should be attached to a tee on the steam supply line.

Update. Made a new slide valve to replace the original. Still chasing down a clunk. The original crank disk has some runout which I suspect is part of the problem. The bearings are poured and worn which is probably contributing to the annoying noise. No gaskets.

Update. Today’s project is the link to the slide valve rod and the slide valve itself. The crank pin is not square to the disk and needs attention. Also to spend some quality time filing flashing on the flywheel.

It is finally in a restorable condition. Now that it’s timed, I know how long to make the rest of the pieces. I have the parts made up to complete my boiler piping and will take a short detour to complete it.

I use a brush plate product called ”Plug N’ Plate” from Caswell. I use the nickel, chrome, and silver for clock and musical instrument repair with nice results. Would protect mild steel. https://caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/brush-plating-products/plug-n-plate-kits.html

The cardboard valve rod broke. The toothpick seems okay.

This is only a test to make sure I got the valve mechanism dimensions correct. I am using low pressure air just to make it move. The remaining aluminum parts are loose and rattling and will be remade. The valve train connecting rod was extended for testing purposes using precision cardboard...

Turns nice and smooth with its new connecting rod. The valve train mechanism was made from scrap aluminum and not built well enough to reuse, but I can reuse the basic design.

I restored the drill press from the family farm. I did have to make a new gear and table as it was left in the scrap pile. The standoffs for the crank bearings will be drilled using the original drill press from the Orland California farm work shed. As a kid, if you could not buck the hay or...

Setting up the flywheel placement. Standoffs for the crankshaft bearings will be made from aluminum bar stock. The bearings are poured babbitt and shimmed.

Here is the original crank assembly. Using the original connecting rod, the flywheel covers the slide mechanism from a side view. Originally, the flywheel was way out at the outer end of the crankshaft. I plan to use the crank I have with the flywheel against the inner bearing on the frame...

Good catch. I did not like the length. I thought it looked kinda stubby. The frame was sized to support an overall length of 12 inches which was an arbitrary decision based on the flywheel shown. The original connecting rod ends were poorly hand drilled. At the slide there is only about 5...

I’m setting things together to decide how the completed engine will look. The flywheel was from a box in the shop. I still have to redo the valve lever mechanism.

I’m trying to keep a flavor of the original design where I can. I did take practical and artistic license and removed the cooling fins from the cylinder. I don’t think he would mind. The old engine is basically tells you what needs to happen.

I built a frame to replace the broken base board. Working back, I am deciding what to do with the interesting mechanism behind the cylinder. I think I can possibly reuse a few of the pieces. I draw the line at rusty screws and nuts.

I was presented with an (engine?) for my birthday. It is proof that a pound of JB Weld and a can of silver spray paint can fix anything. It’s pretty hysterical, however I do feel obligated to make it run even though it would be easier to build one from scratch. When I get a few minutes I...