A small steam engine

[firebird]

Hi Nick

I know what you mean about steam. I go to a few steam fairs each year and just stand and watch the full size traction engines. I don't know if its the smell or the engines running or the sheer size of them that keeps me spellbound. watching them tickover is very hypnotic. If only I had the room/money/time.

Anyway back to reallity. A beam engine I think would go well with the boiler. I have a few bits and pieces put to one side but it will have to wait till later on this year, I have too much on at the moment. Thats why I started this little wobbler, something I can spend half hour on here and there to keep me going.

Cheers

Rich

 

[firebird]

Hi

Progress is slow at the moment due to other commitments but I did manage to get the mounting plate drilled tonight so heres a few photos of how its going to look. The plate is resting on a pair of vise jaws, the mahogany base has had its 4th and final coat of varnish tonight.

Cheers

Rich

 

[agr]

Rich,

If I could ask a potentially stupid question - with that design of lubricator, how it the water drained out so that the oil can be replenished?.

It was always my understanding that you needed a drain hole in the bottom (or lower side) to drain them, usually resulting in fingertips covered in hot oily water (always too impatient to let them cool first). If you have a simpler method I'd love to know it.


Tony.

 

[putputman]

Rich, this is going to be a masterpiece when it is done. Will follow you to the end.

I wish I had your patience's with wood. Seems to me that wood never quits moving. It twists, cracks, splits, and every thing else for me.

 

[bearcar1]

Great looking steam plant you have going there Rich, I 'Really' like that spoked flywheel. It just trips my trigger. I have never been a big fan of the disc types other than in marine applictions. Well done!

BC1
Jim

 

[firebird]

Hi
Thanks Jim & putputman.

Tony, your right a drain of some sort is the norm but I reduced the size considerably so that it would look right with this small engine. They are normally mounted in the steam pipe and hang free with clearance underneath but I doubted the small 3/32 pipe would be strong enough to support it well enough. I have a small syringe that will suck the residue out to drain it.

Cheers

Rich

 

[firebird]

Hi

I got a fair bit done today so here goe's.

The mahogany base, now varnished, has 4 holes drilled using the ally plate as a template.

The holes were then opened out to 3/16 and the tapped bushes super glued in.

then made a cap for the funnel. You can turn this to any shape you like.

Silver solder to the funnel.

Cleaned and polished a bit.

.

The exhaust steam will be piped back into the funnel. It would be easier to silver solder the pipe straight in or silver solder a connection in before the funnel is soldered into the boiler but I hadn't intended to do this until John Bogstandard suggested a lubricator and a separator. I don't want to silver solder so close to the base of the funnel at this stage so decided to drill a hole and use a fitting with a nut.

Turn a piece of brass to the inside dia of the funnel.

Drill a 1/8 hole as close to the edge as possible.

Then cross drill 7/32

Use a slitting saw to part off. I bought these diamond saws a while ago, this is the first time iv'e tried them. They work OK.

Make a short length of brass threaded 1/4 x 40 and turn a boss on one end and drill through 1/8.

Silver solder the threaded part in and a 3 inch length of 1/8 copper pipe.

A test fit on a bit of scrap pipe.

I haven't drilled the 1/4 hole in the funnel yet but this shows how it will be fitted.

Cheers

Rich

 

[firebird]

Hi there

It seems ages since I last posted anything but what with holidays, weddings, domestic duties etc. I haven't been out to the workshop for a while. However while away on holiday we (Me, the wife and my daughter) did the shops. One shop in particular interested me. A candle maker. Some of the hand made candles were fantastic, a real work of art. They also sold oil burning lamps, glass globes of all shapes and sizes that are filled with oil (clear and coloured) and have a wick. :idea: :idea: :idea: Can you see where this is going. Well I stood there for quite a while watching the flame. The wife came up to me and said "aren't they beautiful". Ohhhhh yes, we must get one I said. Anyway back home a trip to the local hardware store and I had a bottle of said oil.

Tonight I carried out a quick experiment. This first photo shows the burner filled with meths.

It burns quite happily and I have had the boiler running on this. I drained out the meths and dried out the burner then refilled it with the lamp oil. See the difference.

I have no Idea what the calorific value is but it definitely burns cleaner and without the smell of meths.

Anyway I hope to get a few hours in the shop this weekend so I'll post any progress that I make.

Cheers

Rich

 

[Maryak]

Rich,

From my murky past when working for BP, Lamp Oil was an alternate name given to 300 Test Kerosene.

Gross Calorific Values are around 19000 btu/lb

Methylated Spirit around 13000 btu/lb

Hope this helps.

Best Regards
Bob

 

[firebird]

Hi

Thanks Bob, thats very interesting.

Cheers

Rich

 

[firebird]

Hi

Well I managed about 4 hours in the workshop today, good to get back to it.

I started by drilling a hole in the funnel to take the steam exhaust pipe.

Here it is fixed in place.

Next I went onto the boiler cladding. I placed 3 elastic bands round the boiler then pushed in the cladding. As it happens they fitted round the circumference without any trimming. I only had to cut the one piece that fits between the water guage bushes.

The bands I made out of stainless steel strips that I got from an old wiper blade. Its a bit springy but winds round a bit of tube ok to make a coil.

The three bands cut to size.

I milled a flat on a piece of 5/32 stainless steel round bar, drilled through 1/16 and then parted off three pieces 3/16 long.

Each band was held in the vice and the had the lugs silver soldered on.

Then carefully cut through and cleaned up.

I made 3 short lengths of 10BA thread from 1/16 stainless steel and tried the bands on the boiler with 2 10BA brass nuts on each.

I temporarily fitted the water guage.

Finally today I made up the pipe for the pressure guage.

That will be all for this weekend, I'm off to Lincoln steam fair tomorrow.

Cheers

Rich

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Wow. That was great Rich. Very enjoyable.
I learned a lot on this post...as I have on many of your posts.
Thanks.

 

[Jeff02]

I’ll second that Zee, Especially how you made your Boiler Bands. :bow:

 

[PhiberOptix]

That's looking great,
and I liked the way you made the bands,
they cleaned up real nice, what did you use to clean them and the heat marks from soldering off with?

quote
That will be all for this weekend, I'm off to Lincoln steam fair tomorrow.
end quote

That's just up the road from me and i didn't know it was on!!

regards
Andy

 

[vlmarshall]

I've just learned from your Boiler Band construction method, too. I like the idea of attaching the clamp-bolt lugs to the bands while still in one piece... I'll be copying this, in brass. ;D :bow:

 

[CrewCab]

Cracking job Rich :bow: .............. looking forward to the rest

CC

 

[firebird]

Hi

Thanks for the on going support.

Andy, I have a wire brush on my grinder. I just cleaned them up on that.

Cheers

Rich

 

[NickG]

Looking really nice that Rich

 

[deverett]

Hi

Cheers

Rich

I'm going back a bit and looking at your round nose tool. Are you just using a piece of round tool steel clamped in place? If so, that is a very good idea so that you can use different diameter toolbits with only one holder.

Now, up to date. A very good write up of how you lagged your boiler, especially the making of the boiler bands. I would never have dreamed of making them from scrap wiper arms. Lateral thinking at its best.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

 

[firebird]

Hi

Thanks NickG.

Dave, I was looking to get some round profile cutters at last years model engineering exhibition at Harrogate when I came across these. I think they were 50p each so I had a dozen or so. The large one is just a single while the 2 smaller sizes are double ended. Once I had the tips it was just a case of knocking up some holders.

Tonight I just drilled and tapped a couple of holes 4BA to hold the boiler and firebox together with brass screws.

Cheers

Rich