PhilPassmore
Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2017
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 21
Have had a lathe for ages, and recently aquired a small mill, so decided it was time for my first ever steam build, sort of nudged along by a certain liking of the 'steam punk' genre that is happening these days. Based very much on the Steve's Workshop simple oscillating engine design, but with other bits added along the way, mostly as proof of concept should I decide to do something more adventurous. All the parts other than pipe unions (because I really couldn't be bothered), and the pressure gauge (because I couldn't) are scratch built. The burner was canibalised from a cheap gas camping stove from the orient together with a scratch built tank, fitted with a fill valve from a pencil blow torch. The boiler support ends are cut from 6mm aluminium sheet, and the stainless sides were 'Q' punched and rebated for the air holes, riveted and screwed to the various bits. Oil cups and a displacement oiler are fitted, though need to work on the displacement oiler to limit the flow of oil. The manual fill pump again is scratch built, together with the clack valves, but I haven't yet fitted a sight glass, so keeping the boiler topped up is a bit hit and miss. The feed water tank is fitted with a heat exchanger coil fed from the exhaust, so the feed water is pre-heated before getting pumped into the boiler. The coil is actually VERY efficient, bringing the feed water up to almost boiling, before the exhaust finally drops into a collection tank. The boiler cladding is an idea pinched from elsewhere, consisting of wooden coffee stirers, glued to a thin piece of veneer. It's done in two halves so can be removed relatively easily. This is then stained and sealed. I have run the wet header from the boiler, back under the boiler to provide a rudimentary steam drier, and to be honest, I have no idea if it helps at all. Being a steam engine, it wouldn't be complete without a whistle, though mine leaves a bit to be desired in terms of 'whistling', and my whistle valve does tend to leak rather, as does my steam control valve. Further itterations are planned. The idea of the two plates that it's all mounted on, is that the boiler/engine assembly can be relatively easily removed from the base board for use in a steam launch. And finally, the base board itself is a chunk of laminated oak kitchen work surface, scrounged as an offcut from a neighbour when they were re-modelling their kitchen. Anyway, I know it's not exceptional in the overall scheme of things produced by members of this forum, however, I am quite chuffed (scuse the pun) with it.
