Mystery machine

[Roger Taylor]

I picked up this little mechanical device at a flea market. it seems to have missing parts. The head or cover is missing from the small .5"lD cylinder visible from the top. Steam engine, 2 stage air compressor. Thanks, Roger-clueless IC guy

 

[55fairlane]

Add air thru the elbow and flick the flywheel......should run......the exhaust is open at the top & the intake passage is internal....neat engine

 

[Roger Taylor]

Runs great on 60 psi, I think this is an engineering student project from Cal Poly Univ, CA,

 

[Roger Taylor]

Sorry. obviously wrong photo 2nd try

 

[trlvn]

Have you taken it apart? It looks to me like it was made in a minimally equipped shop. As in...without a milling machine?

The cylinder body appears to have started life as a coupling nut. It would be interesting to see the piston. The valve mechanism, as well.

What is the overall size of the engine?

Craig

 

[Roger Taylor]

Have you taken it apart? It looks to me like it was made in a minimally equipped shop. As in...without a milling machine?

The cylinder body appears to have started life as a coupling nut. It would be interesting to see the piston. The valve mechanism, as well.

What is the overall size of the engine?

Craig

I am now very sure that this is a mechanical engineering project constructed at the Cal Poly U machine shop in IME 144 class. lIt matches up with online drawings although there were slight changes in several versions. i oiled all the ports and it runs beautifully on 50 psi air pressure. I do intend to disassemble it and clean it up. I tried to post it running but the file was rejected as being too long?