Topic: Handmade steam engines.... on a budget (Read 53681 times)

Mad_Mike · « **on:** September 28, 2012, 12:20:10 pm »

Since my experiments with plasticards engines Ive been trying to get hold of a half decent boiler to push further. Well thanks to Frazer who sent me one he had lying around for nothing Ive now built a new double acting engine out of brass:

It has a 1/2" bore and 1/2" stoke. The engine will run on lung power aswell as steam, overall its good runner but the torque is so pathetic its hardly useable. It might power a wrist watch at best. Using nothing but hand tools the tolerances are a little baggy so where ever steam can leak from it does

Theyl be some youtube footage in a bit of it running

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #1 on:** September 28, 2012, 12:45:54 pm »

youtube footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaDqaw_Il8&feature=youtu.be

thanks

essex2visuvesi · « **Reply #2 on:** September 28, 2012, 12:50:41 pm »

I think you should be very pleased with that! it works doesn't it?

I know I would be

A nice V twin next perhaps?

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #3 on:** September 28, 2012, 12:52:22 pm »

Quote from: essex2visuvesi on September 28, 2012, 12:50:41 pm

I think you should be very pleased with that! it works doesn't it?

I know I would be

A nice V twin next perhaps?

ye it works ive added a link to you tube

essex2visuvesi · « **Reply #4 on:** September 28, 2012, 12:53:09 pm »

yep just seen that :)

If that had been me the boiler would have exploded

hopeitfloats · « **Reply #5 on:** September 28, 2012, 12:57:37 pm »

not a steam modeller myself but would a heavier flywheel help with the torque situation.

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #6 on:** September 28, 2012, 01:03:24 pm »

Yes it would but even then it would still be pants. The engine is very leaky, any load put onto the crankshaft rather than the steam build up pressure inside the cylinder it just vents outs the gaps. It works as a desk top job but not going to power a boat. I will be building a boat engine when i get more funding and experience.

essex2visuvesi · « **Reply #7 on:** September 28, 2012, 01:07:35 pm »

Like I said... It's still something to be very proud of

Got me thinking tho.... I wonder if you could use Alloy damper bodies from an RC car as pistons and chambers

Something like this, but without the spring

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #8 on:** September 28, 2012, 01:15:27 pm »

I got to admit i was relieved when it worked, im happy with it.

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #9 on:** September 28, 2012, 01:22:24 pm »

Quote from: essex2visuvesi on September 28, 2012, 01:07:35 pm

Like I said... It's still something to be very proud of

Got me thinking tho.... I wonder if you could use Alloy damper bodies from an RC car as pistons and chambers

Something like this, but without the spring

you know that might work, what a good idea.

essex2visuvesi · « **Reply #10 on:** September 28, 2012, 01:24:26 pm »

Ill have a look through my box of ~~cr4p~~ I mean bits that maybe useful one day as I might have something suitable I can send your way

frazer heslop · « **Reply #11 on:** September 28, 2012, 03:14:35 pm »

Congratulations, Nice to see you having some fun with proper engines

best wishes
frazer

pettyofficernick · « **Reply #12 on:** September 28, 2012, 04:36:39 pm »

Good job! If you can make a little groove in the piston and put an 'O' ring or some PTFE tape in it it will help with your steam loss. good fun playing with steam innit.....

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #13 on:** September 29, 2012, 11:05:06 am »

unfortunately to get the end caps on the cylinder i had to solder them, i put a groove in the piston so not all is lost. Ill just remember that for next time

thanks

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #14 on:** October 17, 2012, 03:01:25 pm »

where has my post gone of my new engine?

pettyofficernick · « **Reply #15 on:** October 17, 2012, 03:07:06 pm »

Hi Mike, there has been some problems with the server and the last week or so's posts have been lost. Martin, our hard working administrator is trying to recover them. Hope this helps,
Regards,
Nick.

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #16 on:** October 23, 2012, 11:19:51 pm »

I did upload my last engine but it seems that my latest posts have all been lost. For those of you who dont remember I built a v4 engine:

I also added youtube footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1uGDleN8mU&feature=plcp

Due to a maths miscalculation the engine ended being slightly too large and only just ran on the boiler i have. Also it was rather complecated and had many incosistances, binds and poor fitting parts throughout the engine where accuracy is paramount.

So Ive built a new engine, admittedly this is my 9th attempt at building a handmade self start engine. A 3 cylinder radial, much more simpler than the v4, probably not a conventional marine engine but does what I want it to do, i call it my mk9:

Ive also added a crude yet effective reverse and throttle valve which does the job. It wont be the valve that goes in the boat but a start none the less:

The engine is a lot tidier than my v4. Mucky because its lathered in grease and could do with a bit more bedding in yet:

you tube footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCwR6xaKI70&feature=youtu.be

pettyofficernick · « **Reply #17 on:** October 24, 2012, 08:20:00 am »

Good form! excellent job, What's next, a triple expansion recip with Sevenson's link reversing gear? If you use a light oil ( sewing machine oil, 3 in one ) instead of grease, there will be less drag on the moving parts, thus enabling better economy of steam. You have indeed come a long way since your experiments with plastic engines, well done.
Regards,
Nick.

essex2visuvesi · « **Reply #18 on:** October 24, 2012, 09:21:42 am »

Excellent work there mike... just goes to show live steam doesn't have to be expensive

I wonder what you would come up with if you had a bigger budget and a workshop lol

frazer heslop · « **Reply #19 on:** October 24, 2012, 12:22:40 pm »

Hi Mike, The engine looks great.Shows what can be done with hand tools and a lot of patience

Send me the flywheel sizes and I will knock one up
Only the ninth attempt I dare not say how many attempts Ive had and still trying

good luck

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #20 on:** October 24, 2012, 08:39:41 pm »

Quote from: pettyofficernick on October 24, 2012, 08:20:00 am

Good form! excellent job, What's next, a triple expansion recip with Sevenson's link reversing gear? If you use a light oil ( sewing machine oil, 3 in one ) instead of grease, there will be less drag on the moving parts, thus enabling better economy of steam. You have indeed come a long way since your experiments with plastic engines, well done.
Regards,
Nick.

thanks. When i was dreaming up how id build the engine I had the full intention of it being a triple expansion recip with stevensons linkage. My mk3 steam horizontal opened up all kinds of issues i hadnt expected to deal with and the consideration of a nice compound engine quickly turned to just a dream. It maybe can be done, but without the hi tolerances that can be provided with a lathe it would not produce any usable torque. I will look into sewing machine oil. At the minute its using a mix of axle grease on the port block, and bicycle oil on the pistons and crank. The thick grease helps a bit with keeping the steam in round the baggy areas until it runs in a bit.

Quote from: essex2visuvesi on October 24, 2012, 09:21:42 am

Excellent work there mike... just goes to show live steam doesn't have to be expensive

I wonder what you would come up with if you had a bigger budget and a workshop lol

I read the "begginers guide to steam" thread and was astounded by the colosal price tag of the live steam route. In all honesty to develop my designs into a usable engine it has been quite an expensive trip. I have spent on average £25 in brass and consumables per engine. If i had known in the first place the way to go then it would have been a lot cheaper. Granted i had the boiler given to me by frazer which helped enormously, but in essence it is a simple mamod type boiler and the sv vents at roughly 1 bar. You can pick up a mamod boiler off ebay for 30 quid and combined with 25 pounds of brass and 15 pounds worth of tools and consumables it is quite possible for anyone to build one of these for 70 quid. I hope one day i do have the budget and a workshop. It is a long way away but im determined.

Quote from: frazer heslop on October 24, 2012, 12:22:40 pm

Hi Mike, The engine looks great.Shows what can be done with hand tools and a lot of patience
Send me the flywheel sizes and I will knock one up
Only the ninth attempt I dare not say how many attempts Ive had and still trying
good luck

my v4 did test my paitence and addmitedly possibly the hardest thing ive ever made either proffesionally or for personal entertainment. It would have been a lot easier with a mill and lathe i lost count how many times the engine dropped to peices when i was soldering the last components on. I did nearly give up.

When i gather more funding im going to build a tug boat with these parts and with this boiler. Until then i fancy building a beam engine with the pile of scrap i have left over.

pettyofficernick · « **Reply #21 on:** October 24, 2012, 09:36:09 pm »

Hi Mike, keep at it. You can get different melting point soft solders http://cupalloys.co.uk/soft-solders-c41.html the process is called step braising, start with the higher melting point solder, then step down to a lower melting point solder, you wont have as many, if any, falling apart episodes. For a beam engine you will have to devise a Watt's Parallel Motion, an interesting exercise in its self, but they do look really good running slowly so you can see the motion . Has the book been of any help?
Regards,
Nick.

Mad_Mike · « **Reply #22 on:** October 24, 2012, 10:44:28 pm »

The book was of help but the builds in it require the use of tools which i just dont have. None the less its an educational read and i thankyou for sending me it. The solder i have been using is cheap lead free stuff, engines falling apart hasnt been so much of an issue that i couldnt handle. The problem mainly ive been having is drilling the holes and keeping the drill as perpendicular as possible to the flat sides of the brass bars. But overall the hardest part was making the crankshaft on the v4 and trying to get the shaft to stay concentric so that the input shaft of the crank was perfectly inline without the output side. i never did get it aligned, the 2 halves of the engine are mated by the crank pin of one lobe floating inside the hole of of another lobe. When i soldered it it wouldnt turn properly so floating and loose it remains:

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #23 on:** October 24, 2012, 11:30:38 pm »

Topic name changed.

pettyofficernick · « **Reply #24 on:** October 24, 2012, 11:31:48 pm »

Hi Mike, If you know any one with a pillar drill, you could get them to drill some squared off blocks of steel or brass With the sizes of drill you use most, and use them as guides for drilling by holding them flat against the part to be drilled, for multiple parts with , say two holes, like a crank, you could make a simple drilling jig, so all your parts are consistent.
Best wishes,
Nick.

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