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[DBS88]

Have you built or do you know someone who has built The Countess by Hemmens? The Hemmens brochure indicates the Countess was based on Deva built in 1886, however it may be a typo since there is a steam launch called EVA - I have not found anything about DEVA?. Also from the scale the original steam launch would have been 33 feet long. The aim is to locate and purchase drawings and or parts to build The Countess if possible, if not then to build a reimagined version of The Countess or a similar 33 foot steam launch, your suggestions will be both welcome and appreciated.
I have searched extensively for information on The Countess and here are the only two photos of The Countess that I have been able to find, any further photos or information about The Countess would be of great assistance, thank you.

[pipercub1772]

The hull looks like a slightly scaled up version of lady jane ,The only one i have seen was on display in hemmens  showroom at his workshop in Thorganby near York and no doubt it is the same model in both those pictures , I think if you could get a plan of Lady Jane and I'm not sure one was supplied with the kit it would be a simple task to get it enlarged ,Hope this helps
regards Allan . 

[DBS88]

Allan thank you for your suggestion it is appreciated. The Lady Jane is lovely, it is a different scale, its 1:6 with a length of 42 inches, Beam of 11 Inches and Draft of 4 inches, whereas the The Countess is 1:8 scale with a length of 50 inches, a Beam of 13 inches and a Draft of 6 inches.
It would be nice to find plans for The Countess or the boat that inspired the Countess design. As I say, despite extensive research, to find photos, plans and information about the Countess, I have found virtually nothing so I really do need help if this project is to come to fruition. The help I would most like is with the interior layout, the design of the cabin and seating etc.

[tonyH]

If you have a look through the index on this lot https://www.steamboat.org.uk/register.php you may find something that JH based her on and if, of course, the owner has plans..........

[DBS88]

Tony many thanks for the link and the suggestion. I have this morning had a look through the website and as you say, there are many boats from which to draw inspiration, I appreciate you taking the time to reply, its been useful, thank you.

[DBS88]

As an update I have recently been very fortunate and have sourced a Hemmens Countess Hull, so thank you for the messages and help with this so far, they have been very much appreciated.


My preferred option remains to build the Countess as Hemmens intended, so to achieve this I am looking for two things
1) the plans for Countess, and
2) the kit, fittings and materials as supplied by Hemmens for Countess


I know finding any of these is a long shot, but with your help, here's hoping, thank you,


Here are some photos of the hull and the V4 Max Steam plant sitting in the bare hull.

[rhavrane]

Bonjour David,

I would have been happy to help you, this brand didn't come in France as far I as know.

Besides this, I'm in awe of your steam plant, did you make a video of it running ? 

[pipercub1772]

Also how did you come across such a rarity .

[DBS88]

Re the engine and boiler for the Countess, I have long been looking for a Hemmens V4 Max and have lost out in auction a couple of times when I tried to buy one, so I was pleased to buy this one privately from a friend. It therefore makes sense to try and build Countess with he correct engine and boiler using the plans and parts from Hemmens. I have been working on the steam plant to decommission it, it had been stood for a long time, so checking and cleaning everything at the moment, so no video yet. That said it runs very well, in the meantime here are some photos of the masterpiece that is the Hemmens V4 Max.

[rhavrane]

Bonjour Lucky David,

You can't imagine how this amazing steam plant is rare in France. I've never actually seen one even if I am sure a few have been sold in France.

I'm afraid my wallet would have a meltdown if a copy would ever appear for sale here 

[1967Brutus]

Just out of curiosity: What is that open cup at the NDE of the engine?

[rhavrane]

Bonjour,
I see for open cups and think it is to oil the crankshaft, cylinder guides, connecting rod feet and heads.

[1967Brutus]

Bonjour,
I see for open cups and think it is to oil the crankshaft, cylinder guides, connecting rod feet and heads.

No, I mean the big red one at the non-flywheelside of the engine. Not the four small ones between the cylinders, those are as far as I can see indeed oilers for the crosshead guides.

[pipercub1772]

HI IT'S THE OIL RESERVOIR TO LUBRICATE THE MECHANICAL WATER PUMP AND ASSOCIATED GEERING IT USUALLY HAS A GLASS TOP ON A HINGE SYSTEM CONNECTED BY A BRASS OR BRONZE PIN VERY DELICATE AND OBVIOUSLY BROKEN
GREAT MACHINE BY A GREAT MAKER.

[KBIO]

Hello !
Simply an adjustable  mechanical oil pump to inject oil in the steam line. Very smart and very accurate !    DS88 will tell you more about it . He made the maintenance and knows it all !
Those Hemmens plants are on the top of the manufacturers ! They will last for ever !
Keep wam !

[1967Brutus]

Cool!

[DBS88]

Ok, here is a short version of a long story. The large red cup is a reservoir for steam oil. The engine drives two pumps, one for boiler feedwater and the second for steam oil. The steam oil from the reservoir is pumped into the steam line via a metering device, this is instead of using a displacement oiler. The metering device is set so the steam oil lasts between 60 and 90 minutes - I am currently resetting this so that it delivers the right amount of 200 grade compounded steam oil.
The small cups are for lubricating the slides and bearings with a light grade of machine/engine oil.
The Steam Oil reservoir does have a lid and yes the hinge was broken prior to me purchasing it. A friend in the club has machined a new hinge pin, I have removed the old pin and reinstalled the lid, the new hinge is awaiting a coat of paint.

[1967Brutus]

Oh my... a mechanical oiler... I am SOOOO jealouse...

I don't know what the volume of that oil cup is, but I have the feeling, the entire cup in 60~60 minutes is rather much.
My own machine is adequately lubricated with 1~1,5 ml of oil per hour. That is a 6,5 cc engine. I have no idea what displacement your Hemmens is, but I think that within reason a linear extrapolation (AKA: 0,25 ml per cc of engine displacement per hour) is good enough.

[DBS88]

The Hemmens Max V4 steam plant has not been manufactured for more than 30 years. In 1992, the steam plant cost $1800 the equivalent of £2800 or 3000 Euro in today's money. I waited a long time for this steam plant and if you are interested, I am happy to take you through what I am doing to return this 30 year old set back to steam and full working condition.



The engine is a V 4, it has 4 double acting cylinders. The bore is 9mm and the stroke is 15.8mm. The engine is a piston valve engine, the piston valves are stainless steel, the crankshaft is stainless steel running on roller bearings. The engine drives both a water pump and a mechanical lubricator for the steam oil. Lubrication of the trunk guides is via cup oilers and pipes fixed to the engine block. On a base board, with water in the boiler, the condensate tank and gas in the gas tank it weighs just under 5kg, so it's a substantial steam plant. The boiler is 80mm dia and 185mm long operating at 80psi. It will drive a 125mm dia prop.

[RobertC]

What a truly amazing engine, I have a max II and a Richmond but this is something else. I do hope you post a video of it running, best regards, Rob

[1967Brutus]

The Hemmens Max V4 steam plant has not been manufactured for more than 30 years. In 1992, the steam plant cost $1800 the equivalent of £2800 or 3000 Euro in today's money. I waited a long time for this steam plant and if you are interested, I am happy to take you through what I am doing to return this 30 year old set back to steam and full working condition.



The engine is a V 4, it has 4 double acting cylinders. The bore is 9mm and the stroke is 15.8mm. The engine is a piston valve engine, the piston valves are stainless steel, the crankshaft is stainless steel running on roller bearings. The engine drives both a water pump and a mechanical lubricator for the steam oil. Lubrication of the trunk guides is via cup oilers and pipes fixed to the engine block. On a base board, with water in the boiler, the condensate tank and gas in the gas tank it weighs just under 5kg, so it's a substantial steam plant. The boiler is 80mm dia and 185mm long operating at 80psi. It will drive a 125mm dia prop.

Damn! That is some SERIOUS specs, that engine there has...
Amazing bore/stroke ratio, real decent working pressure, and a mechanical set-up to make someone like me start to drool...

How much fuel does the gas tank hold? With those specs I would really hope 200 grammes or more...

[DBS88]

Re gas tank, at the moment a medium sized commercially available refillable gas tank is in use, that said, I have noticed that it does suffer from gas cooling when in use, but we can cover the gas system later on in the discussion.


Before we go too much further with looking at the renovation or recommissioning of steam plant for the Countess I must say thank you to a couple of people who also have Hemmens V4's, so my thanks go to both Markus and to Bunkerbarge for forwarding the instructions, which have been both helpful and appreciated.


After oiling the V4 Max engine, it turned smoothly by hand, however, it took a bit more force to turn it than I expected, there were no tight spots, it just felt tighter than anticipated. I connected an airbrush compressor and the engine ran both forwards and backawards, then slowed down. There was a clicking noise and I noticed that the mechanical oil pump was operating intermitanly, this appeared to be the source of the clicking noise. I found a small grub screw that connected the pump to the crankshaft was loose, I tightened the screw and tried again, the pump worked for a while then stopped, and the clicking noise returned, I therefore decided to remove the oil pump from the crankshaft and disassemble the mechanical steam oil pump. The engine turned over more freely without the oil pump.

[1967Brutus]

Just out of curiosity, how is the adjustment of the oilpump arranged?

[DBS88]

The oil flow into the steam line is controlled by a what is essentially a tap that allows the flow to be increased or decreased by screwing in or out a needle pointed valve. Will take some better photos and post them later. The grade of steam oil used by the previous owner is unknown and in any event, I disassembled the valve, so need am in the process of recalibrating the valve to the 200 grade compound steam oil that I am using. The system is currently using too much oil.


I had removed the oil pump to investigate a clicking noise and intermittent operation. On closer examination my impression is that the Oil pump is well made, the shaft driven by the engine, is a cam shaft or shaft with an eccentric lobe and is made of stainless steel, it is supported at each end in stainless steel ball bearings.


Initially, I thought the spring that keeps the pumps plunger in contact with the cam was too strong because the piston was stiff to move. Whilst the piston was removed, I polished it and after oiling and refitting, the piston moved freely. One problem solved. Next the grub screw that connected the pump to the engine was replaced with a larger diameter grub screw. I drilled and tapped the hole to 3mm and used a stainless steel m3 grub screw. So two problems solved.

[1967Brutus]

The oil flow into the steam line is controlled by a what is essentially a tap that allows the flow to be increased or decreased by screwing in or out a needle pointed valve. Will take some better photos and post them later.

If I understand correctly, the plunger brings up a constant volume, and the needle valve controls a partial return to the hoppertank?

That would mean that steampressure is of (some) influence on the effective oil flow?
Most probably it will work well enough and possible that influence is not even noticable.
Ingenious method of control.
Is the oil pump (the cam) running at full crankshaft RPM or is there a gear reduction?