Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Steam => Topic started by: muleears on September 26, 2012, 09:16:50 pm
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Below are pics of the engine I just acquired. I shouldn't post pics of it till I've cleaned her up a little. Has significant dried oil etc. on her. A little time and some Brasso on the Dremel and I'll have her bright and shiny. Now my questions: It doesn't have the reversing gear, how/what/where can I find this and is it hard to retrofit? I am told it has never been run, only a display (hence the wooden stand). The last two pics show where a bolt was not installed, apparently due to clearance issues, is this normal or a problem? I have the original blue prints and parts list that came with it also. I may clean it up and sell it, or put it one my desk at work. Seems a shame not to put it in a boat though. I just don't have anything as large as this can push. Comments are encouraged!
(http://s12.postimage.org/s93xbzj8p/SAM_2986.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/s93xbzj8p/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/z0uceu889/SAM_2987.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/z0uceu889/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/3v5n4cm5l/SAM_2988.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/3v5n4cm5l/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/yqrf98izt/SAM_2989.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/yqrf98izt/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/n2xdeotux/SAM_2990.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/n2xdeotux/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/4omuaphk9/SAM_2991.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/4omuaphk9/)
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Looks good, A bit o polish and it will soon be shiny. You could email Stuart Models re the reversing gear as they stock spares for all their products. A study of the drawings will show you what is involved with the reversing arrangements.
Regards,
Nick.
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Hi, reversing gear kit for the Stuart Twin Launch engine is not available which involves new eccentrics, different
eccentric rods & shorter valve rods, someone may have an old casting set which may have these parts, but they will
have to be machined as well as the reverse quadrants and linkage.
The casting set for my engine did not even include the crankshaft material.
Mick
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Thanks for the information Mick. I guess I'll have to pursue other means if I need it to go backwards... What about the missing bolts? Are they a serious problem?
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the missing set screws holding the exhaust manoifold could be a problem, if you get exhaust leaks.. It looks as if you may have to fit the manifold to the cylinders before you put them on the standard.
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Hi,
Reversing can be done with a reversibg gearbox (see those sold by Mainsteam).
This engine asks for a large boiler (see the Maccsteam 6 http://www.maccsteam.com/Horizontal_Marine_boilers/Six_inch/Six_inch.html )...
I am currently building one from an old kit for the fun.
This needs a lathe and mill and a lot of TLC and planning.
Some parts (fixings and loleplate are available from Stuart).
The complete kit (and all parts)will be available by the end of the year I believe.
Alain
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Below are pics of the engine I just acquired. I shouldn't post pics of it till I've cleaned her up a little. Has significant dried oil etc. on her. A little time and some Brasso on the Dremel and I'll have her bright and shiny. Now my questions: It doesn't have the reversing gear, how/what/where can I find this and is it hard to retrofit? I am told it has never been run, only a display (hence the wooden stand). The last two pics show where a bolt was not installed, apparently due to clearance issues, is this normal or a problem? I have the original blue prints and parts list that came with it also. I may clean it up and sell it, or put it one my desk at work. Seems a shame not to put it in a boat though. I just don't have anything as large as this can push. Comments are encouraged!
(http://s12.postimage.org/s93xbzj8p/SAM_2986.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/s93xbzj8p/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/z0uceu889/SAM_2987.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/z0uceu889/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/3v5n4cm5l/SAM_2988.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/3v5n4cm5l/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/yqrf98izt/SAM_2989.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/yqrf98izt/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/n2xdeotux/SAM_2990.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/n2xdeotux/)
(http://s12.postimage.org/4omuaphk9/SAM_2991.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/4omuaphk9/)
Cal,
I hate to dampen your enthusiasm but my advice would be to polish it if you wish and use it as a paper weight on your desk, or a door stop to your W/Shop.
The quality of machining is very poor and as you say it has never been run to which I am not surprised, if you look at the con rod at the opposite end to the fly wheel it is very much out of line, at first I thought that it was an optical illusion but it's the same when you look at the other pic from the other side.
As Mick says the parts for the reversing gear are not available and on buying the kit from Stuart he found that all the bits for the Stevenson reverse gear was in bar form and had to be individually made and I doubt that the new owners will not have any parts for this engine available for a long time.
TOBYKER has pointed out the difficulty of the exhaust flange bolt, even if you did as he suggested if there was still a leak the whole process would have to be repeated.
The nut on the top of the column is not to the drawing ,it's far too big and it should be 5 B.A. so it will be very difficult to get a bolt in.
The cylinder head casting for this engine is notoriously poor with the steam and exhaust ports very much cast out of line making it impossible to time the engine, Mick and myself had to make plates with the ports properly machined and planted on to the ends of the cylinder head in order to get the engine to run in forward and reverse, this is a common complaint on various forums of people who have built this engine.
If you decide to sell this engine I would advise you to be clear that it's a non runner as it could cause you no end of grief.
Here is a pic of the engine with the reverse gear showing all the levers that have to be individually made.
George.
(http://s12.postimage.org/vn43h0ad5/Completed_6.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/vn43h0ad5/)
(http://s7.postimage.org/vaejmizxj/Completed_4.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/vaejmizxj/)
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Just to add, if you want to fit reversing gear, if you got a copy of the drawing of the parts, you could look at getting them water jet or laser cut blanks.
Regards Ian.
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Out of curiosity, I plugged it in to my little airbrush compressor. It did run but slowly. About 50rpm I'd say. I don't think the compressor produces much though and I don't know the pressure so I don't really know much more. I guess I now have a nice conversation piece. I think chasing down the parts for the reversing gear would be a waste of time. I'll clean it up as best I can then decide what to do with it. Thanks to everyone for the input.
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Out of curiosity, I plugged it in to my little airbrush compressor. It did run but slowly. About 50rpm I'd say. I don't think the compressor produces much though and I don't know the pressure so I don't really know much more. I guess I now have a nice conversation piece. I think chasing down the parts for the reversing gear would be a waste of time. I'll clean it up as best I can then decide what to do with it. Thanks to everyone for the input.
Good decision Cal !!
Save the time and the cash for something else.
George.
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If you really have your heart set on running it in a boat you could outfit the boat with Kitchen Steering Gear (Rudder).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWJX_Ada-JU
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_rudder
Regards,
Gerald.
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If you really have your heart set on running it in a boat you could outfit the boat with Kitchen Steering Gear (Rudder).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWJX_Ada-JU
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_rudder
Regards,
Gerald.
Thanks Gerald, I had seen the Wikipedia definition but I hadn't seen one in operation. Thanks for the link. Somehow I don't think this engine will ever see the inside of a hull, most likely a shelf or desktop... {:-{