OT--Steam Engine build

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:26 pm

Finally something different, i`ve been wanting to build this steam engine for about 18 years. Might as well get er done, it`s mostly wood and has a real odd valve arrangement. I saw one like it at a threshing show and thought it was really cool, the one i looked at was made by a guy named Oliver Evans in 1894 i believe.
So here`s the beginning, looks like an engine don`t it.

rodeo kid · Post by **rodeo kid** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:39 pm

Pitchy, you continue to amaze me! God Bless and good luck on your new project.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:38 pm

When TEOTWAWKI happens, meet at Pitchy's place

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:21 pm

Can hardly wait to see this Pitchy

1894 · Post by **1894** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:30 pm

I actually said to myself just before logging on " I wonder what Pitchys next project is gonna be ?? "
Looking forward to watching this one

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:01 pm

Thanks boys, figured ya were gettin a little sick of spinning wheels

Got a little done today, kinda a short stroke cylinder, 3 1/2 in but all its going to do is turn the flywheel. The cylinder is a air cylinder and is drilled and tapped on each end on the side for the plumbing, it will have rotery valves controlled by pegs on the flywheel spokes.

cshold · Post by **cshold** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:06 pm

Man this is going to be good, pass the popcorn

6pt-sika · Post by **6pt-sika** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 5:31 pm

Watcha gonna use for a boiler ?

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 5:34 pm

Pitchy,
What is the little green gadget?

casastahle,
Make an extra large batch of popcorn, I'll join you

Joe

6pt-sika · Post by **6pt-sika** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 5:40 pm

J Miller wrote: What is the little green gadget?

I wish I could see colors better !

It's things like this that pee me off when I have no idea what someone is asking about .

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:04 pm

J Miller wrote:Pitchy,
What is the little green gadget?
Joe

Pitchy wrote:Got a little done today, kinda a short stroke cylinder, 3 1/2 in but all its going to do is turn the flywheel. The cylinder is a air cylinder and is drilled and tapped on each end on the side for the plumbing, it will have rotery valves controlled by pegs on the flywheel spokes.

Yep, otter be neat! Whatcha gonna use for the pressure vessel? Surely knot wood?

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:06 pm

Green gadget is an industrial air cylinder, looks like a Miller brand but I cant be sure. basically a cylinder with a piston in it. The shaft extends or retracts depending on which side of the pistol you insert a fluid medium (like air). water and hydraulic cylinders act the same way. this one is front flange mounted.

Pitchey, I definately see where you are going with this one. very kewl.

O.S.O.K. · Post by **O.S.O.K.** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:11 pm

Cool! By rotary valves do you mean those centrifigal type regulartors with the spinning weights? Those are so amazine - simple design that works perfectly - as the weights pick up speed, they rise in their orbit and this closes the valve - thus regulating the speed of the engine.

Ok, a governor is what I'm talking about.... like this:

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:22 pm

O.S.O.K. wrote:Cool! By rotary valves do you mean those centrifigal type regulartors with the spinning weights? Those are so amazine - simple design that works perfectly - as the weights pick up speed, they rise in their orbit and this closes the valve - thus regulating the speed of the engine.

Ok, a governor is what I'm talking about.... like this:

They're called Flybball Governors. As it spins at an increasing rate, the fly balls are moved out by centrifugal force. They are hinged at the top, and as they move away from the unit, the top of the lever the balls are on moves downward. It presses on a valve stem that then decreases the steam flow to whatever is being powered. If the unit slow, the balls move back toward the center, removing pressure from the stem and more steam is supplied. They work really well on equipment that has a large fly wheel. I used to work with some pretty good sized Ingersoll Rand compressors that used these. And, they are a heck of alot more robust than some of the high tech digital gee wiz stuff thats out now. Heck, one machine dated back to the twenties.

And not to steal Pitchy's thunder, but I think he wiill be having a shaft coming out of the piston that engages protrusions on the outer circumferance of the flywheel. So each time the piston strokes, it pushes on a protrusion moving the flywheel, next stroke, it pushes on the next protrusion. You could still use a flyball governor to regulate the speed, but you would then need some sort of linkage from the flywheel to the governor.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:09 pm

Negitive jeepnik, this thing is really different, the valves that let the steam in and exhaust out is what i`m talking about. They will be a shaft in a cylinder , the shaft having a flat side on it. The intake hole will be on one side of the cylinder and exhaust on the other. The shaft will turn a half turn letting steam in then half turn letting steam out. There is a pulley on the end of that shaft at that cylinder end vof the engine. Just a little ways out from the center of the flywheel there will be two more pulleys, one on each side of the flywheel, they haqve pegs in the outer rim. The flywheel has pins on the spokes that hit and turn those pulleys a half turn one way then half turn the other way. Those pulleys are connected together with a rod and short piece of flat belt. Can ya picture it, very slow running engine, 35 rpm.
Got the cross head done and connecting rod.

I have a big flyball governer that i might try and hook up later.
Correct the green thing is a air cylinder and i will run the engine on air at first.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:19 pm

You da man!!

Is it gonna have a full or button mag??

O.S.O.K. · Post by **O.S.O.K.** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:55 pm

Well, regadless - it sounds like a very intersting gizmo.

1894 · Post by **1894** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 8:56 pm

J Miller wrote: casastahle,
Make an extra large batch of popcorn, I'll join you

Joe

Brought a few extra boxes

Who's got the soda ??

win38-55 · Post by **win38-55** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:55 pm

My Uncle was a steam engine building maniac. He loved all types as long as they were steam.
The place I go hunting at has most of his steam engines still there. It was his life's passion.
He really liked shay engines used for logging operations up steep grades.
He was a real great steam guy. I miss him.

flashpan · Post by **flashpan** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:46 pm

Very neat project Pitchy! Can't wait to see it progress!!!
I grew up with steam traction engines at steam and gas engine shows and later with my father-in-law and his three traction engines. Always have loved the smell of cylinder oil!

win38-55 wrote:My Uncle was a steam engine building maniac. He loved all types as long as they were steam.
The place I go hunting at has most of his steam engines still there. It was his life's passion.
He really liked shay engines used for logging operations up steep grades.
He was a real great steam guy. I miss him.

Also a steam train nut, I love the two cylinder, two truck Shay model!!! What gauge is it? Did your uncle fire with coal or oil or lp gas?

6pt-sika · Post by **6pt-sika** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:53 pm

Steam locomotives are cool !

However steam traction engines rule

Locomotives are to confined for me

Here's a picture from last summer of the one I owned 25 years ago !

flashpan · Post by **flashpan** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 11:00 pm

That's a good looking Frick engine!
My F-I-L has a 16hp Aultman-Taylor, a 19hp Aultman-Taylor and a 19hp Baker.

6pt-sika · Post by **6pt-sika** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:18 am

flashpan wrote:That's a good looking Frick engine!
My F-I-L has a 16hp Aultman-Taylor, a 19hp Aultman-Taylor and a 19hp Baker.

Used to be a pair of really nice 23-90 Bakers at Williams Grove PA back when I had this one !
And an older gentleman I knew who is now gone had a 12 HP Aultman Taylor his father had bought new at the turn of the century , he lived about 20 miles from me at the fott of the Blue Ridge mountains .

The Frick you see above was made in 1914 and was what Frick called an 8 1/2x10 . I also had a 1915 Frick 8x10 traction and a 1913 Frick 5x8 portable . Oh yeah and an old Frick 10x12 stationary engine that I had no boiler for . Now all thats stuffs gone and the heaviest thing I have to worry about moving anylonger is a gun safe

6pt-sika · Post by **6pt-sika** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:23 am

flashpan wrote:That's a good looking Frick engine!
My F-I-L has a 16hp Aultman-Taylor, a 19hp Aultman-Taylor and a 19hp Baker.

I almost bought a 1919 Frick 7 1/2x9 traction that was owned by a gentleman named Smith back in the 50's and 60's that was from somewhere in Ohio . After he passed they had it for sale in the Iron Men Album for $15,000 I think (that wudda been in the early to mid 80's) and I couldn't quite scrape up enough money at the time !
That Smith engine was in many issues of the Iron Men Album in the 60's and 70's . I wanna say the man went by J.P. Smith but I could be wrong as that was a quarter century ago .

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:02 am

Nice looking steam engines guys thanks for posting.

Should get the crank made today and maybe a couple of those four inch pulleys that drive the valves. Gotta glue up a flywheel too.

win38-55 · Post by **win38-55** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:07 am

flashpan wrote:Very neat project Pitchy! Can't wait to see it progress!!!
I grew up with steam traction engines at steam and gas engine shows and later with my father-in-law and his three traction engines. Always have loved the smell of cylinder oil!

win38-55 wrote:My Uncle was a steam engine building maniac. He loved all types as long as they were steam.
The place I go hunting at has most of his steam engines still there. It was his life's passion.
He really liked shay engines used for logging operations up steep grades.
He was a real great steam guy. I miss him.
Also a steam train nut, I love the two cylinder, two truck Shay model!!! What gauge is it? Did your uncle fire with coal or oil or lp gas?

Not sure on the gauge of the train. Tracks are roughly 8-10 inches apart and that train is about 4-4.5 feet in length.
He used coal to fire the train. That was 1 of 2 trains he built like that, and there are 2 others that were much earlier models
he built they are called Cli Shays, I do not have pictures of them right now on my computer if I did I would post them also.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:13 am

Hey guys just a note, don`t expect to much out of my engine compared to engines others built. This engine i`m building is very crude, it didn`t even have a governor on it. It is slow and mostly wood and will prob. do its best just to turn.
I like the crude oddity of it thats why i`m building it.

win38-55 · Post by **win38-55** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:25 am

Pitchy wrote:Hey guys just a note, don`t expect to much out of my engine compared to engines others built. This engine i`m building is very crude, it didn`t even have a governor on it. It is slow and mostly wood and will prob. do its best just to turn.
I like the crude oddity of it thats why i`m building it.

Dont worry about it just build what ever you want. It took my uncle a lifetime to build some of these engines.
None of them were weekend projects.

win38-55 · Post by **win38-55** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:36 am

Here is another of his that I have. It is actually really a neat little engine I have actually had it running on compressed air.

Runs like a champ.

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:15 am

Pitchy, you just build it and they will come.

I respect what you do because you can and you do it.

gimdandy · Post by **gimdandy** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:37 am

actually the raw simplicity of some of the things that you do are very much an attraction to your projects Pitchy
"thanks"

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:39 pm

win38-55 wrote:Here is another of his that I have. It is actually really a neat little engine I have actually had it running on compressed air.
Runs like a champ.

That`s a nice engine, they are fun to run on air and just sit and watch them turn.
Thanks Kim and gimdandy for the kind words of encouragement.

Getting the crank done today and some oilers installed.

flashpan · Post by **flashpan** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:55 pm

Hey Pitchy,
I love the stuff that you build and post on here!
And something mechanical doesn't have to be all shiny for me to appreciate the massive amounts of ingenuity that went into its build!
Please continue to build the wonderful things that you do, and please continue to share them with us too!

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 1:16 pm

Pitchy wrote:Negitive jeepnik, this thing is really different, the valves that let the steam in and exhaust out is what i`m talking about. They will be a shaft in a cylinder , the shaft having a flat side on it. The intake hole will be on one side of the cylinder and exhaust on the other. The shaft will turn a half turn letting steam in then half turn letting steam out. There is a pulley on the end of that shaft at that cylinder end vof the engine. Just a little ways out from the center of the flywheel there will be two more pulleys, one on each side of the flywheel, they haqve pegs in the outer rim. The flywheel has pins on the spokes that hit and turn those pulleys a half turn one way then half turn the other way. Those pulleys are connected together with a rod and short piece of flat belt. Can ya picture it, very slow running engine, 35 rpm.
Got the cross head done and connecting rod.

I have a big flyball governer that i might try and hook up later.
Correct the green thing is a air cylinder and i will run the engine on air at first.

Got it. I've seen some larger equipment with that type of steam drive. If I remember correctly, you have to give the flywheel a spin to get it going, then the driver takes over. The flywheel on the unit had a belt that drove a small positive displacement pump. It was used for supplying lube oil to some other equipment. This thing was in a refinery that dated back to the very early 1900's. Heck, we had valves with swaztikas on them from before WWII.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 4:03 pm

Thanks guys, i`ll have a picture or two a little later this evening that will show the pulleys on the flywheel end.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 6:11 pm

Ok see the two four inch pulleys one on each side. The flywheel goes between them and the inside side of each one has two pegs in it. The flywheel has a couple pegs in the spokes that come around and hit and turn those pulleys one way then back the other way. The outside of those pulleys have a flat belt screwed to them for about a foot towards the other end of the engine where the rotory valves also have pulleys on them. The have a belt around them also and the ends from the front to the back belts are connected with rods. So as the engine runs those pulleys turn back and forth which are timed right to run the engine.

Cimarron · Post by **Cimarron** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:50 am

It sounds like you are talking about a Corless pattern valve gear.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:49 am

Cimarron wrote:It sounds like you are talking about a Corless pattern valve gear.

Kinda i guess but near as complicated.
I`ll just have to wait until i get the valve built to show ya as i`m making it the way i think it will work. There are no plans for it, generally it would be a steam chest and D valve.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:37 pm

Bill in Oregon · Post by **Bill in Oregon** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 5:43 pm

Pitchy, you never cease to amaze! Can't wait to see how this turns out.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:42 pm

What Bill ^^^ said.

Joe

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:00 pm

Thanks guys, we even got a Governor, had this one laying around for years, it`s missing the valve but it will go around and look cool.
Paint it up a little of course.
I shot a little air in one end of the cylinder and round she went.
Heading to town tomorrow for plumbing stuff and have got a start on the valves, won`t be long.

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:33 pm

Pitchy wrote:Thanks guys, we even got a Governor, had this one laying around for years, it`s missing the valve but it will go around and look cool.
Paint it up a little of course.
I shot a little air in one end of the cylinder and round she went.
Heading to town tomorrow for plumbing stuff and have got a start on the valves, won`t be long.

Pitchy, that is one Old flyball governor. Where do you find this stuff?

cshold · Post by **cshold** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:34 pm

In all seriousness Pitchy you should & could have a hit TV show
Called "Pitchy's World"

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:09 pm

Commin along there pard!

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:32 pm

Don`t remember where i got the gov. when i was into steam real heavy must of bought it somewhere.
Thanks gents, may have it runnin tomorrow.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:04 pm

A start on the rotory valves.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:57 pm

Got hung up on the timing a little so didn`t get as far as i wanted today but did get half of the linkage done. You can see whats happening now as the pegs turn the pulleys they turn the valves. After i get the other side on then i mark the travel on the side of the valve cylinders for fittings for intake and exhaust.
Should be running tomorrow.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:11 pm

Pitchy,

This is one project that I will have to see the video to understand. So I'm waiting and anticipating

Joe

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 6:18 am

J Miller wrote:Pitchy,

This is one project that I will have to see the video to understand. So I'm waiting and anticipating

Joe

+1