Recent content by reubenT

Hi Ola and Thorsten. I do find some interesting things here. While I end up doing tiny things on occasion I'm not a model maker, do things a bit larger usually with strong interest in steam. But usually doing all kinds of things other than steam. Do have a steam engine powered off road...

There are lots of options, many options are boring old common stuff. (like a gas engine generator) but for a pleasure trip something unique would be far more interesting, like campfire powered generator, a sterling would be interesting, one end in the camp fire the other side in some cool...

I went with a 2 piece vise to allow maximum work clearance. Got a used one from an ebay seller cheap because it was missmatched, just had to mill down the high side. But I have full size machines, don't know how small they make 2 piece vices.

I have used hall effect devices to trigger several applications, You can use them to trigger anything with the right associated switching electronics. In hall effect devices there are those that trigger with south pole, north pole, both, latching and non latching. The latching ones take one...

Don't have pictures of it, but several years ago I was setting up a small foundry, built a cupola with two 55 gallon barrels and got it just about ready to use, about 13" inside dia, made a power sand mullar and molding bench, even made a stairway and platform to feed it from the top since...

Modern lifestyle and diet is messing up a lot of us. While modern medicine keeps us going awhile, the quality of life is questionable at times. Watching it all and researching the causes behind it all, I have decided to do something about it. First I'm going to aim at growing all my own...

Some boys have the mechanical aptitude and some don't, but back in the age of rapid mechanical progress, (mid 1800's to mid 1900's generally) It seemed there was much increased interest among boys in such things., maybe just because that was what was in front of them to grab their interest...

Yah. The old medium size engines usually run around 250 RPM. I've considered many options. Kind of settled on about 5" piston size and maybe 1000 RPM. Direct coupled to transmission of a 4x4 truck. Thought about using poppet valves too. Slide valves don't like much over 200 PSI. If I...

It's nice work. I'm glad someone is still interested in steam engines. I want to make a twin double acting someday, maybe 20 HP in size, and pretty much all in cast iron. (put the charcoal cupola to work) Haven't decided on exact configuration, whether side by side or opposed or V twin...

A 4" I got from Grizzly with 3 indexing plates was usable but not perfect, the rotation was tighter on one side than the other. When tight enough to not have lash on the loose side it's pretty stiff on the other. But it wasn't so bad as to be unusable. I tried Grizzly because I figured...

I'm in Tennessee as well, some couple hundred miles west of ya. and my interest has been working size boiler builds, something I can run an off road truck/tractor with. Chug around the woods and collect it's own fuel, winter heat for the house, plus wood to make charcoal for biochar and...

Try it if it's too hard to get something better, use antiseize on all points of possible seizure. While aluminum is not as strong as iron, (I think there's an aircraft alloy that's real close) if it's not in a application that is all that critical it won't hurt to try it. It's not like...

if you ever used one by hand, the difference is clearly obvious. a little rocking motion saws much faster than strait back and forth. Even a modern chain saw will do a bit better that way, especially as it gets just a wee bit dull. (but not enough to warrent sharpening yet) less distance of...

The bigger business gets the more it runs as a money game. extract the most possible from the consumer while spending the least possible in raw materials and labor. Any bumps in the economy is a good excuse to push prices up, and keep them up as long as possible after the bump, at least...

really good looking engine, steam power is fun no matter the size. Steam can be done crude and with little for tools, as an example of a young man from russia did. Doesn't look like a very safe boiler, but I heard he did do adequate job of pressure testing it to well over operating...