Recent content by rhambus

Hey all, Thanks for the help here. I got some real time to work on this thing over the Christmas holidays and it is starting to actually get into shape. Picture attached. I have converted a Homelite string trimmer engine to run on a bash valve and it's working fine on 60+ psi of air. Pretty...

Thank you! I am still figuring all this stuff out. I actually have the ambition of hooking up an alternator to the motor once I get it going, so hopefully plenty of 12V will not be a problem. In fact, I am going back and forth on the idea of basically making this a steam-based hybrid, where I...

Thank you so much, folks, for all this advice! I think, as a good start, I will at least add a valve on the cold water side of the boiler tube - it can't hurt, and might help. Wish I had thought of that myself. Brilliant! Thanks vederstein. For fun, here's a pic of the boiler as of a couple of...

Thanks, I just bought the flash steam book. Is there any reason the air compressor type valves, or even hot water pressure valves, would not work on steam? I am worried about pressure only, not temperature, as the temperature can immediately be dropped by my just cutting off the gas. I would...

Hey all, Long time lurker, first time poster. I am in the process of building a monotube flash steam boiler, hopefully to drive a small kart-type of car. (I am aiming for 1hp). I am in the process of pressure testing the various pieces and it is going fine, but I am having real trouble trying...

Gyoung, I have been looking into steam cleaners. I may be able to get a 1.4 gallon model. What pressure do you run yours at to run your 2hp engine? The one I am looking at has a gauge that goes up to 100 psi - I don't know the actual max of the pressure vessel.

I presume you mean something like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-CD-NELSON-CL2020-LOTUS-STEAMSHINE-tm-JEWELRY-STEAM-CLEANER-STEAMER-/111030523191?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d9ef5537 No used ones on eBay now, but I will keep an eye out.

OK, GYoung, you rule. That is a great idea and I will investigate that. Tin Falcon, with regard to the idea that running an alternator would make an easier load, that's exactly what I was thinking. While it would be cooler to have it be all mechanical linkages, on the scale I am talking about...

I looked up the process (thanks, sticky post author!) and it actually is not too bad in North Carolina. For a monotube boiler I don't think I can put on a sight glass or fusible plug, which it asks for, but hopefully the inspector would know and understand that. Any reason I could not use a...

Boiler certification? Is that for me or for the boiler? I can't imagine any boiler I would make would be certifiable (I mean, I am just some guy), even though I plan to make it as safe as is practical to do so, so I do not die or need skin grafts. I probably would not take this on the public...

I am new to the steam power game and am interested in building a steam powered vehicle. My current idea is to use a golf cart chassis, and use a 1hp steam engine from Mike Brown or such to run an alternator that would charge the golf cart batteries. So, basically, a "hybrid" steam powered...