My Second Steam Engine (double acting)

[devrimcamoglu]

Hello again, my third project is double acting steam engine with reverse gear. I found some plans about this project on an old (1947) Popular Science Magazine. Link: 1947 Popular Science Vertical Steam Engine

Actually I like Stuart No 1 engines but importing casting kits to Turkey is expensive because of castings weight. Then I decided to convert this project to Stuart No 1 Style and make this converted project by myself from steel and brass.

As you can see, these two machines are very similar actually but differences are measurements, machine's body and reverse gear's designs.

Start Up:

First of all, I converted measurements to metric system then started to machining from crank shaft. Maybe it is a strange startup but I wanted to start from hardest piece of project. I preferred to make crank shaft from monolithic steel part.

I made crank shaft's body from a cylinder block by using my 180x300 Optimum lathe. Then I machined crank wheight couple's dead space by my BF 16 Quantum Mill and shaped T form. After, drilled two eccentric holes from center of part's sideways and mounted to lathe with these holes again.

After numerous minutes, finally crankshaft finished. But when I cut ends of shaft and mounted to lathe again, I saw a little oscillation and after few balancing efforts, everything is O.k.

 

[devrimcamoglu]

Push Rod and Engine Base

Secondly I machined push rod by lathe and mill. Crankshaft beds are made from brass. After a few thoughts about engine base, for making base without casting, I decided to make engine base from multiple parts that mounted to each others via bolts. For this purpose, started to machining side parts from 10 mm steel.

Greasers, beds and bolt's head pieces made from brass.

Cylinder and Engine Body

Side parts of base made from 20 mm steel and machined up sides for mounting body columns.

Stuart N0 1's Main body column made from 15 mm tickness steel by drilled holes and filing. Cylinder bored and honed. Top and bottom taps also made from steel by lathe.

After mounted body columns, base and cylinder, I made face plate for valve box on cylinder and drilled cross holes to cylinder for feeding cylinder's air rooms.

 

[Mechanicboy]

Nice work! Which cylinder and piston material is used in your steam engine?

 

[devrimcamoglu]

Thank you for your comments. Cylinder is made from steel but actually I dont know material number properly. Piston does not exist just now, but it will be brass.

 

[Herbiev]

Wow. Great looking engine. Great workmanship. Thanks for sharing.

 

[toolznthings]

Very nice job !!

 

[devrimcamoglu]

Thank you for nice comments Actually I want to work much more on this project. But I have to go work every day. This project made on my weekends.

Flywheel:

I tought too much on flywheel because I didn't want to superficial job via only machining to block steel. Therefore, I decided to get ready casting flywheel at the internet and then contacted to Gary Martin from Martin Model. I preferred extra weighted and wide bronze flywheel. Flywheel's radius is 3 5/16 inch. That diameter is a little bit smaller (as proportional) than original Stuart No 1's flywheel. I made this choise consciously because this engine will be a Marine Engine finally. You know, marine engine's flywheels be smaller but wider generally. By the way, I want to thank to Gary for casting nice and high quality flywheel.

I started to machining from front face of flywheel then machined outer surface of wheel and finally drilled hole of shaft to 10 mm radius.

Finally I mounted that nice flywheel to engine. Meanwhile, I found to chance to make name plate of marine engine by reducing a brass plate with acid mixture (PCB making method: 3 sulphuric acid + 1 hdyrogen peroxide)

 

[Mechanicboy]

Thank you for your comments. Cylinder is made from steel but actually I dont know material number properly. Piston does not exist just now, but it will be brass.

Air pressure no problem..

In case you are running the steam engine on steam:

Cylinder -->Piston
Cast iron - brass or bronce (+ O-ring if required)
Cast iron - cast iron + piston ring in cast iron
Bronce - brass (+ O-ring if required)
Brass - Bronce (+ O-ring if required)

The cylinder/piston in cast iron withstand superheated steam. Important to lubricate conserving oil after use to prevent rust.

Valve --> Cylinder

Bronce - cast iron
Brass - bronce
Bronce - brass

Different materials running togheter will last long. Same material togheter is not good to run together and will be worned down.

 

[devrimcamoglu]

Thanks for comments and informations Mechanicboy. Because of my restricted production abilities, I can't make castings, welding or hard soldering. My shop is in my appartment (sixth floor) and unfortunately we don't have any balcony.

As I mentioned, my Cylinder made from steel currently and piston will be brass with teflon piston rings. I think this combination will not be a problem but surely rust is will be a serious problem for cylinder and piston's rod if I put engine to work with steam. In this case, I plan to put engine to work with lubricator and when working process ended, I can eject condensed water via ejection valves from back side of cylinder and then I think to drying completely with a few air pressure.

Valve Chamber, Valve Rod and Chamber Cover with Stuart Emblem:

If you recall, Previously I had completed face plate of Valve Chamber on steel cylinder. After that, I made a rectangular box for slide valve from steel block.

After machining, drilling and mounting slide valve chamber, I masked Stuart Emblem on chamber cover with an isolation tape. Even though this engine is not real Stuart, I think, have to pay respect to design of Stuart Turner. After masking all of cover, it is ready to acid development.

Steel reduced 1 mm in 15 minutes approximately and nice Stuart Emblem appeared on cover.

 

[cwelkie]

Thank you for sharing your very nice work. This is larger than what we usually see from an apartment shop! Very nice work on the etchings.
Charlie

 

[Swifty]

Very nice job, I certainly like the acid etching, I can see that I will have to give it a trial some time.

Paul.

 

[gus]

Very nice job, I certainly like the acid etching, I can see that I will have to give it a trial some time.

Paul.

Would like to try etching,if I can work around the tough laws we have on dangerous chemicals. Just imagine Gus was licensed as a private individual to buy two part chemical for packing foam when I was with Ingersoll-Rand S.E.A.
I could end up in jail for spills.

 

[devrimcamoglu]

Would like to try etching,if I can work around the tough laws we have on dangerous chemicals. Just imagine Gus was licensed as a private individual to buy two part chemical for packing foam when I was with Ingersoll-Rand S.E.A.
I could end up in jail for spills

Actually, these two chemicals (sulphuric acid and hdyrogen peroxide) are trading in Turkish grocery stores freely. Watered Sulphuric acid as closet cleaner and hydrogen peroxide (known as perhidrole) as hair color lightener. Because of this, we don't need any licence to use these chemicals. Probably this stuation is bad for safety, but good for me because providing is easy.

Machining Eccentric Rods:

I needed a boring head for drilling wide holes to brass eccentric beds. Fortunately I have made my own boring head for directly mounting to milling chuck.

Two eccentric beds made from brass.

Reverse Gear Mechanism with Eccentric Rods:

I mentioned before that I will convert project's Gear Mechanism to Stuart No 1's style. For this purpose, I designed and scaled reverse gear mechanism via arranging plans.

Left: Parts of Converted Reverse Gear Mechanism, Middle: Gear Lever, Right: Second Eccentric Rod.

Final View of Gear Mechanism:

Final view of mechanism with engine is below. Even mechanism cobbled together, it is giving an idea to us about engine's final view.

I hope it will work good. Because I don't make any trial yet. Piston and piston rod are not exist just now.

 

[devrimcamoglu]

Another important issue about this Marine Engine Project is a propeller. I decided to add a propeller to this engine as a model item. I mean this propeller will not be functional principally. Hence, I don't have to use a rustproof screw shaft for it.

Casting Screw Propeller:

Generally, real working model propellers are made from a part of brass cylinder as a body and three or four brass wings that mounted with solder to this body. But I don't like this kind of screws and I decided to seeking a model casting screw at yachting stores. Then, luckily I found a little screw propeller as a desktop ornament for yachts from a seaside town (Karakoy) in Istanbul. (finished parts is below)

Ornament Screw's body was a little bit eccentric from center of wings. Probably producer has ignored that because it is an ornament. But I had to care this because of it will turn on the engine shaft approximately 1500 RPM. Then, I mounted screw to lathe and moved screw's midpoint to center of wings. This process was a little bit hard for me because process forced me to filing wing's bases for shaping nice connection radiuses. For the purpose of mounting screw to engine shaft, I must made an ordinary coupling part and a carrying stand for screw shaft bed.

Now this is the important Question for final view of Engine;

Which side of engine must be propeller side ?

Different views of connection is below.

Option 1: Propeller is in front of the Engine. Or;

Option 2: Propeller is at the backside of Engine.

Could you please tell me your opinions about it ?

To be Continued..

Cheers,

Devrim

 

[Mechanicboy]

For my twin steam engine who has cylinder bore 3/4" x stroke 3/4" will drive the 4 blade propeller at 100-130 mm. In fact the steam engine has very big torque from 0 rpm. Also the propeller is too small for your steam engine. The pitch/diameter must be larger since the steam engine is slow running (Do not think of hydroplane running above 200 km/t with high speed steam engine with flash boiler). Steam engine horsepower determined by the size of the vapor pressure, also larger horsepower out of boiler ---> more horsepower out of steam engine.

 

[devrimcamoglu]

For my twin steam engine who has cylinder bore 3/4" x stroke 3/4" will drive the 4 blade propeller at 100-130 mm. In fact the steam engine has very big torque from 0 rpm. Also the propeller is too small for your steam engine. The pitch/diameter must be larger since the steam engine is slow running (Do not think of hydroplane running above 200 km/t with high speed steam engine with flash boiler). Steam engine horsepower determined by the size of the vapor pressure, also larger horsepower out of boiler ---> more horsepower out of steam engine.

Thanks for useful informations Jens, meanwhile, your steam boat looks nice. Apparently, you used it in water before.

I agree with you about engine's torque - propeller dimensions ratio. I know, making a real marine engine is a serious job and needs some calculations and experience but I have to say that, I don't have any experience on working with steam before and actually I don't have a boiler for producing steam. I think to put engine to work with air pressure firstly.

Choosing propeller has occured incidentally when I saw propeller on a little yachting shop. I haven't had too much choices about finding casting propeller and I bought it. In future, if I will decide to make a steam boat, I will purchase Stuart D10 like you. Current project is a little bit working desktop ornament for me just now.

Devrim