Steam Engine Cylinder Lubrication

[dsenechal57]

Question for the folks who are running model steam engines on compressed air. How are you lubricating the cylinder? Is there an easy way? From what I understand, a displacement lubricator works only with actual steam. Thanks!

 

[Raygers]

I generally just squirt some into the air line before starting, I do have an inline oiler that I have yet to fit, it's meant to oil air tools so it should work with an engine.

 

[dsenechal57]

I'd considered squirting oil in the air line, but it would then go through the moisture trap and I didn't know if that might be an issue or not.

Great idea about the air tool inline oiler!! I'm off to see what I can find. Thank you very much for your reply.

 

[Raygers]

I'd considered squirting oil in the air line, but it would then go through the moisture trap and I didn't know if that might be an issue or not.

Great idea about the air tool inline oiler!! I'm off to see what I can find. Thank you very much for your reply.

Place the oiler after the moisture trap.

 

[dsenechal57]

That's what I was thinking. Assuming that the orientation of the oiler doesn't matter. My intent would be to install it just above the water trap, as shown on the attached photo.

 

[Richard Hed]

That's what I was thinking. Assuming that the orientation of the oiler doesn't matter. My intent would be to install it just above the water trap, as shown on the attached photo.

That's a Coles/Ray Corliss. You CHEATER! You didn't build that steam input valve. I myself consider it to be a clumsy, unnecessarily difficult valve myself, however, I am determined to build at least one ( I need two) but As my analytical mind hates any time when a fluid is shot thru to a "bounce" place and shunted thre or fouir times before getting where it is used. In this Coles Ray Corliss, I'm sure A.W. Ray (not Eloda who I thimpfks was his wife) didn't know enough theory or at least maybe a little math. It seems to me a simple ball valve should work fine, (am I wrong?)

Well, I worship A.W.'s original drawings but they certainly are not perfect. I thimpfks that A.W. must have been self taught (Like Grandma Moses' paintings, who was self taughgt and now her paintings sell, for MIl,lions!) A.W.., I thimpfks must have been a talented amateur at the least, or more likely a talented person who never got a chance to go to engineering school.

Anyway, I have made what I consider to be many improvements, lmostly tiny, such as rounding corners where steam jpasses, and angles or curves where steam blasts straight in to a flat an bounces back (in the cylinder steam input slots). Tiny improvements can create higher efficiencies with little effort.

BTW, can we see more photos or maybe a vid of it running?

 

[dsenechal57]

That's a Coles/Ray Corliss. You CHEATER! You didn't build that steam input valve. I myself consider it to be a clumsy, unnecessarily difficult valve myself, however, I am determined to build at least one ( I need two) but As my analytical mind hates any time when a fluid is shot thru to a "bounce" place and shunted thre or fouir times before getting where it is used. In this Coles Ray Corliss, I'm sure A.W. Ray (not Eloda who I thimpfks was his wife) didn't know enough theory or at least maybe a little math. It seems to me a simple ball valve should work fine, (am I wrong?)

Well, I worship A.W.'s original drawings but they certainly are not perfect. I thimpfks that A.W. must have been self taught (Like Grandma Moses' paintings, who was self taughgt and now her paintings sell, for MIl,lions!) A.W.., I thimpfks must have been a talented amateur at the least, or more likely a talented person who never got a chance to go to engineering school.

Anyway, I have made what I consider to be many improvements, lmostly tiny, such as rounding corners where steam jpasses, and angles or curves where steam blasts straight in to a flat an bounces back (in the cylinder steam input slots). Tiny improvements can create higher efficiencies with little effort.

BTW, can we see more photos or maybe a vid of it running?

Interim "cheating" only. That valve is a temporary stop-gap until the real thing is ready to go. Probably a month or two. Or three. Doing this allows me to actually run the engine without fiddling with the blow gun on the air compressor. It's a very good valve, actually, and a temptation to leave it in place, as I doubt the "as designed" version will work as well. Around $8 on amazon. BTW, I'm modifying the "as designed" valve to put the threads in the bonnet, rather than the bonnet extension. As designed, I could imagine nothing but air leaks where the valve stem passes through the bonnet. I'm also removing the threads at the end of the bonnet extension, leaving just a straight 1/4" hole, so those threads won't be fighting with the threads in the bonnet. Placing the threads in the bonnet should go a long way in sealing things up. At least I hope so.

 

[Jasonb]

I just put a drop of oil into the engine side of the connection before I connect the air hose, good enough for an hour or so of display running. So if it has some hard plumbing I'll add the oil there or if the hose is being screwed into the valve chest then oil goes into the chest. The small engines I usually use silicon hose for the last bit of air hose so putting the oil before that will make it swell so something else to bear in mind depending on what you use as hose

The low pressures and often small volume of air model engine suse compare dwith air tool soften means an inline oiler won't pick up any oil.

 

[GreenTwin]

The low pressures and often small volume of air model engine suse compare dwith air tool soften means an inline oiler won't pick up any oil.

LOL, I had to translate that last sentence.

"The low pressures and often small volume of air model engines use compared with air tools often means that an inline oiler won't pick up any oil."

.

 

[Richard Hed]

Interim "cheating" only. That valve is a temporary stop-gap until the real thing is ready to go. Probably a month or two. Or three. Doing this allows me to actually run the engine without fiddling with the blow gun on the air compressor. It's a very good valve, actually, and a temptation to leave it in place, as I doubt the "as designed" version will work as well. Around $8 on amazon. BTW, I'm modifying the "as designed" valve to put the threads in the bonnet, rather than the bonnet extension. As designed, I could imagine nothing but air leaks where the valve stem passes through the bonnet. I'm also removing the threads at the end of the bonnet extension, leaving just a straight 1/4" hole, so those threads won't be fighting with the threads in the bonnet. Placing the threads in the bonnet should go a long way in sealing things up. At least I hope so.

YFeah, I thimpfks that that valve is not really a good design, however it is "Ffun" to make, or should I say "challenging". I have to finish makikng a radius turner before I can proceed. Yes, the threads in all the places needed are a big challenge for sure. That's where "standardization" comes ikn handy. I have replaced all those threads with MY standard size of X-32, that is 32TPI for anything that calls for small threads.

 

[HMEL]

That's what I was thinking. Assuming that the orientation of the oiler doesn't matter. My intent would be to install it just above the water trap, as shown on the attached photo.

Orientation does matter because gravity is used in many of them to capture heavy oil droplets. The instructions will identify how they can be mounted. Some may not be sensitive to orientation. Just went through that in another application.

 

[Richard Hed]

Interim "cheating" only. That valve is a temporary stop-gap until the real thing is ready to go. Probably a month or two. Or three. Doing this allows me to actually run the engine without fiddling with the blow gun on the air compressor. It's a very good valve, actually, and a temptation to leave it in place, as I doubt the "as designed" version will work as well. Around $8 on amazon. BTW, I'm modifying the "as designed" valve to put the threads in the bonnet, rather than the bonnet extension. As designed, I could imagine nothing but air leaks where the valve stem passes through the bonnet. I'm also removing the threads at the end of the bonnet extension, leaving just a straight 1/4" hole, so those threads won't be fighting with the threads in the bonnet. Placing the threads in the bonnet should go a long way in sealing things up. At least I hope so.

BTW, how did you manage to get that kit? there just aren't any out there to find.