Stuart Triple Expansion Engine

[Mechanicboy]

How much are you willing to pay
Alec Ryals

Dear Charlesfitton and other folk who need help to build ..

The risk you can get:

Bad work with the parts of steam engine caused unskilled man who need money.

You are working with your own steam engine and save money and preventing a lot of problems caused by unhonest/unskilled model engineer who need money.

Also You are developing working techniques and developing the knowledge to produce parts with machine tools. You are planning how to create parts good time before you start machining the parts of cast iron/bronce and other parts of solid material to finished product. It is not enough just machine tools, you must also create special tools to keep parts that can not be set up on a machine tool. After you has done with the triple steam engine: You are a skilled model engineer.

It took me almost a year and six months to do the triple steam engine almost done. Remaining parts for drag links, vacuum pump / water pump and steam pipes. This is the cause of planning of work for each parts and creating special tools before I could work for each part. It's not as easy to build as fast as a simple oscillating steam engine.

Hope you understand why it costs much time and money for an honest model engineer to help you build a triple steam engine.

 

[Alec Ryals]

Im going to ask 10K for mine almost done! a lot of work ! and a lot of time!
Alec Ryals

 

[Mechanicboy]

How to make exact measure of the flange in mass production, see picture.

The centering plug to keep the flange centered before drilling the fastening hole on cylinder block/steamchest.

The last picture of the flange is the special tool where you can connect the air pressure to the cylinder and adjust the timing and test running in I.P cylinder and L.P cylinder. The H.P. cylinder has treaded hole to connect to boiler, use treaded connection to air pressure and adjusting timing and running test.

To running test for each cylinder: Remove the two connecting rod to other cylinder who is not in use (due less load caused by friction), the cylinder who is under test/adjusting timing must have connecting rod to run the steam engine. Also you are adjusting/running the triple steam engine as if it were "one cylinder steam engine".

After each cylinder has correct timing and running test for each cylinder is done, mount all connecting rod and the two manifolds on place and the triple steam engine is ready to run.

 

[Alec Ryals]

Hello Jens,
I Love your work , did you use gun blue the on the castings Looks Great! Thank you So Much for the timing method this is what I used on my Compound engine and it worked great! On Steam I assembling my unit after 3 years of of and on machining etc.
Thank You
Alec Ryals

 

[Alec Ryals]

Here are a few photos of how i made my valves with a forming tool.
Alec

 

[Alec Ryals]

Here is how I did some parts of the reverse linkage in a four jaw.
Alec Ryals

 

[Alec Ryals]

Well im almost done with assembly but noticed there is not enough travel in the double lead reversing shaft, so I will make one with more thread, has anyone else incountered this ?
Thank You
Alec Ryals

 

[Alec Ryals]

Here are some more photos of my machining setups
Alec

 

[Mechanicboy]

Hi, i had it very difficult to bend the pipe in correct size and radius after the method from ModelEngines. Info. The main problem is bend radius who is "sharp" corner and the results is flattened bend caused by too little radius. Tried both with/without sand inside + hot from blowlamp to prevent buckling the bend in sharp corner. Then i increased the bend radius (1/4" -> 7/16" for 1/4" pipe and 5/16" -> 9/16" for 5/16" pipe) and got a bend without buckling with own made special tool for bending the pipe + sand inside and hot from blowlamp. The special tool has right length between the flanges who is fastened direct on steam engine. Do not rely on drawing in length between flanges depending on various of length between the hole for flanges for each steam engine created by difference model engine builder. Measure first between the flanges before make a special tool for steam pipe with right distance.

 

[rhankey]

Well im almost done with assembly but noticed there is not enough travel in the double lead reversing shaft, so I will make one with more thread, has anyone else incountered this ?
Thank You
Alec Ryals

Mine worked out to have about one revolution more travel than really needed. If you don't want to make another 2-start reversing shaft, the other option might be to make the reversing lever (part 33) slightly shorter.

 

[rhankey]

Hi, i had it very difficult to bend the pipe in correct size and radius after the method from ModelEngines. Info. The main problem is bend radius who is "sharp" corner and the results is flattened bend caused by too little radius. Tried both with/without sand inside + hot from blowlamp to prevent buckling the bend in sharp corner. Then i increased the bend radius (1/4" -> 7/16" for 1/4" pipe and 5/16" -> 9/16" for 5/16" pipe) and got a bend without buckling with own made special tool for bending the pipe + sand inside and hot from blowlamp. The special tool has right length between the flanges who is fastened direct on steam engine. Do not rely on drawing in length between flanges depending on various of length between the hole for flanges for each steam engine created by difference model engine builder. Measure first between the flanges before make a special tool for steam pipe with right distance.

Nice collection of pretzels you have there. ;-)

I remember fretting over how to make those two tubes for some time, as I was determined to nail the radius bends given in the plans so the pipes would remain close to the cylinder heads.

I was able to achieve the 1/4" and 5/16" radius bends with only one unsatisfactory bend attempt by drawing the annealed tubes over a wheel of the appropriate diameter (1/2" and 5/8" respectively) into which I'd machined a semi-circle groove to tightly fit the tubing. I used another wheel with a matching semi-circle groove to draw the tubing around the inner wheel. In total, I needed 2 pairs of wheels to handle the two different tube diameters/bend radiuses. The resulting cross sections of the bent tubes were just slightly oval from the very tight radius bends (not really visibly noticeable), but not kinked. I tried frozen soap water in the tubes, but with such small diameter tubes, the ice thawed in a minute or two. Sand is probably a much better bet. There is no way in heck I'd want to attempt tighter bends than shown in the plans, as I felt like I was pushing the ragged edge of what was achievable.

 

[Alec Ryals]

Thank You Very Much
Alec Ryals
Palo Alto, Califorina

 

[Mechanicboy]

Finally steam pipes finished after silver brazing and polishing was performed.

 

[Alec Ryals]

Hello All,
Does any one know ere I can get a 9/0 tapered reamer for the reversing mechanisms that come with the kit,
Thank You
Alec Ryals

 

[Mechanicboy]

Hello All,
Does any one know ere I can get a 9/0 tapered reamer for the reversing mechanisms that come with the kit,
Thank You
Alec Ryals

I am not sure, you mentioned the tapered pins to lock the reversing link arms parts number 33 and 32 to the reversing link shaft part number 54?

Take contact with the seller: [email protected] Here is the catalog where the 9/0 taper reamer is listed: http://www.gammons-catalog.com/store/pc/PDF/helicaltaperpinreamer_a1.pdf

In case the small tapered reamer is not available, then it is not difficult to make the small tapered reamer, see the picture. The material is silversteel/drill rod.

 

[Alec Ryals]

Beautiful job on those crossover pipes did you use the aluminum piece as a mandrel or a template on my compound engine I built it was a tough one getting it right but had no template .
Thank you
Alec Ryals

 

[rhankey]

Here is a photo of the pieces of the tube forming jig I made to bend the two steam tubes for the triple. For each tube, I had to make a bending form with correct bending radius, a clamping block, and a roller. The three parts are grooved for the diameter of the tube being bent. As I mentioned previously, this jig allowed me to get the very tight radius bends shown in the Stuart drawings without any kinking. I did anneal the tubes first.

 

[Alec Ryals]

Well I've been able to get each cylinder to run Okay in one direction but won't run in reverse, there must be a fine line here ?
Any Help would be Greatly depreciated
Thank You
Alec Ryals

 

[Mechanicboy]

Beautiful job on those crossover pipes did you use the aluminum piece as a mandrel or a template on my compound engine I built it was a tough one getting it right but had no template .
Thank you
Alec Ryals

Thanks I used the aluminium template to form the required radius and correct length between the flanges.

 

[Mechanicboy]

Well I've been able to get each cylinder to run Okay in one direction but won't run in reverse, there must be a fine line here ?
Any Help would be Greatly depreciated
Thank You
Alec Ryals

Check the excenter sheaves is in center to crankpin.

Check the length between big end and small end of excenter connecting rod
is same for all 6 excenter connecting rod. Use the plate with centerpin for little end and the sheave for big end (fixed length between centerpin and sheave) and check the length is exact for all 6 con. rods. Check the drag link is in correct measure, let us say the drag link bow and fastening hole is in correct in distance measured in radius between the bow and fastening hole. Fault adjusted valve can give bad reversing but not stopped in this direction. Stopped direction means it is some fault in total length between excenter big end and valve rod.

The other alternative: With draglink and the two excenter rod ---> The centerpin in the drag link bow and both con. rod big end in same bolt fixed on the template. Then move in both directions and check there is not variation of length. Variation of length ---> fault length of con. rod or distance between drag link bow and bolt hole.