Unknown castings
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GWRdriver
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Hi A1,
I've never seen these particular castings before so I can't identify them, but I will make a few observations. The first thing that strikes me about them is the trunk guide casting looks to be quite robust and nicely formed but the main bearing posts lack meat and don't look to be of the same robustness as the trunk so one might question if they even go together. But for the moment let's assume they do.
The second thing is, assuming the trunk guide and the bearing post are separate castings, the trunk is positioned far too close to the crankshaft center. When a cross head runs in a trunk guide the angularity of the connecting rod must to be accounted for and in order to do that the crankshaft is usually 2X or 3X the stroke away from the end of the guide. As it's now positioned the connecting would foul the guide on each stroke, but I realize you may have positioned them as they are for the photo.
The other thing is I think the long platform-like extension on the bearing post base isn't for the trunk guide but is in fact for a pad for a water pump (most likely) or other auxiliary which is to be driven by an eccentric on the crankshaft. This casting could be positioned so as to put the platform on the near or away side of the crankshaft with the eccentric either inboard or outboard the bearing.
I tend to look at castings with an eye toward how well they will portray, or "support", a relatively faithful model. In this case, if you fabricated a decent cylinder, and got yourself a nice spindly-spoked flywheel, this trunk guide will "support" a very convincing model indeed. Not so much the bearing posts. That's all I can reasonably deduce from what I see in the photo and I hope this is of some help.
I've never seen these particular castings before so I can't identify them, but I will make a few observations. The first thing that strikes me about them is the trunk guide casting looks to be quite robust and nicely formed but the main bearing posts lack meat and don't look to be of the same robustness as the trunk so one might question if they even go together. But for the moment let's assume they do.
The second thing is, assuming the trunk guide and the bearing post are separate castings, the trunk is positioned far too close to the crankshaft center. When a cross head runs in a trunk guide the angularity of the connecting rod must to be accounted for and in order to do that the crankshaft is usually 2X or 3X the stroke away from the end of the guide. As it's now positioned the connecting would foul the guide on each stroke, but I realize you may have positioned them as they are for the photo.
The other thing is I think the long platform-like extension on the bearing post base isn't for the trunk guide but is in fact for a pad for a water pump (most likely) or other auxiliary which is to be driven by an eccentric on the crankshaft. This casting could be positioned so as to put the platform on the near or away side of the crankshaft with the eccentric either inboard or outboard the bearing.
I tend to look at castings with an eye toward how well they will portray, or "support", a relatively faithful model. In this case, if you fabricated a decent cylinder, and got yourself a nice spindly-spoked flywheel, this trunk guide will "support" a very convincing model indeed. Not so much the bearing posts. That's all I can reasonably deduce from what I see in the photo and I hope this is of some help.
GWRdriver
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A1,
Hmm . . . well I still don't recognize any castings, but it looks to me like you have two trunk guides now, . . . and I think I see a light counterbalance between flywheel spokes at about 2:00 which says to me this flywheel is either for a hit & miss/oil engine or a Stirling hot air engine.
Hmm . . . well I still don't recognize any castings, but it looks to me like you have two trunk guides now, . . . and I think I see a light counterbalance between flywheel spokes at about 2:00 which says to me this flywheel is either for a hit & miss/oil engine or a Stirling hot air engine.
GWRdriver
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A1,
It looked familiar, but initially I wasn't sure, but I can now identify one of the castings in your photos. The larger, longer trunk guide in Photo #2 appears to be for a model "Lane & Bodley" Corliss engine (ca.1870) built in about 1935 by Charles Heckel and subsequently published in 1938-39 in the now long-defunct "Model Craftsman" magazine. Heckle revised his drawings in 1953 and the entire Heckel construction article and drawings were reprinted in Live Steam Magazine in 1991. Casting sets in bronze were sold for $225 per set by a foundry somewhere in Illinois in the early 1990s and I hear that some sets were also poured in cast iron. This is a large and complex model engine and I have only ever seen one completed and operating example. I still can't identify the other castings although I can say they are not a part of the Heckel Corliss.
It looked familiar, but initially I wasn't sure, but I can now identify one of the castings in your photos. The larger, longer trunk guide in Photo #2 appears to be for a model "Lane & Bodley" Corliss engine (ca.1870) built in about 1935 by Charles Heckel and subsequently published in 1938-39 in the now long-defunct "Model Craftsman" magazine. Heckle revised his drawings in 1953 and the entire Heckel construction article and drawings were reprinted in Live Steam Magazine in 1991. Casting sets in bronze were sold for $225 per set by a foundry somewhere in Illinois in the early 1990s and I hear that some sets were also poured in cast iron. This is a large and complex model engine and I have only ever seen one completed and operating example. I still can't identify the other castings although I can say they are not a part of the Heckel Corliss.
GWRdriver, did you build that engine, Lathe Nut
GWRdriver
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LatheNut,
No, it was built by John McDivitt of Sarver PA. Sadly John is now deceased. I saw several of John's models and all were beautifully done. I photographed this model at NAMES maybe 20 years ago and always thought I'd like to have a go at one someday.
No, it was built by John McDivitt of Sarver PA. Sadly John is now deceased. I saw several of John's models and all were beautifully done. I photographed this model at NAMES maybe 20 years ago and always thought I'd like to have a go at one someday.
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