The Return of No. 83, a Hot Air Engine

[vtsteam]

steadying hand pressure by increasing revs.

Have you tried clamping it down to the bench?

Russell

Heh, nope, Russell! 

[vtsteam]

I think I mentioned that the original intention was to run this little engine on wood. I wish I'd had the time when I first built it to make that possible.

Today I started making a little latch for the fire door on the firebox. I also began insulating the firebox. It will be insulated just like my melting furnace, but on a tiny model scale.

Here I've fitted a layer of fiber insulation to start with:

 

[vtsteam]

Working on my foundry is slowing me down on No. 83. I'm thinking about doing an iron casting to replace the brass power piston cylinder and displacer guide block. Foundry was in a sad condition, but have made big strides over the last few days

Back at it shortly.......

[jiihoo]

I am following with high interest.
I'd been ignoring MadModder for some time and when I started visiting again I found many interesting projects. This is one of them  .

[awemawson]

I’m watching with great interest but my get up and go to a large extent has got and gone! I do still occasionally power up the gen set for the induction furnace to blow out the cob webs and run the pump to raise water from the bore hole through the heat exchanger as this keeps the field drain return to the stream clear, but apart from sometimes raising a bar to red heat in the pot for a bit of fun it remains idle sadly.

[vtsteam]

Glad of the company, guys! 

Today I made an ashpan out of some scrap galvanized tin:

 

And put some "small logs" in it -- ya know, just to see what it looked like......


 

 

[vtsteam]

Well, then I kinda figured might as well light them and see what happens........

What happened was Number 83 took off at 1500 RPM and the base of the smokestack oxidized to a beautiful shade of purple:! Finally Number 83 was running on wood, after 18 years, doing what it was intended to do! 
 

[BillTodd]

Excellent 

[vtsteam]

Thanks, Bill! 

[shipto]

Brilliant. 

[Country Bubba]

Ah the sweet smell of success! Happy for you.
 

[vtsteam]

Thanks Dwayne, Country Bubba!