finally finished my first steam engine :-D

[jonogt]

http://tinyurl.com/djbyyp

will add commentary a little later when I have time 

[Darren]

Well done, but does it work 

Is that a pressure cooker I see there, you could say that engines on the boil.....

And pray what is the mercury for?

I have a record player tonearm that uses mercury for the electrical contacts. It's open too, no sealed. Imagine selling a product like that today.
My mercury also lives in a sealed container.
Funny stuff init.....

[Brass_Machine]

Heck of a boiler you got there. What kind of pressure does that thing run? You are being safe as steam isn't forgiving?

Got any vids of it running?

Eric

[sbwhart]

Well done that man 

Nice bit of work, like the idea of using the pressure cooker to steam it, can you explain a bit more what you've done I'm very interested.


Cheers

Stew

[Bernd]

Unique design and boiler.

If I'm right that gage shows it can go to 200PSI. Not very good for a pressure cooker. Although I see that you still have the rubber plug in it (about 7 o'clock). That would blow out at 20PSI if I remember right from the wifes pressure cooker. Still an aluminum pressure cooker for a boiler, that's a lot of volume of steam should it go south on you.

Awaiting your commentary on the pics, should be interesting.

Bernd

[jonogt]

Thanks for all the replies guys   

I should have made a note... that tinyurl at the bottom of the post goes to a video on my photobucket of it running.

http://tinyurl.com/djbyyp

the thing shown is indeed an aluminum pressure cooker.  I was on a time crunch to get this finished and I had it from a previous project so it was a good quick alternative to actually building a boiler. 
I took off the nipple that the regulator weight dances around on, redrilled the hole, tapped it for 1/4" NPT, and then rigged up the brass fittings you see there.  It's meant to operate at 15 psi, but the safety plug is good to about 20 as Bernd said.  The smallest pressure gage I could readily find went to 100 psi, but I got the 200 model by mistake.  It's a pain to read when I'm not looking past 20, but I probably won't bother replacing it unless I can find one that goes to 50 or so.

The inlet was kind of rough to build.  I wanted a way to be able to quickly attach and detach the copper tubing for ease of transport and storage.  That's a 3/4" x 4" pipe nipple with female caps on both ends.  I drilled a hole in one of the caps which would align with the inlet hole on the manifold and installed that saddle valve on the other end.  Then I JB-welded one end to the manifold with the holes lined up, and used the saddle valve mounting hardware to hold the other end securely in place.  This allows me to screw on the compression fitting with the copper tubing without having to worry about breaking the airtight seal of the JB-weld joint.  I think it turned out looking quite a bit nicer than I'd expected (-: aside from the grey of the JB-weld of course.

that saddle valve makes it kind of hard to say exactly what the operating pressure range is, because the pressure on the gage on the PC will be higher than what's going into the engine unless the saddle valve is completely open.  To ballpark it though, I'd say it needs about 3 psi to start and then can run smoothly from 2 to 15.  Beyond 15 it leaks a lot around the valve surface.  Next time I have it out I'm going to put a stiffer spring on and see if I can get some improvement there.

The bore is 3/8" and the stroke is about 1/2".  The piston is actually a dowel pin from ACE hardware.  I'm not sure how these are made, but drilling it for the connecting rod was nearly impossible it was so hard.


So all-in-all, I'm learning and observing safe tinkering when using steam, I'm pretty satisfied with this as a first engine, and I'm havin' a good time :-D.  Let me know if I missed any other points of curiousity.  Hopefully i'll have another model to show here before too long.


Thanks for the advice and knowledge that aided in my success 
-Jon


PS:  I don't really have a use right now for the Mercury, I just think it's fascinating from a chemical point of view.  Someone I know had gotten ahold of some of it from his work, and he sold me 150 grams of it for $15!  I had no idea how great of a deal this was at the time, so I was quite pleased when I found out (-:

[PTsideshow]

As to your mercury, since it is a hazardous controlled substance. And can cause a lot of headaches if some body you know blows the whistle. You may what to keep it out of further pictures. Having been involved in 2 mercury spills at work the last costing north of 6 figures to have a certified company come out and do a clean up and tests to clear the area. Even the amount in a thermometer medical or other wise can cost $1,000 -$2,000 to clean up in a home setting. If its on a rug the whole rug goes into special hazardous waste container pacs then has to be transferred to a landfill that accepts the material.  6 years ago it was  about $250.00 a pound for the weight of the container and material plus hazardous waste material  transport charges.

For the school district I worked for 2 12 inch long chemlab type thermometers, cost $2,500 to dispose of not counting the 6 figure clean up costs.

You have to be careful when using a air pressure gauge as a steam gauge. More so with out a siphon or pigtail to keep water between the working parts of the gauge and the steam. Steam can damage the internals of the gauge and cause false readings. Something else to consider when using a pressure cooker, which is designed to only release a limited amount of the water/steam from inside the container. Which the steam is processing food.
You have no way of knowing how much water is still in there. Since you are taking steam out of a closed system. Steam expands from water around 1100 times the volume of water. It is a misnomer to call it an explosion,It is properly called Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE).
Steam that is superheated which happens in a pressure cooker. Will cause scalding burns deep with in the body to the bone. Before you can react. It isn't a burn so much as boiling the flesh, which doesn't recover.

We had an accident at the ford motor company power plant in Dearborn about ten or so years ago. The lucky ones where the ones that died at the time of the accident, the one guy was scalded over most of his body lived for a couple of days and the doctors said no amount.
of pain killers would help.

Here is a link to a steam tractor accident in Ohio a couple of years ago http://www.doli.state.mn.us/boilerohio.html

Here is one news report of the human toll
MEDINA, Ohio (Reuters) - Investigators on Monday examined the wreckage of an antique steam-powered tractor to determine why it blew up at a county fair, killing four and injuring dozens more with flying shrapnel and hot oil. Nearly 50 people were injured in Sunday's blast, including two policemen who

were standing alongside and children who suffered burns and broken bones.

Many bloodied victims were also blackened by soot. "The state fire marshal's office is looking into a cause," said Medina County Sheriff's Chief Tom Miller. Four men were killed by the explosion -- Cliff Kovacic, 48, who was believed

to be the driver of the steam engine; his son, William, 27; Dennis

Jungbluth, 58; and Alan Kimble, 46.

Among the victims were exhibitors bringing animals into the fairgrounds, as the blast flung chunks of metal as far as 100 yards.

Organizers of the weeklong county fair delayed the official opening for two hours on Monday because of the accident, a fair spokeswoman said. The fair was expected to attract more than 100,000 people.

This isn't something to scare you, but to remind you and others on this forum and the GUESTS that view these writings. Small as they are they ARE NOT TOYS ! Steam is full scale steam with all the intendent dangers and hazards.

Do not hap haphazardly hook up steam generating vessels other equipment without fully thinking about reactions.

glen
Detroit Michigan 1st license stationary engineer 32 issues

[sbwhart]

Thanks for showing us this, it brings you into focus with the dangers of some of the things we get up to, and informs us not to take risks.

Thanks Again

Stew

[jonogt]

What exactly do you mean by someone blowing the whistle about the mercury?  It's legal to possess (atleast in my area... a lab supply store nearby even sells it), and I do know of its toxicity and the bad noise that follows if you have a spill.  I keep it in that glass vial set in the back of a heavy duty bookshelf.  While this may not be top-notch storage, I honestly beleive it to be sufficient.

On the pressure gauge issue, would adding a simple pigtail siphon be enough to consider my readings accurate?  Are the little gauges that come on ready-made engines safe to use directly against steam, or do they have a siphon too?  Any idea where I could get one of those?  The smallest one I can find is about 1.5" face diameter.

You are correct in that I don't know how much water I have left in the PC at a given time.  I fill the vessel about 1/8 of the way with water, and even after running the engine for a half hour I can hardly notice a decrease in the volume.  I have no intents to run this one any longer than that or without constant monitoring, so I'm not to worried about such sudden irregularities.

I'd love to stay on to continue this discussion, but for now I must sleep.

cheers,
-Jon

[PTsideshow]

What exactly do you mean by someone blowing the whistle about the mercury?  It's legal to possess (atleast in my area... a lab supply store nearby even sells it), and I do know of its toxicity and the bad noise that follows if you have a spill.  I keep it in that glass vial set in the back of a heavy duty bookshelf.  While this may not be top-notch storage, I honestly beleive it to be sufficient.

On the pressure gauge issue, would adding a simple pigtail siphon be enough to consider my readings accurate?  Are the little gauges that come on ready-made engines safe to use directly against steam, or do they have a siphon too?  Any idea where I could get one of those?  The smallest one I can find is about 1.5" face diameter.
cheers,
-Jon

As with things legal but frowned on. The Government can cause problems when you have an item or material with out legitimate use for it. Your placing it in the picture is what makes it suspect. There is no point for it to be there! Most here are old enough to have probably played with it in their hands at one point in school. Once it is posted on the internet it is there forever even if it is removed from the source.

You piss off somebody and they call the local fire dept that you have spilled it in the past etc and bingo Hassle, time and money all gone.

There will be a new problem with mercury in a few years, with the new light bulbs as there is a very small amount in each one. It is the additive effect that causes the problems.

As to the gauge, it is an air pressure gauge not designed or intended for steam! If you go to PM Research they have the gauges and sized siphons. Due to the materials used in the gauges for air may not hold up to repeated use.
http://www.pmresearchinc.com/store/home.php?cat=117 here are some and one type of siphon.

http://www.pmresearchinc.com/store/home.php here is their home page.

No connection other than a satisfied customer.

I can't give any more information on the gauge as I have only air compressor by Campbell/Hausfield  with two of the on it and they came out of the box off the mark so to speak.

The other thing is for the guests that maybe reading your thread might need a heads up on some of this information. Nothing worse than somebody using a old used gauge because the needle moved when air applied so it should be ok!

glen

[Bernd]

Jon,

The design of the engine is quite unique. Did you think this up or is it a composite of several engines that you used to build this?

May I suggest you get a ball valve to control the steam/air to the engine. You won't burn your fingers on the hot handle.  Any hardware store or home center should have those.

Regards,
Bernd

[jonogt]

I see where you're comin' from now man... thanks for the heads-up, I needed it    I was taking my photos and saw it on the shelf and figured I'd add a little mischievous pep to things.  Most here are old enough to have played with the stuff in their hands; I'm young enough to impulsively think it's a good show n' tell item for the internet 
So to whom it may concern:   The substance is in a glass vial with a teflon sealed cap.  It resides in a location that is safe from accidental contact and naive curiousity.  It has not been opened since the day I filled it.  It will not be opened unless a specific need arises.  I obtained it purely for the marvel of chemistry that it is, and have no intentions of doing anything even slightly risky with it.  If an authority should see a need to confiscate it for public health and safety then I will hand it over.  No more photos of this, or any other edgy stuff, will be seen in my posts on these forums.


I'll take a look at those links later today.  If nothing else, I may just remove the gauge, and build a setup like what the PC originally had... a specific weight that sits on a hole of specific size and uses simple gravity by holding the steam back until the pressure is enough to lift the weight.  Again I'll ponder that later today.



Thanks for the tips, and thanks again for the heads up about posting edgy stuff.

-Jon



PS:  Bernd, I do have a ball valve at the tee coming off the pressure cooker.  I use that as course adjustment, and that little saddle valve as fine adjustment.  The saddle valve is actually crap for fine adjustment, but it's good enough.  The way i set up the intake with the pipe nipple and all I thought of on my own... the rest of the engine is kind of a melting pot from different plans and photos I've found on the internet.  I hope to start on my next engine soon, so I doubt I'm going to mess with improving much on this one, except for specific safety stuff with the pressure cooker.

[sbwhart]

Hi Jon

Most of us chaps run our engines on compressed air:- it's not without its own particular hazards, but its a lot safer than  using a boiler, if you can get your hands on a cheep compressor I would do.

Have fun

Cheers

Stew

[Bernd]

Jon,

Great. Your next engine, a plan from the mind or follwoing a specific plan?  

And we will require the obligatory photo assay along with your build sequence to see how you progress.

Regards,
Bernd

[jonogt]

sbwhart -

In my quest through youtube videos and online tutorials I have observed compressed air to be highly favored.  The first time I ran my engine, right after I finished it, was off a compressor in the shop.  Nothing had been adjusted yet and I was using cheap multi-purpose household oil as lubricant, and it still ran easier and smoother than I've gotten it to run on steam...I didn't have to worry about not touching hot parts or getting sprayed with steam, and it didn't make a big wet mess...I was walking around with a big stupid grin all day.............. 

But I couldn't bring myself to call it a steam engine.  I couldn't even call it a finished project.  The reality that its operation was completely dependent on a bigger and better piece of equipment (the compressor) kept me from getting a good night's sleep!  A few days later I got it crudely hooked to the pressure cooker... so crude and unsafe that that setup was never photographed, hopefully creating a means to an end of such compromises... and tried it out.  It was noisy and frequently spat hot water in random directions, not to mention an immediate 2 foot radius of soaked carpet surrounding the table it was on.  My roomate and I were literally ducked for the cover of our futon, like mobsters in a gunfight hiding behind a dinner table tipped on its side........... 

Through all this chaos and the cleanup that followed, I could not stop giggling with delight.  NOW I had built a steam engine.  Shortly after that I changed it into the current setup seen in the photos and things are 20-fold easier and safer.  It has to be set up tinkered with a bit and it still has some unexpected hot parts and it still can't run as fast or as smooth as it did on the compressor, but I'll forgo these luxuries to watch the little thing sputter and chug along the way its full-sized ancestors did in days of old.


I just realized what an excessively long and borderline cheesy/poetic response that turned into.  do feel free to chuckle about it if you are so inclined



Bernd -

The next one is formulating about like this one did... studying many different plans, photos, descriptions, etc of models LIKE what I want to build to get a good understanding of the physics, then change it up based on materials I have, what I want it to look like, and what performance I want from it.  I'll be opening a different thread in the design shop or somewhere with some questions about it soon, as the gallery isn't really the place for planning future projects.  As you might guess from my response to sbwhart, it will be run mainly on steam, not compressed air.  I do however plan to BUILD a boiler for it, rather than improvising with the pressure cooker.  And yes, I'll try to take photos of the process, not just the finished product


cheers,
-Jon

[Bernd]

Jon,

Here's a nice thread on building a boiler by a chap called Firebird over on the HMEM forum. It's a long read, but he did a nice job of building a boiler. You don't need to build one this fancy but it'll give you some insight as to the makings of a model boiler. Here's the URL: http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2092.0

When you get to this part of the build ask lots of questions. I'm sure some of us older pharts will be able to point you in the right direction.

Bernd

[PTsideshow]

Here is a couple of books on model engineering. http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=420.0

The the next two are on flash steam generation water in steam out non pressure vessel they are available on the used book sites and may being reprinted. Bogg and some of the other Old pharts from across the pond can speak to the thousands that have gained their knowledge from these books.
Along with a host of other books on projects from the pages of the village press and the greats of model machining. all the way back to page 11. Welding and other metal working books with brief descriptions.
glen