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Author Topic: Brad's Collection  (Read 4189 times)

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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #30 on: February 24, 2021, 03:54:52 am »
Some amazing builds Brad!

Is there more?

You have really built some fine engines. Way past my skills. I am a mechanic...not a machinist.

Thank you for sharing these treasures.

Being from Texas, I was particularly drawn to the Pump Jack. 🤠
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #31 on: February 24, 2021, 07:57:06 am »
There was a guy in Kansas who made the gearbox castings. So, I bought them from him. I made the patterns and castings for a Jensen shallow well pump gearbox, but I no longer have any.
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #32 on: February 24, 2021, 09:53:43 am »
I built this hit-and-miss gas engine from castings by Ted Young. I converted it to a vertical flyball governor controlled engine.
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #33 on: February 25, 2021, 09:17:58 am »
Hi Brad, Nice conversion on the young.

Did you by chance build an Essex hot air engine model?
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #34 on: February 25, 2021, 09:48:37 am »
I built the Essex fan and the full size Essex engine with castings from Myfordboy in the UK. Both very good runners.
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #35 on: February 25, 2021, 09:51:30 am »
Quote from: Brad on February 19, 2021, 11:28:03 am
By the mid 1970's, I had acquired a bench mill and then a floor model mill and my next engine was to be my first corliss engine. I used the Cole's castings and modified the design to resemble details on corliss engines that I had seen. I did keep the Philadelphia releasing gear. The Cole's corliss was designed by Paul Briesch in Pennsylvania. The design and patterns were sold to Charlie Cole and the rest is history. A project like this just has to be taken one piece at a time. The engine runs very well on air, with the releasing gear operating perfectly. This would not be the last corliss that I build, however. (Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

A little correction. The Coles Corliss was designed by Eloda Ray in the 1940's. Coles got it from him and began selling the castings and drawings in the late 1940's and early 1950's. In some the older Coles catalogs (#14, 15, 16) from 1950 thru 1956 the picture is of the one that Eloda Ray, aka Mr. A.W. Ray built and took a first prize in the Philadelphia Model Show in 1942.

Brad, your Corliss looks magnificent...!!!
Gil
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #36 on: February 25, 2021, 09:57:21 am »
Now you got me. I have to find my letter from Paul Briech that talks about his designing the engine. I know that Mr Ray is credited with it in my early Coles' catalogs. I wonder if Paul designed it for Ray?
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #37 on: February 25, 2021, 10:05:40 am »
The next engine that I built was the Essex hot air fan. The patterns were made by Norbert Keeley, who had bought a real Essex fan at a hardware store that was going out of business. He bought "a fan with no cord" for $5. When Norbert died, his engine patterns went to Myers Model Engine Works, where they are still dole today. It is a very nice running fan engine, with a very strange motion. Henry Essex designed his engines very differently then other hot sir engines. They were very efficient engines. The Essex fans never had a blade cage. They were sold as kitchen fans in about 1910.
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #38 on: February 25, 2021, 12:22:55 pm »
I looked up Paul Breisch's letter to me about the corliss. The patterns and engine was built by Alvin W. Ray, of Ohio, in about 1935. His wife Eloda checked the drawing dimensions. No castings were available, as the patterns were destroyed in a foundry fire. Paul's father got the drawings from Alvin and made new patterns. 3 sets were made and the patterns were destroyed in a foundry fire. After the war, Charlie Cole was contacting modelers to see if anyone had anything that he could sell. Paul put charlie in touch with Eloda Ray and Charlie made the 3rd set of patterns.

I, too had a set of engine patterns destroyed in a foundry fire, so it was fairly common.
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #39 on: February 25, 2021, 02:48:59 pm »
I once had a full set of drawings from the 1940's by Eloda Ray. I sent them off to Switzerland along with some castings nearly 20 years ago.
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #40 on: February 25, 2021, 03:32:29 pm »
Quote from: Brad on February 25, 2021, 09:48:37 am
I built the Essex fan and the full size Essex engine with castings from Myfordboy in the UK. Both very good runners.
Ok, I have to ask.... 

   Did you bring an Essex model to the American Precision Museum in Windsor Vermont a few years ago?

If so..... we have met!

Gil
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #41 on: February 25, 2021, 03:54:19 pm »
Yes, I brought my full sized Essex replica. Really enjoyed the show and wish it was two days. We took Amtrak from Milwaukee to Vermont.
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #42 on: February 25, 2021, 04:47:38 pm »
Quote from: Brad on February 25, 2021, 03:54:19 pm
Yes, I brought my full sized Essex replica. Really enjoyed the show and wish it was two days. We took Amtrak from Milwaukee to Vermont.
Then I do remember you!
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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #43 on: February 25, 2021, 05:52:11 pm »
Brad, You are right here in the first 35 seconds of my 2016 video of the American Precision Museum Show.

It's a shame they don't have that show any more. I agree it was too short and should last 2 days.

The show was doomed 2 years later when they moved the 2018 show date from late October -early November to August 18th.

I advised them this was a very bad idea and that given the major league competing shows that weekend, theirs would unfortunately be a bust. I let them know that on that weekend just about all of their exhibitors would be found at Rough & Tumble in Kinzers, PA and the remaining few would be mostly at the Mystic Seaport Museum antique marine engine show. This is one prediction I wish I got wrong. I spoke with a friend who attended and reported there were just 3 exhibitors including him and maybe a half dozen spectators. After that they decided to scrap the show altogether. A darn shame.

Gil


Here's the 2016 show video:

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Re: Brad's Collection
« Reply #44 on: February 25, 2021, 05:56:57 pm »
Great Stuff Brad & Gil!  :)  Small world!
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