Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Good afternoon from a wet Brooklyn

  I had a brain seizure and wound up with a flame-licker through Live Auctioneers.
Very cheap but....the shipping and fees were nearly four times what I paid for it!
No surprise.  Unfortunately, I missed the rough Empire submarine engine.  Asleep
at the wheel.  Another steamer on this site was hi-bidder for it and the rest of a
large lot.  Life goes on.

  Anyway, this engine looks like some parts of it are professionally cast such as
the engine body, flywheel, axle mounts, and connecting rod.  The head is definitely
homemade as is the crank throw.  The bits-n-pieces all move pretty well.

  So, any guesses as to provenance such as design or manufacturer?
 
  There is an adjustable knob at the top of the cylinder that pops up and down
  with each stroke.  It is not sprung.  What is a proper adjustment?  Maybe I
  just need to fuss till it works.  Tightly shut is definitely wrong.
 
  The sliding circular valve-plate moves smoothly against the side inlet port.  Its
  pressure against port face can be adjusted slightly and when it covers the said port
  it seems tight enough to seal.

  When rotated it does suck the flame in, but, no joy.

  I added some pix.

  Wayne

     

  Hmmm.  Burner position ok?  Must experiment with it.

  I tried moving the flame around a bit but it did not
seem to make any difference.  More flame, less flame,
here and there, all the same.  Frustrating as all the
bits seem to work as they ought with no binding.  Reminds
me of trying to get a messed-up Empire turbine to run.

  What about that adjustable screw on top of the cylinder.
If I screw it in completely the engine will not turn over.
It almost seems like an exhaust valve.  Maybe it ought
to have a spring that keeps it down between strokes.
Easy to mod with spring.

  Still, I think parts of it are made by a company, not an
at home hobbyist.  The flywheel and posts are very nice
as are the base and cylinder.  Who made this!

Checking the web for flame-eaters...
Wayne