Post by: Nick on February 01, 2020, 03:54:42 pm
Great to see it running for the first time in many years 8)
Thanks for keeping us updated Tony :)
Post by: Tony Bird on February 01, 2020, 11:08:45 am
https://youtu.be/jkGxGVEZVJI
Regards Tony.
Post by: Tony Bird on February 01, 2020, 03:50:05 am
Well, I made quite a lot of progress yesterday: all the brass/bronze bits have been cleaned and the rusty steel work blackened. The cylinder has been lapped; out of interest its stroke is 1.3/4” and bore 5/8” (46 x 16 mm), the cylinder port faces and valve have been polished. The lagging surprisingly; went back on the cylinder, gaskets were made and the engine was assembled. The parts of the engine went back together quite well the positioning of them on the wooden base took some time, they were first held by wood screws to check alignment, when happy these screws were replaced by screws with nuts. This took some time as the beam had to be removed a few times to allow the base to be drilled. I am not keen on wooden rather than metal bases as the drill holes tend to wander if drilling jigs aren’t used also the wood can contract allowing the parts to become loose at a later date. With all the valve gear connected the engine was turned over using an electric drill, there was no major binding there was a bit of a knock, but the big end bearing is a bit over size, if it irritates me, I will line it. It was getting late and from experience I know that trying to time an engine isn’t sensible; it can be frustrating at the best of times, maybe today?
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Tony Bird on January 30, 2020, 12:14:29 pm
Its is over two months since I posted in this thread, having spent those months doing a lot of repetitive work building base boards for a model railway layout this comes as a bit of light relief. I have a few days before we leave for a warmer climate so how far I will get towards finishing this restoration I don’t know. It will depend on what has to be done.
The last plastic bag containing the cylinder and the remaining valve gear parts has been opened and the contents taken apart. Like the other parts of the beam engine they are not particularly well made.
Like the beam the cylinder is a fabrication and also like the other parts uses BA threads so the model was probably made in the UK and after 1903 when the British Association adopted the thread. As the sealant used instead of gaskets blocked one of the cylinder’s steam passageways after the engines last assembly it probably never would have run in fact there is no evidence that the engine ever ran. Attached photographs of the cylinder and valve gear parts being taken apart. Tomorrow I hope to start on the cleaning up and deciding what repairs are or not are necessary. There is no evidence after taking apart that the model ever worked so getting the cylinder positioned under the beam and the valve gear in place never mind working might be interesting.
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Nick on November 14, 2019, 05:57:32 pm
Post by: Tony Bird on November 14, 2019, 11:17:59 am
Well this morning it was cold and damp in Cardiff and while I waited for the heater in the shed to do its bit, I had a look at the beam engine. I was a little concerned as the flywheel is a bit on the small side for a beam engine that would usually work quite slowly. So, I decided to check how well the beam balanced; the connecting rod and crank on one side and the parallel motion and piston on the other. Well by accident or design it is pretty well balanced, the crank and connecting rod being possibly a little heavier. It is close enough that it is not worth weighting the flywheel to compensate until it has run and then it might not be necessary. The piston and its rod are interesting the piston is screwed off not the big end to remove the piston rod from the cylinder cover. Anyway, most of the day has been spent build the model railway layout. Work will only be done on the beam engine if I get time or get bored with working on the layout.
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Tony Bird on October 23, 2019, 09:49:23 am
Before continuing working on new parts of the model what has already been done has been tidied up: the flywheel has been skimmed, the crankshaft bearing pedestals along with the column have been painted, the wooden base of the column has been varnished, the eccentric and its sheaf have been fitted on the crankshaft and any temporary screws have been replaced.
With this done a new bolt to hold the connecting rod to the beam has been made. The parallel motion has been cleaned up before checking that it works. A suitable cast resin figure of an engine driver has been bought and painted by Mrs. B. This is as likely as far as it will go for a bit as I am now concentrating on building a new portable 16 mm scale model railway layout; however I am bound to get a bit board or have to wait for some materials when some further work will be done on the beam engine.
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Hero on October 23, 2019, 01:22:23 am
Keep plugging away at it, Tony!
Post by: Nick on October 18, 2019, 09:28:21 am
Post by: Stoker on October 17, 2019, 08:49:38 pm
Impressive salvage effort!!!
Post by: Tony Bird on October 17, 2019, 12:15:03 pm
Progress so far.
https://youtu.be/XVxtcx8DvE0
Regards Tony.
Post by: Scorpion2nz on October 14, 2019, 03:51:36 am
It can be a challenge but also very rewarding.
You are doing great
Cheers
Dennis
Post by: Tony Bird on October 14, 2019, 02:33:42 am
The work needed on the parallel motion will have to wait until after the crankshaft assembly is finished. To this end the second plastic bag has been opened. My ideas of doing as little engineering as possible are going down the pan; quite a lot was needed on the column and beam assembly but the crankshaft bearing brackets need to be almost completely machined. They weren’t the same height, they wobble on their bases, the securing screws screw down on to a slope and where there are threads to secured the split bearings, they are either stripped or different sizes! So, the bearing brackets have been machined both top and bottom and the split bearing screw holes plugged along with the holes in the split bearings. I rather suspect that there will be more holes plugged and drilled again than original when this project is finished. The bearing brackets have been drilled and tapped and fitted to the wooden base, nothing so far has been done to the crankshaft and flywheel, it is starting to look a bit like a beam engine.
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Swift Fox on October 11, 2019, 12:21:25 pm
Post by: Tony Bird on October 11, 2019, 03:35:06 am
A little more done; the beam support was out of square. This corrected the beam wasn’t parallel to the parallel motion bracket. This corrected I am pretty sure the parallel motion isn’t parallel! Before checking this the next work will be fitting the crank shaft assembly. Some work arrives later today so might be a bit before work resumes.
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Roscoe on October 11, 2019, 12:01:58 am
Post by: Hero on October 10, 2019, 06:51:09 pm
Post by: RedRyder on October 10, 2019, 06:19:04 am
Looking forward to more updates.
Gil
Post by: Tony Bird on October 10, 2019, 02:47:52 am
As only one of the CMES garden railway group visited the shed last evening for the weekly meet; I did a bit more work on the engine while he got on with a modification to one of his engines. So, the part that supports the parallel motion which was two pieces has been hard soldered together. The top of the column that supports the bearings of the beam was taken apart and its centre found to be a piece of mahogany. All the holes in the mahogany were plugged it was then found to be too narrow so some thin plywood spacers were glued to it. Some might be wondering why bother just cut another piece of wood or metal retrospectively so am I!
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Nick on October 09, 2019, 08:14:55 pm
Post by: Tony Bird on October 09, 2019, 11:30:56 am
I have made a start on the column of the beam engine. I don’t think it is an apprentice piece, if it is, he wasn’t well supervised. Some nails with threaded ends are used for bolts and a section of the parallel motion filled in not even joined. The column is made up from several pieces which are held together by a long bolt; unfortunately, there was no register between the parts so they could move relative to one another. So, three spacers have been made and fitted so that the column can now only rotate not move side to side. First the wooden column base was cleaned up, plugged and drilled the same size as the hole in the base, a mushroom shaped spacer to locate the column base to the main base was made. The column itself which consists of a steel tube brazed to a bronze base had a recess tuned in the base for a push fit spacer. A loose stepped spacer was fitted into the top of the steel tube to centre that end of the column. As the accurate height of the column isn’t known it will be adjusted later; as is probably now too high either by turning back the top spacer or thinning the column’s wooden base. I am doing a bit more than expected on the beam engine as some work I have to do is delayed and I still cannot finally decide the sizes of the model railway base boards I intend to construct.
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Regards Tony.
Post by: jkbixby on October 09, 2019, 05:20:40 am
Post by: Tony Bird on October 09, 2019, 02:36:55 am
The beam engines oak base this morning with its first coat of varnish dry. When I have time, a start will be made on the column and beam and metal work which I am more used too.
Regards Tony.
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Post by: Tony Bird on October 08, 2019, 11:11:04 am
I had a couple of hours free this morning so I thought I would do a little more to the Beam Engine’s base. The larger holes were plugged and I didn’t see what I could do to improve the look of the crank recess so I milled it out. As there might be some screws underneath the base that it might be difficult to countersink and having found a bit of an old oak draw, I made some feet which were glued on. Before any further work will be done to the oak base it will be varnished to protect it from oil while working on it.
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Scorpion2nz on October 04, 2019, 03:04:37 am
Use what you have .
As a wood worker I know the pain of finding a nail with the planer blade usually just after I sharpen blades and reset them
Post by: Tony Bird on October 04, 2019, 02:27:45 am
Looks like a box full of fun from here. Of course it could well be full of hours and frustrations as well.
Absolutely, as sure as the sparks fly upwards!
Having got tired of cutting plywood sleepers for a model railway layout I thought I would have a look at the beam engine and maybe make a start. The bits were removed from the base and stored in three plastic bags: (1) crankshaft, fly wheel and their fitting, (2) beam, column and their fittings, (3) the cylinder and piston assembly.
This left the wooden base; the place to start, alas it was very rough and more importantly slightly warped, it would be easier and possibly more sensible to replaced it, but ‘Hey Ho’ its original.
Any wood workers in the group please disregard the following I am no wood worker but I do own a milling machine. This might have been just as well as there was a nail hidden in the wood; which I suspect would have damaged a plane or a wood working machine. The base board was flattened and squared and the original securing holes drilled out for plugging, the smaller holes were plugged the larger await making suitable size plugs.
That’s it for now further work will have to wait for gaps in on-going projects.
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Regards Tony.
Post by: Stoker on October 02, 2019, 11:45:03 am
Post by: Hero on October 02, 2019, 07:47:21 am
Post by: Swift Fox on October 02, 2019, 06:44:16 am
Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
Post by: jkbixby on October 02, 2019, 06:02:18 am
Post by: Tony Bird on October 02, 2019, 02:44:53 am
While away playing with toys at Winterbourne a friend gave me a gift of a beam engine saying I am sure you can do something with it. I applaud his optimism. The model is in bits and the story is that it was made by an apprentice and was given to someone who gave it to someone else that gave it to our friend, whether it started off in one piece and whether it ever worked isn't known.
It isn't that well made but superficially it doesn't look as if it shouldn't work. It has some interesting design features so I think it might be an own design a lot of brass castings being used.
When I get around to doing something with it; probably a filling around other larger jobs I will try and not re-engineer it too much. Photograph of the parts as received attached.
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Regards Tony.