Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
Builds, Repairs, Show Your Machines! => Restorations => Topic started by: Paula on December 28, 2023, 09:20:02 pm
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A little frothed up steam oil with saturated steam does wonders at "sealing" the piston/cylinder gap that simple air pressure certainly cannot!
Good point. Before steaming this engine, I pulled back the spring-loaded valve from the port face, and infused some steam oil. I also squirted some steam oil in the exhaust pipe and rotated the flywheel in reverse, sucking the oil up into the engine's innards. This was in addition to applying steam oil to the piston rod where it emerges from the cylinder. And you're right, it seemed to help a lot.
Paula
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Awesome job Paula!
And it steamed up much better than expected.
The "blow-by" wasn't nearly as severe as I imagined based on your post of the air test.
It warms my heart to see this one running again.
Thank you for all of your efforts.
If you ever decide to sell it (which I hope you don't), please contact me first. :)
Thank you, Charlie. I can't imagine selling the engine; it's a gift, after all. I would hope that I never find myself in a situation where I need to sell off personal possessions, but if it ever came to that, I promise that I would contact you first.
Paula
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A little frothed up steam oil with saturated steam does wonders at "sealing" the piston/cylinder gap that simple air pressure certainly cannot!
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Awesome job Paula!
And it steamed up much better than expected.
The "blow-by" wasn't nearly as severe as I imagined based on your post of the air test.
It warms my heart to see this one running again.
Thank you for all of your efforts.
If you ever decide to sell it (which I hope you don't), please contact me first. :)
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Didn't mean to give that impression, only that it was not going to be like new. The only visible effect is that it throws a shower of water droplets on itself due to the loose rod guide. And you would probably notice a difference if you were driving a load. But otherwise, it goes to town!
Thanks for the compliment, Richard!
Paula
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From your last post you made it sound like it was hardly going to run. I say for a nearly 120 year old toy steam engine is runs like a champ, well done @Paula - what a fabulous looking engine!
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It's finished!
As mentioned earlier, I was on the fence on what to do about the smokestack. Although I received the engine with a smokestack, it's not an original one. Even though it fits the boiler, it's taller, and larger in diameter than the original. One thing it does have going for it is that it more-or-less matches the patina of the engine, and on that basis, I decided to make it work. If I were to make a smokestack to somewhat match the original, it would be difficult, if not impossible to make it look 120 years old.
So, I figured out how tall the smokestack would have to be, given that the overall height of the engine and stack is supposed to be 36 centimeters. With that information, I calculated how much to cut from the longer stack to make it work out to the correct overall height. Here's how it looks after cutting:
[attachimg=1]
To give the smokestack some added stability, I made a brass bushing to fit over the boiler fitting:
[attachimg=2]
Now the engine has a somewhat original-looking stack, of the correct height, and only a bit larger diameter. Mission accomplished!
The last step was to replace the wicks in the spirit burner with some proper 1/4" dia. wicks. The ones it came with looked like some kind of weird yarn.
I have some finished images attached at the end of this post, and a short video of the engine running on steam below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPviUvQlJaY
Hope you enjoyed that. A big thanks to Charlie for donating this fine little engine. It was great fun to work on!
Paula
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That's a bit of sad news @Paula. It is nice that it will look very pretty ;-)
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And I have another one when Paula finishes this one!
@RichSteamTx has gifted me an Empire B43 to be next in line, but bring 'em on, I say! All donations welcome and much appreciated.
This could turn into a full-time occupation... [attachimg=1]
Paula
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That's going to be the best running Carette ever.
I agree...
I appreciate the vote of confidence, guys, but I'm afraid that this little engine has a "bad heart" -- the piston and cylinder are pretty well worn. Lots of blow-by when testing with compressed air. I looked into the possibility of repair, but it didn't seem promising without the risk of spoiling the engine's remarkable patina. It will still run, likely in a cloud of steam, but not like when it was new. Given its advanced age and beautifully preserved condition, it's still a winner. This engine has given many hours of joy to it its owner(s) over the years.
Paula
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I like all the over built machining and oil light bearing choice, this is going to be way more precise than what came out of the factory. Superb work again Paula, and Charlie really chose the exact right machinist to donate this plant too.
And I have another one when Paula finishes this one!
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That's going to be the best running Carette ever.
I agree...
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That's going to be the best running Carette ever.
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I like all the over built machining and oil light bearing choice, this is going to be way more precise than what came out of the factory. Superb work again Paula, and Charlie really chose the exact right machinist to donate this plant too.
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LOL, I did a small edit shortly after posting, and maybe you viewed the post while it was being updated? :D
I've kind of changed my mind on the smokestack. Probably be modifying the one that I received with the engine. More details soon.
Paula
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we missing the last photo of the engine assembly?
I guess you are going to make a new smokestack?
Edit: funny after I posted where's that photo it appeared!
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I appreciate the nice comments, you guys! :)
Moving on to the crankshaft bearings...
To make certain that the bearings line up accurately, I thought it best to ream the bushing holes with the bearing supports assembled to the engine base. To mount up the engine base in the lathe, I used the same basic method that I used for the Doll engine (though that engine had both bearings in a single casting.) I made a fixture plate from a piece of aluminum from the scrap box. This fixture will enable the engine base to be attached to the vertical slide of the lathe cross-slide:
[attachimg=1]
With the engine base secured to the vertical slide, it was aligned with the headstock using a rod sized to fit the existing holes in the bearing supports. Once they were aligned, a 1/4" reamer was used to enlarge the holes to fit the oilite bushings:
[attachimg=2]
Following this, the bearing supports were removed, and the oilite bushings were pressed into place. The bearing supports were then re-attached to the engine base, still mounted to the lathe. I had previously marked the supports to make sure they got back in their original positions:
[attachimg=3]
After this, a .1885" reamer was used to size the bearings to .001" over the nominal diameter of the crankshaft. Before removing the engine base assembly from the lathe, the fit and alignment of the bushings were checked with a piece of 3/16" dia. drill rod:
[attachimg=4]
The engine base was then removed from the fixture, and is seen in this picture sporting its brand-new, sintered bronze, oil-impregnated, sleeve-type bushings (and some seriously cylindrical bearing support screws!):
[attachimg=5]
With all the parts put back together, here is the engine assembly, including a sleeved crank pin bearing:
[attachimg=6]
Up next: The smokestack.
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Mighty fine machining work & sound judgment on the decision to oversize of few things, you really had no other choice.
I couldn't say it any better.
Well done Paula.
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Mighty fine machining work & sound judgment on the decision to oversize of few things, you really had no other choice.
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My mind has exploded with all that information! Looking forward to the next update :-)
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Thanks, Charlie. It's been a fun challenge so far working on this very old engine!
And now, on to the
CRANKSHAFT
As mentioned previously, the crankshaft on this engine had a lot of wear and looseness. I was surprised because it seems to have wide and substantial bearings -- not like the stamped sheet metal bearings on some of the later engines:
[attachimg=1]
This was kind of deceiving, however, as I found out after disassembling. It turns out that only a small portion of the bearing stanchion was contacting the shaft. This is why the amount of wear was so much greater than expected. Here is a drawing of the original crankshaft configuration (upper view) and the proposed design (lower view) with sintered bronze bushings:
[attachimg=2]
It's perfectly understandable why they designed the bearings this way. It is much more tolerant of misalignment between the bearings due to routine manufacturing variables. This was a mass-produced item, and at the end of the day, the easier the engines went together, the more engines they could send out. The only downside was a higher susceptibility to wear over the years of use.
In repairing the worn bearings, I've decided to make a new crankshaft, and ream out the bearing stanchions for some Oilite sleeve bushings. In addition to providing considerably more bearing surface, the Oilite bushings are made of an oil-impregnated bronze material, which releases a small amount of lubricant when friction builds up. So, if someone neglects to oil the bearings, it's not such a big issue with the Oilite bearings.
Here's a picture of the original crankshaft. Note the grooved area on the right-hand end. This the crank end, which apparently took most of the radial thrust from the engine:
[attachimg=3]
The original shaft had a diameter of 4.5 millimeters (0.177"), and I will making the replacement shaft from 3/16 (0.1875") O-1 drill rod. Note that the shaft features a #4-64 threaded extension on one end. This is for attachment of the crank/eccentric assembly. It's kind of a tricky feature to reproduce, given the small diameter and length, so I will be using the threaded end from the original shaft. As shown in the drawing below, the original crank end will be cut from the shaft, the cylindrical end turned down to 0.125", and fitted to a hole in the end of the new shaft:
[attachimg=4]
The threaded end piece will be secured in the new shaft with Loctite 609. When properly cleaned and fitted, this provides a joint far stronger than press-fitting, and as good as pinned joint, without the need for pinning. The only way to disassemble the joint is with heat from a torch. Below is a picture of the original shaft, the "donated" shaft end, and the new shaft with a hole to accommodate the modified shaft end:
[attachimg=5]
The opposite end of the shaft is threaded #8-32 for the pulley. This thread could normally be cut with a die mounted in the lathe tailstock, but O-1 tool steel is not the most machinable of materials. I decided instead to single-point the thread on the lathe, taking light successive cuts, frequently checking the fit with the pulley:
[attachimg=6]
After threading the pulley end, I mounted the shaft in the mill to cut a small flat near the center of the shaft for the flywheel setscrew. Here's the finished shaft, along with what's left of the original shaft:
[attachimg=7]
Next installment will be reaming out the bearing stanchions, and installing the Oilite sleeve bushings.
(to be continued...)
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Thanks for the update Paula.
It just reconfirms my decision to gift this one to you!
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Hi Bruce,
The kit that I made my filer from is available here:
https://www.metallatheaccessories.com/category/kits
It's more of a "Cadillac" version than most people really need.
Martin Model sells two "open" versions, though the basic price is roughly the same:
https://www.martinmodel.com/collections/die-filer-casting-set
The Metal Lathe Accessories version has several added-cost upgrades which push the price up considerably.
Here's a short video of a guy using the Metal Lathe Accessories version to file a square hole in a gear:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3jnniEypWA
Also, here is an animation of a half-section of the MLA die filer I made in Solid Edge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orx10s146o0
Paula
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I gotta say I really like that die filing machine, I just spent about 15 minutes trying to find one or even a kit to buy, no luck yet....
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I have no idea what you are talking about ;-)
Though it is going to be great to see this little guy running!
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Thank you, Rich!
Steaming up next???
Not quite yet. I'm going to make a new crankshaft, possibly sleeve some of the worn linkage pivot points, and try to come up with a reasonable facsimile for the missing smokestack. Also, a minor repair to the spirit burner.
Lots more fun to go! (I know you're anxious for me to get onto the next project! ::) )
Paula
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What a lovely job, so very exciting! Steaming up next???
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Moving on with the new compression plates...
I used the mill to even up the edges of the sawed rectangles, and bring them to the correct overall size. I then clamped the rectangular plates in the mill to drill the .203" dia. center hole, and cut the .078" wide slots. Here's what the plates looked like at this point:
[attachimg=1]
Next, I had to re-blue the plates and scribe the 15 degree angled lines. I used my die filer to finish shaping the outside contours of the plates. For those not familiar, the die filer is a small machine which simplifies off-hand filing of 2D shapes. This particular one was machined by me from a Metal Lathe Accessories casting kit. If you're curious, you can check out this YouTube video: Xl0zrNYh41w Anyway, here is a view of filing the contours to shape:
[attachimg=2]
As already mentioned, the new compression plates are .031"(.79MM) thick, while the previous plates are .015"(.38MM) thick. Here is a side-by side comparison:
[attachimg=3]
In order to make the compression plates somewhat match the contour of the boiler, I gave them a slight bend, as you'll notice in the following pictures. To make the plates look more "antique", and stand out less on a 120-year old engine, I dunked them in some Brass Black to give them a dark finish:
[attachimg=4]
Here's what the finished plates look like:
[attachimg=5]
All that's left now is to assemble the sight glass parts. After threading the seal plates and o-rings onto the sight glass tube ends, an initial snugging of the screws indicated that I could use a bit more compression on the o-rings. I judged this by pulling out on the sight glass tube ends, and noting how much force was required to pull the the tube ends past the o-rings. I determined that I needed a bit more compression. This was also the case with the Doll vertical engine I recently worked on. As in that situation, I made some small brass shims. These are basically the same ID and OD as the o-rings, and .015" thick:
[attachimg=6]
I took a picture of one end of the assembled sight glass, with the screws just snugged, not tightened down. You can just barely notice the thin brass shim between the compression plate and the o-ring:
[attachimg=7]
All that was left at this point was to back off the screws a bit, apply some Loctite 542, and tighten the screws down. And here's the finished product:
[attachimg=8]
Paula
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Patience, grasshopper... patience. ;)
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Magical - I was bummed when I got to "to be continued...". What a tease! LOL
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SIGHT GLASS
As I noted earlier in this thread:
...it looks the sight glass was replaced (relatively) recently, and there is evidence of some kind of clear sealant or adhesive at the connection points. I wonder if it was replaced merely for aesthetic purposes, just to improve its appearance as a shelf queen. Possibly? So, I guess the next step is to disassemble it and see if a better sealing method can be effected.
So, I did get around to disassembling the sight glass. The "clear sealant" turned out to be cyanoacrylate ("super glue"), which leads me to believe that whoever replaced the sight glass last time was intending the engine to serve as a static model only. There appeared to be no attempt to actually seal the sight glass to the boiler. Here's how it looked after removing the screws and the guard:
[attachimg=1]
The seal compression plates appear to be homemade, cut from light guage sheet metal with tin snips. No seals or seal material was evident in the sight glass holes. The super glue was easily dissolved with some acetone, and everything cleaned up nicely, at least given the age of this old boiler:
[attachimg=2]
I clamped the boiler (well-padded) in the mill vise, and used a 90 degree countersink to clean up the sight glass holes for a better seal:
[attachimg=3]
You may only need new "compression plates" and teflon washers underneath the cover to seal it up...
I had a similar repair - made 2 pressure plates and added small pieces of
silicone tubing underneath to the glass. The screws then are sealed with
silicone sealant.
Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm going to use some silicone rubber o-rings to seal the glass tube to the boiler. I have had very good results with this method in the past. These rings are fairly soft durometer, and rated to 400 degrees. The size is 3/16"ID x 5/16"OD x 1/16" thick (McMaster-Carr #1173N008). Here's what the setup looks like:
[attachimg=4]
The plates which compress the seals to expand around the sight glass tube need to be rigid enough to provide sufficient pressure to make a good seal. The compression plates that came with the engine are only .015" thick, and I don't believe they are thick enough to do the job. I ordered some 1/32" thick brass strip to make some new compression plates, and it arrived last week. Here is a drawing I made for the new plates:
[attachimg=5]
I used slotted holes in the plates, as the distance between the tapped holes in the boiler varied slightly. Here is the material I used, marked out for sawing the brass to rough size:
[attachimg=6]
(to be continued...)
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Thanks, Arnold. That's reassuring. 8)
It's difficult making progress lately -- my basement is like an icebox! I got some 1/32" brass in the other day to make some new seal compression plates. Hopefully it will warm up soon!
Paula
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I guess no problem about too much heat - if there is water in the boiler
the solder will hold
Good work so fare - this will be a nice one when finished.
Arnold
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I say very nicely done, I'd image many came out of the factory with either too much or too little solder! Though then again, it is German made so perhaps they always came out with the exact amount of solder applied LOL
Thanks, Rich! I'm not too experienced with these vertical engines, so I'm uncertain what the prevailing method was. The Doll that I worked on recently had a ring which crimped the two parts together. Pretty fool-proof, but then not user friendly as far as disassembling for service. Thanks for the comment!
Nice work Paula.
it intrigues me that the factory would use soft solder in an area so prone to the brunt of the heat...lol. Its coming along lovely.
Thanks, Bruce! That was my thinking as well. It wasn't until I removed the heavy coating of black soot that I could even ascertain how they originally assembled the boiler to the firebox. Then I thought, "Well, no wonder it came apart!" Then again, as long as there's water in the boiler, shouldn't that keep it from coming unsoldered? [attachimg=1]
On the other hand, it has a burner with three 1/4" wicks, so, depending on how the burner is setup, it may put out more heat than those joints can stand. I don't know... I intend to keep the wicks trimmed back when running it, and we'll see how it goes.
Paula
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Nice work Paula.
it intrigues me that the factory would use soft solder in an area so prone to the brunt of the heat...lol. Its coming along lovely.😊
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I say very nicely done, I'd image many came out of the factory with either to much or to little solder! Though then again, it is German made so perhaps they always came out with the exact amount of solder applied LOL
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RE-ATTACHING BOILER TO FIREBOX
When received, this engine's boiler and firebox were separated. I have seen various manufacturing methods used for joining a vertical boiler to its firebox, including a separate roll-formed ring which traps formed flanges on both parts, a rolled flange on one part formed around a rolled flange on the other part, etc. This was the first instance I've seen which used soldered tabs.
Notice in the following picture of the Carette firebox, how there is a nickel-plated ring which has been rolled and crimped to a formed flange on the firebox:
[attachimg=1]
Also notice the arrows indicating two of three tabs (one of the tabs is not visable in this view), which are also part of the nickelled ring. The tabs are formed in such a way as to contact a circular flange at the base of the brass boiler. The view shown in the picture below is the same firebox looking from the bottom (the cast iron base has been removed):
[attachimg=3]
Here is a picture of the lower flange of the boiler. The arrow in indicates one of the three spots where the tabs were originally soldered. You can just make out a slightly tinned area. There are two more like this, equally spaced around the rim.
[attachimg=2]
Re-attaching the boiler to the firebox is a matter of assembling the two parts, radially aligning them in the original position (sight glass directly above firebox opening), inverting the assembly, and re-soldering the three tabs. This is not quite as easy as it sounds, and I don't have any pictures taken during the process (my hands were full at the time!) I elected to use a propane torch and StayBrite silver-bearing solder, with the assembly inverted. This requires that the torch be upended somewhat to enter the firebox bottom opening, and a typical propane torch is not designed to work in this attitude. I wound up using a "TurboTorch" attached to a small propane tank. This is quite a handy item for soldering, where you need to maneuver the torch around to various angles:
[attach=4]
I have the torch attached to a one-gallon size propane tank (holds around 11 lbs. of gas):
[attach=6]
This worked out pretty well. Here is a view looking in from the bottom of the firebox:
[attachimg=5]
I put the three black marks on the boiler bottom to help me line up the two parts before soldering. I got a bit too much solder on one of the three joints, as you can see on the finished assembly:
[attachimg=7]
It's not too noticeable, though. At least the two parts are one again!
Paula
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Very interesting thread!
A very generous gift must say. And this nice Carette seems to have found another good new home.
From my experience, sealants in the form of slices cut off (soft) silicone tube work excellently and adapt very well and smoothly to the moulded openings for the sight-glass. I wonder if the red, round washers shown in the (very nice) photo presenting all parts for the assembly might be a bit hard...
I am looking forward to seeing more of this very sympathetic restoration.
Painting the base green is an excellent idea, btw, but what about adding some pink spots and applying a unicorn-transfer to the boiler after painting it with stove-pipe silver??? I wonder why Arnold has not recommended this before... ;-)
Thomas what have you done again - you're ruining my good reputation ;D ;D ;D
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Thanks for the comments, you guys!
From my experience, sealants in the form of slices cut off (soft) silicone tube work excellently and adapt very well and smoothly to the moulded openings for the sight-glass. I wonder if the red, round washers shown in the (very nice) photo presenting all parts for the assembly might be a bit hard...
Fear not, the seals shown in the photo are silicone rubber o-rings (https://www.mcmaster.com/1173N008/), which are pretty soft. They are great for these high-temp, low-pressure applications. These are the same kind I used on the Doll vertical engine I worked on recently.
Painting the base green is an excellent idea, btw, but what about adding some pink spots and applying a unicorn-transfer to the boiler after painting it with stove-pipe silver??? I wonder why Arnold has not recommended this before... ;-)
I'm surprised as well. Arnold usually shows quite a flair for this type of embellishment. I think the pink polka-dots may be a bit over-the-top on a green base. Unfortunately, I don't have a unicorn-transfer, but I do have some "Powerpuff Girl" stickers that my grandniece left behind over Christmas. I don't think they'll survive on the heated boiler, but they should really "pop" on the base. [attachimg=1]
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Very interesting thread!
A very generous gift must say. And this nice Carette seems to have found another good new home.
From my experience, sealants in the form of slices cut off (soft) silicone tube work excellently and adapt very well and smoothly to the moulded openings for the sight-glass. I wonder if the red, round washers shown in the (very nice) photo presenting all parts for the assembly might be a bit hard...
I am looking forward to seeing more of this very sympathetic restoration.
Painting the base green is an excellent idea, btw, but what about adding some pink spots and applying a unicorn-transfer to the boiler after painting it with stove-pipe silver??? I wonder why Arnold has not recommended this before... ;-)
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Love seeing an engine neatly parted out like this.
Really speaks to both the simplicity of the steam engine concept, while at the same time showing the complexity of the mechanical aspect to make that simple concept work!
This, even in just a "simple" toy!!
Nice Layout!!!
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Thank you for the update Paula.
I am so thrilled that this one is being restored.
Looking forward to your next update!
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PROGRESS UPDATE
Thanks, Brent and Arnold, for the advisement. I've determined that I need to make new seal compression plates, and am waiting for some brass sheet stock to make them out of. I'll continue with the sight glass progress when it arrives.
In the meantime, I've disassembled the engine portion, and am giving the parts a good cleaning and inspection. Many of the plated parts are still in nice condition, having just been lurking beneath a coating of hardened oil residue, and other assorted nasties.
Here's a layout of the cleaned up parts and pieces:
[attachimg=1]
I've decided to make a new crankshaft for this engine. I previously mentioned that the crankshaft bearings seemed to have a great deal of excess clearance. Disassembly of the engine revealed a major contributing factor as to why. More about this when I get to the point of making the new shaft.
Meanwhile, back to cleaning...
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I had a similar repair - made 2 pressure plates and added small pieces of
silicone tubing underneath to the glass. The screws then are sealed with
silicone sealant.
Arnold :D
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
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The gauge glass cover looks original to me. You may only need new "compression plates" and teflon washers underneath the cover to seal it up, assuming the glass tube is the right diameter and isn't cracked, etc. I suspect someone used kerosene in the alcohol burner which sooted things up.
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Can't imagine what fuel was being used to produce that prodigious layer of soot on the bottom of the boiler, but certainly alcohol burns much cleaner than that!
Perhaps what they called Paraffin back then, which was a more refined Kerosene, or maybe Kerosene itself which might better account for all the soot?
I know, right? Could they possibly have been using coal oil? Whatever it was, it was a real mess cleaning it from the bottom of the boiler, and especially from the stack tube running up the boiler. Here's how it looks now:
[attachimg=1]
With that mess defused, I went ahead and did a leak test on the boiler. My main concern was the sight glass seals, as I had a negative experience with the Doll engine in this regard. Interestingly, the filler cap threads are 1/4"-28, while the whistle and steam line holes are M5. [attachimg=2] I used a couple of bolts with Teflon washers to seal off two of the holes, while the steam line fitting served nicely as a hose attachment point:
[attachimg=3]
With barely 15 PSI on the boiler, I could hear the sight glass "seals" hissing away, even over the sound of the compressor! No soap suds needed. Here's a close-up of the sight glass:
[attachimg=4]
As mentioned earlier, it looks the sight glass was replaced (relatively) recently, and there is evidence of some kind of clear sealant or adhesive at the connection points. I wonder if it was replaced merely for aesthetic purposes, just to improve its appearance as a shelf queen. Possibly? So, I guess the next step is to disassemble it and see if a better sealing method can be effected.
(to be continued)
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Here you go for what it's worth. Looks like a simple top to the chimney.
Thanks, Brent -- that's the one alright. The stack looks almost identical to the 690/2, and shouldn't be too difficult to reproduce. The challenge will be getting the finish to match the patina of the original engine.
Paula
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I found this Paula, but it doesn't show the smokestack in its entirety.
https://youtu.be/5diFB88kjjE?si=MRVmMboVjOoIcFmk
Thanks, Bruce. That's a slightly different model, but it's one I wouldn't mind owning! ;)
Paula
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Here you go for what it's worth. Looks like a simple top to the chimney.
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I found this Paula, but it doesn't show the smokestack in its entirety.
https://youtu.be/5diFB88kjjE?si=MRVmMboVjOoIcFmk
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Thanks for the information, Brent. Do you happen to have a picture of the 670/2 which shows the smokestack? I'm guessing it's the same as the 690/2, but it would be nice know for sure.
Paula
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Very nice early engine. I believe it is Carette model 670/2 from 1905. Not sure you have the same dimensions which are 36cm (14 3/16") high, 20cm long--I believe this is a misprint and should be longer, and 11cm (4 5/16") wide.
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...do not remove patina nor add new paint - but I think you already know that -- haha
Check! Other than painting the base green, and nickel plating the boiler, I'm leaving it just as is. [attachimg=1]
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Very nice antique engine - it seems there is not much to do
please do not remove patina nor add new paint - but I think
you already know that - haha
Arnold ;D
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Can't imagine what fuel was being used to produce that prodigious layer of soot on the bottom of the boiler, but certainly alcohol burns much cleaner than that!
Perhaps what they called Paraffin back then, which was a more refined Kerosene, or maybe Kerosene itself which might better account for all the soot?
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I love these style of engines, more so than my Empires to be honest. So very well made and like real steam engines - though not really in my price range to collect.
Looking forward to seeing this engine run!!
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Thank you for taking on this project Paula.
I am looking forward to seeing the fruits of your labor.
Charlie
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Hi All,
As some of you might remember, back in October, forum member "txlabman" (Charlie Miller) decided to gift me an engine for restoration. Here is the relevant post:
https://www.officeofsteamforum.com/restorations/restoring-a-doll-vertical-steam-engine/msg58463/#msg58463
The engine arrived on December 2nd, and I'm now getting around to giving it the attention it deserves. It appears to be in remarkable shape for its age. It must have been taken care of over the decades, as it now has a beautiful patina, and shouldn't require any cosmetic work at all. Here's an overall picture of what was received:
[attach=1]
The boiler has become separated from the firebox, and needs to be re-attached. I unsoldered the steam pipe from the boiler fitting, as it required some straightening, and also removing it will simplify re-attachment of the boiler. The crankshaft bearings have significant wear, but not such that it would prevent it running. So, fixing the worn bearings appears to be optional at this point. The smokestack does not appear to be original to this engine, in any sense. It's much too tall, and the diameter is too large to fit the spigot atop the boiler. I am hoping that someone more familiar with these engines can shed some light on what model engine this is, and can perhaps provide a picture of what the smokestack should look like, so that it may be reproduced.
As far as identification, here is an image from the "Great Toys" book, showing what appears to be the vertical version of this engine:
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The 690/12 seems almost identical except for the vertical cylinder configuration. The base and boiler dimensions shown in the listing match my engine almost exactly. By subtracting the measured boiler height of 8.50" from the listed overall height of 14.25", you get a smokestack height of 5.75".
The above catalog image dates to 1911, although I'm guessing that this engine is somewhat older. This is based on the fact that the boiler has the earlier logo:
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The U-shaped sight glass appears to have been recently replaced. There is evidence of some kind of clear sealant at the upper and lower sight glass connections. I have not yet done a pressure test of the boiler, nor have I attempted to test the engine. My first step, beyond trying to identify the model, is to disassemble and clean the parts without disturbing the patina.
Might as well start with the bottom of the boiler, which has a generous coating of carbon soot:
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Before signing off from this introductory post, I'd like to extend a BIG THANKS to Charlie for donating this lovely little engine, and for trusting me to give it the attention it deserves. Also, I am grateful for any information that some of you experts on this brand of engine can provide.
(to be continued)
Postscript: After reading through my post, it occurred to me: "Why haven't I test-run the engine yet?"... something I should probably do before taking it apart. With a rubber-tipped blow gun, set to 10 PSI, I verified that the engine runs very nicely indeed! :D This is a unidirectional engine -- no reversing.