Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
Builds, Repairs, Show Your Machines! => Videos The Office of Steam Cinema => Topic started by: parallelmotion on July 03, 2024, 04:38:32 pm
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Clever Indeed!!!
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Very cool engine, Brent!
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Of course I know that the coin does not provide a definite date for the engine, but I think we can safely assume that the builder used a coin readily at hand, and not likely a very old one. So if it was built in say, 1870, that's 154 years old which is why I used 150 years or up to 1874. And absolutely not a later repair--the eccentric rod came unsoldered from the disc while I was testing it and the whole eccentric disc fell apart when I tried to solder the rod back on. I had assumed it was one machined part but the coin was an inner, smaller diameter disc soldered between and keyed to two larger diameter discs, The eccentric strap has an inner ridge which fits into the "groove" created by the smaller diameter coin, thus centering and holding the strap while allowing the disc to rotate freely, a clever design.
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While the coin really does nothing to positively date the engine, the engine itself is nothing short of incredible!
I suppose that you could argue that the engine could not have been built before the date on the coin, but that isn't necessarily true either as perhaps the coin represents a repair done to a failed excentric at a later date?!?!
In all likelihood the engine was actually built sometime after 1865, and probably not too long after at that, just by looking at it and its style.
What an incredible find that beauty is, for certain and for sure!!!
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Brent:
Awesome early engine!
Thanks for sharing the video.
Charlie
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Based on a silver coin which was used to make part of the eccentric, this model steam engine was probably built around the mid-1860s-1870s after the Civil War. Nothing is yet known about the maker (signed "H. Heuer") but his craftsmanship is evident. What's amazing is that it ran with minimal servicing after all these years and that the paintwork is still in good condition. The boiler, engine, and much of the base are made of heavy gauge nickel-plated brass. The spring-loaded safety valve (atop the steam dome) still functions even though it cannot be serviced. The flat-bottomed boiler steams quickly; there is also a small tank underneath the boiler to collect exhaust condensate.
https://youtu.be/Wi6fWM5RFuw?si=D84uz-AQz30RqroL