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

Good Afternoon from Brooklyn..

  Some time ago I took a chance on the engine/boiler
combo in the photos.  It was built in Sept 1926 (engraved
on the base) and hadn't run in many decades.

  Now, I've restored it to working condition (for now)
by fixing several problems w/sealing and a tough
steam chest/valve issue.  I've left it mostly original
and it works for now.  Won't guarantee tomorrow.

  So, the original heater looks like something that
would get you arrested at the airport.  I've seen
several blowtorches at work, but can't imagine
what was used for fuel.
  There is a valve at the burner, another below it,
and the other end has a silver 'cap' something
with a valve at the top.  If there was a pump, I
would suspect it needed 'white' gas (old-school
name for camping stove gas?), but there is none.
The tank, which looks homemade, has absolutely
no odor to give a hint. That's all I know.

  I've added photos of the questionable burner,
the engine as received,   as it is now, I couldn't
add the video - wrong type(?).  Please note that the burner
I'm using is a weed-burner that works and looks like hell
but I would love to get the original burner working to go
completely old-school original.  As the say on the baseball
field 'Little help?'.

Any Ideas?
Wayne

Looks great!

Reminds me of my "Serious Boiler" (q.v. elsewhere on this site) : https://www.officeofsteamforum.com/restorations/serious-boiler/msg10109/#msg10109.

Hope it works out for you!.

I can't help with your burner problem,  Wayne but that is a looker of a steam plant.

I did see a few Regner marine burners on ebay but they probably aren't big enough. I hope you can get one sorted.

Looking at your original burner makes me think of a Coleman lantern. The “silver cap” is likely where you would fill the tank with white gas or naphtha. Early Coleman pieces used a separate pump to pressurize the tank. The cap has what looks like a nipple on it where something could engage it. Check the cap and see if it has a check valve in it that would let air go in the tank, but not out. Once the tank is pressurized, the valve at the other end would be opened just enough to let a small amount of fuel through so the burner could be lit and have a flame just big enough to heat the coil. Once the coil is hot enough, it will gasify the fuel and have a nice efficient flame at the burner. At least, this is how I think it should work. Also very similar in operation to a gasoline blowtorch.

 

  The business end pipe/valve is attached to the tank 1/2 of the
way up (other end, when the tank is lying flat).  This leads me to
a leap of logic.  Since the idea is to burn a gasified vapor, the
amount of fuel I use 'must' be lower than the level of the outflow
pipe/valve.  This is to avoid getting fluid fuel into the burner
system (does not sound good). 

Liquid fuel must leave the tank to reach the coil at the burner in order to be come gasified. Same way a Coleman lantern or a gasoline blowtorch works.

Well, more advice is needed.

In the 5-photo sequence, the third
shows a good picture of the boiler.
The valve at the top of the sightglass
works but the one at the bottom is
stuck.  Beautiful brass with perfect
patina but if it worked it would make
emptying the boiler easier. I've tried
wd40 without success and kind of left
it as it is - still as it was.  Any ideas?
A super-penetrating who knows what?
No forcing this one.  I'm sure whatever
I learn here will help in the future.

Thanks,
Wayne

I'm on it....pretty soon, anyhow.
I can even run it t while I'm waiting
for a miracle.  I like the 'vibration'
tactic and I'll figure-out some sort
of such device.

Thanks,
Wayne