I live in one of those areas in the US where the climate is cool but not overly cold. We rarely get much snow , but 40 miles north it it will be snowing and 40 miles south it will be raining and here I am in the middle. Not rain, not snow. ICE!! And lots of it .
The roads are covered with 3" of the stuff,the power goes out sometimes for a week at a time.
Well one winter like a lot of winters ,it happened again. So go out and pull the cord on my Generator and as usual it donesn't start. Next step is tearing into it to find a bad condenser or condesation in the carb. This time though , something clicked and I decided to persue another ,more reliable form of power. The steam engine.
Well I searched the net. I found a lot of stuff on trains, but finding stuff about stationary engines is a tough one. So I have decided to link my findings so maybe someone else can find them easier than me. I have found lots of links to "toy" engines too, however my main intention of this Page is committed to "working" engines,(although I like the toys myself too)because there is enough sites out there related to the toys. I know this is a simple website w/o all the frills like music and moving scripts and such, but this is my intent to use the KISS medthod which in turn will make it faster to download and not slow down your web surfing. (Although thumbnails for the pictures would sure be nice.)
----Warning----metalworking is habit-forming
Hi guys, Well, it has been many a year, about 6 to be exact, but I have finally re-gained access to my Steam Page. I have updated my email addresses and am slowly fixing the bad links. So bear with me and I will get it done and hopefully add a lot more info as time goes on.
This page is devoted to my hobby.
Steam Engines. No , not the ones that go down the
track, but real honest-to-goodnest stationary steam engines that run and you can build. This is how it started.
Here is the model of the Tiny Power 104 I built .It is SOLD
This is a picture of my "Built from Scratch" Boiler. It is finished now.It has about 22 ft of heating suface.This thing is overbuilt. It has 3/4" thick plates and 1/2" thick walls. I have $1800 into building it and am asking $1200 for it . It comes with top hat,valves,sightglass and ASME safty vavle . I have $1800 into building it and am asking $1200 for it.
Here is a picture of my "Ugly" Engine as of yesterday Dec,18,1999. Not quite so ugly now . huh? I fired it up an it ran like a sewing machine. I still need to make a few things for it yet , like oil cups for the cross slide,cyclinder drains and such. The Flywheel is a casting I bought from Tiny Power and turned down. I was going to keep the Engine as a "From Scratch Engine" but couldn't resist.
Here is 1.5 x 2.25 vertical that I am finnishing up. It was PM Research's aluminum version of their #4.I however made some changes to it. Starting at the top you can notice that the top head is not from a casting, it's made from round stock I had. This is so that I can stick a vavle in it to give it a shot of oil upon startup and laying up.The exhaust port is 1/8" but I plan to open it up to 1/4". The connecting rod was supposed to be an aluminum-to-steel fit. I made a660 bronze bearing for it. I also used two 660 bearings the crank blocks too. The biggest change was the crankshaft. Instead of using those aluminum crank disks that came with the kit I made the whole crank out solid steel. The only other change I plan to do is maybe replace the piston and teflon rings for one with real rings.I still need to make the oil cups and 2 more bearings for the crank(the ones that I have in place now are factory type and are too sloppy.)
I was playing around in the shop and thought I'd try building a "From Scratch" toy in a couple nights. Figured I wanted to build something will a lot of RPMs.I was going to sell it but wound up giving it to my neighbor as a belated Christmas present. Here tis.
That last toy gave me an idea. I decided to try to build one that actually would do some work. Below is what I can up with.(The WD-40 can is for size reference.) It is a double-acting oscillating engine. The bore and stroke are 1-5/8" x 1-3/4". I was amazed at the power this thing had and the quick response.I have been thinking about hooking it to a small alterator to see how many watts it will push.
If you check the link below "Building a Steam Oscillating Engine" you will see part 1 of how this engine came to be. This engine will probably be for sale soon.
Even though I dedicated this page to "working" engines I still like the toys. I've always got at least 4 projects going at the same time. Here's one almost complete. Still need to make the eccentric rod and hook up the eccentric rod for the boiler pump and lag the cylinder. Today is DEC 8, 2008. I am going to start finnishing this engine w/o the pump so I can sell it . The price will be $400. If you are interested in buying it give me : handytriker@centurytel.com
Oh, also building a steam turbine.This turbine is finnished now and I will have it up for sale soon as I get the pictures uploaded
,and a smaller boiler I made to take to the shows. This one is 12" in diameter and 24" tall , but this is just the boiler itself. I planned on lagging this in cedar. It should look sharp when finnished.It will run The Mike Brown 1hp, Tiny Power 109, PM Research #4 or #6 when finished. All it needs is the hardware ,weld-o-lets, firebox,top hat,fused plug.This is a very inexpensive way to get a boiler going.I plan on keeping one boiler .So which ever one sells first is the one that goes and I will keep the other one. Buyer will have to buy a Safty Valve and fused plug before I will sell this to them (this is not an option).Plug is $20, safty valve is $125.If you don't know where to buy them I do and will be happy to pick them up for you . I want $425 for this tubed shell.Yes this is still for sale as of feb 14,2003
Because I have be getting a lot of Email on boiler making I am incuding boiler links in the bottom section. I have a link to just one thing ,but it is one of the things I always get asked the most about ---Where do you find those darn tube rollers????? check it out . I have found several places and I plan to add links to them , but this one seems to have the best prices . I plan on devoting a page just for Boiler Making later.
I love to get Email from fellow steamers and people interested in the hobby.
Some informative links
Rainer Radow's Steam Boat Page--Lots info and links
Kits and complete Steam Engines for sale
MIKE BROWNS--This is a larger model on the same design as the 104 and now they offer a double-engine version it is also the engine used in Skip's power plants. A very reliable yet compact engine
Want to build one from old junk? PLUS Boiler Stuff !!!
Here is a link to my Metalworking Machine Links and tips-More new links comming soon
Email Jerry
check [ boats for sale ] and you might find engines and boilers too!
Find a Show in your State
My Editorial About Practical use of Steam on the Home
If you like Trains and have the time ,build this--Hudson RR
TINY POWER---They actually sell Finnished Engines!!
How a Double-Action steam engine works
ELLIOT BAY--Here are some casting kits,though mainly designed for boats,they are very suitable for stationary applications
RELIABLE STEAM-- lots of kits
Beckman's Boats--good source of engines ,boilers,pumps,whistles--
Engines for sale in UK--I don't know how their prices are (They seem scared to post them)But they have them for sale
PM Research- They carry two 1.5 X 2.5 Engines
easy to build Steam Engine from a sowing machine
Mosquitoe Enterprises-- They sell a ready machined engine and code boilers
Northwest Steam Society website--check their classifieds for engines and boilers
PEARL ENGINE CO--they have a rather unique engine
Building an Oscillating Steam Engine (pt 2) measurements to come soon
How to have a Bad Hair Day
Those darn Tube Expanders
Sketch of Firetube Boiler
Sketch of Watertube Boiler
Sketch of MonoTube Boiler
The Doble Boiler --STEAM IN 30 SECS !!
Want to make a monotube boiler ? Click Here-
Sketch of a condensing System
Elliot Tool---More tube rollers-great site
