I see some Steam Enthusiasts on here! (1 Viewer)

[John Barrett]

I got my Stuart Beam to work today. So chuffed!

 

[68c]

I've been back in the workshop for about a week, and it's taken that long to produce this drop link: well, four actually, the other three are waiting for the pillar you can see in the pictures. I needed to make one of the four spacing pillars to check the distance between the two bearings when the gib and cotter were tightened up. I needn't have worried, as no-one was more surprised than me when the keys settled in the right places!

View attachment 566654View attachment 566655

I got my Stuart Beam to work today. So chuffed!

Love the video but cannot see what that linkage is doing as it passes behing the framw.

 

[jockaneezer]

Love the video but cannot see what that linkage is doing as it passes behing the framw.

Google "Watt's parallel motion"
It's so the rocking beam, which is transcribing an arc, can lift the piston rod perpendicular to the base, so the rod and piston don't bind in the cylinder.
I think James Watt said that this mechanism was one of his greatest inventions ?

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[John Barrett]

Google "Watt's parallel motion"
It's so the rocking beam, which is transcribing an arc, can lift the piston rod perpendicular to the base, so the rod and piston don't bind in the cylinder.
I think James Watt said that this mechanism was one of his greatest inventions ?

I wonder if he patented it?

 

[The Dotties]

You say on the video ”when it’s assembled”.
Here we are, 12 hrs later and still waiting. I need to get to bed!
Absolutely brilliant. Well done sir.

As an aside, are engineering skills of this standard still taught today?

 

[Steve and Denise]

Google "Watt's parallel motion"
It's so the rocking beam, which is transcribing an arc, can lift the piston rod perpendicular to the base, so the rod and piston don't bind in the cylinder.
I think James Watt said that this mechanism was one of his greatest inventions ?

Very interesting I had never gave it much thought before, he was a very clever man even in today’s standards.
Your model looks absolutely superb

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[John Barrett]

You say on the video ”when it’s assembled”.
Here we are, 12 hrs later and still waiting. I need to get to bed!
Absolutely brilliant. Well done sir.

As an aside, are engineering skills of this standard still taught today?

Unless you work in Aerospace or F1, nope!
Here it is 'assembled' but without the parallel motion.

 

[John Barrett]

'Assembled'

 

[Jamesh]

Roughly assembled!

Nothing rough about that silky smooth!!!

Nice work.

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[MoHoMet]

My wife Roz and I have just joined Motorhome Fun and although Roz is not a steam enthusiast, she puts up with with my interests in railways.
We even drove to the Hartz Mountains so I could ride the Hartz Mountain Railway.
I’m currently building an 0 gauge layout called “Stroudley Park”, it’s an ex-LBSCR urban terminus and resides in our smallest bedroom, hence the current scenic section is only eight feet long. It is still very much a work in progress. Anyway, here’s a couple of pics to show what I’m up to……
Regards,
Ian

 

[John Barrett]

My wife Roz and I have just joined Motorhome Fun and although Roz is not a steam enthusiast, she puts up with with my interests in railways.
We even drove to the Hartz Mountains so I could ride the Hartz Mountain Railway.
I’m currently building an 0 gauge layout called “Stroudley Park”, it’s an ex-LBSCR urban terminus and resides in our smallest bedroom, hence the current scenic section is only eight feet long. It is still very much a work in progress. Anyway, here’s a couple of pics to show what I’m up to……
Regards,
Ian

This has never been my bag, but I admire your attention to detail!

 

[John Barrett]

All done, oilers in place, apart from some missing studs! I will be making a new base but that can wait for the warmer weather. Phew!

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[John Barrett]

I finished the base at the weekend. It sports a more lifelike plinth, and has a had a repaint in a slightly less shiny finish. Well pleased, and it's sitting on the bookcase in my study..
Here's a wobbly video!

 

[Nirvanauk]

Looks fabulous and excuse me for being dense but what is the toothed belt driving?

 

[John Barrett]

Looks fabulous and excuse me for being dense but what is the toothed belt driving?

The toothed belt is attached to a Bosch windscreen wiper motor which drives the machine via its own worm gear.

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[Ian Bosman]

They look fantastic. Well impressed.

Ian

One of my early dreams was Model Engineering but never had the space for the workshop despite teaching metalwork for a career! what with family and other interests i have never been able to pursue this. But knowing the engineering involved in miniature i am full of admiration for the knowledge and expert craftsmanship involved. Some of my pupils built oscillating steam engines which were relatively easy to make at up to GCSE (equivalent as I am talking CSE/GCE) somehow i was given the set of casting for an old style beam engine but time meant it never got anything done to it and left behind when i moved to another school.

 

[Ian Bosman]

My limits have been building a 00 gauge railway track in a spare bedroom and have several locomotives all running on 12 volt DC. Again for me, time is limited so sometimes i have gone months without being able to do any more than check it all still works

 

[bigwood]

My birthday is looming so I might make a heavy hint for some castings again. Having built three Stuart engines I fancy another steam pump maybe the Duplex from Southworth.
My Clayton seems to have ground to a halt. The boiler build was enough to make me stop and think but it will be there when I find the enthusiasm for it.
What are you building next John?.

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[John Barrett]

My birthday is looming so I might make a heavy hint for some castings again. Having built three Stuart engines I fancy another steam pump maybe the Duplex from Southworth.
My Clayton seems to have ground to a halt. The boiler build was enough to make me stop and think but it will be there when I find the enthusiasm for it.
What are you building next John?.

An awning on the Costa Del Sol...

Seriously though I want to get away from the machine shop and concentrate on my up to now neglected pottery.

 

[jockaneezer]

Been cracking on with making the fixed steady for my M300. I looked at buying one, but they were around the £450 mark and I couldn't live with spending that kind of money !
I got a piece of 7" pipe from the scrappy (£2) and the guide tubes were some thick walled superheated steam pipe I've had for ages. I bought some M 8 left hand threaded bar to move the support bars in and out as I wanted "proper" movement from turning the setting knobs. It's getting a couple of coats of high build primer to camouflage my welds and then a top coat of Ford Sierra beige, which seems to be a close match for Harrison's lathe paint.

 

[John Barrett]

I knuckled down and did some work on the Britannia tender, sufficient to prevent it going rusty while we are away on our travels next month. I've slapped some paint on the tender which can harden off for three months and I'll put some more on when we get back.!

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[David and Sally]

Stunning piece of work. Would love to see it in steam.

 

[Spriddler]

I've slapped some paint on the tender ........

'Slapped' ?

It looks great.

 

[John Barrett]

I put my beam engine on ebay last night at 2100 with a four figure reserve. By 2140 there were four bidders and it was at £1750! The high bidder just emailed me asking how I want to get paid!
There's 9 days to go...

<Broken link removed>

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[John Barrett]

This will be my next project. A triple expansion steam engine just like this one! I might even try to better it!

Triple expansion engine

 

[Spriddler]

Pure art! What a joy it must be to have the skills and equipment to create such a beauty.

 

[olley]

Very nice but that looks a lot of work.

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[John Barrett]

Very nice but that looks a lot of work.

But I like the work. It keeps my brain alive!
By the way the Beam Engine was bought by a guy in Switzerland for £3000! Pays for the next project, and then some!
John

 

[olley]

From your previous models I have no doubt you can build it, but for me I think my clock is enough brain work.

 

[Podney]

Wow,looks interesting.

Ive got a Lister not a Lidster……..not quite the same!!!!!

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