A very old model marine engine

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

I have a model steam boat which must be over eighty years old and have stripped the engine down as it was in a bit of a mess.

I intend to make the engine 1/3 size bigger some time in the future with a boiler but I'm not sure what the small tank on the valve case is for.

I've made a few small steam engines so I should know but I don't, it has a small screw on the bottom so the only think it could be is for collecting condensed water, or a oil tank..

The boat is a model of the Turbinia, I shall have a photo of it when I clean it all up as its been in my fathers shed since it was last used in the early eighties.

Originally it was meth's fired but it was converted to the solid block fuel which has left the boiler area full of black thick soot. I remember when I was a boy it would catch fire on the pond as the meth's would flow into the fire so was quite dangerous.

Todays solid fuel will this create soot, or any other suggestions for fuel but preverbally solid.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

The small tank looks to me like a displacement- lubricator.

If I am right, the top cap should unscrew to reveal a tube open cloe to the underside of the cap, and communicating with the branch entering the valve-chest. It's feasible the same function was achieved by a port and passage in the lubricator's wall.

The screw at the bottom is indeed for draining the condensate that had floated the oil up to the passage into the valve-chest.

[paul raynerParticipant @paulrayner36054]

Hiya Bob

It's a cylinder lubricator, very basically steam condenses in it water go's to the bottom oil floats to top into valve and lubricates the cylinder. the tap at the bottom is to empty the water out, you fill with steam oil at the top

regards

Paul

[paul raynerParticipant @paulrayner36054]

Nigel beat me too it he must type with 2 fingers instead of my one

Edited By paul rayner on 27/10/2019 17:59:10

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

Thanks all, if I remember it never had oil put in the tank so I will look forward to get it going.

Bob

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

I've cleaned up the boat after over 40 years of non use and now would like to get it going on gas. Any suggestions of how I can do this, I've seen these self fill butane micro gas torches which would be idea but would like a burner with a separate gas tank.

Bob

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

A beautiful vessel and heartening to see being brought back into active service.

I'd certainly go for gas-firing, so look through what is already commercially available for just such model boilers. These are outside my personal experience but I do know the field is well covered.

Try for a start, Clevedon Steam, who appear to have taken on the Cheddar Steam name, stock and goodwill. Other, similar firms may be available!

I would not try to build my own gas tank, not for running the boat in recognised model-engineering / model boat events. You can, but the test requirements are remarkably stringent. Have a look at the MELG Boiler Test Code 2018 Vol.3 – and try not to be too frightened. Vol.2 deals with testing the boiler itself, in such scales (<3Bar.litre rates, as I imagine your boat's will comfortably be).

+++

Paul _ I do type with 2 fingers, but one operates the back-space key to correct the mistakes the other makes!

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

I have been looking at the pencil type butane torches which I could install as a heat source for the small boiler in the boat.

Any idea how long a full charge of gas would last, I've looked on e-bay at them but this is not on there description. I don't want to spend a lot of money as I will only use it a few times.

I've just brought a micro camping burner for the boiler I'm making, its got every thing I need at a fraction of the cost of the ones with ceramic burners.

With the pencil burner if they last 10 minuets I will be happy with that

Bob

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