Steam raising blower

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

Hi all, anyone know of a secret supplier of these, seem to be in short supply, just waiting for response of Polly and hope they might be able to help.

Assume as with most things in life they come from China.

Bill D.

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

My last couple of posts lacking in checking of grammar/spelling, must do better.

Bill D.

[BazParticipant @baz89810]

Blackgates sell steam raising blowers, I think the last ones they had were ex military things and they would take up to 24 volts.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

A number of years ago our club got a batch of 24v ex services blowers (valve equipment cooling fans I suspect) but on 12 v they didn't have the oomphf to raise a fire. On 24v they lift the coal off the grate. Just a bit of a pain having to have more than the usual 12v battery.

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

I have a Blackgates one that I keep in my riding on trailer for my 3" Burrell, it will just about raise the fire. Depending the size off engine they do work OK but though I didn't purchase mine I think them expensive for what they are the one I use to raise stem is home made job with speed control, a fellow club member uses a cheap blower for inflatables mounted at 45 degs on a short chimney extension and it works ok on his 4" engine

H

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

I have just made one out of an old gas boiler blower admittedly at the moment its 240v but all you need is a small 12v motor to adapt it. Almost any gas fitter would probably give you one. Noel.

[BazParticipant @baz89810]

Bazyle interesting what you say about the blowers, mine is marginal on 12v but a bit over the top on 24v, I thought it was just me being hopeless at lighting a fire. I am one of the only ones to use electric blowers in our club, everyone seems to prefer compressed air, all the steaming bays are plumbed in to a compressor in the workshop.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

There was an article in ME a bit back about switch mode power supplies to give variable up to 24v output from 12v input. You can buy suitable modules off ebay. I've got 2 of those ex military blowers. I agree not enough oomph to raise the fire on my locos on 12v but fine on 24. The second one drive my fairground organ. It's a bit noisy for that application, something quiet would be better. I think I got them from somewhere in Wales.

Edit: just checked his website looks like he's sold out, steam fittings barmouth 

Edited By duncan webster on 10/01/2022 00:17:54

Edited By duncan webster on 10/01/2022 00:20:49

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

Making your own blower is not difficult as shown below:

Model Engineer,  Vol 187, No 4163 describes the making of an electric steam raising blower.

And a Youtube video called "Make a Simple & Effective Miniature Locomotive Steam Raising Blower"

**LINK**

Edited By Paul Lousick on 10/01/2022 00:31:06

[RMAParticipant @rma]

I use one of these 12v ex military blowers with no trouble at all on 5 inch and 3.5 inch locos, using a car battery at home or the club 12v supply. Maybe they do take a little longer, but I have nothing to compare it with. They do need frequent cleaning out though. I think the availability is now very limited.

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

I found blowers hard to source so I made one.

The rotor is 2 brass discs with 8 radial blades, o/a diameter is 2.5", all silver soldered. There's no real need for a volute. The rotor shaft spins on small ball bearings. At the high speed that it rotates I .found balance fairly important. The motor is 12v. All items were either from the scrap box or Ebay.

Raises steam OK on my Allchin and Simplex.

Edited By Clive Brown 1 on 10/01/2022 09:28:10

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

Well guys, as I have posted before, I should be embarrassed at buying a fan, I am a semi retired engineering manager at an industrial fan and blower company!!, albeit a few hundred kw larger than our steam raising ones.

Truth is I can't be bothered, a nice cast ally one better appeals to me, have limited time to make models let alone anything else.

Polly models are helping me on this.

Thanks for replies.

Bill D.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Performance of your fans can vary a huge amount , motor revs / fan efficiency / fan diameter. My blower uses a fan from a Fokker airoplane fan oven at about 4 plus inches and is extremely efficient.

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Posted by Bill Dawes on 10/01/2022 22:11:25:

…Truth is I can't be bothered, a nice cast ally one better appeals to me, have limited time to make models let alone anything else….

I don't think there is anything wrong with that Bill. I sometimes look at some of the ancillary parts we need to run a locomotive (such as riding trucks) and think "rather than making this I could be making something I WANT to make" and just buy one. I only tend to make things if they are unaffordable or the ones on the market are not fit for purpose. After all, most of us are doing this for fun!

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

When i first started in this ME lark I bought copies of MEW as well as ME, seeing all those exciting projects for tools, jigs, fixtures etc, but I soon realised that I would be spending all my time making things to make things without actually making anything other than things to make things!!!

Riding trolley is my next step, see my other post on Phoenix.

Bill D.

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

Ordered one off Polly today, thay have just put some into stock.

Anyone know how many watts/amps the motors are, Polly did not know, they just test them on a small battery but I need to work out what size battery I will need unless I can find an old car battery, hoping for something a bit lighter than that though.

Bill D.

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

The small batteries used in Emergency exit lights or computer UPS systems are ideal; half the size of a car battery but often have plenty of capacity even when thrown out for being past a certain age (they are lifed components). If you are anywhere near me in the SW of the UK I might even have a spare you can have.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

A 12v 7Ah gel cell will fit in your pocket about £20.00 You will need a charger for this type of battery. Noel

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

Thanks for that Noel, am I correct in thinking that a gel battery requires a special charger? ie not a lead acid car battery charger.

Blower arrived today, excellent service from Polly.

Bill D.

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

Thanks for that Noel, am I correct in thinking that a gel battery requires a special charger? ie not a lead acid car battery charger.

Blower arrived today, excellent service from Polly.

Bill D.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

The draw given by 2v blowers being too much on full and too weak on 12V, can be controlled by a simple bypass arrangement.

Make the adaptor that holds it in the chimney longer than nominal, and cut perhaps 4 longitudinal slots or rows of holes in the exposed portion, fairly wide but with a generous land between each slot or row of holes.

Control the opening these give by rotating around the adaptor, an external a sleeve given a moderately close sliding fit – if fitted with a couple of peg-type handles it can be adjusted in use, on the full 24V.

(You could instead use a variable resistor, but it would need be one capable of handling the power.)

;;;;;

An intriguing historical touch……

Many moons ago, early-1970s I think, I happened to see one of those old annuals of children's stories, in the window of a second-hand shop.

It was the cover picture that caught my eye, memorably; for whoever was the artist, I had the impression that even if not a model-engineer personally he or she did understand the subject. For it was a painting of two boys watching a gentleman (Dad?) preparing a miniature locomotive for running – raised steaming-bay, electric blower of ejector rather than drawn-flow type, and all!

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