What is this model/machine

[damduck-egg]

Or if was an apprentice piece steam engine/compressor he forgot them and didn't make the grade.

G.Harman

[damduck-egg]

Is there any outlet/inlet at all? if there is just a single port it might function as a small compressor if piping no longer around was configured correctly. Inlet >>>> Non return valve>>T Piece>>>Non Return valve >>>Outlet ^ ^ ^ Cylinder

G.Harman

[ss]

I will take some more inmages tonight and post them as by then I will have dismantled some more of it.

[ss]

Below is a link to images, as you can see there is no inlet/outlet to the cylinder. The piston is a neat fit with no piston rings. There is what looks like a slide valve although both would be covered by the cover plate, the slide valve is flat on one side.

[IMG]

[harry]

It's a steam engine you thickwit.

Normal slide valve as devised by William Murdoch

[ss]

Now that you have given a link I think you are correct,following those diagrams it fits rather well with the exception of not having an inlet for steam to drive it although I think on one part steam could be connected but capped off.

[tabbypurr]

This seems an unlikely suggestion, but I'm not seeing how else to make sense of it. So... might its lack of a good seal in the cylinder be how the steam escapes, resulting in a crude but working engine?

NT

[ss]

Going by the parts I think it is the most likely, bear in mind it is a model probably designed to be mechanically operated (rather than steam) just to show how the piston etc works. But yes without proper seals/piston rings it would leak like a kitchen seive. I have it fully dismantled now more to clean it up than anything else, nothing has a seal just flush fits metal to metal.

[Tim+]

A bit late to the party with that observation.

Tim

[harry]

I commented on the first day but the thickwit chose to ignore it. It seems the piston ring is missing.

[harry]

If it's made out of bronze, it's designed to run on wet steam. If cast iron, it will be for superheated steam and need oil feed lubrication. I suspect it's an uncompleted project. Intended for a boat or similar. The piston ring [groove] is a strange design.

You might find it can be sold to somebody interested in reconstructing Victorian/Edwardian boats.

[harry]

You might find it is one of these. This firm is responsible for most UK small steam engines.

[DerbyBorn]

harry wrote in news:2d859784-88d9-4493-99d8- [e-mail]:

Just a thought from seeing sectioned drawings, was there usually any compensation for the fact that the surface area on one face of the piston was less due to it having a rod attached?

[harry]

No. Compared with a ICE engine, they run at low speeds. Yours will be very slow, there is no balance weight on the flywheel. EG

[harry]

[harry]

You have to understand, the slide valve is the most primitive of steam engine valves. There were piston valves, Corliss valves, poppet valves and Capprotti valves which all came later. More efficient and allowed the steam engine to run faster. Also eccentric driven valves were inefficient.