Thread: Whisperings

Originally Posted by krisfarm

Hi Phil,
Great work and good pictures and video, I really like how you have the pump mounted up at a good height sure beats having to grovel around on the floor to fix/ adjust anything.
Bob

Thanks Bob,
I reckon the old guys were smart as most steam engines are up on brickwork.
It sure made the pump easy to work on. Looking forward to finishing the job, ie properly mounting the exhaust, a vessel to catch the spray from the drain cocks, instal a lubricator, a general spruce up and I reckon I will nearly be able to say "job's done"

Phil

Phil scroll dow a bit Bathurst Museum pc No8

Hi all,
I didn't get much of a chance to do much the last couple of days but I did today. After much fiddling with the valve settings I couldn't get it to run smooth and it seemed to be getting worse. Time to bite the bullet and open it up and try to determine what was going on.
First to be removed was the covers on the steam and water ends of the pistons to see if any of them had come loose. Nope.
Next step was to remove the steam chest cover, this cover seals the 'D' slide valves. My fiddling had put them so far out that I am surprised it ran at all. After re-setting the valves to their correct position, I pulled the cover off the water valve nest and lo and behold!
One whole discharge valve had completely unscrewed and was sitting at a rather obtuse angle. After replacing the valve assembly into its mount, I thought I would check the other three and they were all loose. This is one of the pitfalls of getting roughly one day a month, as you tend to forget where you were up to.
That and the fact that I was too lazy to check my work before closing it up and going over every nut and bolt in line with good practise .
After reassembly I tested the pump again and it pumped so well that I ran it at a speed that would be required to fill the boilers in an emergency. It was all too much for the little pump as in a previous life a repair was done (pffft, not well done) and it managed to crack the casting that covers the water pistons.
A quick phone call to the boss it looks like we may go down the path of a new casting.
No pics of the displaced valve as I have to shut the main pump down to do any testing and my time is in short intervals plus there were a lot of people around today watching so no cameras.

Phil
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bugger Phil thats a crack not needed

Know the rush get it done feeling only to find an ooopps.


However up side is you get to do some casting which means we might get a WiP

Originally Posted by wheelinround

bugger Phil thats a crack not needed

Know the rush get it done feeling only to find an ooopps.


However up side is you get to do some casting which means we might get a WiP

Hi Ray,
very annoying, in fact, incredibly annoying .
I will be making a new cover plate out of steel while we get a new one cast as we don't have the facilities at work anymore.
A WIP on making the temporary one of course
In the meantime I am repairing the lubricator that lubricates the steam chest (where the slide valves are).

Phil
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Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer

Hi all,
After reassembly I tested the pump again and it pumped so well that I ran it at a speed that would be required to fill the boilers in an emergency. It was all too much for the little pump as in a previous life a repair was done (pffft, not well done) and it managed to crack the casting that covers the water pistons.

Phil
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It looks like someone made a reasonable job with the slide valve, but that casting repair looks very half hearted.

A possibility is to actually break the piece out, grind both pieces so that you can get a filler in, clamp the lot to a bit of plate so that its broken out piece is firmly held in the right place. Heat the whole lot up to red heat and then arc or gas weld it together. Let it cool slowly. You might have to make a firebrick enclosure to get it hot enough. Of course you would have to do some machining on it to get the holes back and maybe the flat face.

Just a thought.

Hi Phil,

What a shame. So sorry to hear about the failed part. I can understand a appreciate about forgetting where you are up to when you leave a project for any length of time. It would be too cheeky of me to say that I'm glad your a steam whisperer and not an aircraft whisperer?

Cheers,

Simon

Simon, before you say anymore -
http://www.rexresearch.com/besler/beslerst.htm

Michael

Originally Posted by BaronJ

It looks like someone made a reasonable job with the slide valve, but that casting repair looks very half hearted.

A possibility is to actually break the piece out, grind both pieces so that you can get a filler in, clamp the lot to a bit of plate so that its broken out piece is firmly held in the right place. Heat the whole lot up to red heat and then arc or gas weld it together. Let it cool slowly. You might have to make a firebrick enclosure to get it hot enough. Of course you would have to do some machining on it to get the holes back and maybe the flat face.

Just a thought.

Hi Baron,
a reasonable job on the slide valves, I thought I did a very reasonable job (for me that is). Happily I didn't do the weld repair but if I did it would have gone down pretty much as you have described except it would have been bronze and not arc. Purely because I am more comfortable bronzing plus I can't find my box of million dollar cast welding rods. I still have them but like most of my stuff, it is still unlocatable (if that's a word) since the house move.
I will be making a temporary steel substitute while the new one is cast though.
The slide valve reco work starts here. https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...52#post1722052

Originally Posted by simonl

Hi Phil,

What a shame. So sorry to hear about the failed part. I can understand a appreciate about forgetting where you are up to when you leave a project for any length of time. It would be too cheeky of me to say that I'm glad your a steam whisperer and not an aircraft whisperer?

Cheers,

Simon

Hi Simon,
no, not cheeky at all but I reckon I could have a crack at the Besler

Phil

Phil, I reckon you'd be the right person for the job if that Besler needed a tweak!

Michael, Thanks for posting that link. That was a fascinating read. Those guys were way ahead of their time!

Simon

Thanks Simon, probably best I keep my feet on the ground. left straight from work for a camping weekend in Echuca so am kicking back at the moment.
I made the pseudo cover for the Worthington today but the pics are on the camera and I can't transfer them. Will have to wait until Monday.
I did manage to get the Jones and Shipman wired up though. Time to dress a wheel and grind stuff. Woo hoo.
http://youtu.be/YYigffrYsYk

Phil

Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer

Thanks Simon, probably best I keep my feet on the ground. left straight from work for a camping weekend in Echuca so am kicking back at the moment.
I made the pseudo cover for the Worthington today but the pics are on the camera and I can't transfer them. Will have to wait until Monday.
I did manage to get the Jones and Shipman wired up though. Time to dress a wheel and grind stuff. Woo hoo.
http://youtu.be/YYigffrYsYk

Phil

That's great news…. both about the camping AND the J&S! Some of the worlds problems have been solved while in front of a camp fire with a cold beverage!

…… Although it maybe too hot to enjoy a campfire!

Simon

Originally Posted by simonl

That's great news…. both about the camping AND the J&S! Some of the worlds problems have been solved while in front of a camp fire with a cold beverage!

…… Although it maybe too hot to enjoy a campfire!

Simon

I have solved most of the worlds problems while camping bahaha. I had a ball, great weekend.
Anyways, as usual I was rushed (I knocked off early) and didn't get many pics but I did get some.
Either the boss tested it yesterday or I will be doing it today.

Phil
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Phil, what a plum job you have (envious). Its great that there is still people to keep our steam heritage alive in this "modern age". My Dad was born in 1914 (died 2007 at 93) in his life time he saw the expansion of NSW railways using steam locos, the building of the Harbour Bridge, he got to work on brand new aircraft during WWII, then saw the evolution of flight that ended up on the moon missions. He was born in an era that has probably seen more change than most generations.
He he a great love of steam on the railways. As a young man he would travel to different parts of NSW on the trains on weekends and built up an extensive album of railways at work. He would have liked to have been an employee but never did. He always used to say the "steam was alive" and that was evident in the Video of the pump running after its rebirth.
Back in our workshops at home we tend to take for granted the "convenience" of using machines that have an electric motor to energise them but to see steam powered machines is a spectacle that will never lose its appeal (well for me anyway)
Just as an aside....I had to machine some timber for my nephew's school project. His parents own a Volkswagon Van that had been at the mechanic's for a number of days. I asked the nephew what the problem was with the VW. His answer "Not sure". This kid is male and 18 years old and uses the VW to be taught to drive in. I was astounded he could care less about a mechanical problem with "his conveyance". I hope the generation that is growing up now won't have his attitude that would see live steam being shut off and only be showing static machinery in museums!