9 replies to this topic

[Arthur Brown]

Just having a look through Ebay. Found a small Stuart Turner model steam engine that would run also on compressed air.

Would it drive a mill (for example) totally spark free, the electric compressor could be 50metres away.

[RFD]

It would cerainly make a conversation piece,i think with imagination,materials and a bit of effort any thing can just about be made(just made a star roller out of a electric can opener and a stainless dog bowl),might be a bit on the exspensive side to run a compressor but no harm in trying something new.

[Arthur Brown]

Well the idea started no too seriously, but progressed because the simple steam piston engine is rotary power without sparks or electricity (when run on compressed air) !

[RFD]

It certainly has possibiltys,using belt drive from the flywheel in place of a electric motor would work and has potential of being able to adjust the revs by air pressure or relief valve.
may have to increase the flywheel size and weight to increase the amount of torque needed to turn a cylinder with a lot of lead media in it and depending how well its engineered might run quieter than an electric motor,something to do in the christmas break perhaps???.

[Arthur Brown]

My original thought was for a small compressor off a fridge to power the engine at 10+ metres using a roll of air hose.

HOWEVER please note that this is a "back of fag pack" design without the fag packet so please do the calculations and risk and hazard assessments before you engage wallet.

[dr thrust]

you'd need more than a small compressor! more like a 14cfm with 100lt tank, ive got the d10 which is caperable of 2000 rpm, and really gobbles up the air, a better bet would be a steam plant , engine , boiler, with boiler feed pump ( important) and drive the mill via a rope race, long shaft, or lay shaft belt drive, similar to the set up Fred dibnah had in his work shop, basically a separate "engine room" powering a overhead shaft with belts running down to power machinery.
steam engines do like to be looked after, an eye kept on them, lots of oil and speed adjustment, ect not somthing you can leave running for hours on its own, but thats the fun part! tinkering. heres a nice vid of a stuart model beam engine

Edited by chris m, 19 December 2008 - 12:07 AM.

[dr thrust]

lol last post 2008 where does the time go?

a little something i've made,maybe a possible ball mill power source maybe not ha ha .

[Sparky]

You need to speak to Bernie Ecclestone about 2020 :-) Love the build, always makes me so jealous seeing a workshop like that. I just don't have the space.

[dr thrust]

thanks sparky ,heres the concluding videos

[whoof]

Sounds like a fun project.
From experience though, having built a few they do not give much power.
Some of the smaller ones could barely keep the flywheel turning without generating any thing useful.