Steam generator

[michael howarth 1Participant @michaelhowarth1]

Compliments of the season to everyone.

I am sure that I read somewhere of a model engineer using a kitchen steam cleaner to test one of his creations. Seems like a good way to get a quick test done ……if it works. Anyone tried it? What sort of pressure would you get?

Mick

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

On a similar note.  Any suggestions for a small (ideally inexpensive) compressor for testing model steam engines?  I mention “inexpensive” because it wouldn’t be used for anything else, just sit on the shelf until next time.

[peter1972Participant @peter1972]

I have successfully used a car tyre inflator running off my car’s 12V socket. However it was very tricky getting the engine to run but that may have been due to my poor machining tolerances. I am thinking of making a tee connector so I can use an old wheelbarrow wheel as an air storage tank!

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I think early VW beetle cars used the spare tyre to drive the screen washer. You had to remember to over inflate it regularly. There was a clever valve in the system which stopped you running the pressure down too far.

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Ade Swash posted this video of him using a pressure cooker to generate steam to run his many engines link

‘Pressure Cooker Boiler for Steam Engines’

H

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[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

If you make a little oscillator engine you can ‘run it in reverse’ as a compressor. Just need a suitable reservoir.
A slightly odd option is to make an adaptor to fit your hosepipe. Drain the hose then connect to engine and mains. You have quite a bit of volume of air to push out before the water gets to the other end. I did this with my Mamod as a child, using all sorts of bits of plastic tube and sellotape to adapt the size to the boiler filler plug.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Thanks all,

I’m going to give the tyre inflator a try.  Now, where did I put the ear defenders?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

As Bazyle says an oscillating engine can also be turned over by hand and then it will pump air. No reason that you could not run the pumping engine off a small electric motor, the 775 dynamo in my current thread would also make a nice period looking motor.

Or there is this low cost option.

A lot will depend on the displacement of your engines and the speed they are run at as to whether a compressor or steamer will keep up. Also just running slowly for display will have a far lesser demand than an engine that is working.

[peter1972Participant @peter1972]

For using a tyre inflator, I made a two-part Schrader adaptor for a Stuart union cock:

The Schrader thread is 32tpi, which extremely close to 0.8mm pitch.

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