Author Topic: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.  (Read 193941 times)

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #555 on: November 20, 2016, 02:32:34 AM »
Good to see MEM back on line. Here is the engine with most of the upstairs parts in place to see what it looks like. the motion straps and parts will be made correctly once the steam test,( to check the engine and valve gear works ok) ,is working. The underneath parts ,air pump and condenser also need to be made.

Offline crueby

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #556 on: November 20, 2016, 04:45:12 AM »
That is looking wonderful - it is a very graceful design!

In the restoration of the real engine, do you know if they will actually be steaming it again? At least turning it with a motor or something to show the motion, I hope.

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #557 on: November 21, 2016, 01:03:34 AM »
That is looking wonderful - it is a very graceful design!

In the restoration of the real engine, do you know if they will actually be steaming it again? At least turning it with a motor or something to show the motion, I hope.

Yes they have the plans for a new boiler drawn up for it . but it will be a completely new set up rather than using the old elephant boiler that is already there. There is not enough room for an electric motor, and they have not been able to disconnect it from the hurst (the corn milling machinery) yet either.

Offline crueby

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #558 on: November 21, 2016, 02:13:34 AM »
Thanks for the pictures of the boiler area - interesting!

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #559 on: November 22, 2016, 07:54:08 PM »
The steam chest covers are made, however the HP side does not have the whole surface area bolted to the steam chest like the LP side.....nearly ready for the steam test..................

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #560 on: November 26, 2016, 04:42:51 AM »
Getting ready for the steam test. I have put gaskets and steam seal on the cylinder caps. i tried to put graphited yarn on the pistons but it did not seam to work, i will put it in the glands later though. I have had to adjust various parts with wedges and some nifty fitting. I will also have to make a steam connection pipe. when it is steamed up the steam is admitted to the jacket and allowed to heat up the whole cylinder block to working temperature. this is because there are no drain cocks on the cylinders them selves. Once the cyl block is up to temperature the condensate is drained off with more steam at the lowest point at the back of the LP side. So a drain cock will also have be made.......

Offline crueby

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #561 on: November 26, 2016, 04:55:25 AM »
Always exciting to see it go the first time - and always one more little thing to get done first. Looking forward to it!

Offline Steamer5

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #562 on: November 26, 2016, 07:40:20 AM »
Looking good Willy. Looks like the happy dance isn't to far away now!

Cheers Kerrin
Get excited and make something!

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #563 on: November 29, 2016, 11:57:11 PM »
Ok ,so i have done as much as i can for the steam test to try out with the steam valves attached the lower one to release the condensate........and .......am a bit hesitant to do it ,as usual , I am hoping the Loctite 638 will hold up as well as the steamseal compound. now i know what Woolf was feeling with quite a few onlookers gathered around !!

Offline crueby

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #564 on: November 30, 2016, 02:31:07 AM »
Don't worry, we are not looking... well, yes, we are, but we are a very sympathetic crowd!

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #565 on: December 03, 2016, 03:15:00 AM »
Ok so i have tried a steam test but no luck yet...... i had a few leaks on the glands as the graphited yarn was quite tricky to put in on this small size. What i did was to use some ordinary cotton yarn and ran it over a graphite carpenters pencil. this was a lot easier to install. I tried the steam test but nothing happened even at 40 lbs so i will have to take it all apart and go through everything. I think it may be the steam getting to the HP steam chest via the HP valve chest stop valve...the four handled valve..
The steam is heating up the steam jacket ok and the drain valve works ok.......so back to the drawing board.......

Online sco

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #566 on: December 03, 2016, 08:54:26 AM »
Keep at it Willy - we know you've got the know-how to sort it.

Simon.
Ars longa, vita brevis.

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #567 on: December 06, 2016, 10:51:36 PM »
ok ,so i have found a couple of leaks and weeps, and have removed the cylinder from the jacket by screwing a long bolt in the bottom of the casting. I used Bakers fluid with soft solder as this is quite corrosive and penetrative and it seems to have worked so i need to reassemble everything again and have another go.......

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #568 on: December 08, 2016, 01:40:58 AM »
The cylinder has been soldered and i have also used J D Weld to doubly seal it. the cylinder with piston has been polished up using brass and oil by reciprocating the piston rod for about 5 mins. The cylinder has been refitted using the Trulock 742 Gasket eliminator...there is also a short video on Vimeo with the piston breath test.!!

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: The Beeleigh Mill, Woolf compound engine.Maldon, Essex.
« Reply #569 on: December 08, 2016, 04:18:06 AM »
The LP cylinder breath test even with my asthma !!

Beeleigh Mill beam engine breath test
Not a valid vimeo URL Anyone

 

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