Author Topic: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!  (Read 7119 times)

simplyloco

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How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« on: March 07, 2019, 11:10:44 AM »
You buy a job lot like this one. I saw this come up very late the other night on Homeworkshop.org.uk and I sent an email straight away. I phoned at 8.00 am and was first in the queue that afternoon, and the seller later said that the phone hadn't stopped ringing all day!
What do we have here?  A Stuart Sirius from WWII, Stuart Sun, marinised Stuart Double 10 with a pumped condenser, another double vertical engine, unused fabulous vertical boiler - gas or coal fired, three steam driven boiler feed pumps, valves, connectors etc. etc...
I'll certainly be kept busy restoring this lot!
John
Happy bunny :cheers:

20190306_173617 by inkaboat, on Flickr

20190306_173718 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2019, 11:29:47 AM »
Nice find  :whoohoo:

But why do they need restoration - I can't see any problems beside minor surface oxidation …  :noidea:

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2019, 12:55:54 PM »
Great score John. Hope the price was right too :)

Bill

Offline steam guy willy

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2019, 03:48:02 PM »
hi John ....wow....envious ..... I am quite busy just looking at them...beats my car boot finds !!! :ThumbsUp:

Willy

Offline steamer

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2019, 11:15:37 PM »
Saaaweeeeeeet!
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline MJM460

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2019, 08:02:26 AM »
Looks like someone’s life’s work.  Sold by the family perhaps?

I am sure the original owner would be pleased that they have gone to a home where they will be appreciated.  And over the moon if you can finish them like that beam engine.  A great responsibility.

Looking forward to progress reports.  You did an amazing job on that beam engine plant.

MJM460

The more I learn, the more I find that I still have to learn!

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2019, 10:08:19 AM »
Looks like someone’s life’s work.  Sold by the family perhaps?

SNIP
MJM460

The seller is 88 and looks 68, has a wonderful workshop, plus a concours Willys Jeep (complete with front mounted monkey bike) and a similar quality MG TB (only 379 were made), and an original Austin Mini, but he never got around to fixing up the items I bought... :NotWorthy:
John

Offline MJM460

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2019, 11:30:36 AM »
So he set a high standard as well!

No pressure of course.  Sounds like I will have to take up eating pop corn.

MJM460
The more I learn, the more I find that I still have to learn!

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #8 on: March 10, 2019, 06:26:34 PM »
Looks like this lot won't take 20 years, so don't buy anymore popcorn! I started the Sirius yesterday, ran it on air to make sure that I wasn't wasting my time, and then started the renovation. As there is no sign whatsover of any wear, all I had to do was polish and paint it!
A few pics:
It started like this. Filthy dirty, a unfettled valve chest casting - it was wartime!- , a lumpy boss on the inlet manifold, and serious tarnishing.
20190309_162016 by inkaboat, on Flickr

I cleaned it with some petrol. I loosely connected the airbrush compressor and the thing ran like a watch!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3xXMY67OlA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3xXMY67OlA</a>

Quite happy now, I took it apart. There was no discernable wear in the bores or anywhere else!
20190309_171643 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Most of these I've seen have a hideous connector added to the inlet manifold. I found an original photo and the engine now has a reasonable copy of the original connector. I thought the thread was 0.5" UNF 20 tpi. Unfortunately for me, it was 0.514" UNF so I had to get my hand chaser out to finish the job!
20190310_130812 by inkaboat, on Flickr

It now looks quite nice. I'll grit blast the body at the Club on Wednesday, paint it, refit the flywheel and put it on the shelf to await the completion of my Scotch boiler and the 4'6" MTB!
20190310_171105 by inkaboat, on Flickr
20190310_171116 by inkaboat, on Flickr


Online Jo

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #9 on: March 10, 2019, 07:47:12 PM »
Looking good.

At this rate you will shortly have to buy some more engines to play with :-X

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #10 on: March 10, 2019, 08:28:38 PM »
Looking good.

At this rate you will shortly have to buy some more engines to play with :-X

Jo

Thanks Jo. When I saw your name I thought that you were going to *ollock me for polishing off all that wartime patina! :LittleDevil:
John

Online Jo

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2019, 08:53:06 AM »
I thought you would have been eying up my new sandblaster to speed things up ::)

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #12 on: March 11, 2019, 08:56:35 AM »
I thought you would have been eying up my new sandblaster to speed things up ::)

Jo

Not this time, I have one of my own! I keep it at the Club where there is a big compressor.
John

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #13 on: March 11, 2019, 08:48:36 PM »
Today's jobs included making a 40 tpi insert for a displacement lubricator: it is only needed for the valve gear, as the Sirius has a wet sump and splashers on the crank. The next a look at the cladding to see if it could be saved, and lastly, make a new head gasket. Managed to do all three, and also fired up the vertical boiler with some nuts... :whoohoo:

Blended in quite nicely!
20190311_115513 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Rolled out the cladding and cleaned it up: it certainly got rid of most of the lumps!
20190311_123635 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Cladding cleaned up and the lubricator added.
20190311_133018 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Fits like a glove!  I'll grit blast it and paint it on Wednesday.
20190311_135710 by inkaboat, on Flickr

A new head gasket from brown paper, cut out the old fashioned way! Who needs CNC anyway... :)
20190311_140824 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Oh, and here's the video running the D10 on coal!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyh8VPK7wZA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyh8VPK7wZA</a>

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #14 on: March 11, 2019, 11:33:52 PM »
Carrying on the theme of 'How to keep busy', this is where the Stuart D10 motor and the Scotch boiler I am building will end up. I bought a boat mould at a car boot sale many years ago for just £10, and when I got it home I found this lovely moulded hull in it! I like the shape, and the flat transom bottom promises a fair turn of speed.
John

20190311_164249 by inkaboat, on Flickr

20190311_164323 by inkaboat, on Flickr

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #15 on: March 13, 2019, 10:34:43 PM »
I couldn't resist a trial assembly. It looks a bit bling/OTT but what the hell, I like it!
John

20190313_220226 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Offline yogi

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #16 on: March 14, 2019, 02:47:02 AM »
Beautiful transformation John!  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: 
It’s nice to see those engines getting a new life. :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #17 on: March 14, 2019, 08:50:20 AM »
Beautiful transformation John!  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: 
It’s nice to see those engines getting a new life. :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

I just visited your website! :praise2:
John

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #18 on: March 19, 2019, 02:36:40 PM »
Another One Bites The Dust!

The Stuart Sirius is finished, but I have no progress pictures because it was all just take apart, clean, repaint, polish and reassemble!
Anyone want to buy a good looking doorstop...?  :cheers:
John

20190319_130646 by inkaboat, on Flickr

20190319_130623 by inkaboat, on Flickr

20190319_130602 by inkaboat, on Flickr

20190319_130542 by inkaboat, on Flickr
« Last Edit: March 19, 2019, 02:45:34 PM by simplyloco »

Offline crueby

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #19 on: March 19, 2019, 07:09:43 PM »
Coming out great! So much for 20 years, at this rate it will be 20 days!

Offline AJW

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #20 on: March 19, 2019, 07:21:03 PM »
Scrubbed up lovely! Powerful little engines that I believe were used during WW2 by bomb disposal when remote drilling of bomb cases.
I have a cherished Sun engine which has been passed down through the family.

Alan

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #21 on: March 19, 2019, 07:46:13 PM »
Steamed it today using my vertical boiler. The 'clicking' noise is the exhaust steam in the bucket!

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NodvgFuCqw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NodvgFuCqw</a>

And with compressed air afterwards.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucnNDqdJf1Y" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucnNDqdJf1Y</a>


Offline crueby

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #22 on: March 19, 2019, 09:02:51 PM »
Cleaned up and runs great!!

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #23 on: March 23, 2019, 10:51:23 AM »
The Vertical Boiler didn't run on coal that well, so I've deepened the grate a little.

20190317_151308 by inkaboat, on Flickr

20190317_153324 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Next job was to pretty it up a little. These mahogany planks came with it, but were 1/2" wide so that was a job for my budgie bandsaw!
20190321_175647 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Now it looks prettier, but I have to fix brass boiler bands onto it with an invisible join: something that I have not attempted before. Any suggestions?
20190322_204437 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Online Kim

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #24 on: March 23, 2019, 03:38:48 PM »
Your lagging sure looks nice!
Kim

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #25 on: March 23, 2019, 09:01:21 PM »
Thanks Kim: it's worth the effort because this will be my 'Show' boiler at Club events. I'll have a few engines on a board and I'll let the little kiddies burn their fingers on them... :mischief:
John

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #26 on: March 24, 2019, 05:43:28 PM »
What Next?!

20190324_165016 by inkaboat, on Flickr

Offline crueby

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #27 on: March 24, 2019, 06:26:25 PM »
Wow - those bands add a lot to the look! How did you attach them?

simplyloco

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Re: How to keep busy for the next 20 years!
« Reply #28 on: March 24, 2019, 10:02:17 PM »
Wow - those bands add a lot to the look! How did you attach them?

Drilled a hole in each end, bent the strip, and bolted them up. More by luck than judgment they butted up just right! They are at the rear so you can't see them... :LittleAngel:
John

 

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