Found on eBay.

[Michael S.]

Hello everyone,

Last week, a steam engine was for sale on eBay. I liked it. At first, I thought it was a Bischoff No. 173. The main frame looks like this. The cylinder, actually, doesn't.

When I had it on my workbench, I immediately disassembled everything. The main frame is slightly larger than the Bischoff No. 173.
The cylinder has the steam exhaust directly on the cylinder. I've never seen it like that before. The cylinder has to be turned with the exhaust facing down. I don't like the slide valve box. The holes for the box are unevenly spaced. There's a flaw in the cast iron.

I'll see how I can fix it. I don't have any idea yet.

The parts that are OK have already been primed.

The second crankshaft bearing is an aluminum block with a ball bearing.

I want to build a new bearing.

So, another great job for the next weekends.

Michael

[crueby]

Interesting how  they put the exhaust, they went to a lot of trouble to cast it that way. Nice looking proportions  overall.

[redhouseluv]

That definitley has potential, I like chunky cylinder. Very strange how the valve chest holes are positioned, but I can see from your last picture the issue - JB Weld?

[Michael S.]

Yes, I would like the four threaded bolts to be arranged symmetrically. The cylinder is missing some "meat," and glue might work. Maybe an additional metal plate.

Michael

[Michael S.]

Unfortunately, I can not only use the base of an original Bischoff steam engine. I once made a wooden cast model, and a friend cast it in aluminum at the University of Mechanical Engineering. Unfortunately, I wasn't there. I would have liked to see how it was done. But it must have worked.

Michael

[crueby]

Could you saw through the narrow section in the middle and mill up a spacer to extend it to fit the engine?

[Casting Iron]

We can cast you a new base.
Come on over.
.

[Jasonb]

If you managed to make the wooden pattern then it is no harder to fabricate from metal if you can't get one cast from a modified pattern. Breaking it down it is only a few blocks of aluminium with tapered sides and a flat plate screwed to the bottom. Bit of JB weld to add fillets and file the external corners to soften them up a bit for that cast look. Alternatively if you can weld then it can be built up from say 3mm sheet.

It looks like whoever built it intended to have all 4 valve chest holes the same but the ones near the exhaust broke through the sides of the cylinder casting so they moved them closer together. If you made a new cover then that could have the same closer spacing top and bottom and you would just need two new holes closer together in the chest and cylinder to get it to look symmetrical. I might even be tempted to ad a central one to the shorter sides then the six would be evenly spaced. However these end two would just be dummies as you don't want to risk drilling stud holes where the steam passages and valve rod go

[redhouseluv]

Hi Michael

I had a similar problem with this Stuart Simplex and followed Jason's advice and made a new valve chest and cover with stud holes and dummy holes; it worked out great. Take a look at the cylinder below, it was in a terrible state!

[Michael S.]

Yes, Jason's suggestion is excellent, and I think I can do it that way.

On the side where the threaded holes broke through the material, I'll repair it with a sheet metal strip and glue. This side is the top of the cylinder. The top view.

I'll save the cast of the base for later.

Michael

[Michael S.]

Today I had some time to go to the workshop.
I worked on the crankshaft bearing. It consists of several parts that were soldered together with silver solder. The top cap is also already prepared.

Michael

[crueby]

Shaping up nicely!   

[Michael S.]

Yes.
A certain Mr. C. R. from R. makes four crankshaft bearings a day. 😉

[crueby]

Yes.
A certain Mr. C. R. from R. makes four crankshaft bearings a day. 😉

You need to get your shop elves to build you a steam powered Tardis, like mine built for me. Lets you build engines in no time!   

[Michael S.]

Today is a public holiday. Also known as Ascension Day or Men's Day. A large portion of the population rides around on bicycles, or men pull a handcart full of beer 🍺.

I drank beer later and made the crankshaft bearing and a pulley beforehand.


Best regards, Michael