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Author Topic: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)  (Read 254 times)

Offline Rledoux313

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Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« on: August 31, 2026, 01:30:15 am »
Tonight I was able to get my steam donkey project to successfully run on steam!  :cartwheel:

I’ve been working on and off for almost 2 years on this, and have learned much more than I could have hoped for! The plans for this can be found in LSOR 2018 issue 3/4/5, those issues are in the digital library on village press and can be read if you have a subscription.

Here is a video, and some photos. The eagle eyed among you may notice that the photos show the connecting rod attached to the crank with an eccentric, while the video has a crank pin. When I was building the engine and running it on air I bent the crank rod, likely due to the wrong timing and too much air. This caused me to go the route of the eccentric so I could have the third crank bearing. After having trouble getting it to run I got in touch with Les and he advised changing that to a crank pin. That change, along with denatured alcohol in the fuel pan instead of sterno gel was enough to get it running.


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-wdUCY6A44" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-wdUCY6A44</a>

Offline crueby

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Re: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2026, 01:34:47 am »
Tonight I was able to get my steam donkey project to successfully run on steam!  :cartwheel:

I’ve been working on and off for almost 2 years on this, and have learned much more than I could have hoped for! The plans for this can be found in LSOR 2018 issue 3/4/5, those issues are in the digital library on village press and can be read if you have a subscription.

Here is a video, and some photos. The eagle eyed among you may notice that the photos show the connecting rod attached to the crank with an eccentric, while the video has a crank pin. When I was building the engine and running it on air I bent the crank rod, likely due to the wrong timing and too much air. This caused me to go the route of the eccentric so I could have the third crank bearing. After having trouble getting it to run I got in touch with Les and he advised changing that to a crank pin. That change, along with denatured alcohol in the fuel pan instead of sterno gel was enough to get it running.


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-wdUCY6A44" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-wdUCY6A44</a>
Excellent!!  Great work, runs very well.   :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:


Whats the burner? Alcohol?

Offline Zephyrin

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Re: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2026, 08:14:49 am »
nice little model, congratulations, and did you also make the crown gear under the large horizontal flywheel ? I'm looking for a way to cut gears like that.
« Last Edit: August 31, 2026, 08:18:08 am by Zephyrin »

Online Sanjay F

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Re: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« Reply #3 on: August 31, 2026, 10:14:24 am »
Very nice, well done, it looks and runs great!  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
Best regards

Sanjay

Offline Spinner21

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Re: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2026, 12:03:55 pm »
Nicely done, lovely to hear engines actually running on steam.

Offline Rledoux313

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Re: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« Reply #5 on: August 31, 2026, 12:57:38 pm »
Tonight I was able to get my steam donkey project to successfully run on steam!  :cartwheel:

I’ve been working on and off for almost 2 years on this, and have learned much more than I could have hoped for! The plans for this can be found in LSOR 2018 issue 3/4/5, those issues are in the digital library on village press and can be read if you have a subscription.

Here is a video, and some photos. The eagle eyed among you may notice that the photos show the connecting rod attached to the crank with an eccentric, while the video has a crank pin. When I was building the engine and running it on air I bent the crank rod, likely due to the wrong timing and too much air. This caused me to go the route of the eccentric so I could have the third crank bearing. After having trouble getting it to run I got in touch with Les and he advised changing that to a crank pin. That change, along with denatured alcohol in the fuel pan instead of sterno gel was enough to get it running.


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-wdUCY6A44" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-wdUCY6A44</a>
Excellent!!  Great work, runs very well.   :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:


Whats the burner? Alcohol?

Yes, I am using denatured alcohol in the burner.

Offline Rledoux313

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Re: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2026, 12:58:20 pm »
nice little model, congratulations, and did you also make the crown gear under the large horizontal flywheel ? I'm looking for a way to cut gears like that.

Thanks! The gears are out of a fishing reel.

Offline Rledoux313

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Re: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« Reply #7 on: August 31, 2026, 12:59:03 pm »
Thanks everybody!  :whoohoo:

Offline PaulR

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Re: Dolbeer Steam Donkey (Les Proper Design)
« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2026, 02:27:57 pm »
Well done, looks great and runs nicely.  :ThumbsUp:

 

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