How would a weedeater,chainsaw carb work with the ajustable jets and paules pump?
Something new and kinda sorta 100 years old looking
- Thread starter fishguts
- Start date
hmmm ... maybe maybe. I do have a chainsaw carb handy. Thanks for the suggestion. It's worth a try. I'll be having bungs welded into the case either way. I can use them to check if oil is getting distributed and to drain any errant water. If the case looks too dry after running it a while I can always dump oil in the case through the top bung.
Thanks for the encouragement, guys. It helps as I weed my way through this labyrinth. This being a "flash" boiler means a number of controls that conventional boilers don't require. But I'm figuring it out.
Here's the new and improved boiler coil. I upped the size from 1/4" OD tubing to 3/8" OD. I did this because it works better with my 1/4" fittings and the engine is bigger than anticipated. This reduced the length of tubing from 50' to 35'. It's a lot more difficult to make a coil that fits inside a 6" pipe when the tubing is 3/8". Still, I tried to create something of a beehive effect for the lower half and a concentric circle effect for the top half. I've decided to put a 3" piece of pellet stove pipe up the center of the coil to force the heat from the propane burner to flow over the coils and not exhaust up the middle. At mid-point in the coil is a high pressure, high temperature compression T-fitting (not easy to find). A sensor will be fitted into the T on the outside of the boiler to detect water level in the coil. This will run through a little circuitry because there needs to be a delay in the switch so the water pump isn't surging every time the water in the T bubbles up and down.
Here's the new and improved boiler coil. I upped the size from 1/4" OD tubing to 3/8" OD. I did this because it works better with my 1/4" fittings and the engine is bigger than anticipated. This reduced the length of tubing from 50' to 35'. It's a lot more difficult to make a coil that fits inside a 6" pipe when the tubing is 3/8". Still, I tried to create something of a beehive effect for the lower half and a concentric circle effect for the top half. I've decided to put a 3" piece of pellet stove pipe up the center of the coil to force the heat from the propane burner to flow over the coils and not exhaust up the middle. At mid-point in the coil is a high pressure, high temperature compression T-fitting (not easy to find). A sensor will be fitted into the T on the outside of the boiler to detect water level in the coil. This will run through a little circuitry because there needs to be a delay in the switch so the water pump isn't surging every time the water in the T bubbles up and down.
Fishguts, I am in MA also and have several hundred pairs of tires in stock including solid white, solid red, whitewall etc. In fact a whole warehouse full of vintage and repro parts. Also run 4 giant bike shows a year. Next one is Feb 13th OldRoads.com - Dudley Swap Meet
Cool, man. I should have it finished up by February ... I hope. Unfortunately, I won't be able to come. I'll be in church Sunday morning, so the earliest I could be there would be one hour before the show closes.
Yes, I could take a day off, but I'm saving that day for a New England steampunk show where I think my bike will fit right in. Hope to sell it there.
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All my shows are on Sundays unfortunately. I used to have them on Saturday but a lot of bikeshops couldnt make it that day
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Actually my shows are on the CT line in Central MA. OldRoads.com - Dudley Swap Meet
My friend puts on the Larz show in Boston and I was going to be involved in that one too but it conflicts with my weekly Fleamarket that I run every SAT-SUN 8-4 Dudley Do Right Flea Market
Try to make one of my shows if you can Next one is Feb 13th 7 am -2:30
Thanks Mike
My friend puts on the Larz show in Boston and I was going to be involved in that one too but it conflicts with my weekly Fleamarket that I run every SAT-SUN 8-4 Dudley Do Right Flea Market
Try to make one of my shows if you can Next one is Feb 13th 7 am -2:30
Thanks Mike
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Just so ya know - I'm waiting for some plumbing bits to come in to take this thing to the next stage. Also, seriously threw my back out of whack this week and I'm on the mend, so things is a bit slow around here ...
man! thats i nice selection of "tank bikes".....im droolin!....and a nice venue to show 'em...excellantActually my shows are on the CT line in Central MA. OldRoads.com - Dudley Swap Meet
My friend puts on the Larz show in Boston and I was going to be involved in that one too but it conflicts with my weekly Fleamarket that I run every SAT-SUN 8-4 Dudley Do Right Flea Market
Try to make one of my shows if you can Next one is Feb 13th 7 am -2:30
Thanks Mike
OK, I'm de-hijacking my thread back!
Back to STEAM!
One of the pieces I've been waiting for arrived today. It's a very unique pump that should work well with this setup. It took a lot of searching to find it. It is a 150 psi 12 volt pump with the right size fittings and only draws 10 amps. It is designed for methanol injection systems for drag racing. The water pump in the steam power system I'm designing has to overcome the 100 psi operating pressure, hide in a reasonably sized box on the bike along with a motorcycle battery, a propane tank and the bike's other electronic controls. It can't hog a bunch of amps because there won't be a generator. That means I'm going to buy a pretty hefty motorcycle battery. The deal is, no one is going to be riding this bike long distances - not enough water capacity or propane for that anyway. It will be a big toy for somebody to have fun with at bike or steam/steampunk shows or in the neighborhood.
Back to STEAM!
One of the pieces I've been waiting for arrived today. It's a very unique pump that should work well with this setup. It took a lot of searching to find it. It is a 150 psi 12 volt pump with the right size fittings and only draws 10 amps. It is designed for methanol injection systems for drag racing. The water pump in the steam power system I'm designing has to overcome the 100 psi operating pressure, hide in a reasonably sized box on the bike along with a motorcycle battery, a propane tank and the bike's other electronic controls. It can't hog a bunch of amps because there won't be a generator. That means I'm going to buy a pretty hefty motorcycle battery. The deal is, no one is going to be riding this bike long distances - not enough water capacity or propane for that anyway. It will be a big toy for somebody to have fun with at bike or steam/steampunk shows or in the neighborhood.
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That might do it. I also have the option of mounting propane bottles behind the seat, so I can be somewhat flexible with what goes in the box.
Some doo-dads started arriving. I tapped the head for 1/4" NPT, put in a nipple and check valve (running the reverse direction). The check valve was supposed to be a high pressure, high temp valve but the stop "ball" was plastic. Huh?? Well maybe a hi-temp plastic? But I don't think it will work because the actuator rod (top of a Briggs tappet stem) will be rapidly banging against it (tappet rides on top of the piston). Soo ... went to hardware store and got a steel ball bearing, disassembled the check valve and threw out the plastic thing that was actually a half ball that slides on a brass rod, drilled out the rod and removed it, dropped in the ball bearing and it sits nicely in the check valve bevel seat. The way it works is, the piston comes up with the tappet sitting on top. The tappet stem pushes up on the check valve ball and lets steam in which forces the piston and tappet down and the ball is closed by steam pressure behind it. There's supposed to be enough lag in the steam charge when the tappet pushes up on the ball to allow the piston to lead the incoming charge enough to throw the crank in the appropriate direction. Actually, this rig should run equally well in reverse. So this is how the steam inlet valve is shaping up:
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