Something new and kinda sorta 100 years old looking

[fishguts]

I'm diggin these cable ideas. That's what I like about this site - all the advice that makes you think outside your own little box.

Nothing big to report today. Didn't have much available time. I made this odd thingamabobbie which is a baffle for inside the boiler. It will force the hot air to the walls of the chamber where the coil is. I wasn't able to bend the tubing any tighter than the 6" inside radius of the boiler and I don't want the heat to escape past it and right up the chimney. Yep,those are steel rivets. The "legs"of the baffle insert between the coils to support it.

Tomorrow I should be able to get the boiler mounted.

 

[Ted]

A lot of bicycles use open cables with mounted sliders, a copper tube with flared ends and soldered to a bracket would look good also.

 

[Poopyboogin420]

I must repeat what dozens of others have said... This is one sweet project!!! It has also opened my eyes to the wonderful world of steam punk art. Sir, you are one mad scientist.

 

[fishguts]

I must repeat what dozens of others have said... This is one sweet project!!! It has also opened my eyes to the wonderful world of steam punk art. Sir, you are one mad scientist.

Steampunk is both wonderful and yes, a little nuts. Glad you like it.

So our daughter, son-in-law and grandson were here yesterday and son-in-law checked out the steam bike for the first time. He's an engineer on an oil rig. He's not a real talkative guy. After he left, my wife asked what he thought of the project. I said he didn't have much to say. She said, "Maybe he thinks it's a little crazy." I said, "Well, think about it, dear - your husband is building a steam powered bicycle in the basement. He's also building a steam powered flying machine model, a steam powered trike model and copper pipe canes, crosses and saxophones. Oh, and I built that VW powered reverse trike in the garage. If that isn't nuts I don't know what is."

"Oh", she said. Reality check. Yep, mad scientist is about right. But it's great being crazy - I'm having a bunch of fun.

 

[BarelyAWake]

*shrug* Heck - ifn it weren't for the "mad scientist" we'd all still be livin' in caves, flingin' poo & diggin' fer grubs w/our fingers

...which I gotta say as I'm gettin' ready for the work day, doesn't seem all that bad...


...

Damn yer eyes mad scientist! *shakes fist & flings*


Lookin' good fishguts, thanks a million for sharin' w/us man

 

[curtisfox]

Maybe he is a little jelous or enveious. Some of them guys are all smarts and no comin sence. or something like that.
I know a guy that was a teacher and very good at art,came to work at the papper mill were I worked and didn't know nothing. I told him he was a egukated idieit and he said I was right,but I taught him a lot. He went on to build a house, a good friend today.......Curt

 

[corgi1]

and maybe,just maybe he went home ,rushed to the basement and started secretly building himself one,we may have a new member ,lol

 

[fishguts]

Son-in-law is a good guy, just quiet. Good thing because daughter fills in the gaps, keeps that boy on his toes. I'll have to corrupt him by tempting him into his own MB project. Then he can escape his wife once in a while!

Man, I hope she doesn't read this ...

Finally got the boiler mounted up. It took some fiddlin' because it turns out that brass bar stock doesn't like to be bent at a 90 degree angle - snaps right off. Had to make steel angle pieces to bolt on the strap ends and then draw them up with those. I'll post pics of that next - forgot to download them to the computer.

Oh, and the engine is mounted permanent now, too. In the process of doing that I found my chain won't fit the jackshaft sprocket! humph - thought I ordered the right one. Well, turns out I did, but the sprocket is too fat for the chain so the chain doesn't settle into it the whole way, making it look like the sprocket and chain have the wrong tooth/link spacing. So I'll put the sprocket on a diet and take it to the bench grinder.

That tail light is 100 years old. So is the headlight. I'll make a bracket for that next.

 

[Ted]

To bad that your steam powered balloon Boat isn't bigger, it would fit right in as your land transportation,,,,they really do go together. Really nice job your doing on that bike, I get excited just reading about it and seeing the pic's.

 

[corgi1]

Yep ,he could fly down set the steam bike off ,ride to the store for grocery's and then fly away,lol

 

[fishguts]

Here are those boiler straps.

Welded up a headlight bracket. Stole the idea of using rubber line clamps from guys on here. How do you like the cool LED's?

I need to buy some Brasso.

 

[corgi1]

That is really looking good!

 

[fishguts]

Decided to detail the tank before mounting it for good. The wide black stripes were taped off and sprayed with semi-flat black. It's probably difficult to see, but I laid in gold pinstripes by hand along the inside edges of the black stripes. I'll have to figure out a way to get a better photo.

 

[Ted]

I can see them but if you drop your ambient light source and shoot at about the same angle they will show up a lot better, just like everything else it looks great.

 

[Allen_Wrench]

I love checking this thing out now and then. Fish, I think you have wrought the very incarnation of everything cool about "steampunk", and using real steam at that! I like this bike even better than the 80 foot tall tarantula from the movie "Wild Wild West".

You've just got to make sure it runs. It's too cool not to run. Great bike. Keep the pics coming please.

 

[fishguts]

I love checking this thing out now and then. Fish, I think you have wrought the very incarnation of everything cool about "steampunk", and using real steam at that! I like this bike even better than the 80 foot tall tarantula from the movie "Wild Wild West".

You've just got to make sure it runs. It's too cool not to run. Great bike. Keep the pics coming please.

Thanks man. I'm really happy with the way it is turning out. It kinda took on a life of its own. You never know how something like this is going to go. Like I said in an earlier post, I lost the directions at some point.

I can promise it will run, with this engine and boiler combo or a different setup if necessary. I'm too far into it to go back or give up!

 

[fishguts]

Luggage straps.

 

[Ted]

Don't trust those straps/belts to hold the bags in place, they WILL loosen up, that style of buckle looks like it would wedge the belt but in reality it doesn't work all that well.

 

[corgi1]

velcro anti end flap under the ends??to hold position

 

[Ted]

Velcro or a snap