Something new and kinda sorta 100 years old looking

Did you ever get to see an old oil bath (I believe Ford) air filter from the early 1950's,the bigger the breathing hole the less speed of the air passing through it and spraying the splashed up oil out,the stainless steel scrubbr mesh would catch and condence the sprayed oil and allow it to drain back into the motor,and the air will pass freely through the stainless mesh,
 
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corgi1 said:
Did you ever get to see an old oil bath (I believe Ford) air filter from the early 1950's,
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Old VW's had oil bath filters, too. I had a couple early Chevies with oil bath filters - monstrous things - like a washing machine on top of your engine!
 
The air filter reference was to show that air passing through a larger opening (All the way around the edge of the inside of the air filter)is slower and the oil spray can be traveling slower also and won't shoot past the mesh
 
Just a thought on the air filter breather deal. Maybe some variation on the gas filter I made for my Worksman Indian build last summer would work. I used one inch copper pipe and fittings, drilled holes in the end caps for copper tubing soldered in place and compression fittings on the tubing. Inside is stainless steel wool crammed in there from one end to the other. I haven't ridden that bike much, but so far so good. It would breathe and have an old time look in keeping with the rest of your build. You'd want different sized tubing and compression fittings. I don't know...
Looking forward to seeing that steam baby in motion one of these days...
SB
 

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silverbear said:
Just a thought on the air filter breather deal. Maybe some variation on the gas filter I made for my Worksman Indian build last summer would work. I used one inch copper pipe and fittings, drilled holes in the end caps for copper tubing soldered in place and compression fittings on the tubing. Inside is stainless steel wool crammed in there from one end to the other. I haven't ridden that bike much, but so far so good. It would breathe and have an old time look in keeping with the rest of your build. You'd want different sized tubing and compression fittings. I don't know...
Looking forward to seeing that steam baby in motion one of these days...
SB
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Now ain't that a perfect steam bike piece or what? So, maybe a pair of 1" end caps and a really short piece of pipe between them, one end soldered, the other a nice snug fit due to the pipe section being enlarged slightly. Drill some breather holes in the end that slips on and a solder joint/fitting arrangement on the other end that leads to the intake. Put some sort of filtering stuff inside.


corgi1 said:
The air filter reference was to show that air passing through a larger opening (All the way around the edge of the inside of the air filter)is slower and the oil spray can be traveling slower also and won't shoot past the mesh
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Sorry ... couldn't help but meander off on some foggy memory lane ... there have been a lot of oil bath air cleaners in my past ...
 
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Had a little time to make some sparks so almost finished the frame welding today. I cut off the jackshaft mount, welded in the studs and scooted it over 1/2" as planned. Then I welded up a clutch handle and the pivot for it to turn on. Easy peasy because I found the perfect steel bushing that will take a bronze bushing/bearing inside. Zap zap all welded up and I took the frame inside and went to clean up the bore of the steel bushing and it cracked. Yep, what I assumed was rolled steel was cast iron. Darn nice piece of cast iron sure didn't look cast. It welded up nice, too, but couldn't handle the heat. So tomorrow (if it isn't raining), I'll cut off the welds and replace the cast bushing with a proper steel version.

Here's the clutch lever. You'll notice I used some pieces from a chain tensioner. Added gussets. I'll put a bronze or nylon bushing inside the roller as it's kinda sloppy. Much better to use something with bearings but this is what I have on hand and it will do for now. I'll need to weld up a guide and catch for the clutch lever so it can be set in the tensioned position when the bike is underway.
steambike34.jpg


steambike35.jpg
 
I just came across this build. I know you're quite far along, but I've heard that some kinds of automotive air conditioning compressors can be adapted into steam engines. You can only use the older piston-type compressors and not the newer wankel-type. But they have the valves already built in.
 
discontinuuity said:
I just came across this build. I know you're quite far along, but I've heard that some kinds of automotive air conditioning compressors can be adapted into steam engines. You can only use the older piston-type compressors and not the newer wankel-type. But they have the valves already built in.
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Thanks for the input.

First of all, let me say the reason people wanting to run steam try to convert air compressors and 2-strokes in the first place is cost. Mike Brown makes some really nice steam engines in the USA, but 1 hp is $1200 and 3 hp is $2400. You can buy a 2 hp steam engine from India for $650, but it's a big clunky industrial thing unsuitable for installation in a bike frame.

In the process of a researching this project I checked out the possibility of converting a compressor to steam. One of the challenges is that there is so much conflicting information as to what is the best way to go. I even half-disassembled a compressor I have to see if I could use it. I gave up on that approach when it became obvious there are real issues with handling spent steam. There is no crankcase on an air compressor as the crank is out in the open. Exhaust comes out the bottom of the cylinder. I would have had to make a crankcase. A 2-stroke works with a bash valve approach similar to what you would use on an air compressor but it has an exhaust port and a crankcase that can be converted as I did mine. Additionally, the air compressor "ring" (actually a plastic cup) is rated only to 175 F, far short of what I need (I'm figuring 300 F), so I would expect premature failure there. The real problem is, I haven't found any information from anyone who goes beyond just experimenting with these converted machines. How well any of them perform long-term is anyone's guess. The big difference with the one I built is the wet crank. I've not seen anyone take that approach. Will it solve the lubrication problems? I don't know, but I'll give it a try. There's a guy trying to sell heads to convert air compressors to steam for $850 - I wonder if he knows you can buy an honest-to-goodness factory made 2hp steam engine for $650?

If I had a lathe, I'd machine my own engine in the size I want, but I'm a backyard mechanic with limited tools.
 
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I don't know too much about how compressors are built, but the type in the story I heard was an old Mopar A/C compressor like this one:
34933d1250507677-mopar-ac-compressor-mopar-parts-007.jpg


It looks pretty durable to me (probably all cast iron) but again I don't know how the valves, lubrication system, or piston rings work. In the story I heard some guy living in the Alaskan wilderness used one of these hooked up to a homemade boiler/stove and an alternator to charge batteries and power his house, in conjunction with solar panels. Apparently they put out something like 3 hp with the right boiler. I haven't found much more info beyond that though.

I've thought about buying a compressor (they're pretty cheap on ebay) and building a boiler like yours, then mounting everything in an old motorcycle frame. But I don't know too much about what it would take to adapt the compressor into an engine, and I don't have the space, time, or money for a new project.
 
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discontinuuity said:
I don't know too much about how compressors are built, but the type in the story I heard was an old Mopar A/C compressor like this one:
34933d1250507677-mopar-ac-compressor-mopar-parts-007.jpg


It looks pretty durable to me (probably all cast iron) but again I don't know how the valves, lubrication system, or piston rings work. In the story I heard some guy living in the Alaskan wilderness used one of these hooked up to a homemade boiler/stove and an alternator to charge batteries and power his house, in conjunction with solar panels. Apparently they put out something like 3 hp with the right boiler. I haven't found much more info beyond that though.

I've thought about buying a compressor (they're pretty cheap on ebay) and building a boiler like yours, then mounting everything in an old motorcycle frame. But I don't know too much about what it would take to adapt the compressor into an engine, and I don't have the space, time, or money for a new project.
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Now that's a really cool compressor. Would make a great looking steam engine and it has a crankcase, too. Two pistons means it might even be self-starting, which my single-action piston won't be. Hmmm ... well too late now ... maybe next time. I wonder what the guts of it look like, whether it has conventional pistons and rings or a wobble piston. A cutaway diagram would be worth checking out.
 
Clutch lever guide and catch. Drill, hacksaws, jigsaw, angle grinder, welder, hand files - sometimes the smaller parts take the most work, but I'm happy with the result.

steambike36.jpg
 
At long-last the frame is finished: dance1

steambike37.jpg


steambike38.jpg



The clutch lever fits thusly:

steambike39.jpg


Now to clean up the frame, prime and paint it.
 
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Looking GOOD, this is fun watching you work your A## off and I can hardly wait to see the video.
With all the weight that's going to be on the bike you might think about running a no flat tire.
 
This is my little steampunk airfilter. It's a 1" X 3/4" reducer with a chrome tubing cap in the end. It fit nice and snug on the stock intake but I secured it with some epoxy for good measure. the element is synthetic steel wool - "won't shred or rust". Painted the intake with copper paint.

Thanks for the inspiration Silverbear!

steambike40.jpg



steambike41.jpg
 
Ted said:
Looking GOOD, this is fun watching you work your A## off and I can hardly wait to see the video.
With all the weight that's going to be on the bike you might think about running a no flat tire.
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I was wondering what it weighs, too, so I just ran down to the shop and put it on the scale - 32 lbs. I think the bigger issue is that I weigh 200 lbs more than that! I'm guessing finished weight will be under 60 lbs. Not exactly a race bike.
 
Looks good but you may have to lengthen out the tube to the filter and maybe make the holes a little bigger, reason being the piston displaces X amount of air/oil and if the tube is long enough the outgoing air/oil will still be in the tube as the piston rises letting the crank case breath but not push the mixture out the holes and the reason that you may have to make the holes bigger would be to let the mixture out without putting it under pressure, once you get it running it will be clearly evident if you have to do this.
 
Ted said:
Looks good but you may have to lengthen out the tube to the filter and maybe make the holes a little bigger, reason being the piston displaces X amount of air/oil and if the tube is long enough the outgoing air/oil will still be in the tube as the piston rises letting the crank case breath but not push the mixture out the holes and the reason that you may have to make the holes bigger would be to let the mixture out without putting it under pressure, once you get it running it will be clearly evident if you have to do this.
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I was wondering too if the holes are adequate, but there isn't much of an opening in a stock carb either. I guess I could do the math, but you know, if it isn't enough I bet it just pops that press-in tube cap right off. If it doesn't, then I'd say we're all set. How's that for scientific?
 
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