[Steam-engine] Wachs Engine

[CopperheadMarine at aol.com]

Rick
 
 
  Lets just say the engine is a full governed rpm for now. I will let  you in 
on why it looks like it is turning so fast a little later on if you get  to 
photographing your engine set up.
 
  The picture of the fire is one of many I have taken and is what I  call a 
good fire mass, there are different ways to photo fires to get different  
effects. Digital cameras are great. You can take a lot of PICS and keep only the  
good ones. You will get some really good ones just from the law of  averages.
 

  My choice of wood is split pine, fairly small pieces stacked in all  
directions keeping the firebox as full as possible. I regulate the fire some  with 
draft and some with size of wood. Small wood more heat faster, larger  pieces 
less heat slower. My favorite choice for a lot of steam is the diseased  part 
of a pine it is full of rosin and burns like coal. That is the picture of  the 
black smoke rolling out of the stack. The stack is 18 feet high and creates  
enough draft that you don't need to clean out ashes, they end up on the roof! 
If  you are planning on setting up your boiler in a building I will give you 
some  pointers on install.
 
  You can use oil but not the way you might think. You need to get up  steam 
with something else like wood or propane and use a jet of steam hitting  the 
oil dribble to atomize it and it needs to be blowing on fire brick. But that  
is putting the horse way before the cart.
Do a little reading to get fundamental understanding, find a show and go  see 
it in action, Ask lots of questions and listen to what is said. Hit a steam  
school if at all possible.
  Clean up that engine, look it over, oil it up get an idea of what  goes on 
as it turns, valving and such. The engine is safe to play with. The  boiler 
may not be. You really need someone to help out with getting the boiler  ready 
that is competent. Look that boiler over good, take out the hand holes  clean 
it out, look for stamped numbers and letters. Tell us what you find.
 
The only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask?
 
Chas F