evramsing
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My family think I've gone off the deep end...This is the tale of an old steam engine I found in my grandparents garage attic maybe 30 years ago. I've carted it around with me through several moves, a marriage, and two kids.
It intrigued me so I've been meaning to figure out it's origins. In November I stumbled over it again while cleaning the basement. So, thanks to the internet I learned it was a pre-1900's Schoenner. Cool! Well, I've always enjoyed old stuff, I'm also restoring a 1967 MGB-GT, so I thought I'd put it back together.
My spousal unit is convinced I'm obsessed (or perhaps devil-possessed). My kids (23 yrs and 25 yrs) just look at me strangely and won't respond when I mention my little project. But this is really FUN!
Does anyone else have this sense of familial rejection? If so, how have you learned to deal with it?
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Bogstandard
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Wonderful stuff, resurrected from the dead. I see its even got its own automatic boiler feed pump.
I know exactly what you mean about family, I only see my grandson, who lives with us, about 30 minutes in the evening, he seems to think I am the grease monkey who lives in the shed in the yard, and the only reason for my existance is to create a mess for gran to clean up when I walk into the house. A trail of oily bootmarks, towels with big black handprints, and little sparkly things on the carpet and suite.
The way to deal with it is to tell them it keeps you out of the house when guests come, so preventing embarrasing moments when you have to be introduced to them. Also remember to take a shower when air fresheners start to appear like magic around the house.
John
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Atticman
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Thats a geat engine, well worth taking through your life.
I think its actually quite rare, dont recall seeing many Schoenner stationaries.
Mirko may be able to add to the info about it.
The force feed pump is a bonus
Funny how steam toys seems to have this effect- my one son and Dad love them, but the others think Im mad, and show no interest 
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tmuir
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Wow, thats looking nice and will be great once finished.
I agree with Atticman that Mirko is the person you need to talk to if you need any help or maybe even parts.
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Les
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That's a very nice looking restoration. 
I find that my other half moans about the time I spend on the computer or working on my engines, but then she moans if I am sitting around and getting in her way.
Finding the right balance is difficult, escecially where women and children are involved.
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erikl
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That looks like a great engine, and you already did some pretty good work on it! How did you get the boiler clean? brasso? or something more rough?
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johnreid
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That is one impressive looking engine, please post more as you progress.
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shaygetz
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Wow...looking forward to your progress.
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James
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Beautiful!
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Dampfzauberer
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Wow, that looks nice!
Very big, i assume a boiler diameter of about 10 cm?
The question if it is a schoenner engine or a falk engine can be answered easily.
Please look under the cast iron base....
There should be a codenumer or something similar casted into the metal.
If it is a Falk, there will be something like "JF 123"...
If it is a schoenner there will be e.g. just "F111"
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Mister Occlusion
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I flipped from photo to photo a dozen times to be certain that it was the same engine. Very nice work indeed.
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H2o vapour
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Very nice engine, nice work, that lining out, looks the part!!
Yes, most people think we are a load of loonies - Just tell them how much it will be worth when complete!!
Nice to have you here
Regards
H20
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Kevin Klein
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I'm usualy reluctant to tell other people of my interests for fear of beeing thaught of awierd,strainge, or childish. So I go on in secret.
Paranoid?,Ithink not!
Us anachronistic techno nerds are just that way.
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Minor1PJG
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Wow that looks good.
My daughter loves the steam engines.
My wife is very tolerant 
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Cranko
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Very nice engine
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Nick
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Awesome Paint Job!
Is that how it was originally painted or your styling.
Your collection won't be rejected here.
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evramsing
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Schoenner RestorationThe boiler is about 4" in diameter which translates to about 10cm. I cleaned it using 400 grit emory sandpaper which will be followed by buffing it out with a jewelers polish on a wheel. I popped open the boiler in order to bang out some dents and to resolder some backing plates inside.
The paint scheme resembles that of some similar machines I've found on the internet as closely as I can determine. The colors were derived from my being able to match using a color spectrometer on paint samples uncovered during the cleaning and removal of previous paint jobs. The paint is an automotive lacquer I had mixed. I found some bronze screening to replace the missing screen inside the firebox. The firebox is painted with high-temperature engine paint and cured in the oven (with my wife out of town - it REALLY stunk up the house).
The steam valve was trashed so I had to mill a brass replacement and a thrust rod from heavy piano wire. Wow, drilling the 1/16" hole for the clevis pin was a nightmare!
Yesterday I picked up some 1" dia brass tubing so I can start fabricating a replacement chimney. I have a new water level sight gauge which I will modify to include a tiny pressure gauge. I still need to figure out how to construct replacement catwalks and railings, have the flywheel re-plated (nickel), and I have to design and construct a new alcohol burner.
A replacement pressure relief valve is sort of bugging me right now because I'm going to have to build one and all I have to work from are photographs.
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Andy
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real cracking engine there, will be waiting to see the end progect
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bessytractor
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its an excellent piece of kit
how long do you reckon until its a runner?
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evramsing
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How long 'till it runs again?Good question.
As I mentioned, I still need to design and construct a replica burner. The original burner that I've seen in photos is a metal box (for alcohol) with 2 or 3 dome-style burners. The dome-style burners were probably spun-cast and I am not set up to do that kind of work. What I'll probably end up doing is constructing a brass box with 3 wick-holders coming out of the top.
I would absolutely LOVE to find a Shoenner or Falk burner that I could clean up, but have been unsuccessful so far at tracking one down.
So, to answer your question, it's going to be a couple months at least.
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Atticman
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Re: How long 'till it runs again? | evramsing wrote: | Good question.
As I mentioned, I still need to design and construct a replica burner. The original burner that I've seen in photos is a metal box (for alcohol) with 2 or 3 dome-style burners. The dome-style burners were probably spun-cast and I am not set up to do that kind of work. What I'll probably end up doing is constructing a brass box with 3 wick-holders coming out of the top.
I would absolutely LOVE to find a Shoenner or Falk burner that I could clean up, but have been unsuccessful so far at tracking one down.
So, to answer your question, it's going to be a couple months at least. |
Best is to buy another (or a, if this is a Schoenner) Falk, they arent too pricy and come up on ebay esp ebay.de, quite often, then you can use the burner for this one as well- good excuse for a second engine as well 
It may well be that any mamod burner would work, or Reids construction looks very good as well.
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