Donkin Steering Engine

Рет қаралды 77,947

Жыл бұрын

I have been commissioned to service, operate, film and sell off the Ellsworth Collection. This engine is FOR SALE. Please contact me if you wish to buy it. AEKarnes@gmail.com
Video filming and editing by Elijah Jackson and used here with permission.

Пікірлер: 111

@devmeistersuperprecision4155 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for showing us this. My dad was on an old tramp freighter and they got into a hell of a storm. The captain was a drunk and slept it off most of the time. A huge wave hit the bridge and damaged steering. In the rear hold was a huge back up wheel. Two men had to steer. Two others were strapped on deck side. They had to yell orders down to the aft hold. Another wave hit the rudder and flung the steering guys into sacks of coffee beans. They finally made dacar and we’re laid up for a while for repairs.

@AEKarnes 8 ай бұрын

Stories like that are what give a life meaning and purpose. Those mariners are the toughest humans who ever lived.

@Whatsinanameanyway13 9 ай бұрын

This is amazing. Not far off from how more modern hydraulic power steering works in a car. Love seeing these old mechanisms still functional.

@SkigBiggler 9 ай бұрын

Fascinating. Neat to see what is essentially a steam driven differential op-amp. I’ve seen purely mechanical, and pneumatic ones, but not a steam one.

@douro20 9 ай бұрын

Yep. An analog computer.

@alexcrouse 6 ай бұрын

This is basically how hydraulic power steering works. People smarter than me invented all of this amazing stuff so long ago. I build electric servo based systems all day and i love a good mechanical computer!

@gregwarner3753 8 ай бұрын

Excellent example of a powered servo mechanism with mechanical position feedback. Ingenious.

@mudnducs 9 ай бұрын

I’m a retired mech eng…worked all my life in ship repair on scores of different kind of ships from tugboats to giant tankers. I’ve never seen such a steam machine ….FASCINATING!!!!! Thank you!

@ImpactWench 9 ай бұрын

The most we can hope for in the time allotted to us is to find our passion and follow it. Thank you for these videos, Alex.

@Xsiondu 9 ай бұрын

I am so fascinated by analog mechanical computers and enjoy learning how engineers solve the integration of gears, friction plates, transfer beams, and several other means into a fully functioning computer. Thank you for showing me this type.

@sirrliv Жыл бұрын

It never ceases to amaze me the incredible variety of uses that have been found for steam engines. But what really amazes me is the brilliant simplicity that allows these engines to accomplish even the most seemingly complicated tasks. If you left an idiot like me with the task of designing a steam-driven steering engine, I'd have gone with the most basic manual reversing gear and regulator method. I'd never in a million years have thought of this sort of mechanical computer that allows the steam engine to regulate itself through nothing more than the clever use of mechanical linkages and gearing. Absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure if the term "steampunk" is an insult to you or not, I certainly do not mean it to be, but this sort of mechanical automation is a fine example of steampunk technology in real life.

@AEKarnes Жыл бұрын

I never had any time for steampunk because it's a fetish. There's nothing punk about real engineering. You would no longer be amazed by this simple mechanism if I showed you a compound four-valve engine with an extraction governor adjusting the LP admission valve cutoff based on receiver pressure, and a Lumb's automatic regulator serving as an integrating computer to eliminate hunting on the speed governor for the HP cylinder. That makes the mechanism on the engine in this video look barbarically simple.

@sirrliv Жыл бұрын

@@AEKarnes I definitely get that. For my part, my favorite aspects of steampunk were never the "punk" elements anyway, but the hauntology aspects; seeing futures that never were but perhaps could have been. Things like "What if Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot's steam wagon had actually been taken seriously in 1760?" That alone could have moved the history of steam technology forward a good 50 years. Or "What if Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace could have developed a working commercially viable analytical engine in the 1850's?" Or even "What if Abner Doble hadn't been such a perfectionist and developed a mass-producible steam car in time to beat Henry Ford to the punch? Perhaps tied with a timeline where the Stanley brothers had given Doble the time of day instead of resting on their laurels." You yourself have demonstrated such visions in your illustrations, showing even such basic yet to the real world revolutionary concepts as vertical triple expansion engines with actual counterweights on the crankshaft to eliminate hammer blow. Even the example you state here, though I understand perfectly from your description how it works, I would never be able to find the words to describe it myself as anything more than "mechanical witchcraft". This is why I truly admire folks like yourself who have devoted their lives to keeping this tech that so many wrongfully view as nothing more than quaint and archaic alive, perhaps even seek to further its long dead development. Steam is not dead as long as people like you keep it living. All I can do is gaze in wonder.

@MadScientist267 8 ай бұрын

I'll simplify it to "steampunk is a feel". I get the intent. At the same time I see where "disgust" may come of it lol It isn't the steam that makes it steampunk. It's the "exposed guts and raw working flesh" of mechanical equipment of this era. Not the complexity. The "in your face intricacies" of it. The more of this of course, the better. Nothing like watching a very complex mechanism doing it's thing, particularly if a lot of power is involved. Speed not necessarily (in fact not likely) apply either. Raw, elegant yet aggressive power, doing something.

@AEKarnes 8 ай бұрын

It's not really an anything, its a weird niche genre created by people who are starved of exposure to real engineering.

@ryandavis7593 8 ай бұрын

@@AEKarnes I, having Aspergers, often in my life have longed for the beauty and rugged simplicity of steam power engineering. Often rigidly. Most of the normal people see steam as a fun but archaic form of power and romanticize it in a way that I don’t. I see it for what it is,for what it is today and the solution for many of the problems we face now and in the future. I can’t blame anyone for romanticizing in a made up world. It is simply escapism. As mechanics and power engineers we are bridging that gap that they have not had the opportunity to engage with in person. Trains were my first love and especially steam passenger trains. All things steam are always a magnet for me. I make a living repairing EMD locomotives for a short line railway but have had the pleasure of working on no fewer than five steam locomotives, a few tractors and other steam era equipment. I love your work, insight and passion for the preservation of this history and knowledge. Just remember to be kind to those who’ve never been scalded, cut, surprised or otherwise bruised by the reality of this profession. Greetings from the high plains of Texas.

@tonymiller8826 9 ай бұрын

My uncle told me a story from his time as a Merchant Mariner in WWII. He was a bridge officer, they used to have a man come up from the galley with food for the guys on duty since they couldn't leave the bridge for normal meal times. The messman came up with a big tray of food and they got the bright idea to turn the ship suddenly and heel over so he'd drop the tray and make a big mess. They did it a couple times and had some laughs till the chief engineer came Fuming up to the bridge demanding to know what they were doing... He kind of guessed and said they were blowing the guts out of the Steam Steering Gear and they better not do it again unless they were avoiding a torpedo.

@martinschroederglst 9 ай бұрын

Power. Never fails to make people into their worst versions... (I mean the bridge officers.)

@tcmtech7515 8 ай бұрын

@@martinschroederglst I have seen that in every job I have ever had. Give the village idiot power and they will abuse it. The best people I ever saw in management positions were those who ended up in those positions by accident and didn't want to do any more work on their part than necessary.

@AEKarnes 8 ай бұрын

@tcmtech7515 You are absolutely correct and this is the only mindfulness that will save human society.

@jusportel 8 ай бұрын

I remember reading that the battleship HMS Warspite lost steering at Jutland, a result of spinning the wheel too quickly.

@lembriggs1075 8 ай бұрын

Very stupid of them.

@morrisschwarts4826 8 ай бұрын

Please bring back those times!!! Simply amazing!

@Shipwright1918 8 ай бұрын

Was always curious on these how the engines were throttled and reversed, and more importantly how it knew where to stop. Salutation from a fellow steam and oil lamp nut!

@jmd1743 8 ай бұрын

Pretty good presentation, I could see you doing this presentation as a salesmen for the shipyard back in the day by explaining the technology to newcomers.

@BlackheartCharlie 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for making this video! I love old machinery and steam engines, but had no idea such things existed.

@BobSmith1980. 8 ай бұрын

The engineering that went into this is amazing. Especially when you think it was designed with pencil and paper

@cmsracing 6 ай бұрын

Sometimes the simple way is the best/most reliable way. No electronics to burn out or computer to get a virus.

@sonnymoorehouse1941 9 ай бұрын

Really cool. Basically Man has solved every problem with whatever technology they have access too.

@D989501L 9 ай бұрын

Hi their, just came across your channel and subscribed. I have some old stationary engines and tractors that I take to shows, I'm 62 and learning a lot from your channel. Thank you. Regards Richard 🇬🇧

@thegreenphantom4304 9 ай бұрын

An early form of power steering.

@peteacher52 9 ай бұрын

Thank you, sir! I've known for a long time that steam engines were utilised to lessen the effort required to turn the ship's wheel, but had no idea of how it worked!

@Lighting_Desk Жыл бұрын

Good to see you are still tinkering away. I love seeing what you are up to and learning about everything too!

@danellsworth7102 6 ай бұрын

Just amazing! You are the ambassador of steam!

@davidprejean7371 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Alex for sharing such a wonderful engine and story

@TimsBitsnPieces Жыл бұрын

I love watching these videos and your knowledge is fantastic. I am a boatie and also love steam engines, these ones are lovely.

@yhsbu 7 ай бұрын

The AV8 Harrier has a somewhat similar concept done with flight controls where double acting hydraulic cylinders have a proportioning valve fixed to their sides and the mechanical pushrod presses on the valve, the entire cylinder case moves while the actual rod stays fixed on the frame. This makes it where the movement of the cylinder will naturally cause the valve to shut itself off once it has reached the new pushrod position. I thought it was a very clever way to make a simple, yet effective hydraulic system. In fact, the pilot needs springs and dampers on his flight controls so he can encounter some kind of resistance to work against, otherwise his flight controls would feel effortless.

@stevenaegele5228 Жыл бұрын

Amazing technology, thanks Alex for the video!

@4rdF1Hunny 9 ай бұрын

I’ve always wondered how these worked. It seems so simple now.

@AEKarnes 8 ай бұрын

I am glad, now if only I had a Lumb's automatic regulator governor to show you!

@gussyshield2456 6 ай бұрын

What a well explained and fascinating video; thank you.

@jimmytechnologies 9 ай бұрын

Wow thanks for the video! It must have been noisy in the wheelhouse during maneuvering.

@Joeski77 9 ай бұрын

Love to see those old-school, worm and worm wheels and straight bevel gears in action!

@rsc9520 8 ай бұрын

Me too !!!

@markmonroe7330 9 ай бұрын

Excellent presentation. Thanks for sharing.

@gsxrsquid 9 ай бұрын

I miss the smell of steam and oil and the sound of a skinner uniflow . Your videos bring back good memories.

@garydulson9018 Жыл бұрын

Nice video as always matey. I always wondered how a steering engine worked, not many about these days

@skodbolle 9 ай бұрын

Absolutely genius!

@transmundanium 6 ай бұрын

That is SO cool!

@bigredc222 6 ай бұрын

Very interesting. Thank you.

@rsc9520 8 ай бұрын

It's amazing !!!

@paulkocyla1343 7 ай бұрын

Awesome stuff. Didn´t know there´s such a complex power steering after seeing that "classical" wooden wheel.

@Redundant_Communication Жыл бұрын

Wouldn't it be a wonder if a 'computer' in an engine still just meant a well-designed valve?

@AEKarnes Жыл бұрын

the computer is the hand driven screw and engine driven screw collar connected to the valve. Combines two data inputs for one data output

@SailingFrolic 8 ай бұрын

Fascinating. You’re like a character straight out of Doctor Who, a curator of the lost arts of engineering and creation. Lucky must be the gal that gets to play with your gears.

@sinnerface1 6 ай бұрын

Great Video! I had no idea....

@basiltaylor8910 7 ай бұрын

Basically power steering for a large ship, the steering engine takes its steam either from the main engine boilers or a separate donkey boiler, the built in computer driven off the steering wheel shaft is neat, not even Audi, Beemer, Jaguar or Mercedes have such an option on their cars.

@JBF-GST-Tanda 6 ай бұрын

Insane pneumatic servo mechanism

@justtim9767 6 ай бұрын

Excellent.

@lawriealush-jaggs1473 9 ай бұрын

So clever. Piss elegant solutions to difficult problems.

@colinthomasson3948 9 ай бұрын

I remember reading about these engines, in slide valve form, the slide had no lap or lead, but that's all I can recall about the mechanism

@wolframgerber7118 8 ай бұрын

Sehr interessant ist auch sein Beitrag über die vom Autor betreute Dampfmaschine.

@bdblazer6400 7 ай бұрын

Engineering at its finest

@jamesspash5561 8 ай бұрын

The gear input and gear feed back recentering the valve is some what similar to the old wood ward Hydro governors I work on. The hardest part to train new folks on is the feed back mechanism. The restoring mechanism. Restoring to neutral input position, depending on input command. I'm going to use this as a training aid. Input screws the valve open, feed back screws it back closed. They may grasp that quicker.

@MitzvosGolem1 8 ай бұрын

Excellent 👍 Thank you.

@MichaelS3013 9 ай бұрын

A nice video. I don't have a steam boiler like that, so I could test my steering machine under steam.

@bazra19 8 ай бұрын

I am a long retired steam engineer on deep sea trawlers, out of GY. Even though I watch U-Tube regularly, I have never subscribed to a site yours will be the first. Wonderful stuff. are you aware that all pipes on vessels in the days of steam were measured ID and all pipework ashore was measured OD this has long since been forgotten, and nearly all vessels use landlubbers off the shelf pipework so now use OD, ID was important due to pressure calculations needed to be accurate. I have used steam driven steering, it certainly beats the old ROD and Chain. When up in the Artic circle we had to keep all our steam driven winches and such like on deck, slowly ticking over. But i'm sure you know that. Question why are you selling it? would a contribution to the Mueseum help you to keep it? if so how much?

@dieselrotor 6 ай бұрын

A ballet of bruit force.

@TheDavidcrockett 9 ай бұрын

You are the first person I've ever heard refer to admission an exhaust. I've read it this way and my grandfather is 1938 Adell automotive man, manual and overtime. People change the name of things but it's not correct like calling engines motors.❤

@AEKarnes 9 ай бұрын

While I am grateful to have learned old school, what I have always said is the words and terms do not matter so long as you understand how something works.

@sparkplug0000 7 ай бұрын

Fascinating, and extremely well explained. I do wonder, however, why not a balanced rudder where the rudder shaft was not on the leading edge of the rudder but somewhat further back, or even in the middle, so that the hydrodynamic force acting on the rear of the rudder would be offset by force on the front of the rudder, once turned, since it’s pivot point was in or near the middle? I’m sure there is something I’m overlooking, I’m certainly not a marine engineer, I just have ideas that pop into my head.

@joannawhite1841 6 ай бұрын

Well Done.

@jaws2858 8 ай бұрын

Genius!

@lifuranph.d.9440 6 ай бұрын

The Chinese had variegated rudders centuryies ago. i.e. Holes in the rudders to relieve the turning force needed.

@orrenlane 9 ай бұрын

The original power steering!

@charleshulsey3103 7 ай бұрын

So it's basically power steering 🤯

@zinckensteel 7 ай бұрын

A steam servo.. ..just wild where the fundamentals appear in early tech!

@bishopcorva 6 ай бұрын

Learned something quite interesting about how a giant rudder could be moved while under power or even against a mild current without the need to have gears upon gears for reduction translating into torque. It's a similar principle of moving a mile and half freight train using a five horse Briggs. It could be done, but there would easily several hundred if not a few thousand feet of gear boxes to get the power necessary to the wheels. Similar to steering something like an ocean liner. Massive ship, equally massive rudder surface pushing against water and the momentum of the ship. As the said either a wheel about a hundred or so feet in diameter or, power the steering gear. As for leaking all the steam. Yeah a little for keeping the cylinders hot to cook off condensation is built in, but keeping the lubrication and other maintenance up? Yeah not really a thing since you're talking about taking away ability to steer for however long. Ships like that need to be moving to make money, not sitting still. To move you need to be able to steer. No steering means no moving. No moving means no money.

@AEKarnes 6 ай бұрын

It was very easy to keep maintenance up. It just so happens that in the era when these machines were all destroyed, it wasn't. It was an era of remarkable decay and waste.

@luiscoelho4151 6 ай бұрын

😲 that's amazing i never kneuw this have existed 😲🤩 look like a Real Steampunk

@luiscoelho4151 6 ай бұрын

I have a question Sir how is made this technology about this steam Stering boat and when be invented that please thank you so much Sir Greetings from Portugal to Great Britain Sir 🇪🇺🇵🇹🤝🏻🇬🇧

@scudosmyth784 8 ай бұрын

What impresses me is how did someone think this up, design it, and make it work. No computers in those days.

@theairstig9164 7 ай бұрын

Iterative design

@jrkorman Жыл бұрын

So am I in a time warp or did you repost this video? That is a really neat engine.

@acert625vortex7 6 ай бұрын

cool 😃

@gabrielmenken5460 26 күн бұрын

Where do you plug into the OBD1 port when the "Check Engine" light comes on?

@janetwallace9264 Жыл бұрын

Interesting

@AEKarnes Жыл бұрын

Thank you Janet!

@dean-gm1lg 7 ай бұрын

Was this steering engine made by the donkin company in england 4:20

@orestegino 7 ай бұрын

no entendi mucho pero me gusta

@zeusapollo8688 7 ай бұрын

Is that why they were called donkeys?

@user-xd1gt9if2v 8 ай бұрын

This guys gonna teach you about a steam steerer or hes gonna go straight mma on you. Is he talking to me or the engine?

@dunebuggy1286 8 ай бұрын

I wonder if today's engineers could design that without the aid of computers or calculators or any modern electronic gadget. I have my doubts.

@AEKarnes 8 ай бұрын

considering I am an engineer of today, and there are others out there like me, the answer is obviously yes, if we are allowed to work unencumbered.

@dunebuggy1286 8 ай бұрын

@AEKarnes Gotcha. I figured you were, and my comment wasn't meant to sound degrading. But can you imagine the amount of mathatical knowhow, paperwork, and blueprints that it took to design a mexhanical marvel like that. It's amazing to me.

@AEKarnes 8 ай бұрын

Considering I've designed entire systems incorporating these engines and built parts of these engines and fittings for them with no drawings and no math beyond simple addition and subtraction during macining, there is a lot less to it than you are thinking. This kind of engineering is almost all intuitive.