OLD TIME STEAM POWERED MACHINE SHOP 8

[@glumpy10]

YT is a moving picture medium. It gets real boring watching someone standing there just talking like they are on radio..... Which makes the fact I could very happily sit and watch you talk about this stuff all day long all the more a credit to what an incredibly interesting and entertaining fellow you are! Even the intros of your vids showing different machinery and parts of your shop are just brilliant. I get a somewhat odd sense of calm and contentment watching your vids. I see the old stairs behind you when you are talking about your boiler and look at the design and wonder when they were made and where they were originally located and whom the men were that walked on them every day. I see the wear in the controls of the machinery and wonder about how many hours this stuff was used and how many men handled those controls to make them like that. Everything you show even as normally uninteresting as steps, is just fascinating. Your shop should be a tourist attraction or at least certified for preservation by a historical society. I cannot begin to imagine the work you have put into your shop and collection but it is amazing and you should be very proud. On behalf of everyone whom watches your brilliant Vids, I say a heartfelt thank you for sharing your machinery, knowledge and skill with us. I know that your vids bring an immense amount of satisfaction, education and appreciation to a lot of people out there and we are all very thankful for your efforts.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Oil Burner Thanks very much for the comment. Ihave heard of using steam to clean flues on locomotives, however on a boiler like mine it would really make a mess I think, blowing the tubes down from the top. If I am burning junk wood the ash is very fine and minimal, just compressed air might even work but you would have to do somthing to keep it from blowing around the door and ash pit door and into the shop. I use soft coal in winter or when I don't want to tend the fire as much. The soot from coal builds up more and sticks, cleaner burning Anthacite coal just won't burn without some type of forced draft all the time. As for the stairs, they were actually original to this building, built about 1880 as a fancy carriage barn for a really big 1840 brick house (now gone)....Dave

[@georgeswindolljr.4618]

A very poingnant reply, very well said, I agree with you one hundred percent!!!!!

[@davesalzer3220]

Yeah. What he said.

[@markmossinghoff8185]

As a young man that didn't want to stay in school I found myself working for my dad in the family plumbing business in St. Louis in the 1960s. We serviced many boilers in various schools, churches, and manufacturing plants around town. I was the only guy small enough to fit in the man holes to replace burned out fire brick and cut out leaking tubes. I was always happy to spend time in a boiler room and I've instructed my kids when they pick out my nursing home to be sure I can wheel myself down to the boiler room so I can feel at home. Thanks for your videos Dave. They bring back a lot of pleasant memories for me. I can smell the cutting fluids mixed in with the wood smoke and the hot metal of the boiler and the steam in your shop. Just beautiful!

[@davidrichards5594]

+Mark Mossinghoff Sounds like a perfect old age plan to suit me also, Thanks Mark.

[@markmossinghoff8185]

+David Richards We can live out our days playing checkers in the boiler room with a rumbling forced draft boiler as big as a house to keep us company.

[@rickl.orchids]

Mr Richards thanks for the continued tour, what an incredible story........the shop is great and your giving so much great history and information.....I remember seeing old footage and photos of construction work......saw the lifts and hoists.......never thought about the boiler from one being used like that.........fantastic shop.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Rick L Well, in 1920 usually if you wanted to power something you had to get up some wood, light up and get some steam going.

[@tubeu28]

I can't thank you enough for educating us on all of the aspects of what it takes to run your shop. I feel like I have been tellaported back in time. Thanks Dave

[@A50S2D]

A real trip to the past! In the late 1960's I worked in a sugar factory that was powered from a massive steam engine. The machine shop was all powered from line shafts powered from the main steam engine. The engine had a flywheel that was about 20 ft in diameter. One of the main bearings on the flywheel was cracked and you could stand there and watch it move back and forth with each revolution. Mesmerizing but also frightening the first time you saw it. I also remember a blacksmith shop that was powered by line shafts. Thanks for sharing.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Lyle Rawlins Great comment Lyle, where was that sugar mill?

[@bigunone]

All I could think of while you were cleaning out the boiler were all those people who talk about the romance of the steam era. My grandpa was a steam operator in the mines of NM and I never heard him talk about how romantic it was.

[@Gkuljian]

I sent your video to my dad, and he told me they had a very similar setup in his high school metal shop. It had a single big electric motor instead of steam. I've seen one or two of those steam yarders in the mountains of northern California. It's like being self sufficient in that all you need is some wood, and you're off and running. I miss living on a wood stove. It had that same appeal. This is about the last thing I thought I'd ever see on KZbin. Thanks.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Gkuljian Yeah, there are hundreds of abandoned steam hoists in the Pacific NW. They just ran them to death and left them there, not worth hauling out. There is a club that locates and documents the coordinates of them on their "wild donkey hunts".....Dave

[@gaylefeinberg5567]

P.S.It reminds me of my dads old glass and beveling shop in N.Y.Plenty of polishing stones and screeching.What a trade.Sadley, all gone now.I know the trade,forced to learn it as a young boy,the noise drove me nuts.A lot of the polishing stones came from Scotland and were better than man made stones.The machines were made by Somaca.We used cork wheels ,rottenstone and pumice.I still have some of my grandfathers special tooling .He came from Poland and was a master mechanic.Seeing your shop brought back old memories.Thank's. Norm

[@davidrichards5594]

+Gayle Feinberg Thanks Norm, I think most of the best machinists ever to immigrate to this country were from Poland. They had the feel for it and were unbelievably resourceful. ......Dave

[@raincoast2396]

Thank you Dave for another fascinating tour of your shop. I just wish with all my heart, that there was such a thing as "smell-o-vision"! Having been around old mechanical digs with steam power is an odor heaven! Wood and coal smoke mixed with different oils, steel, hot grease, leather, paint, turpentine, sawdust and wood shavings. Just like my Grandpa smelled like when he gave you a hug. Those smells still bring back those memories, like it was yesterday. Cheers.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Rain Coast Wow you just gave out the recipe for "Old Machineshop" scented candles.

[@raincoast2396]

David Richards Oops! Put me down for a couple of dozen! lol

[@ClassXIRoads]

+David Richards I'd get a few of those candles also , wouldn't make the wife real happy though.

[@tombellus8986]

Nice video got to love those steam driven machines wonderful old boiler too thanks

[@robrobinson6706]

Another fine production David, If you did five videos a week, I would never get anything done. Each time I see one posted I stop what I'm doing and watch. Thanks for your time.

[@shawnbottom4769]

It's hard to find demonstrations of antique equipment that get into this level of detail. Hands down best KZbin channel of its type. Thanks!

[@AtelierDBurgoyne]

Thanks for another great episode in your steam-powered machine shop. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada. Daniel

[@chammond5274]

I enjoyed that. About your firebox draft, rule of thumb is, your outside stacks discharge point should be two feet higher than anything within ten feet. Also as far as smoke stacks are concerned, higher is better. Thanks for taking the time and extra work to share with us.

[@davidrichards5594]

Well, that would have to make the stack another 10' higher. I got tired of hauling concrete up with that rope...Dave

[@edmedlin2936]

Good job Dave! I am a retired marine engineer, started off working on WWII ships so most of your machinery is pretty familiar to me. Wish I had a shop like yours now! Thanks for all the good lessons in machine work. Ed, currently living in Thailand

[@davidrichards5594]

Thanks for checking in Ed, good to hear from Thailand...Dave

[@gerilarryogle970]

Hi Dave. Great explanation of your steam plant and the working parts. Love the shop and the videos. I heard a term last year of gear head. That being people that love looking at all machines that move, bump and whirl. The bigger the better. Your shop is fascinating. I am in the process of building an 1/8 scale steam locomotive. These videos on the engine and boiler are a big help to me. Great to see. One other thing that I would like to see is starting the milling machine, lathe and other belt driven machines by slipping the belts onto the pulleys. I know that it takes time to aim the camera for the tooling set up and discussion and then to move the the camera for the pulley action and then to move the camera back to the machining operation, but for me the belt driving mechanisms are really cool. Thanks for the videos and the history of how things were made back two centuries ago. Larry

[@larrypardi9143]

Thanks for the history lesson. Looking at old 1900's boiler construction photo's (what's wrong with me) it was interesting to see the full assembly of the boiler you have outside and to know that early construction used machines like your boiler (perhaps a bit smaller) to build the industrial boilers that powered the things we hold dear. The video was great and thank you for keeping track for when you needed to adjust the camera!

[@davidrichards5594]

+Larry Pardi Yeah, the camera work is a problem. to get in close to the subject you end up looking at my ugly gut all the time, but I don't like the "fish eye" with wide lenses.

[@arkansas1313]

Dave, regarding the firing of the boiler, I'd check the dew point readings each morning before lighting and see if that has an effect on the starting of the fire. I've done a lot of burning in the winter (as well as summer) and I noticed that a low dew point was very helpful with getting a fire started and hot quickly. I really enjoy your shop and the high quality videos you produce, keep 'em coming! Thanks for another 'fun' video. ....13

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Very interesting shop. I can see it takes a lot of work. Thanks for sharing.

[@PeterWMeek]

Seeing the amount of effort required to maintain a boiler sure takes some of the shine off of the idea of running a steam plant. Great video.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Peter W. Meek Come on Peter, a little shoveling, raking, ramming and dirt won't hurt you....Dave

[@24681359David]

Hey Dave, if you ever come across another boiler, that steam hoist would be something to see up and running! I live in Oregon, and you're right we have some massive ones out this way! We don't see ones that small very often. Very neat machines indeed!

[@martiehensley4452]

I just love your work shop and all these videos

[@farktard2740]

That is fantastic! Thanks for the overview of the boiler.

[@MrJmcn123]

This is so cool. I learned a little about steam powered machine shops in school. I currently run Mazak CNC lathes and produce valves for rockets and ground testing. However I must admit, I was born too late my heart is in the old school machining. Very problematic for me because one can't compete with the productivity of a CNC. I appreciate your videos, and will get quite a bit of enjoyment from them. Thank you for posting them.

[@davidrichards5594]

+MrJmcn123 I agree, 90 years too late.....dave

[@stevefixit1526]

to young to be a spitfire pilot and to old to be a go to space ! I know what you mean

[@allamericanbully2611]

Thanks for sharing this amazing old school American craft

[@CamillusSteam]

Another great job, Dave! There are very few videos out there that explain the "nuts and bolts" of steam on the actual equipment the way you do. I don't think a lot of people realize that machine tools didn't have graduated dials until micrometers came along right around the turn of the century. Most work was done by scale and caliper, and any machinist worth his salt knew the pitch of each lead screw in the shop and how far a turn or any fraction of a turn would take him. Great stuff! Jim M.

[@davidrichards5594]

+CamillusSteam Hi Jim: True, thanks, I appreciate that very much......Dave

[@lewiemcneely9143]

You were talking about sometimes having a hard time getting a fire going. It's the same way with a wood stove. The atmospheric pressure or rather barometric pressure. Cold weather works better as far as the heat getting the draft as you well know. Something that might help is a downdraft vane on the top of the stack. They always keep the exhaust pointed downwind so the harder it blows, the better the draft. We heat with wood and go through the same problems you do. Stay warm! Lew

[@lyntonr6188]

another excellent video David , magic is the best description for a steam injector i have ever heard !

[@Hyratel]

+Lynton Rodda it's Pretty Damn Close to magic, but it DOES sacrifice energy in the venturi. cold water injects better than warm, because warm water has a potential to flash to steam in the injector, which defeats the function. You've got the steam through the primary, drawing venturi suction against the feed water. The feed water mixes with the power steam, which condenses the power/feed mixture, allowing it to displace into the receiving side

[@davidrichards5594]

+Hyratel Very true Lynton, the colder the water the better. The condensate coming back from my steam heating system will warm up the feedwater barrel untill the injector won't work, so I alternate barrels each day.....dave

[@castironcal4650]

Great video. Oh, how times have changed.

[@AdrianHiggins83]

interesting to see how the boiler works, thanks for showing the video.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Adrian Higgins Thanks again Adrian...Dave

[@MarkWladika]

Nice to see it's not all glamour and romance! Boiler tending is hard work.

[@davidrichards5594]

Ans dirty too Mark....Dave

[@not2fast4u2c]

I enjoy every video I really like seeing all the old stuff ..Sometime could you show us some old hand tools ?

[@davidrichards5594]

+not2fast4u2c I have some old machinist stuff, would that do?

[@not2fast4u2c]

That would be okay

[@exilfromsanity]

Thanks Dave for another great video showing how things were done 100+ years ago.

[@BundyBearsShed]

Another great video Dave, I always love your intros. Thanks

[@davidrichards5594]

+Bundy Bears Shed Thanks to Bear in AU, it was for you...

[@Daledavispratt]

Hi Dave. I work in the fireplace industry and heard you talking about drafting issues on warmer days. Try raising your stack in relation to the peak of the roof of the shop. On warmer days you will have more heat in the shop attempting to rise and that creates an incredible amount of drawing force which will work against your boiler attempting to draft out of the stack, which is lower than where the warm air within is attempting to go. Your stack termination should be equal to the height of the ridge of the roof, at least. It works in homes, and it may just help you, as well.

[@MasterofCrude]

It's just plain magic...... I accept that logic...... 100% +

[@63256325N]

Thanks for the video. Very interesting.

[@johnleake708]

I really like your videos. Very informative and fascinating.

[@paulsmith8356]

I live here in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington. There is a restaurant called, Camp 18, 18 miles East from Highway 101, that runs up the coast. The restaurant is a huge log structure, with a ridge pole 50 feet long. Camp 18 has a logging museum where You can view much of the equipment used in the early logging industry. There are several Steam Donkeys on display. Come on out and visit sometime.

[@davidrichards5594]

It's definately on the list to do....Dave

[@douglaswhite9095]

enjoy watching your video since you started doing them hope you keep them coming Doug White New Brunswick Canada

[@davidrichards5594]

Thanks Doug, glad you are a "regular here....Dave

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

I really enjoy your videos! Please keep them coming!

[@davidrichards5594]

+William Garrett A pivoting smoke box could definitely be done on it, guess it just needs some priority....Dave

[@bobauer4359]

Dave, Thanks for another interesting video. It's always great to learn more about how things were done in the past. I'm looking forward to the next one. Bob Auer

[@davidrichards5594]

+Bob Auer Thanks Bob

[@mikewalton5469]

just great stuff! i wish i lived closer- i love the old stuff i have a couple of old metalworking machines that would feel right at home in your wonderful shop

[@davidrichards5594]

Thanks for the comment, glad to have you on board....Dave

[@iancraig1951]

One thing about having a boiler in the workshop is having a cup of tea coffee etc handy all the time...Can't beat a brew..

[@bcbloc02]

I heard about the other stuff in town, but did I miss what you said your building originally was? Could you put a hinge on your "firebox door" and maybe a block and tackle to get it out of the way without having to wrestle it off? Might make life easier. :-) If it would hit the roof maybe a mount it could pivot off of where you could shove it over away from the stairs out of the way for service. Just a few ideas. Was looking at at 1 100ton steel mill blowing engine the other day laying outside and had a hard time resisting trying to figure away to bring it home to save it. Man my heavy iron addiction is bad!

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

+bcbloc02 I was thinking the same thing about a pivot mechanism for removing the top. That sure looks like a major pain! You need that engine at your new shop then you could engineer a flat belt drive setup or an electrical genset to run your machines!

[@bcbloc02]

William Garrett A 35000hp steam engine would be perfect for running a 3phase genset. :-) I guess I could sell the extra power back to the power company. lol

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

I have no doubt you, with your engineering expertise, could find something to do with the excess! Why, you could probably light up half your county!

[@davidrichards5594]

+bcbloc02 Any other related parts with the big engine?

[@bcbloc02]

David Richards It had been long ago raped of pretty much anything that could be carried off. Pretty much just two big cylinders the bed and the crank. It looked like the cylinders had been jacketed and they were gone as well. A sad fate for a piece many people had pride in for many years I imagine. The last blast furnace in KY goes idle end of this year. I suspect it will never be restarted unless the economy makes a quick boom up turn fast. If it is idles more than a year or two I bet they will close it and scrap it. It went on line in the 40's so i don't know if it has any steam plant stuff or not.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

They just keep getting better and better. Don't think you'll ever max out though. A-PLUS!

[@davidrichards5594]

+Lewie McNeely Hey Lewie, thanks

[@michealdavis9884]

man if a disaster happened this guy would be ok,i love steam engines and these are very cool videos,very educational,keep em coming

[@davidrichards5594]

This channel's for you guys, what would you like to see?.....dave

[@Str8Smookin]

Nice setup so cool to see how things where back in the day:)

[@victorreppeto7050]

These videos are inspiring. The steam engine is so quiet and I could run off any fuel available. May this would be better than diesel or gas for my generator.

[@davidrichards5594]

It takes a lot of water and attention....Dave

[@johnkinnane547]

G'day Dave thank you for the reply, Tasmania is a truly a beautiful island, huge wilderness areas, mountain ranges. It snows here and I live in a suburb just outside our capital city Hobart. There is a big following in steam over here, my son produces dvd's on steam and rail operations around the state. He has a professional camera and software set up. His site is Rail Media Productions well worth a look, all in lower case. Tassie has it's ABT rail system in the southwest wilderness. All in all it is one of the best kept secrets in Aust., if not the world! Regards John

[@billmoran3812]

Great Video! Hancock injectors are sometimes font on Locomotives, but they are a different design than the inspirator type. More commonly Locomotives used Nathan Injectors. Steam is a lot of work, that's the main reason it was replaced by electric power for industry.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Bill Moran That's the truth.

[@marceltimmers1290]

Hi mate. Thanks for an other very interesting video.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Marcel Timmers Thanks Marcel, I thought that one was a bit on the boring side...Dave

[@marceltimmers1290]

You might think that because you know a lot more about steam than most of us. Therefore every thing you can tell us/me about these machines is interesting.

[@daki222000]

I allways wondered why these boilers aren't insulated on the outside. i imagine that would save a lot. specially at startup the next morning. Nice video's, interesting stuff you run there. Cheers.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Flip de boer You are right, "jacketing" on the boiler really helps things, but it really gets in the way. Dave

[@georgewocosky]

Another great window into the workings of steam ;) Thanks David ! I've seen quite a lot of 'old' tooling. . . hand forged, twist bits, carefully filed to shape before being hardened . I'm not against using some modern tooling, but to KNOW HOW to make cutters from scratch. . . I believe should be a requirement for any apprentice machinist ! *Even mild steel can be very serviceable as a cutter, if case hardened . . . I've got catalogues from as early as the mid 1800's from Brown & Sharpe , & quite a few manufacturers of machine tools of early years . . . & a good deal of e-books covering the history / evolution of early machine tools . 'Can't wait for installment #9 ! You're doing a great service that may inspire up & coming future machinists ! * I'm secretly hoping to build a 'solar - steam' setup . . . from 'home casted' metals . . . 'might get it going within the next year ?

[@johndeeregarage542]

I would like to see a video on how the cutting head oiler on the B&S mill works. Thanks, Leroy

[@jacksonms212]

LOL the Joy of Steam by Dave Richards.

[@k5at]

Great video Dave! I would like to know more about the building and your background. Thanks for sharing!

[@davidrichards5594]

+Herb Blair OK it was running a little long on the last one...will do. Where are you at in Texas? I went to school in Longview.

[@k5at]

Thanks for the reply. I'm in Carrollton, North Dallas. I really enjoy your videos. If I ever get to go back to Northern NY, I'd like to come visit with you and see you shop.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Herb Blair Any time Herb.

[@quiclist]

Man you have it all I truely mean everything........I wondered why you didn't cast parts on some of the projects to make it more athentic on some of the repaired boilers however this channel is truely beautiful I ran big machines but they wouldn't last as long as these truely built machines 30 years is tough but 200 give or take wow

[@roleic7246]

Thanks for this great video. Concerning the ash pit: I have seen a modern wood fired central heating with automatic wood pellet feeder that uses an ash compactor in the ash pit to increase cleaning-out-intervals. It has a separate ash pan not directly below the grid but below and set to one side. Directly below the grid is a rectangular scraper which regularly wipes the ashes sidewards into that pan and presses it against its far wall. I don't know if such a concept was already used in the steam era. I doubt it because labour was cheap in those days compared to building such fancy mechanisms.

[@davidrichards5594]

+rol eic sounds like a good rig. Mine is a little hard to get at with the ash pit door below the floor level. Idealy, if you had the boiler against an outside wall in a sort of "split level" building, the pit could also open outside over a wagon or something.....Dave

[@davidrichards5594]

j hefflinger yeah, might work with wood ash, but coal would be pretty lumpy. Maybe about a 6" pipe out the side with an auger? Dave

[@wotsken]

love the videos and the shop would love to some how start putting together a small steam run operation myself in the future maybe one day i will find some pieces i can afford to get a shop started

[@martindever4387]

Another great video Dave! The only suggestion I have is, try not to cut off your head in the shot. If you can hook some kind of monitor to your camera so you can see it, while your in the shot. The other thing you can do is have something your hight to stand in wile you frame the shot. Other wise I'm very impressed with the production value! Love the content! Bravo!

[@matthewscott444]

love the videos dave. The only handcock inspirator I have ever seen was on the cog locomotive at mt, washington

[@jerrylong381]

Hi Dave, Another fine video. Wondering if you might be interested in my B&S universal, last patent date is 1903. The distance between spindle and overarm is 7 -1/2" on center. I doubt I ever find the parts to make it work.

[@Spiro20004]

Greetings from the UK! love watching your videos, the theory stuff is really useful as im currently learning to drive a steam locomotive at my local railway. thanks for the videos and i look forward to more in the future Ben

[@davidrichards5594]

+Spiro20004 Hey Ben, that sounds real interesting.....Dave

[@markmcmurry2610]

..."30% Magic"... Love it!

[@tinkermouse-scottrussell3738]

From my family to yours a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

[@paulduffey7975]

Thanks again.

[@johnstewart7675]

wind moving across the roof make aup draft that is why the fire burns so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@h2o270]

Love the videos!

[@markclark1634]

like your videos, I also find it hard to get a good draft with my traction engine when the weather turns nasty. drafts much better in good weather. Keep the videos coming.

[@shanek6582]

Very very cool intro you've came up with

[@hmarc417]

It's to bad that the Lehigh valley that you speak of is not the same as the le high valley that i live in or i would never be leaving you alone i would want to see and exp everything in your shop from a to zed. Our LeHigh is a cement plant.. in POC. lol Luv your work.......

[@larrysperling8801]

i really enjoy your videos. your demonstation of the operation of the boiler was very informative. is there any problem with co gas running the boiler in your shop? i"ll bet a lot of guys with bridgeports and dro's were cringing at your center finding technique to split that bushing. i worked with an old time machinist who taught me how to use chalk to center a piece in a four jaw,and he used to say never use a mic when a ruler will do.cant't wait for the next video.

[@davidrichards5594]

+larry sperling Larry: I try to be careful not to close the top draft more than the bottom one. infact I don't use the top draft much at all. that keeps a slight negative pressure on the fire. This old barn is so leaky that it wouldn't be a problem anyhow. The wind blows under one door and out the other.

[@ShuffleSk8Ter]

that is a perfect horz milling machine for the home shop guy easy to use no too cumbersome :)

[@davidrichards5594]

+Lawrence Harasim and simple, there's nothing on it, not even any mic (that you can read) on the feed screws.

[@ShuffleSk8Ter]

sure easily add clock gauges :)

[@davidrichards5594]

+Lawrence Harasim It actually has them on all three axisis, but they are SO small you really can't read them. Mr brown & Sharpe must have very good eyesight..Dave

[@Ruger41mag]

Brilliant!

[@finpainter1]

keep them coming.

[@Fixinthatupvideos]

great david

[@RobertPerrigoOkiechopper]

Thumbs up my friend.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Robert Perrigo Thanks again Bob

[@glumpy10]

Do you have to clean Ash, soot or both from your boiler tubes? I was wondering if you made something like a seam lance and blew the steam after a run up the tubes if that would help remove the buildup? Alternately, maybe something like a gas ring that you could stick in the fire box and just allow the steam to go up the all the tubes at once at the end of a run? I use waste vegetable oil in my truck as fuel and it is prone to creating buildup in the cylinders. I run a DIY low tech water injection system on the engine and I break all the rules of veg oil use and still have no problems at all. I tried it on one of my stationary engines and when I pulled it down, the piston top and head looked like they had been polished. not even a film of carbon. I was amazed. There is also stuff you can get for slow combustion heaters that you put on the fire and is supposed to help prevent buildup. Would that be something that would be helpful at all or would you need too much or it would corrode the tubes or something?

[@crystalyelland8238]

Another great video Dave, I'm not sure if you need another project but i'd sure make myself a new mill handle with a bit more offset so it doesn't strike the other squares, that would get annoying, maybe an inch more throw too.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Crystal Yelland Absolutely right....believe it or not, I found an old one at a flea market that had been extended very nicely and it is in use from now on. Thanks for watching,.....Dave

[@robertklein1316]

'Hi Dave, Thanks for another great tutorial on steam. You better get a "Just for Men" coloring comb, if you want to show how the "old men" did it, Haha!. I don't see a shaker on the boiler, must be a tough clean out.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Robert Klein Yeah Bob, I'm starting to "go South" fast in a lot of ways...The greats aren't bad, it's the low down ash pit.

[@danielstanleywilkin]

Keep them coming! Can't get enough :)

[@thisnicklldo]

I certainly don't have any practical experience of steam injectors/ejectors, but I think part of the 'magic' of how steam at a given pressure can inject water into a boiler at the same pressure is to do with the latent heat of boiling - which most of us covered at school. As I understand it, as the steam contacts the water that is fed into the injector, it condenses, releasing the latent heat of boiling, which as is well known is quite a lot: you have to add quite a lot of energy to water at boiling point to turn it into steam at boiling point, and that is released if you turn steam at boiling point into water at boiling point - all that energy has to go somewhere, and it goes into the velocity of the combined condensed-steam/injector water jet. This together with the venturi effect in the cone shaped vessels inside produces considerably more pressure in the jet than in the boiler. Or, alternatively, it's actually 'magic'. Thanks for this wonderful series of videos and for keeping this shop going - it's magnificent.

[@davidrichards5594]

+thisnicklldo Well said nick, the venture effect is "boosted" by the latent heat energy.....Dave

[@ClassXIRoads]

Great video once again Dave. Thank you for your time explaining about your boiler and the Hancock injector, that is something I was wondering about I sort of figured that was the way it worked along with "magic". Could you to add a forced draft to your stack using steam through a venturi system? When I worked in the oilfields in South Texas back in the 70's we would use a venturi sort of system to clean out the mud pits, with a 1/4 inch jet nozzle you could pull a full 8 inch stream of drillings out of the bottom of mud pit and lift it ten feet from the bottom out over the reserve pit berm. When are you going to start with guided tours of your shop? If I was ever in your area I would definitely want to stop in and take a look see. Jim

[@andrewbrown6705]

great workshop david nice to see all the old stuff, those blue plastic barrels need to go. dont belong in a 1920 workshop, everything else is cool and great to see it all working

[@MrItsthething]

Holy fuck. 1.3k likes and 0 dislikes. That's awesome. I love your videos and someday I'd love a shop like this

[@oldpup4810]

If you drain boiler for cleaning and such, do you just pump water in to the boiler using some sort of hand or electric pump. I understand how the steam venturi affect works to pull water once the boiler is up to pressure, I used to play with air pressure in the shop I worked in striaght out of high school. :) The initial fill of the boiler would be an interesting note as well. Thanks for sharing this with us as it is very interesting.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Old Pup I have a little garden hose electric pump for filling her up.

[@indoor420]

Was 150' chimney in my town for the steam powered sawmill 29 saws all gone

[@barryg41]

Does the rain water cause any corrosion problems? In our boilers we used a deminerilized unit for BFW. Then changed over to reverse osmosis for BFW. Both are expensive compared to rain water. 🤣 Absolutely love your videos from a retired Millwright. 🙌👍

[@davidrichards5594]

I just get the PH up to about 9 and add a little "Boilersaver". No problems so far....Dave

[@tm80notgoodwithnames58]

you should try to ad a shiny sheet of steel just hanging between the boiler and those injectors btw I am just a teenager and I would want so much to come and learn from you ;)

[@davidrichards5594]

That might help keep um cool....Dave

[@prey4urlife247]

awesome

[@raph2150]

Love the t-shirt :D

[@johnkinnane547]

G'day Dave and greetings from Tasmania. Thank you for the run down on the boiler, I couldn't get over how many mud hole doors she has, and I always thought that they had a fire grate that you could open with a lever. For the age of the boiler it's in great condition, one thing does it have a blow down valve like a loco? You explained how the injectors worked well, I have always been a bit mystified on how they work. Thanks mate great video and a real look into the past. Kind regards John. PS. Just wondering whether you have hooked up the generator to steam, and I know that anything to do with steam is very dirty and messy but it's blokes like you that keep history alive, it will be a very sad day when all you would see is static engines, they are alive and man's closest machine to a living thing!

[@davidrichards5594]

+John Kinnane Hey John, I had to look up where Tasmania was. I think all the bigger models did have mechanical "shaker" grates. Mine has a blow down valve and piping out the wall and pointed towards the yard. I have to be careful not to give it a shot when my neighbor is walking by. The generator will probably have to wait untill spring....Dave

[@bsteleven]

Was there a water recovery system ever used on steam engines? I operated a Scott's Marine type boiler for heating a Gym for 16 years and it recovered all the steam. I see trains don't recover any either. Is it just not possible on steam engines? Your videos are great. Love the machines that started it all.

[@davidrichards5594]

+Jerry Elven Yes, large stationary engines in later years and ships used a condenser to recover water. It even helps the performance of the engione by pulling a vacuum on the exhaust. Only problem is, you have to deal with extracting the steam lubricating oil from the water which which would make the boiler "foam" and have problems.....Dave

[@clockguy2]

I believe that hoist is often called a donkey engine.

[@michealdavis9884]

finishing the steam engine repair,or anything these are cool videos,if I live near you you would have to hire me or run me off lol

[@paulduffey7975]

Hi, Dave. Is steel pipe too expensive to use for and extension on your chimney? Would that be more trouble than its worth? Thanks for the video. Love steam.

[@davidrichards5594]

Paul: I actually used 16" steel barrels for the linner, I could weld a couple more on to see how it goes....Dave

[@roleic7246]

I see that the body of your boiler is riveted as expected for that era. But how are the 64 fire tubes fitted and sealed to the top and bottom bulkheads. AFAIK welding was not known at that time, right? Are they brazed or somehow crimped on there?

[@danfhowe]

+rol eic They are expanded from the inside with a flue roller from the inside of the flue. It has rollers that expand inside the flue and is adjustable by hand as you roll it a round. This makes the flue actually a bigger dimension than the bulkhead on the inside and outside and seals the flue. then the end of the flue pipe is beaded over that gives it the nice round bead up to the bulkhead. My friend and I reflued a boiler about 20 times this size back in the early eighties. It was a horizontal boiler. If not mistaking, I think it was a 150 horse boiler. I hope this answers your question. Dan

[@voneschenbachmusic]

Not sure if this has been answered elsewhere. When using steel tools to cut steel, what is done to the tools to make them hard enough? Are they made from different alloys than the steel being worked? Thanks!

[@JohnSmith-dr9vl]

Honest question. As far as I understand there are different kinds of steel.Some you can make hard but others you will find difficult. The hardenable types are defined by the amount of carbon in the steel. If the carbon content is very low the steel does not want to harden.If the carbon is high enough what you do is heat the steeel to around cherrr red then put it into a cold or cool bath of water. That causes hard stell. The problem then is that the steel is usually brittle and ifd you hit it with hammer it will snap.to get over that you re heat the steelk but to a lower temp than you used to harden it you then cool it again. The temperature at which you heat the latter to can be judged by lookiing at the steel as you heat it and you will see bands of colout travelling along the steel. There are tables avail explaining the colours. Certain steels need this colour others that colour.You can these days get a laser temp guage to assess the temperature to save using the colour bands.Low carbon steels can be hardened on outside skin only that is called Case Hardening.The removal of the briitkle strate is called Tempering. I AM NOT AN EXPERT.stainless is far more complex.

[@jackterry7664]

Didn't they have adj. squares at the turn of the Century? Sure easier to find center for cutting that slot. We used them in a "modern" shop circa 1970.