Pickering Steam Engine Governor Operation and Assembly

I discuss the Pickering throttling governor, its history, and how to put one together. This governor is destined for an approx. 8HP vertical steam engine which will be documented in future vids.

[@AstraWerke]

Thanks for this very interesting excursion into a topic that's probably in big danger of dying out!

[@castironmachines]

Pleasure, I'm sure there are a few of us young fellas who can keep the ball rolling ;)

[@cliffcase9758]

I have a Pickering ball ranger that is missing the adjustment wheel and lock. I've noticed it also has no sawyers lever. Do you know if the Sawyers lever may have been an option? I need to find an adjustment wheel and lock. Maybe even a sawyers lever. Great video, I enjoyed it.

[@castironmachines]

Thanks! I believe the sawyer's lever was an option but am not 100% sure. There were a few offerings of the same size of governor, a basic model, one with sawyer's lever, and the "deluxe" with the idler wheel cutoff for broken governor belt protection

[@flivverchannel]

Love the mechanism. Great vid!

[@castironmachines]

Cheers!

[@Biokemist-o3k]

I am a little late to the game but my goal is to have a living history shop run by steam or steam and compressed air.

[@andyc8454]

Good stuff. Thanks

[@castironmachines]

Cheers

[@skategeezer1810]

Great job as usual. How is Miss Mamma Cat doing?

[@castironmachines]

Thanks, she's good, not nosey enough to get into this camera shot though!

[@evanburroughs9329]

Can you speak to the sawyer lever, what it was used for and how?

[@castironmachines]

I don't know exactly how it was used, but if a wire was hooked to this lever, it could be pulled by the saw operator to quickly slow the mill in an emergency. I've tried to find more info on them, but have found none yet

[@rbstephenson4338]

@@castironmachines Thanks for the video. I have about a dozen engines, mostly verticals, none running, yet. I have a 1” Gardner Denver gov, w/ emergency shut off & sawyers throttle mounted on a vertical 6 x 6 Joshua Hendy Little Giant Hoist. As normally mounted on to the top of the steam chest, a belt running from the emergency shut off wheel, which hangs down via gravity (valve closed position) to the wheel on the crank will not hold the valve open. I think it would work on a horizontal engine. Any ideas there? I wonder if there are engine specific governors or emergency shutoff arms designed specifically for each. As I understand, the emergency shutoff wheel is meant to ride on the belt and keep the governor valve open and the set engine speed maintained while there is a load on it. Should the belt break, the valve shuts off steam preventing an run-away engine. The sawyers “lever” is a throttle, if I’m not mistaken. I’ve seen a video of it being used. The sawyer has a small rope (or two, one top one bottom) attached and stands afar watching the log pass through the circular saw blade. When there is more resistance, the rope is pulled and the throttle opens the governor valve more, more steam. Perhaps a second rope can shut off the steam too. Close ups shots would help. Maybe when you get it on your engine. Is that video ready? Looking forward to more. Tks.

[@canadianwoodenwareco.7631]

Great video! Show us the Steam engine with the govenor on it! \

[@castironmachines]

Will do- steam engine/boiler shed being planned!