Barrie Leete a staunch advocate of Compassion UK seen here during a recent visit to Uganda.
Now for something completely different !
Take a 13 amp (UK style) plug and a toilet seat and build yourself a nice little wobbler steam engine. This is what steam engine enthusiast and gadget man Barrie Leete did and finished up with a neat little single action oscillating ‘wobbler’ engine. Barrie came across the plans on John-Tom’s website.
Flushed with success here’s a step by step account in words and photographs from the man himself.
Here is my13 amp plug stationary steam engine. The wooden base is made from a wooden toilet seat. The pillar which holds the cylinder is made from the earth pin of an old 15 amp plug. The cylinder, valve assembly and the crank suppoort are pins from the 13 amp plug. The crank itself is what held the fuse clip.The piston rod and crank pin are made from 3mm stainless steel. The trickiest part of the build was the boring of the cylinder. I overcame the problem by making up a collett that would hold the plug pin perfectly central in my three jaw chuck. Well, that’s about it. What will my next project be ?
There must be plenty more engine bases left in that toilet seat Barrie ! (ed)
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- View of completed engine from flywheel side.
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- A view of the negative pin cylinder.
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- Completed cylinder and steam feed assembly.
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- Completed cylinder. It bored true but is not yet cleaned up.
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- I made a collet to enable me to bore the cylinder in the three jaw lathe chuck.
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- Close up of cylinder and collett in the three jaw chuck.
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- Disaster ! Tried to bore the cylinder on the lathe but ran out of line.
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- Earth pin showing the steam inlet and exhaust ports.
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- Just as I said, the loo seat will make a nice base.
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- Live pin before machining.
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- I made a collet to enable me to bore the cylinder in the three jaw chuck.
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- Cylinder in mini lathe ready for boring.
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- This the negative pin, possibly the most difficult. The small 1mm hole is the steam port which will go into the top of the cylinder.
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- New pin to be made into the cylinder.
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- Part assembly showing the oscilating cylinder mounted on the base and steam feed assembly.
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- Pillar mounted on base. It is made from an old 15 amp plug earth pin.
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- Roughly assembled just about ready for a test.
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- Side view of earth pin showing inlet side port which will have a brass tube fitted.
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- Some of the parts. The flywheel ia an old 1oz. weight given to me from freecycle.
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- Nearly a job done as I get to the bottom of things even if feeling a little flushed.
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- View of finished engine from the cylinder end.
