Making Small Gaskets
by John
My Bolton 12 Beam Engine is a steam engine, but to date, has run only on compressed air.
Compressed air, is invisible. Any leaks, might make some noise, and show up as a dirty oil leak, but are not visible to a casual observer.
In contrast, steam shows up every leak.
Our club is having its annual exhibition at The Geelong Show, in 2 weeks. (See the post from 12 months ago about The Geelong Show)
Steam is available so I have decided to show my Bolton 12 beam engine, and to have it running on steam.
That has required making a steam connection and removing the compressed air connector, And more importantly, making every joint in the steam-air line, steam proof.
So every join has been opened and a gasket inserted. Some of the gaskets are oiled brown paper, and some are more permanent “liquid” gaskets.
Making the gaskets was a new and interesting experience, so I decided to make a photographic record.
I made the gaskets from brown paper.
I required 6 of these small gaskets, and 2 larger ones.
More components ready to have gaskets installed
Step 1. Make an impression of the surface in the paper using finger pressure. Do not allow the paper to move.
Step 2. Continuing to hold the paper securely, locate the bolt and steam holes using a pin.
Step 3. Using an old centre drill, enlarge the pin holes. Rotate the centre drill anticlockwise to avoid tearing the paper. Push the the drill firmly while rotating it, and continue to hold the paper firmly against the surface.
Step 4. Use the fine scissors to remove the dags. A delicate touch is required. Use the ordinary scissors to cut the outline.
It looks like it should do the job.
The reassembled beam engine. The displacement oiler, and rope driving pulley have been added since the last photos were posted.
Amazingly, after reassembly, I had no left over bits. If it works on steam as planned, I will post a video. Watch this space.
Hi John.
Is your club show open to the public?
If so, where and when. I’d love to come.
I greatly enjoy following your blog.
Ray T.
Hi Ray, and thanks for following.
Our exhibition is just one tiny aspect of The Geelong Show, which is held 15 Oct to 18 Oct at the Geelong Showgrounds. It is well worth a visit. agricultural judging of horses, cattle, sheep etc, dogs, tractor pulls, and a huge collection of steam and other engines. From a triple expansion steam engine, right down to our tiny models. Most of them working on steam, kero, diesel, etc. Fairground rides for the kids and showbags etc, but much more manageable and more “country” than the Melbourne show. More info by Googling “The Geelong Show”.
We will have 20-30 small engines working in our model engineering section, including, I hope, my beam engine. We will have members present who will welcome conversations with interested visitors.
Hope to see you there.
And if you would prefer a quieter viewing of the work of our club members, we are having our club exhibition at the club rooms in early November. I will post details of that event soon.
John
Thanks John, might see you at the show.
Hi again Ray,
I didn’t realise that you are THE Ray Thompson. Give me a call. John.
Hi,
I have the original OB Bolton drawings for the beam engine, and a partially finished model that I was given. Did you find any errors in the drawings that you can advise before I start to cut metal for the various linkages?
Thanks,
Doug (Sydney)
Hi Doug,
I also worked from the OB Bolton drawings.
I cannot recall any significant errors, and I quickly looked at the plans to see if I had added any comments or alterations but they seem good.
I had some sections of the plans enlarged to make out some of the details.
I hope that you enjoy the build as much as I did!
John