Triple Underbelly
by John
“Underbelly” has a particular resonance for readers who know what the Yarra is and that Collingwood is a place and not a British admiral.
In the instance of my triple expansion steam engine, it refers to the bits and pieces underneath the cylinder block. The glands which prevent steam leaks from the con rods and steam valve rods, the and valve rod guides. These unsung heroes of the steam engine have taken 2 entire days to make. And here they are….
This is the cylinder block, upside down. You can see the valve rods. the valve rod guides, the valve rod glands, the piston rods, the cross heads (unfinished), the piston rod glands, and the cylinder bases. Give yourself 2 marks for each correctly identified item. The 6 hex plugs on the side are temporary, until I get around to making some cylinder drain valves.
I started to count the number of holes drilled and tapped in this view, but gave up at 100 and still not half way. This engine better bloody work!
Note the letter stamped into the cylinder base. Many parts are similarly stamped. The studs in the intermediate piston gland are temporary.
Just a different view.
I have decided to replace the valve rods which are made of brass, with stainless steel ones. That will take an extra day, which might exceed my second, self imposed, deadline. But if it does, well too bad.
By the way…. I am considering whether or not to continue this blog. It does take time, and is not free. If you read this and are not totally bored, the odd “like” would not go un-noticed. A comment would be even better.
johnsmachines 
Hi John it is great to see the updates on the progress, I guess for me it is too easy to post a like on it when it comes up on Facebook as well. But having it on the Blog is fantastic when you can go back through the Blog and access and review the progress of the full project in the one spot.
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Thanks Brendan, you have been a noted responder! John
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Have taken on the task of trying to build this engine myself Having your experience to fall back on is being a great help Please keep up the blog as I am looking forward to seeing yours run Happy Days Pete
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Hi Peter, And thanks for the positive response. I will continue the blog until the triple is finished. Not sure after that. John
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I love it: You’re totally OCD, lol! Great to see the progress. I might have to visit Australia to see it when you are finished and steam it up. Meanwhile, I’m waiting for you to launch a projectile from one of these cannons or at least make a boom. Happy new year with aloha.
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No booms. Our firearm laws are very strict. Please visit, I would love to demo the triple when/if it is going. Happy new year to you, and good luck to all of us with the new most powerful person in the world . John
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OCD. Probably. Not officially diagnosed. A lot of my surgical colleagues test positive. Probably a good thing.
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Please keep the blog up. I want to see your project to the end!
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John,
I have really enjoyed your blog for past couple of years. I found it during a search for info on the Bolton triple. I am currently working on this engine using the plans from ME, but without any castings. This has turned out to be quite an exercise for my newly converted CNC mill. I have completed most of the larger parts, but now come the millions of small details.
The triple is my main interest, but I have also enjoyed the many other topics you have covered so expertly.
Gene
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Thanks Gene,
interestingly, I wish that I had used bar stock. One of my main gripes has been the difficulty of holding castings. Also, much of my work has been on the CNC mill rather than the lathe. I do trust that you have obtained the Bertinat articles from Model Engineer about making the Bolton 9. Published in 1985-6. John.
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John,
I purchased the Bolton Triple plans from Reeves many years ago. I believe they were called the “M1” by Reeves. As you know, those plans leave out a lot of details, and there are some inconsistencies as well.
When I got serious a couple of years ago I purchased the updated set of plans by Bertinat. Unfortunately, the print quality of those plans was quite terrible. The Reeves copy machine clearly had a lot of dirt inside, because the same smudges and scribbles were on each sheet.
I finally went ahead and scrounged up the complete set of ME articles from eBay. Not an easy task from the US. The postage was quite a bit more than the cost of each issue.
The avoidance of castings carries both good and bad attributes. Setup is easier when the edges are square and well defined. Centering the usable material is not an issue. However, in many cases there is a lot more material to be removed.
The standards (columns) were each made in one piece, and by weight I discarded just about 90% of the metal (cast iron). They came out great, but a lot of work. Of course the condenser is not an integral part.
Gene
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Hi Gene, I did not know about the Reeves plans by Bertinat. I have been working from the ones published in MEW. (after enlarging them). Those plans are very good. One problem is that the reversing wheel, and the steam inlet valve wheel clash by several mm, and I had to shorten the steam valve shaft by 8mm to give a respectable distance between them.
I would love to see some photos of your progress. jviggers@iinet.net.au
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