By Alexander Maxwell (YASCINATING to watch and instructive to build, this combination unit comprises an alco- hol-fired boiler fitted with a safety valve, a pis- ton-type engine and a turbine. All of these may be mounted on a single base, as in Fig. 1, so that it will be an easy matter to connect the rubber tube on the steam supply line to either engine or turbine. Simplicity of construction and the use of stock material enable anyone to make these engines. | The piston-type engine shown in Fig. 2 is detailed in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. It is an en- gine of the single-acting or single-admis- ® sion type, that is, there is only one power stroke instead of two as in the double- acting type. This means that the flywheel must be comparatively heavy to store up sufficient energy for maintaining a steady ‘@tarinc and uniform speed. Looking at the left- SHAFT hand sectional detail in Fig. 4, the valve is open and live steam from the boiler is rushing through the steam ‘ chest into the cyl- . inder. The piston #4oRoo has just started CASTING. INF 40 BORE. Frame Sabial! Sessa se ces, "5g! TUBING Cevau STRAP, y A ; ss uae) ~ #40 ROD wae os wes corre TUBING iy i eee Pacis CRBC ictal nae) Pea sere eneSTEAM_ENGINES the outward, or power stroke. While the piston is completing this stroke with the steam pressure forcing it outward, the valve is moving in the opposite di- rection. Just before the piston reaches the back dead center, the valve closes the live-steam port and by the time the piston starts the return or ex- haust stroke the valve has moved into the position shown in the right-hand detail, Fig. 4, This allows the exhaust steam to pass out through a port drilled in the body of the valve. Thus the cycle is completed, the one opening into the cylinder act- ing as both inlet and exhaust port. An alloy solder with a high melting point, 500 to 550° F., must be used. Ordinary tinner’s solder will not do. However, before as- sembly all bearing surfaces of cyl- inder, piston, valve and steam chest must be tin-plated. This is necessary because contact with live steam produces an oxide film on brass, making the surface rough. Sprinkle pure tin salts on the surface to be tinned, apply heat until the tin is liberated and spreads over the surfaces. While a batch of lead is melting in an ucKeTS F COPPER. © NOZZLE THROAT, #58 oR STEAM PIPE SHAFT, #40 ROD BRONZE sa, FRAME, 'sabARe TUBING ig’ steam ripe TURBINE WHEEL, BUCKETS, AND RIM, SHEET COPPER.as in Figs. 6 and 8. The nozzle is made of ‘ic-in. brass rod filed to the shape indicated. The opening in: the nozzle is cone shaped by drilling a number of holes of pro- gressively smaller sizes, finishing with a No, 58 drill. The shoulders are smoothed up with a file. Fi- nally the nozzle is filed down to the curvature of the wheel rim and is fastened securely so that the rim just clears. The throat opening is located on a line tan- gent to the circumference of the wheel. Carefully made, this wheel =| is capable of very high speeds. ene feo A good boiler, which is simple < and safe, is shown in Fig. 10. A circulating coil and an alcohol burner, Fig. 9, make it steam in about half the time ordinarily re- = quired. Soldering the boiler is TRS vane COG, very important. The open ends of a COPPER. C the shell must be filed or turned true so that the joint at the head and crown sheet, Fig. 10, is per- fect. Then tin the meeting parts for a space of ¥% in. each way from the joint. Assemble the boiler with the tie rods and heat over a flame, taking care that the latter does not contact the tinned joints. When the metal is so hot that hard solder will flow, hold the latter against the joints building up a triangular fillet all the way around, top and bottom. To make the safety valve steamtight be sure that the two parts seat perfectly. iron ladle, turn the wood mold for the fly- wheel, Fig. 7. Although the wheel is shown separate from the shaft in Fig. 3, it is ac- tually shrunk onto the shaft by simply placing the latter upright in the mold be- fore the metal is poured. This done, the engine is put together complete, except the crank which is pressed on the shaft but not soldered. Connect the engine to an air line furnishing about 10 Ibs. pressure. Then move the crank on the shaft until you find the point where the engine runs best, and solder the crank in place. In the turbine, a jet of steam is directed against buckets on the rim of a disk wheel