Lady Stephanie

As a winter project I'm starting a Lady Stephanie six column pumping engine from A.J.Reeves.
Anyone done one? anything to watch out for?
I haven't seen the drawings yet but what other materials will I require?
Is it worth making governor gears or using stock items? (I have used a pair from an old hand drill before).

I think this has been published as a series. Not sure if it was Model Engineer. Popular science or popular mechanics rings a bell. This would have been the UK version published probably in the 1970s. I remember a beam engine in one of the last two mentioned.

Serialised in Engineering in Miniature in 1981.

Rod

I've been half way through one since about 2004.

Some of the ones I've seen simplify the entablature, which is a shame.

My flywheel was badly dished, I've got one laser cut as a replacement.

Neil

Sorry for the tardy reply, had a login problem.

Thanks for your comments. The castings arrived within 24 hours of order.
I've been giving the drawings 'a good coat of looking at' and started on the entablature.
I shall go through the drawings rationalising the mixture of dimensions, mm, inch fractions and decimal inch fractions :-/

TBC.....

Read Tubal Cain's book on engineering drawing and see how many of his own rules he broke with Lady Steph!

I started one of these in (I think) 1992. One of these days I'll get round to finishing it...

See http://www.bobunitt.me.uk/steph/steph.htm

Edited By JasonB on 25/09/2015 19:56:43

Thanks Bob, I saw your video when I was researching the project.

Progress so far; filed up and drilled the entablature and beam. I would like to centre the beam bosses on the holes. I can't swing it so I'll make a little annular cutter.

The flywheel had some horrible hard chills, sparks flying off in places. Still got to clean up the spokes, might get a carbide burr as even my best files won't touch them.

Edited By john carruthers on 27/09/2015 10:18:29

or maybe the EIM illustrator converting them into the house style? Apparantly it can happen in even the best regulated magazines

Rod

The sheets are his own drawings, they match his style. I haven't found errors, just matters of style (and lack of projection symbols).

Neil

You may find this of use, john - it's an index I made to all the Lady Stephanie construction articles.

Thank you Bob, yes I will look them up. It seems as good an order of operations as any as well.
I'm still gathering materials. I'd like to do as much as I can in brass.

I've acquired a diamond file and tidied up the flywheel, just needs reaming now and a keyway cut.

Has anyone ever worked out what one of these costs in materials, tooling and time? must run into thousands?

Materials aren't a huge cost, it's a pretty small engine really.

Time is the biggest investment, a lot of fiddly bits.

Neil

Time and tooling are the big money, I don't know the charge out rates are in a UK engineering shop, but 50 pounds an hour might not be too much, no wonder every one (well a number) on here want things to go faster.

Ian S C

Crank done (loctite and 1.5mm pins) and the flywheel.

Good progress today, made the beam pins and bearings, finished the crank bearings, machined the steam chest except the 4 flange holes - have to make a drill jig for them so all fit the same.

Getting there, one piece at a time; cylinder bored a thou under size to allow for honing, and the steam passages drilled.

Steady progress....

Cripes, you're past me already... and I've only be going at it for about 10 or 12 years...

Neil