Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

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DetroiTug
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by DetroiTug » Fri May 24, 2013 7:14 pm

A new video of the steam pump on the Tug and working. I have yet to test it underway fully. Had some O-ring and plumbing problems. Seems to be working now though. Will test it underway next.

Just got back from eight days of steaming, had a lot of fun, logged many miles, burnt up many trees ;) . Went up to the 21 X 23 4 blade prop and can hold steam much better now. The increased load transformed the ticking sound in the engine to a banging sound. Discovered #1 rod bearing is shot. It was an (55 years) old New in Box bearing and it felt a bit rough when I built the engine. The grease must have been dry and the cage disintegrated. I've been blaming the wrist pin on #2 all along. Will replace that this weekend and fix the wrist pin while I'm at it.



-Ron
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by JonRiley56 » Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:33 pm

All,

A quick question on finishes. I am mounting the twin pump to Ron's in my open boat. Do I need to coat it with something so that it doenst oxidize and get dull looking ? Is there actually a product that does that ? With all the small surfaces it will be a real pain to polish........

jon
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by DetroiTug » Mon Jun 17, 2013 2:47 pm

Jon,

I don't know of any type of coating that would do that. Maybe just some clear Krylon spray paint. Regular paint with pigment stays on steam engines etc? I think I'll try that on mine. It's already getting some discoloration where there is a small leak at a bolt head.

Took the Tug out Saturday, finally was able to test the steam pump under way. It worked great. Needs a bigger Hydro oiler. Went about 12 miles and the pump kept the boiler full. The wood we had was too big and not much heat from it.

Fixed the knock (wrist Pin) in the engine, can only hear the exhaust and the belt on the generator now. We were able to talk to one another without yelling.



-Ron
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Lopez Mike
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by Lopez Mike » Mon Jun 17, 2013 3:05 pm

So far the rattle can paint on my engine seems to be surviving reasonably well. The places where the heat might be too much are lagged to save energy so the paint is only there to stop rust.

Has anyone tried powder coating? How much heat can it stand? It's plastic powder melted on so there is surely some temperature limit. It is a thick coating so would look good on castings.

Mike
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by dhic001 » Tue Jun 18, 2013 9:15 am

Interesting video Ron. I'm blown away by the amount of noise the exhaust makes, incredible compared to what I am used to with a condensing plant. Certainly the engine is nice and quiet, but is the knocking noise from the Southworth pump mechanical, or is it the check valves? Whatever the noise is, i'd be trying to get rid of it. I'm told that engine rooms on our old triple expansion powered mine sweepers were totally silent, despite having big engines and independant Weir feed and air pumps. Apparently they were so well set up they were silent. Silence in an engine is a lovely thing!
Daniel
DetroiTug wrote:Jon,

Fixed the knock (wrist Pin) in the engine, can only hear the exhaust and the belt on the generator now. We were able to talk to one another without yelling.

-Ron
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by Lopez Mike » Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:17 pm

The microphones on these cameras really pick up the mechanical noises. I've taken a few short movies on my boat and I was startled by how much different the sound was from what I had experienced in person. While I was shooting I could hear the sea birds and conversations at the other end of the boat. On the playback it sounded like the engine was coming apart.

Another thing I have learned the hard way is just camera skill. When I'm looking at things with my eyes, I look around a lot. When I'm shooting, I have learned to pan very slowly and to let the camera stay on one thing at a time for what seems like forever. If I follow my instincts the resulting movie looks like it was shot by someone with attention deficit disorder. When I know I'm going to be taking a movie I use a tripod or at least a monopod. Or clamp the camera to something. What a difference. Also, I stuck a bit of foam over the microphone hole. It really cut down on the wind noises.

I used to be a professional motorcycle racer many moons ago. A film maker follow us around for a season back in the late sixties. It was an eye opening experience all around. For one thing he shot twenty times as much film as went into the movie at least. But he filmed stuff that we had taken for granted like the awful food we ate on the road. He thought we were nuts. We learned a lot just helping him. Go rent On Any Sunday for a fun time.

Mike
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by Mike Rometer » Tue Jun 18, 2013 3:52 pm

Flippin' 'eck Mike! "On any Sunday"? I haven't seen that film in must be 35 years. 'Tis a cracker though! Last time was a M/C club night and it was on 16mm. Might have to see if I can find it on Youtube.

When shooting movies, the last thing you should think about is 'moving'. Hold each shot stationary, for around 4 secs (or longer), and don't pan unless it's to follow action. Cut from shot to shot. A tripod is always a good idea. If making a title, start the camera and read the title to yourself twice before switching off. The audience will then have time to read it for the very first time. When cutting the sequences together there's nothing worse than a shot that's just too short, better to be too long and crop it. At least these days with digital we don't sit there counting the £'s (or $'s) racing through the camera, like we did with celluloid. :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by DetroiTug » Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:48 pm

is the knocking noise from the Southworth pump mechanical, or is it the check valves?
It's from the shuttle that operates the main steam cylinder valve. There are two D-valves in the steam chest, one is actuated by the visible link in front and controls the shuttle. The shuttle is just a 5/8" piece of stainless barstock. It stops on the end cover plates top and bottom. I'm wondering if a disc of rubber on each end might help. I mounted the pump on rubber and that did help. I may try to make a wood mount for it. That is one problem with a steel hull, any noise is amplified. Of course, the camera makes it seem worse than it really is. It's really not that bad now.
I'm blown away by the amount of noise the exhaust makes, incredible compared to what I am used to with a condensing plant.
Yes it's going to be louder. It's essentially two engines running together, exhausting four times per revolution. Then it is exhausted in to the stack. There is an opening in the base of the stack around the funnel, this opening, due to the movement of exhaust and air through the stack creates a vacuum. It's continually pulling air out of the engine room. This also makes an excellent draft booster. Again though, the camera is accentuating the sound. It's very pleasant on board now.

-Ron
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by Lopez Mike » Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:48 pm

Ron,
I don't understand how these openings in the bottom of the stack work. It seems as though any openings would reduce the draft.
Of course, my boat is condensing so I am dependent on natural draft.
Mike
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Re: Southworth 12" Vertical pumps

Post by DetroiTug » Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:58 pm

Mike,

It's basically a two stage process. The engine exhaust is in the funnel or inner stack, this creates a vacuum in the combustion area and intensifies the draft at the firebox. The inner stack vents to the outer stack with velocity. This intensifies the flow in the outer stack and creates a vacuum at the base of that stack. The forced draft makes a huge difference. Firing up with no engine exhaust the fire is very lazy, with the engine running it's like a forge.

-Ron
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