A Steampunker's paradise

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

Thogey's recent threads on Steampunk have renewed my old interest in 100+ year old technology. You would be amazed what you can find lying around sites like the one in the photos. I found lots of broken cast iron, scrap steel, some yellow-brass ballcock valves for two inch pipe, and more. Of course, I didn't own anything here, and also didn't want to get shot, so I left everything alone. I just wanted to show how 19th century tech is still in use today. Hope you enjoy.















The photos have the right side clipped off. Too big for Realcent, I guess. If you want to see the complete album, go to: http://s1251.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... 0paradise/

[Thogey]

What are we looking at?

What does this stuff do?

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

What are we looking at?

What does this stuff do?

These are compressors. These massive pumps are what it takes to move natural gas and crude oil in underground pipelines. This particular group is pumping natural gas.

The compressor technology is very old. It goes all the back into the mid 1800's in underground mines. They needed to pump air into the mines for men to breathe. It also pushes out the poisonous gases. It was first used with steam engines, then later with white gas motors, the ones in the photographs use the natural gas they are pumping.

The engines spinning the large flywheels are one cylinder engines. That one cylinder is bigger then the size of a one gallon coffee can. The original tech is from circa 1880 era. The original design called for the motor to increase the rpm of the large flywheel (one is painted red) until a governor kicked in and shut off the motor (saving energy). The massive spinning flywheel carried enough inertia to keep the belt-drive turning to whatever you wanted to work, like the compressors in the photo. Once the rpm dropped to a certain level, the governor would then kick in again and re-start the motor. And the cycle would repeat. I have seen small one cylinder motors run all day on one gallon of white gas. Wish I had one today.

[Rodebaugh]

Hit and miss engines. See these on farms for pumping water or running equipment. They come in all shapes and sizes some w/ one or two wheels. Seen a nice antique show when I was a boy up in PA with 50-100 of them running and on exhibit.....very cool thing for a youngster.

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

Hit & miss engines!!! Thanks Rodebaugh, I had forgotten that old line.

I just looked this up on Youtube:

[RichardPenny43]

I went to a steam show last weekend, it was pretty cool.

I saw two steampunk chicks there, I asked if I could take their picture and they said, "Hell no, Perv!"

This is a steam tractor running a sawmill




Here's a link to the shows website (lots of pics)
http://www.threshingbee.org/

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

I went to a steam show last weekend, it was pretty cool.

I saw two steampunk chicks there, I asked if I could take their picture and they said, "Hell no, Perv!"

/

Always remember: telephoto lens!

[cesariojpn]

I saw two steampunk chicks there, I asked if I could take their picture and they said, "Hell no, Perv!"

You go out in dress, yet you refuse people from taking pics of you.

Attention whores.

[Hades12]

What are we looking at?

What does this stuff do?

until a governor kicked in and shut off the motor (saving energy). The massive spinning flywheel carried enough inertia to keep the belt-drive turning to whatever you wanted to work, like the compressors in the photo. Once the rpm dropped to a certain level, the governor would then kick in again and re-start the motor. And the cycle would repeat. I have seen small one cylinder motors run all day on one gallon of white gas. Wish I had one today.

The governor holds the exhaust valve open so the engine freewheels, once it lets it close the intake can open and let a shot of fuel in and making a power stroke, once it is back up to speed the exhaust is held open again until it slows down to much.