The Contraption 2.0

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:33 am

Here we are:

Elliot Naess photo

This was the first time he fired the engine. I drove the push truck. The jetting was off and the blower popped. For some reason, I had my camera with me. Yes, it's hanging by the fuel lines. Or... standing by the fuel lines.

He rebuilt it on a Donovan block and got it running properly, but I did not have the good sense to hang around. This was in the late 1970s.

Somebody did a story on him later, with photos of the whole engine: http://nitrogeezers.com/tom_dicktakes_innovator.htm

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:40 pm

Elliot wrote:
Here we are:

Elliot Naess photo

This was the first time he fired the engine. I drove the push truck. The jetting was off and the blower popped. For some reason, I had my camera with me. Yes, it's hanging by the fuel lines. Or... standing by the fuel lines.

He rebuilt it on a Donovan block and got it running properly, but I did not have the good sense to hang around. This was in the late 1970s.

Somebody did a story on him later, with photos of the whole engine: http://nitrogeezers.com/tom_dicktakes_innovator.htm

Oh yes the good old days push starts, no safety straps or blankets on your blowers and lots of beer.

I love the smell of Nitroâ€¦. burning rubberâ€¦ crackle of hydrazine startups
I wish they still had push starts.

You know I think I have seen that car at Sacramento Race way in the last ten years.
I may have a picture of it. I will look for it.

You know Chrysler was developing a twin over head cam Hemi to compete in Nascar but when the ford SOHC came out Nascar quickly outlawed overhead cam motors.
They where having problems breaking the tappets so it never got into production.
If for only one year ~That would have been the motor to have. I heard that someone bought the motor And was going to try to make it work. Never heard any more after that.

Dusza Beben · Post by **Dusza Beben** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:18 pm

LeChatNoir wrote:Contraption Update!!

Ok you guysâ€¦ hereâ€™s a few pics of the progress.

It doesnâ€™t look like much really, but part of it took a long time to figure out before ever turning a machine handle. And I really have nothing more than a sneaking suspicion that it will work when all put together.

Hereâ€™s a pic of the latest finished parts:

Shown here are the eccentrics and rings, the A and B plates for one of the heads, and the rotary valve assembly, including the little arm that links to the eccentric's travel. The rotary valve has slots milled into it 180 degrees opposed. These slots rotate by different holes (steam in and exhaust out) as the valve is accuated by the up and down movement of the eccentrics (I can go into greater detail about the valving if anyone wants, and probably will later anyway) . The channels milled into the brass "A" plate are for steam to travel to the inlet ports.

Next up is a little critter that was finished up tonight. I suspected there would be a problem with the fact that the eccentrics were about two inches out from the arm on the rotary valve. I figured the rod on the valveâ€™s arm would have to be so long that it would just try to twist the arm rather than move it up and down. Sure enough, thatâ€™s what happened and so I had to figure up a way to transmit the motion from the eccentrics, two inches back to line up with the arm on the valve. The solution is the assembly you see sitting by the engine base.

If it doesnâ€™t make much sense at the moment, then it will once I get the thing together and you can see it in action for itâ€™s first test runâ€¦

Maybe before the end of the week!!!

Hereâ€™s another shot of the assembly in place. I'm using a black oxide finish on all the steel parts.

And on a final note, if you look in the pic showing the entire engine, you will see one of the old heads in the background. The new heads will also have this full radius machined into them before it's all said and done.

THAT is going to be one sexy power plant.

DB

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:24 pm

Well...

It's assembled!!!

Getting it together was tricky enough. Lots of things like something little binding here, something needing an adjustment there. And then it was on to trying to get it to do something other than sit there. It took a good bit of fiddling around with the timing and valves (and I still want to keep adjusting it), but after all of that...

Follow this link to see what happend.

Then come back and help me say...

...

...

...

...

...

HooRay!!! HooRay!!!!

HOORAY!!!!!

Bin Noddin · Post by **Bin Noddin** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:38 pm

Way to go, Cat. HOORAY!

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:14 pm

WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:20 pm

Triple woot with a side of fries!

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:42 pm

To FUCKING COOL.......

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:50 pm

Hehehehehe WOW cat that is so cool.

stargeezer · Post by **stargeezer** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:55 pm

LCN, that is way cool!

I am assuming that was just with air, how much air did it take?

Now the real fun begins, I am anxious to see it in operation with the boiler.

Great work!!

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:04 pm

Beautiful engine.
Must be love.

Dusza Beben · Post by **Dusza Beben** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:02 am

LeChatNoir wrote:Well...

It's assembled!!!

Getting it together was tricky enough. Lots of things like something little binding here, something needing an adjustment there. And then it was on to trying to get it to do something other than sit there. It took a good bit of fiddling around with the timing and valves (and I still want to keep adjusting it), but after all of that...

Follow this link to see what happend.

Then come back and help me say...

...

...

...

...

...

HooRay!!! HooRay!!!!

HOORAY!!!!!

Huzzah! Huzzah! HUZZAH!

I can't wait to meet it!

DB

Dusza Beben · Post by **Dusza Beben** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:05 am

Hey Cat, where is that awesome photo of the contraption in the dust storm? Would you mind if I used the image in one of the letters of this years post card? I want more of an SP feel this year.

Here's the card from '04 to give you an idea.

DB

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:46 am

W00T!

Gratz on your accomplishments to date!

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:55 am

Thanks guys...

I really didn't know if it'd work or not. It looked good in my mind, but I had no idea of when it actually had to move and do something. And there's still a couple of issues to address, but still. I'm just happy it actually did something.

DB,

I'd be honored if you used that pic. If you scroll down on this page here, you'll find what I think is a smaller version of it, but I can email you a larger version if you need it. Karine actually took the photo, but she said it'd be more than fine to use it.

And Stargeezer, you are correct... this was using only compressed air and there may be some issues with steam that air doesn't present. We'll see sooner or later. At the slower speed (at the start and stop of the video) I'm gauging that to be around 350-400 rpm. I let it sit there and run for a long time and the compressor didn't kick on for a long time. Much longer than it usually would when using a small die grinder, let's say.

Maybe I'll time it today and get a video of it with the camera held horizontally. I always forget that I have no way of rotating a video.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:14 am

La cat,,

Contraptioneer Deluxe,Steam Punk.

Like adding a Ph.D.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:29 am

I punked some scrape brass together that made one hell of a whistle.. Used air so don't know if it would work with steam..

Used chrome for the body.. Brass would give it more throat.. It's pretty sharp/loud without the body on..

I'll screw around with it some more.. May replace the horn on the contraption..

Dusza Beben · Post by **Dusza Beben** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:19 pm

That's the one! Thanks. The size is fine.

DB

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:35 pm

Heh hehâ€¦ LeChatNoir CD,SP

I like it unjon.

Iâ€™d like to see that whistle too. Iâ€™ve been toying with a whistle myself, but its not done yet. Iâ€™d also wondered what the Unhorn would sound like if you used steam to toot it!!

Hereâ€™s a less neck-binding video that I took this morning.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:24 pm

Le Chat,
If you ever get by Dixie Gun Works on Hwy 51, they have a museum with a lot of working steam whistles and horns.
You might get some ideas.

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:44 pm

That is amazing. I am at a loss for words.

Nice valve design and cute little channels in the head. You are doing an incredible job of making it look intentional. (By which I mean that it looks like was built that way, not modified from something else. It is one of the features that makes the Contraption so cool.) Some industrial archaeologist is going to be very confused one day.

HOORAY!!

Lewis[/youtube]

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:03 pm

Hey, from one anvil banger to another... Thanks!!

fciron wrote:Some industrial archaeologist is going to be very confused one day.

I certainly hope so.

Tiahaar · Post by **Tiahaar** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:27 pm

LeChatNoir wrote:I certainly hope so.

That's a lock! Super engine!! Next for the dyno run right??!! And its running sans flywheel even, very very exciting!!

karine · Post by **karine** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:44 pm

Elliot wrote:

Elliot Naess photo

Did anybody notice he's drinking a Mountain Dew AND a Budweiser???

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:49 pm

No! That explains a lot... if that's the kind of mixture he pours into his self, maybe the mixture in that blown Hemi was just wrong enough to pop the blower...

karine · Post by **karine** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 12:12 am

he he he

What else could it be ???

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 7:54 am

I did indeed notice the fellow with the MD and a Bud.

I was admiring his whole look. The shirt, the hair, the fore-runner of Red Bull mixed drinks. He's got it going on!

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 7:36 pm

Did anybody notice he's drinking a Mountain Dew AND a Budweiser???

Good catch. But that guy was a bystander. It was just Tom (in driving suit) all by himself, plus me tagging along as journalist (and drafted as push driver). After the... incident, some of those guys who gathered started talking to him about jetting right away, so he received help dialing things in the next time.

Oh... about that thing in the video.

Coolness Factor: not recorded; readings beyond calibrations of available intruments.

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:39 pm

Way to roll, Les Chat! It's an honor to stay in your good company!

With gratitude,

-Mister Jellyfish

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:16 pm

Oh no, good sirâ€¦

It is in the company of a man with an EL wire comb-over that I am honored.

And I am supposed to ask you to do a docent impression the next time we meet, too. Please help me remember, yes?