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THE BOY'S BOOK OF ENGINE BUILDING
THE BOY'S BOOK OF ENGINE BUILDING
By A. Frederick Collins reprinted
This 246-page book shows you how to make steam, hot air, and gas engines and how they work. Instructions are written in simple language and include clear pictures. Open the book and the first thing you see is a photo of a very fine live steam model of an American locomotive built by a 17-year-old.
Any boy can build simple engines and have fun running them. That means you can, too. And here's a slow paced — remember this is for boys — and easy to read text that will show you the fundamentals.
Chapters include: the first engines, two simple steam turbine engines, a simple piston steam engine, a 1/24 hp horizontal steam engine, making small boilers, fittings for model engines, a model Atlantic type locomotive, steam — the giant power, a hot air or caloric engine, a 1/8 hp gas engine, and more.
This book also shows you how to make the patterns for the castings. It suggests taking the patterns to a foundry to have them cast in brass or iron, but if you poured the castings yourself you could claim you built the entire engine. Assuming no boy would have a metal lathe; it is recommended having the cylinder bored by a machinist.
Originally printed in 1918 and reprinted in 2006. This book is great and fun reading, informative and simple. Get a copy! 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 soft cover 261 pages
List price is $12.95 and our price is $11.95 plus S & H.
By A. Frederick Collins reprinted
This 246-page book shows you how to make steam, hot air, and gas engines and how they work. Instructions are written in simple language and include clear pictures. Open the book and the first thing you see is a photo of a very fine live steam model of an American locomotive built by a 17-year-old.
Any boy can build simple engines and have fun running them. That means you can, too. And here's a slow paced — remember this is for boys — and easy to read text that will show you the fundamentals.
Chapters include: the first engines, two simple steam turbine engines, a simple piston steam engine, a 1/24 hp horizontal steam engine, making small boilers, fittings for model engines, a model Atlantic type locomotive, steam — the giant power, a hot air or caloric engine, a 1/8 hp gas engine, and more.
This book also shows you how to make the patterns for the castings. It suggests taking the patterns to a foundry to have them cast in brass or iron, but if you poured the castings yourself you could claim you built the entire engine. Assuming no boy would have a metal lathe; it is recommended having the cylinder bored by a machinist.
Originally printed in 1918 and reprinted in 2006. This book is great and fun reading, informative and simple. Get a copy! 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 soft cover 261 pages
List price is $12.95 and our price is $11.95 plus S & H.
LIVE STEAM PUBLICATIONS
Simple & Compound Steam Engines
Reprinted
A lot of people like to watch steam engines. They love all those moving parts I guess. Some of those people think they know all about steam engines, but few really do. It's a technology that disappeared a century ago when electricity came in. Unless they've studied the old books and worked with the machine, they really don't know half of what they think they do. With this book, you can be a lot smarter than they will ever be.
You get types of simple steam engines, plain slide valve engines, the governor, cut-off or expansion valves, the Gonzenbach valve, the Meyer cutoff valve, automatic high speed engines, straight-line engines, indicator diagrams of automatic engines, valves for automatic engines, piston valve, pressure-plate valve, shaft governors, Corliss engines, single eccentric Corliss, double eccentric, Corliss cylinders and valves, dashpots, Corliss governors, and more.
You'll find reversing engines, Stephenson link motion, compound engines, tandem compounds, twin compound with receiver, cross-compounds, compound engine diagrams, indicated horsepower of compounds, ratio of cylinders, surface condensers, jet condensers, and even cooling towers.
You get lots of drawings revealing stationary steam engines as they were at the end of their development. Good stuff. Get one. 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 soft cover 112 pages
List price $9.95 and our discounted price is $8.96 plus S & H.
Reprinted
A lot of people like to watch steam engines. They love all those moving parts I guess. Some of those people think they know all about steam engines, but few really do. It's a technology that disappeared a century ago when electricity came in. Unless they've studied the old books and worked with the machine, they really don't know half of what they think they do. With this book, you can be a lot smarter than they will ever be.
You get types of simple steam engines, plain slide valve engines, the governor, cut-off or expansion valves, the Gonzenbach valve, the Meyer cutoff valve, automatic high speed engines, straight-line engines, indicator diagrams of automatic engines, valves for automatic engines, piston valve, pressure-plate valve, shaft governors, Corliss engines, single eccentric Corliss, double eccentric, Corliss cylinders and valves, dashpots, Corliss governors, and more.
You'll find reversing engines, Stephenson link motion, compound engines, tandem compounds, twin compound with receiver, cross-compounds, compound engine diagrams, indicated horsepower of compounds, ratio of cylinders, surface condensers, jet condensers, and even cooling towers.
You get lots of drawings revealing stationary steam engines as they were at the end of their development. Good stuff. Get one. 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 soft cover 112 pages
List price $9.95 and our discounted price is $8.96 plus S & H.
Valve Gears
Reprinted
The valve gearing is the brain of the steam engine. Probably more time, money and ingenuity has gone into valving than any other single component. Slide valves were the simplest, but George Corliss dramatically improved "the gas mileage" of the steam engine by designing a far better valving system.
Here you start with slide valves learning about displacement of the valve, the Bilgram valve diagram, effect of angularity of the connecting-rod, port opening, separate diagrams for each of the cylinder, slide-valve proportions, width of bridge, point of cut-off, amount of lead, and more. You get info on piston valves, double-port valves, the harmonic valve diagram, piston-displacement curve, valve-displacement curve, and more.
Part two covers variable cut-off valves such as the Meyer cut-off valve and the Rider valve, reversing gears such as the Stephenson link motion, laying out the reversing gear, equivalent eccentric, the Marshall valve gear, the Joy valve gear, and a technical introduction to the Corliss valve gear. Also discussed are poppet valves and gridiron valves.
Give your brain a valve job. Fill it with technical info that will enable you to appreciate steam power to its fullest! 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 soft cover 82 pages List price is $8.95 and our discounted price is $8.06 plus S & H.
Reprinted
The valve gearing is the brain of the steam engine. Probably more time, money and ingenuity has gone into valving than any other single component. Slide valves were the simplest, but George Corliss dramatically improved "the gas mileage" of the steam engine by designing a far better valving system.
Here you start with slide valves learning about displacement of the valve, the Bilgram valve diagram, effect of angularity of the connecting-rod, port opening, separate diagrams for each of the cylinder, slide-valve proportions, width of bridge, point of cut-off, amount of lead, and more. You get info on piston valves, double-port valves, the harmonic valve diagram, piston-displacement curve, valve-displacement curve, and more.
Part two covers variable cut-off valves such as the Meyer cut-off valve and the Rider valve, reversing gears such as the Stephenson link motion, laying out the reversing gear, equivalent eccentric, the Marshall valve gear, the Joy valve gear, and a technical introduction to the Corliss valve gear. Also discussed are poppet valves and gridiron valves.
Give your brain a valve job. Fill it with technical info that will enable you to appreciate steam power to its fullest! 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 soft cover 82 pages List price is $8.95 and our discounted price is $8.06 plus S & H.
The LeJay Manual
1945 Edition Reprinted by Lawrence D. Leach
In the 1930's the LeJay Mfg Co in Minneapolis began publishing a booklet describing unusual electrical projects. As new editions came out, new plans were added until by 1945 there were 50 separate "chapters".
Most of the articles in this edition deal with the conversion with now-antique auto generators into 110 volt alternators, other voltage generators and motors. A lot of this info was used in areas of the country that hadn't been electrified. You could buy old generators from auto junk yards, build a windmill, repair old auto batteries, and use the electricity to run homebuilt motors, welders and so on.
Most of the information in this booklet is now of limited value simply because you can't get the generators listed. But the rewinding data, hints and tips provided can help you in other rewinding projects for other types of generators.
There ARE several projects in this booklet each of which is worth the entire price of the publication. For instance, you can build a small but useful spot welder powered by nothing more than a string of auto batteries. You get plans for an arc welder, a transformer spot welder, a carbon-arc torch, electric bicycle, a water wheel, a windmill and more. Each plan is well illustrated.
This is a manual worth having in your reference library. Full of great ideas, great value and fun to read. Useful projects, worth having. Order a copy! 8 1/2 x 11 booklet 32 pages
List price is $8.95 and our discounted price is $8.06 plus S & H.
1945 Edition Reprinted by Lawrence D. Leach
In the 1930's the LeJay Mfg Co in Minneapolis began publishing a booklet describing unusual electrical projects. As new editions came out, new plans were added until by 1945 there were 50 separate "chapters".
Most of the articles in this edition deal with the conversion with now-antique auto generators into 110 volt alternators, other voltage generators and motors. A lot of this info was used in areas of the country that hadn't been electrified. You could buy old generators from auto junk yards, build a windmill, repair old auto batteries, and use the electricity to run homebuilt motors, welders and so on.
Most of the information in this booklet is now of limited value simply because you can't get the generators listed. But the rewinding data, hints and tips provided can help you in other rewinding projects for other types of generators.
There ARE several projects in this booklet each of which is worth the entire price of the publication. For instance, you can build a small but useful spot welder powered by nothing more than a string of auto batteries. You get plans for an arc welder, a transformer spot welder, a carbon-arc torch, electric bicycle, a water wheel, a windmill and more. Each plan is well illustrated.
This is a manual worth having in your reference library. Full of great ideas, great value and fun to read. Useful projects, worth having. Order a copy! 8 1/2 x 11 booklet 32 pages
List price is $8.95 and our discounted price is $8.06 plus S & H.