1896 Roper Steam Bike
Paul Brodie
13: Steamer Assembly
The boiler is painted heat-resistant flat black. Fasteners are stainless steel with all markings
machined off the heads.
For such a simple machine there seems to be a lot going on.
I found some ceramic insulation that gets used in foundries and is good to 2700 degrees
F. Kind of like wrapping a baby in a very warm blanket.
Steamer is done. I understand now that I was somewhat naive in this conclusion.
Nice, cool autumn day.
The riding position is completely old fashioned. Feet well forward, and bars very swept
back. High seat position. Fork angle VERY relaxed at 65 degrees (from horizontal..).
This steam project really was a whole education for myself, and Dick. He was doing his own
research, and realized the steamer needed a damper for the chimney. I had figured that rotating
the chimney down was enough to dampen the fire, but he said no. I know now the upswept chimney
is mainly for lighting the fire, because the angle really helps. Anyway, the steamer came apart,
and this was not to be the only time. It looks a little like open heart surgery .
The damper works on the "butterfly" principal, complete with wooden knob.
And it definitely filled in that space nicely. Now the bike really was done, and ready for fire-up.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >
Go to Page:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
|