Jon Baddeley
Specialist Consultant Collectors, Science & Marine
Lot 70
A MODEL OF A CORLISS HORIZONTAL, JET CONDENSING MILL ENGINE, based on the original by Messrs. Hick, Hargreaves and Company, Bolton, 1980's,
22 September 2015, 13:00 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £6,250 inc. premium
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Claire Tole-Moir
Head of Department
A MODEL OF A CORLISS HORIZONTAL, JET CONDENSING MILL ENGINE, based on the original by Messrs. Hick, Hargreaves and Company, Bolton, 1980's,
The blued-steel clad cylinder is approximately 3.75" bore x 6" stroke. The valve gear is a brilliant example of a perfectly detailed Corliss valve gear known as the Inglis and Spencer slip rod trip gear. The inlet and outlet valves are driven by separate eccentrics and wrist-plates. Both the eccentric pushrods, inlet sliprods and exhaust connecting rods, are minutely adjustable and are fitted with gib and cotter strapped wrist-plate ends with square locking grub screws for each cotter. The spring clips are opened by toe levers with adjustable connecting rods and symmetrically geared quadrants moved by the governor action. In addition, the inlet valves are fitted with rare pivoted dashpots.
The piston is cottered to a forked crosshead with separate slipper and oil scrapers running in a cast iron tray with end reservoirs and top bar guides with lubricators.
The connecting rod is adjusted at the crosshead end with a keep-plate and at the big end with a screw-operated gib and drives a well shaped crank with valve eccentrics, lubricators, governor bridge and 'one and a quarter to one' bevel gears. A return connecting rod with strapped gib and cottered ends drives the air and feedpump bellcrank.
The feedpump is fitted with two gib and cottered connecting rods and the airpump crosshead runs between vertical shaped cast guides connected to the bellcrank, via closed strap connecting rods with double gib and cotter bearing adjustment. The jet condenser is part of the pump bed casting and is fitted with an injection valve, controlled from a turned tapered pedestal and lever on the engine floor above.
The governor is fitted with counterbalance weights and oil dashpot for controlling the engine speed and the bellcranks actuate the control rod through springs designed to absorb agitation caused by the springs with their leather pads.
The floor carries guard rails and the engine bed with its oil splashguard, which is carried on a series of T and angle section cast iron frames, numbering 7 in all.
Finished in black and brightwork with mahogany plinth. 31 ins (79cm) high x 42 ins (115cm) wide
The piston is cottered to a forked crosshead with separate slipper and oil scrapers running in a cast iron tray with end reservoirs and top bar guides with lubricators.
The connecting rod is adjusted at the crosshead end with a keep-plate and at the big end with a screw-operated gib and drives a well shaped crank with valve eccentrics, lubricators, governor bridge and 'one and a quarter to one' bevel gears. A return connecting rod with strapped gib and cottered ends drives the air and feedpump bellcrank.
The feedpump is fitted with two gib and cottered connecting rods and the airpump crosshead runs between vertical shaped cast guides connected to the bellcrank, via closed strap connecting rods with double gib and cotter bearing adjustment. The jet condenser is part of the pump bed casting and is fitted with an injection valve, controlled from a turned tapered pedestal and lever on the engine floor above.
The governor is fitted with counterbalance weights and oil dashpot for controlling the engine speed and the bellcranks actuate the control rod through springs designed to absorb agitation caused by the springs with their leather pads.
The floor carries guard rails and the engine bed with its oil splashguard, which is carried on a series of T and angle section cast iron frames, numbering 7 in all.
Finished in black and brightwork with mahogany plinth. 31 ins (79cm) high x 42 ins (115cm) wide
Footnotes
This model was built by Belfast University Engineering students in 1923.
