✅ SOLVED Steam Engine parts

[villagenut]

I know this is a steam engine petcock valve, but my question is could this have been part of an engine that ran a mill with a combined purpose of lumber and gristmill. This and another artifact was found near where there was such a mill prior to 1864. The mill was a steam driven mill but I do not know by looking whether this valve could be that old, no marks at all on it but it does have a lot of age and wear on it. The one knob on it is very well worn.

 

[Tony in SC]

It is a sight glass with a drain. It could have been used for oil or condensate but not for live steam. They were used on steam engines and later on Hit & Miss type engines. Tony

 

[villagenut]

It is a sight glass with a drain. It could have been used for oil or condensate but not for live steam. They were used on steam engines and later on Hit & Miss type engines. Tony

Used for oil or condensate from a steam engine, but not a steam release part of the engine? Do I have that right and is it from a steam engine of the period I suspected, pre 1864. Any way to tell from a close up look?

 

[Ant]

This type of valve is used in comperss gas lines too, used to trap H2O, oil and other contaminants in the closed system. There's also one that adds oil called an oiler, it could be just a pressure release valve. Does it have 2 openings? It could be a gravity trap and I don't think it dates pre 1900's. You can judge the date by the glass, it is onioned up but how was the glass manufactured?

 

[Ant]

The way that it is shaped looks like it has only one opening, the glass would face up petcock drain to the bottom, it looks like a simple water separator, when water is detected in the sight glass the petcock valve is opened to drain it out. It would go on any system not just lumber or gristmill, anything under pressure where water could form, steam or compressed air or other gasses. I'm familiar with compressed air systems.

 

[Ant]

According to this link your part is a tractor hit and miss gas steam engine blow off petcock. That means that when the pressure reaches a predetermined level the pet cock will open on its own releasing pressure to a predetermined safe level.

vintage steam engine petcock water separator - Yahoo Image Search Results

 

[villagenut]

According to this link your part is a tractor hit and miss gas steam engine blow off petcock. That means that when the pressure reaches a predetermined level the pet cock will open on its own releasing pressure to a predetermined safe level.

vintage steam engine petcock water separator - Yahoo Image Search Results

Thanks Ant, your help is greatly appreciated. Here are photos of it unassembled with glass out of it. So was this off a tractor or is your link there just showing one with the exact look? I have seen these in my research and they often looked the same,whatever the application. Even new ones have the same look.

 

[Ant]

It could have been a hit and miss gas steam engine that was used to run a lumber or grist mill and never used on a tractor.

 

[Ant]

No I couldn't find it mounted on a engine, but you should be able to find one similar searching for hit and miss gas steam engine blow off petcock.

 

[villagenut]

Thanks again Ant, a big help you've been.

 

[thepoolguy]

its actually a sight glass for an old engine that used a mechanical or drip oiler. the oiler would drip oil on the rods mains and cylinders and eventually the crankcase would over fill and require draining. I paid 100 bucks for one on my rumely oil pull tractor and felt I got a fair deal. if you put it on ebay list it as rumely, hit miss, oil sight glass....you should get at least a 100 bucks for it.

 

[villagenut]

its actually a sight glass for an old engine that used a mechanical or drip oiler. the oiler would drip oil on the rods mains and cylinders and eventually the crankcase would over fill and require draining. I paid 100 bucks for one on my rumely oil pull tractor and felt I got a fair deal. if you put it on ebay list it as rumely, hit miss, oil sight glass....you should get at least a 100 bucks for it.

Thanks poolguy for the extra info...but everything I find is NFS and worth far more as a piece of my local history despite the age or usage of it..unless its's clad ....and then it becomes beer money,lol.

 

[Ant]

Bro I don't want to write about my experience or post my credentials. Anyway that is not an oiler or H2O separator. That sight glass is for the operator to detect when the system is performing, that's in laymans terms and the following is too.
Now an oiler and H2O separator have a entry and exit and both have areas for oil or H2O storage or separation, the H2O separator has a drain valve as well. I have designed several compress air circuits with oilers and H2O components installed in line, and have my HVAC license any I wrote that I wasn't going to get into that.
I am assuming that it works like a present day pop off valve, but they call it a blow off valve. It might not pop off like I described in the other thread and may just be a mechanical petcock valve that is opened when the operator detects too much pressure, or when H2O is detected, or when servicing, etc.

It is worth at least $100.00 on ebay.

 

[villagenut]

I'm with ya bro...but still NFS.

 

[villagenut]

I appreciate the research, I think I will call this one done, thanks bro....vn

 

[Ant]

After some research I think it is a drain petcock, when the engine is shut down the water has to be drained so that it won't freeze or rust out the parts. It must be a sight to see when it is opened on a hot engine; I guess you could use the expression blowing off steam similar to the petcocks namesake. The sight glass is to know when all the water is drained out.