Steam engine for Minecart furnace IRL 

I really like you solution for the steam generator, I also like your hat

3:33 love the sick vape tricks you’re doing with this one bro

So you've got a great start to your steam engine, however I think you'll need a different kind of boiler for your final product.most importantly, you should have at least 2 safety (pop) valves to prevent your system from overpressurizing the vessel or your piston (one set at your safe operating pressure and the other slightly lower). This is a must for your build no matter if you continue to use the compressed air tank or go with a different design. For one, you do have a very strong container, however it is highly inefficient because the tank has very thick walls, and the internal surface area in contact with the water is quite small, which also hinders heat transfer. Another way to do this is to use a coil of copper tubing in what they call a "water tube type" boiler. The copper is a great thermal conductor and your surface area/volume will maximize the amount of energy that can be transferred to the water. Not only will you be able to build up steam to operating pressure faster, but you'll also get more steam for the amount of fuel you'll use (less tending the fire & more run time for any given amount of fuel). Just note that you'll still use up water at the same rate. Nevertheless, stay safe out there and good luck on the build!

4:57 Big respect for managing to say "To get our steam engine to do the spinny spinny dance" so nonchalantly

Just FYI, with steam, the cooling fins work against you because the steam is condensed and doesn't produce as much pressure lowering your efficiency. But great vid bud!

Maybe an old air compressor would be a good option, you could essentially reverse the whole system and use the tank as the boiler and the compressor as the engine. Air compressors are naturally rated for the heat, due to compressing air, and have lubrication. Imo it would be a great option. Looking forward to seeing how this progresses!

As a steam enthusiast, I love this! However I’d recommend a stronger pressure vessel and definitely a water gauge, as in most steam engines if the water runs dry it may burst due to the heat.

now your going to have to figure out how to build an efficient boiler.

Please remove the tap/valve on the cylinder, or put the overpressure safety valve before it. Nothing goes wrong the way you expect it to. Atm nothing is stopping you from heating it with the valve closed. You'd think it's at 0psi, then when you open it your get hit with an engine explodeing at 5000psi.

We have 6 months untill he has to make a command block minecart

You must need to lubricate the crankshaft So it will maximize the performance

You will want to mix a little bit of oil into the steam somehow, so you dont get lubrication issues in this 2stroke engine.

Gotta admit, I'm very disappointed you didn't say "Today's sponsor is Integza!"

Cool thing man! Just something to add, as a mechanic, one of the most important things we are thaught is, lubrication is essential for a fine working engine. And that is a 2 strokes engine, wich uses oil mixed with fuel to lubricante not only the crankshaft but the piston, wich means that the comb. chamber and the crankshaft chamber are not hermetic like a 4 strokes engine The point is, you should add some sort of lubrication device to extend the lifespan of the engine, and it beeing a 2 strokes makes it much more harder. Greetings, keep beeing cool Apologies for my english.

In terms of a boiler, you could look at doing a water-tube boiler. The book "Building the Clishay" has drawings for a water-tube boiler that engine would use. It's meant to drive a 2 cylinder marine engine, which should be similar to your needs. Also, most of the problems you are having are with getting the engine to start. As you're using single action (as you explained), getting to the right starting phase is difficult. A flywheel and a clutch could likely help get the engine running. That or running two of these "Steam engines" out of phase. Last thing to note is its worth looking at boiler code in your state. This is something the Little Amerricka guys could help with. EDIT: I was with a group that tried to put a Little Engines 0-4-0 crab on air by compressor. I see all the compressor comments and really can't recommend that route.... It was noisy and very inefficient. I think there are some videos of that Blue Mountain Crab out there.....

I think you're going to need a bigger steam engine

Just so entertaining. Never seen a piston working like that. Incredible help in understanding the machines which drive my world!

Hey just a tip add an oil injector so the bearings don’t lock up

Integza: 3d printing master, fashion sense, cute accent Joel: A BOX OF SCRAPS

I don't really watch your videos, but watching this and the previous minecart video, the quality in your videos and projects are exceptionally high and creative. Keep up the good work; from the small details to the bigger details, I assure you no detail in these passionate videos go unnoticed. Keep up the good work, looking forward to more of your stuff.

This is something i would like to do, but i don't have the time or money to do it! 😂 Freaking love it bro!

You might wanna look into a governor and heavy flywheel with a low gear ratio to push the cart. Single Action are more toque than power after all

Jay Leno has some videos on old steam cars from 1906. I would watch some of those. They’re basically what you’re making though complicated in some ways. Like using a burner with a pilot light like in a home. But the Stanley steam car has a big boiler wrapped in piano wire that won’t explode, and takes 20-30 minutes to create steam.

Dang! You are going to have a leg up on the world after the apocalypse. Awesome video yet again! Excited for the next one!

Kozo hiroko's books on steam engines are great for information on boiler building and safety as well as how to build all the parts I have the shay book and the climax book his books also have how to run the engines aswell

I would have never thought to change a combustion engine into a steam engine, really cool. Although one small nitpick, the furnace cart doesn't use water so I always guessed it was some form of a stirling engine instead of a steam engine. Anyway I am really exited to see where this project goes next.

First Video of yours ive seen, You had Integeza selflessly plugging. instant sub..

if you can, get an old flathead briggs and stratton engine and weld on two additional lobes onto the camshaft to have the valves open twice as often. I saw an example on youtube somewhere a few years back and it ran super smooth with plenty of power.

If you plan to ypuse that steam engine for a prolonged time, youre gonna need a displacement oiler to inject steam oil into the cylinder. Also the reason the engine probably didnt start right away could be because the cylinder was cold, so as the steam endered the cylinder, it turned streight jnto water, and the high pressure was required to force all the water out and get it moving. The solenoid thing is also great, loved the video. Also the cooling fins on the engine probably are worsening your efficiency. Ideally you want to run on as little pressure as possible. A flywheel might also help but idrk

Now put it back in the string trimmer to make a steam powered string trimemr

DUDE! this is crazy. i love this idea. absolutely ingenious!

Ive loved steam engines and Minecraft thoughout my entire life so this is incredible! Please dont stop making these videos, Your Amazing!

Thank you Mr. Creates, you have certifiably ignited my engineering genes. I would love to see this thing in a mini steam train

When you make the minecart furnace, would you be willing to make an extra minecart for a second passenger and make a "minecart train" similar to the game?

I think the furnace cart is basically a Minecraft's version of a locomotive or a steam train, in older versions you used to be able to connect other carts to the furnace cart which is basiclly how a train works, a bunch of carts connected to a stean engine on a railway

I've never clicked on a video so fast before. Steam engines are AWESOME

The other problem is he used a 2 stroke engine, which might lock up without the oil contained in the 2 stroke fuel mix

What about lubrication of the engine? Considering this is a 2 stroke that normally gets it’s lubrication from the mixed fuel that comes in. Wouldn’t this setup seize up within a short run time especially with the high temperatures of steam?

Thank you for the content gold! Great work in progress.

Looking forward to part two! (or more!) Love a good steam engine :)

Hey Joel - great vid as always! Can I get a track ID on the DnB song?

10:00 music?

before watching this, i had no idea how a steam engine works. after watching this, i still have no idea how a steam engine works, but was thoroughly entertained for almost 11 minutes

Using a pre-built engine housing is a great idea and I like the idea of making your minecart even cooler! Nice work!

The Minecart journey is so freakin' cool to watch, I'm loving what you are doing too! Also, I want that hat.

Very cool project!

A larger flywheel will help this immensely! When i was experimenting with the compressed air powered version. I ended up using a heavy, cast aluminum platter off an old junk turntable. Then i just used one of those air dusters that hook to the compressor and some brass fittings. I ended up with a pretty torquey engine with decent revs.

Finally someone who inverts time and dedication in steam engines, this video is awsome

Slap some oiler lines on the crank bearings before you ruin them. Or turn the crank case into an oil sump and block off the transfers. This is pretty sick!

i love your content so much you inspire me to try my own projects

I love the videos they are so creative and I love how you are so smart with new things

Oh wow, this is fascinating!

well done man, VERY clever

The open port of the valve wastes most of the steam. You should consider using a four stroke engine, it already has proper lubrication and valves, you just need to modify the camshaft. The best way is to make the camshaft rotate twice as fast, so that opens the valves on every revolution instead of every second revolution. The position of the inlet valve cam also has to be changed.

Good cylinder concept. In fact, thank Richard Trevithick for the idea; he pioneered locomotive development with his 1-cylinder "Pen-y Daren". Of course, his design was a double-stroke, where steam presses the piston in both directions. I would recommend either adding a second cylinder out of phase (at a 90-degree offset so one is in dead center while the other is mid-stroke) or assembling a system of rods called a valve gear. It works like the spark-plug solenoid you made, but more archaic. There are lots of different designs on the internet, but for simplicity's sake I'd go for Walschaerts' design.

My man is slowly learning why live steam is a hobby

I think that you may have a bit better time using a four stroke OHV engine for this, that is if you play around with the valve timing to get the steam in and out right. Plus an added bonus is that you can lubricate the bearings so the engine can run at higher RPMs for longer.

I made a really nice 1:1 scale Minecraft chest in my woodshop class at school imagine if we put it in the minecart now we got a chest minecart. Also that steam engine is awesome! Can't wait to see what you do next with it!

Nice info,thanks for sharing :)

this is underrated good job! :D

Looks amazing! I'm looking forward to see it finished. Also I would recommend you to have two pistons working together to make the Furnace cart stronger and faster, Each piston 90 degree turn apart from each other like how you found on each side of a steam loco.

An engne that converts heat into mechanical power is a stirling motor, and it was created during the industrial revolution alog with the steam engine

A Garratt (often referred to as a Beyer Garratt) is a type of steam locomotive invented by British engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts.[1] Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "bridge". The two other parts, one at each end, have a pivot to support the central frame; they consist of a steam engine unit - with driving wheels, trailing wheels, valve gear, and cylinders, and above it, fuel and/or water storage. Articulation permits locomotives to negotiate curves that might restrict large rigid-framed locomotives. The design also provides more driving wheels per unit of locomotive weight, permitting operation on lightly engineered track. Garratt locomotives produced as much as twice the power output of the largest conventional locomotives of railways that introduced them, reducing the need for multiple locomotives and crews

Have you considered a Stirling Engine? It can directly transform a temperature difference to mechanical work. You also don't need to worry about steam pressure (either losing it or potential explosions). However, I'll never complain about more steam powered devices.

Was a pleasant surprise to see integza footage included

Integza!!! What an awesome duo!!!

hey joel not sure if you know this already but friendly reminder that 2 strokes need oil steam is not a great lube, put a side cover back onto the crank case and put a bearing in there along with put a oiler for the crank and also use steam oil for the piston rings, that way the engine wont explode itself from friction.

Love to see Integza here.

What you need, mate, is a proper Water Tube Boiler. Or in other words, a Tankless Water Heater like you'd use in your house. It heats a small amount of water in a coil of (usually) copper pipe until it flashes into steam. They're extremely efficient with a much lower risk of potential explosion. In fact, after about 1910, basically all steam powered cars (which were actually equal in popularity with internal combustion cars until the 1920's with the advent of the mass-produced Ford Model T) used a form of water tube flash boiler. The alternative is a Fire Tube Boiler, the type seen in larger steam machines like locomotives, ships, factories, and the like. In that, you contain a large amount of water in a vessel with an internal heating chamber, the firebox, and pass the hot gases through the water via dozens (sometimes hundreds) of flue pipes. They're much simpler to build and a more robust design, but much less thermally efficient, slower to heat up and raise steam pressure, and come with more dangers; if the top of the firebox, called the crownsheet, is allowed to be exposed with no water surrounding it, the heat of the fire can rapidly cause it to weaken, warp, even start to melt, compounded by the pressure of the steam inside pressing outward. If a gap opens to expose the inside of the boiler to atmospheric pressure, the remaining water inside will instantly flash to steam, causing the boiler to explode. Low water level is by far the most common cause of failure for fire tube boilers. There are safety devices to mitigate the risk, such as gauge glasses to monitor the water level, try cock valves that vent steam or water directly from inside at different levels as a more basic and reliable alternative, and fusible plugs made of a metal that will melt sooner than the firebox itself, venting steam and water into the firebox to more or less instantly put out the fire and relieve pressure at the same time (at the cost of potentially damaging the firebox, but better that than an explosion). Either way, the experts at the miniature railroad where you previously tested your minecart, and where I presume you plan to test this next one, would be invaluable sources of knowledge as they not only operate miniature steam locomotives regularly, but build brand new ones on site. If anyone knows steam tech, it's them.

A day i randomly searched how a train works "steam mostly" and i learned so much about the steam engines!

That is AWESOME! I might could adapt this design for a generator.

Oh Greenpeace will LOVE this!

The steam engine you built is ever so charming!

I can see that coming in handy for so many projects! Make On my Brother

Really cool video!

Minecart furnace is the most underrated feature in Minecraft, thanks for reminding the comunity that it still exist.

That is sick

I hope they add it back and rework the minecart system. Imagine having a primitive railway.

So cool!

Loved it.

Awesome work mate. You might need to add a lubricant to the steam as the piston is normally lubricated by the 2 stroke oil.

You must add whistle because choo choo innit

There was entire class of locomotives called "fireless locomotive". It's basically what you have built - locomotive which runs out of pre-prepared steam (without actualy boiler or fire on locomotive itself). It was used in places where ordinary steam locomotive would cause risk of explosion (chemical factories etc). You can copy some ideas from there.

Good job!

Steam engines are truly reliable power, if you look at old videos of beat up steam locomotives running, no matter how worn out they are they keep running!

I love steam engines and I love your videos

Every video is a window into this man's engineering evolution

Was definitely not expecting integza!

You should make a steam powered scrub brush for doing the dishes! Great video man! I had no idea that was possible!

You really go above and beyond! I would’ve just bought a harbor freight predator motor and stuck it on and called it a day! Build a box around it, paint it.. boom. Minecart! Hahaha

Very nice segue into the sponsor

This dude is a legend

Go full circle, make a steam powered weed whacker.

They actually make and still make miniature working steam engines. There a wonderful. Video on them by inside the attic on them

I would say peltier plate for the Furnace or even the Redstone torches maybe.

I like your idea for the mincarts and putting a frnis in it

YOOOO I knew you could turn a two stroke engine into a steam engine. Great video.

I love the spinny spinny dance

Cool video

super cool