204 E. Cass St., St. Johns, Michigan 48879
I would like to add a few things or ideas to the article, The
Injector, by Floyd Cook. Why does it work?
My thinking always was that cold water being heavier than hot or
warm water therefore giving it more speed thru the steam jet or by
the steam jet, which makes it easy to enter the boiler against its
came up with the idea and made it work, but I’ve lost it. Who,
of our readers, can come up with the answer?
I would like to add to this article with an experience I had
with an injector.
Some years ago I built a model engine, three ft. high and six
feet long and carrying 175 lbs. pressure, all welded boiler. The
shell, the man said, was tested at 900 lbs. I kept 350 lbs. cold
water pressure on same for a week to be sure it would carry 175
lbs. easy. It sure performs at that pressure. The injector, a
Penberthy, three eights size would not pick up the water over 150
lbs. so I wrote to Penberthy about same, and told them not to tell
me all the simple causes, because I know all of them, but
that’s exactly what they did, so I had to go on my own.
Don’t know how many times I took the injector apart to find a
way to correct this, which I figured was possible. Finally, under a
good light, I noticed a small thread in the center of the steam
jet. Then looking for something that would fit in there I found a
small jet out of a Chevrolet carburetor which fit exactly, and then
I started drilling this hole larger, one size drill after another
until it picked up the water at the 175 lbs. and it’s still in
there. It also cut the capacity of the injector by all of half,
which is still plenty for my size boiler, but satisfactory anyway.
This three eights injector was the smallest one I could find at the
time. Isn’t imagination a great thing to have?
While I’m at it, I’d like to add a few more experiences
I’ve had with steam. We had a 15-45 Case, new in 1910, with a
Judson governor. This was a good governor, bur threshing within
half mile from home one Saturday P-M all at once it had only half
of its power, driving a 32-54 Case separator. So we had the bundle
pitchers take it easy until quitting time so as not to lose any
time and drove the engine home that night. On Sunday, we took the
governor apart and found the top valve seat going up and down with
the top valve, so all we had to do was to bead down the metal to
hold the seat where it belonged and that ended that experience.
However, had it been the lower seat it might have been harder to
find. We had a Gould valve in this engine which made it really easy
to handle and easy to fire. Also put rocking grates in it which was
a great help. Used this engine 10 seasons and still had the same
flues in it and it had plenty of 80 and 90 day seasons.
Traded it for a 25-30 Avery tractor which we used 8 years and
sold it. A kerosene burner it was, and it would use about a third
more water with fuel than fuel and about a bbl. of water in the
radiator, especially in hot weather. We had mostly stack threshing,
plus some barn threshing and we equipped the separator with wing
feeders and run the whole rig with four men, two bundle pitchers,
and a blower tender. I took care of both the separator and tractor,
furnished the fuel and bundle pitchers and got 7-8 and 9 a bu. 1920
was the best grain year we ever had and come up with a little over
a hundred thousand bushels.
Came nearly going thru my separator one time. While relieving a
bundle pitcher one day, the fork slipped out of my hand and was on
its way thru the separator. So, doing what I shouldn’t have
done, I thought I would step on the side of the feeder (the old
one) and pick the fork off same; but it didn’t work out that
way. My left foot standing on a bundle, give way and being over
balanced, stepped on the drive belt and it threw me on my back
right in the feeder. I saw the band cutters too. Being young, I
threw both arms out and the right one had the fork in it and I
hadn’t seen it either. I was walking off the feeder with the
fork when my brother, who had just threw a fire in the engine (had
the steamer then) and stepped to the side to watch the machine,
when I was jumping off the feeder. How lucky can you get? One swipe
of the band cutters and I’d been thru the blower before the
machine could have been stopped. Taught me a good lesson! Lost a
glove in a husker one time, which taught me a plenty. Why does a
man take such chances?
Didn’t get to go to any of the steam-ups last summer on
account of my wife. Just two Centennials which only took a few
hours. I like Wauseon, Ohio steam up and missed it for two years
now. Could tell of some more experiences, but this is enough.
Others can tell theirs too; lets hear them. I was born with steam
in my veins, I guess.
