Below are posts related to the building of Arthur Leak’s marine compound steam engine as originally described in Model Engineer magazine and more recently provided via Camden Books (drawings, manual and castings). It will also include the construction of a oil-fired Yarrow watertube boiler, to designs from John King from the SBA (see links on right of home page)

This is the engine that will power SY-Befur, it is expected to produce 10-14HP. These post cover all the construction from Camden’s castings and the addition of pump and alternator assemblies for our particular installation.

Below are all the pages related to the building of the steam plant (Engine, Boiler etc.)– they are in Chronological Order (so oldest first). Once you click on a page, then you can use the “next” and “previous” links in that page to move to others.

To see the latest posts first just click on “Engine Build” or “Boiler” in the Word Cloud on this page.

Errors in the Drawings & Suggested Improvements

It seems to be quite well known that there are a number of errors (and omissions) from the drawings for the Leak Compound. …and there are also suggestions of “drop-off’s” in the design (although these are not universally agreed). As a service to the community, I am publishing the errors I (and others) have found in the drawings and would welcome input from others as to any “quirks” they have found. Check out the “Leak Hints & Tips” under Home – or click here

Posts on Building and Installing the Steam Plant

• The Castings Arrive!September 6, 2011
  The engine ceases being and “idea” and transforms into a few hundred pounds of cast iron! As planned, Louise and I returned from the sailing course and hot-footed it to Paris to meet up with Bruno Martin-Neuville and his friends from the Amateurs de Bateaux á Vapeur ( The French version of the SBA) and… Read more: The Castings Arrive!
• Work on the engine begins!September 11, 2011
  Well, we’re off! Spent the day clearing the workshop ready to get started, and trying to decide where to begin. The bed casting had already been mostly machined, so I spent a while measuring it up to check all well. Bruno had mentioned that it was “mostly” OK, a few minutes found that all was… Read more: Work on the engine begins!
• The Column JigSeptember 20, 2011
  As noted before we needed to adjust the Jig for positioning the rear columns (as this had arrived with the castings) – so a nice first job to skim the requisite 62thou skimmed off the head of the jig.. A flycutter on the Vertical Mill soon achieved the desired result – I would have prefered… Read more: The Column Jig
• The Rear Columns first cutsSeptember 20, 2011
  I have read and reread the discussion on how to address these components, with no clear picture emerging of the approach the author intended. Setting up the rear columns on the miller So my approach was as follows – we will discover if it’s a good one. Clearly, perhaps the biggest issue is that the… Read more: The Rear Columns first cuts
• A week’s good workNovember 6, 2011
  I took most of the half term week off and with the weekends before and since real progress is being made. I am also learning how to make sense of the notes from Mr. Leak, and decided to buy an up-to-date set of plans from Camden… this is all leading towards making progress… Rear Columns… Read more: A week’s good work
• A week’s good work (part 2)November 6, 2011
  This seemed like a major milestone – starting work on the Cylinders…. Decided to do the LP one first – the game plan is to rough skim the top (to provide a footing to rest it on when turned over) then machine the base and bore in one go thereby ensuring that the piston rod… Read more: A week’s good work (part 2)
• Screwing awayNovember 7, 2011
  Decided to fit the main bearing caps, these are meant to be fitted with 7/16 Whit studs and nuts, but with a nod to modernity we broke the mould and went for UNC!!! It transpired the threading 7/16 rod with a tailstock die-holder was ambitious (even after I had to make the aforementioned die holder), so… Read more: Screwing away
• Boring Bar BluesDecember 19, 2011
  It seems I am getting lax at downloading the pictures from the new Nokia N8 to update the blog, so here is a quick summary of the progress being made. I have a couple of pictures here of boring the high-pressure cylinder and piston-valve chest – the problem with these two is that they are… Read more: Boring Bar Blues
• A workshop tourDecember 19, 2011
  While waiting for the HP cylinder boring to finish, I decided to take a set of panoramic shots of the workshop to prove that it doesn’t take flash new machinery to build stuff… The Lathe The Lathe- an early L5. This is an early “Mark2”  Harrison L5, built in around 1947/6, it serves me very well.… Read more: A workshop tour
• PortingDecember 20, 2011
  Some jobs just feel like they should be done later… In this case it was cutting the ports in the cylinders and valve chests – you have spent so long getting a nice accurate bore, and now you are about to cut holes in it! The scope for disaster is all there – it reminds me… Read more: Porting
• A trial erectionDecember 20, 2011
  So we reach the point where we can see if it looks like it will fit together. The engine is makes a lot of use of jigs, something new to me, but you can see how they work. So firstly the front columns are clamped to an assembly jig located in the main bearing slots.… Read more: A trial erection
• Chrismas eve 2011December 25, 2011
  Well, we have reached a bit of a milestone I think – I have managed to erect the main castings (cylinder block, rear columns, base). In the end I changed the order described in the manual, and mounted the rear columns first. Fitted the lower cylinder covers to the block (to ensure accurate positioning of… Read more: Chrismas eve 2011
• Bit of a break!March 3, 2012
  Well it’s been 2 months since my last post, work continues to interfere with my hobbies. But progress is made, the front columns turned up well, an interesting piece of off centre taper turning – all ran to plan. Front Columns The interesting thing about the columns is that they are tapered AND erected at an… Read more: Bit of a break!
• Spring Progress & A FindMarch 25, 2012
  The clocks moved today, and the weather is amazing – must be close to 20c. Last weekend Louise and I went to the AGM of the SteamBoat Association in Cleavdon (near Bristol) and had a really nice weekend – a very friendly and informed group of people. Also there was an auction (dangerous things auctions), but fortunately we… Read more: Spring Progress & A Find
• Piston ValveMarch 26, 2012
  Over the last few weeks I have been progressing with the HP valve assembly – a greenly long-type piston valve (apparently). Because the Harrison is showing it’s age (70) the wear on the bed sometimes leads to trouble you can’t manage… most notably tapers everywhere! The HP Valve chest had to be bored on the lathe,… Read more: Piston Valve
• Machining the Air Pump SlidewaysMarch 27, 2012
  I thought I would record this as a video, to show the machines in action. The machining is being done on my Adcock & Shipley 1AD horizontal mill, that I bought for a fiver back in the early ’80s. I have grafted a Bridgeport J-Type vertical milling head onto this, and fitted with a home-build… Read more: Machining the Air Pump Slideways
• Trial Erection2 – and slidewaysMarch 27, 2012
  This post is slightly out of order as I did the main and pump slideways first. These were simple milling jobs, I made a small video of machining the slots in the air-pump one… But, now we made a second trial assembly of the principal engine castings, to get a feel for how we were progressing –… Read more: Trial Erection2 – and slideways
• Main Bearings; scraping thru!June 5, 2012
  Major decisions on Main Bearings The bearing housings in the base casting were already machined a 1/16th  oversize when I purchased the castings, so the Camden-provided bronze bearing castings were not going to work. So I set about trying to source some suitable “phozzy-bronze” from my normal supplier, and discovered there was none to be had of… Read more: Main Bearings; scraping thru!
• Pressing,Peening and Glueing – a crankshaft for BefurJune 6, 2012
  DO NOT BUILD A CRANK THIS WAY – MINE FAILED IN 20 MINUTES!!!! See this post on the 2nd crank, for a better approach!!!! The theory Reading the notes for the engine a number of approaches to building the crankshaft are suggested. Forged Blanks (would need to buy a steam hammer), turn from solid (I’ve… Read more: Pressing,Peening and Glueing – a crankshaft for Befur
• Straigtening a bent crankJuly 30, 2012
    DO NOT FOLLOW THIS APPROACH – Loctite and crankshafts are not a good mix. Either carve/cast from solid or shrink it all together with larger webs. The previous posts discussed the manufacture of the webs and journals, and I felt very confident of the approach. Half the joints were to be shrunk together (very… Read more: Straigtening a bent crank
• Let’s try that again!July 31, 2012
  Sometimes you just have to face the fact that things are not going well – and lift the lid off the scrap bin and cast out that the bit you have been carefully crafting and toiling over, in the knowledge that it’s for the greater good 😦 And so it was with the crank and… Read more: Let’s try that again!
• Nice New Main BearingsSeptember 25, 2012
  As discussed in the last post, I decided to remake the bearings as drawn/described from  a solid Phosphor Bronze (SAE 660 aka Gunmetal) block – being as how I had needed to remachine the crank journals after assembly, and the first set of fabricated bearings were a bit “naff”.. So the first job is to… Read more: Nice New Main Bearings
• PistonsSeptember 30, 2012
  A nice simple job. After all the fun and games with the crank and bearings, these were much simpler.  The rough castings are turned to  a rough oversize, and bored for the piston rods, and the first ring grove cut all at one setting (to ensure concentricity), then switched end for end (in the case of… Read more: Pistons
• Piston RodsNovember 13, 2012
  These had been a worry for a while… Rather than being a fabrication they were  spheroidal cast iron castings. The “rod” bit needed turning down to a 3/4 inch diameter over a length of about 8 inches, and I was worried that given the age of the Harrison lathe I would have trouble getting them parallel to… Read more: Piston Rods
• Connecting Rods & Big EndsDecember 6, 2012
  The connection rods were a nice between-centers turning job, and then a selection of milling set ups. Rather than write a lot, I will put some pictures below – the main thing to note was that almost all of the milling and boring was done with the partially machined big-ends attached to the partially complete… Read more: Connecting Rods & Big Ends
• Assembling and first turnDecember 6, 2012
  Having finished the connecting rods, piston rods, crank and bearings – it’s time to see if we got it all straight. The LP went together first – and the plug-gauge worked, the big end fitted nicely! The little end fork and endfloat on the big end needed a little easing, but all OK. Then we… Read more: Assembling and first turn
• Chucking out the Chucks?January 6, 2013
  I realised the other day that I have almost stopped using chucks and vices. When I first got the milling machine (20+ years ago) I spent a lot of time looking for and building milling vices, and similarly on the lathe kept looking for nicer/larger chucks. But in the last few years nearly all the… Read more: Chucking out the Chucks?
• Finishing the Cylinder BlockJanuary 6, 2013
  Having reached the point of getting the major components to turn, the next step is to strip the engine down, and complete the block, and then paint, before erecting the entire assembly and tackling the valve gear.
• Making it nice…February 10, 2013
  As we have stripped down the assembly, it’s time to do some “finishing” prior to a (hopefully) final erection of the major components. At the SBA social in Hereford in the Autumn John Winn had given a talk on Nickel Plating as a way of reducing the polishing needed to maintain the engine. Given that Befur is… Read more: Making it nice…
• Painting and EccentricsFebruary 12, 2013
  moving swiftly onwards – as it feels like the end is coming into view I pushed on with painting the iron bits, and getting towards finishing the valve gear… Painting I had purchased a copy of “How not to Paint your loco” by Christopher Vine. This book is worth purchasing on three grounds: One – it is… Read more: Painting and Eccentrics
• first cut; we`re up and runningAugust 14, 2013
  Well, that took some effort, but the workshop is almost there, machines all installed and leveled,  took a first cut on the lathe,just need to wire up the three phase sockets for the mill and we will be in action – 4 months to the day from the last cut in the old shop. Working… Read more: first cut; we`re up and running
• Clamptastic!September 25, 2013
  Sometimes you get a job that’s really hard to hold… here’s one called “slotting the eccentric rods”… the set up really worked well and allowed each to be set and reset within a couple of thou, and allow a 1/4” cut with a side and face cutter…. enjoy
• ValveGear getting closeDecember 8, 2013
  Close but no coconut I have been working on the valve gear completing the expansion links and die blocks. The link slots are longer than designed (due to iffy dimensioning on the drawings), so I made the die blocks longer to match, so I think all should be OK. Colin Sims and I have been… Read more: ValveGear getting close
• Running on Air!January 13, 2014
  I couldn’t resist the temptation to see if the engine would turn with the newly finished valve gear. I hadn’t finished the reversing gear and used some bungies to hold the expansion links and set the eccentrics by eye, and after some tweaking of the valve rod lengths to get the valves something like central,… Read more: Running on Air!
• The &^*$! reversing gear…February 11, 2014
  Well, if you’re building this engine then I hope the valve gear goes more smoothly for you than me! The Draglinks The Drag Link Bearings I cannot believe just how long it has taken to complete the reversing gear on the engine – and it’s still not done. The multitude of little blocks (drag-link bearings)… Read more: The &^*$! reversing gear…
• Setting the valve gear ….September 24, 2014
  Well as the videos below demonstrate we have the valve gear finished, and I managed to time it reasonably. There is some blowby on the HP, and that might need further investigation, but on the whole it’s OK. I scratched my head a lot on how to set this gear, and while this might not… Read more: Setting the valve gear ….
• Retirement Beckons!January 19, 2015
  A change of pace and circumstance Well it seems I have not posted since November and the arrival of Befur’s trailer. Since then a lot has happened (so Happy Xmas, and Happy New Year)… I have had the fortune to be made redundant, and have (with Louise’s kind support) agreed to turn that into retirement… Read more: Retirement Beckons!
• Gaskets and UnionsJanuary 27, 2015
  Well, the last week or so has been dedicated to finishing the air pump and feed pump assembly. The original owner of the castings had partially machined and assembled the main air pump castings, but they needed “fettling” to fit. This ranged from minor adjustment of PCD bolt holes, replacement of pump rod, and other minor… Read more: Gaskets and Unions
• Oh Mill, heal thyself – and pump progressMarch 15, 2015
  The last 2 weeks have been devoted to two topics: Getting the new mill into service & Completing phase 1 of the pump drive for Befur’s engine. The New Mill
• A Suitable end to a winter’s engineering!April 3, 2015
  The plan is to work with the seasons and transition from boat building when it’s warm to mechanical engineering when it’s winter – and we are clearly heading into spring and temperatures in the boat house are becoming tolerable, and suitable for working with Epoxy; however, I was loath to make the switch back to… Read more: A Suitable end to a winter’s engineering!
• Edwards and Feed Pump VIdeozApril 6, 2015
  Here’s a better video (with iffy commentary) showing the feed and air pumps (and alternator) drive in action. The Edwards pump is working, but I’m not sure that the flap valves are holding pressure (as it seems to have to start from atmospheric on each stroke…) but clearly the ball valves on the feed pumps… Read more: Edwards and Feed Pump VIdeoz
• Drivetrain and Spline cuttingApril 12, 2016
  We have turned one eye to the business of the drive train and prop-shaft for Befur. I have concluded that I am putting a CV joint in the drive train, to allow the engine to be mounted horizontally, and also going to use a toothed belt drive from the engine to the prop-shaft, so allow… Read more: Drivetrain and Spline cutting
• More Engine Work; Valve Setting etc.May 20, 2016
  For about a year now I have been saying “Yes, the engine is done, apart from a few bits and bobs” – so the other week I found myself waiting for some timber to arrive and decided to just “knock those bits and bobs on the head” – 10 minutes inspecting the engine revealed that… Read more: More Engine Work; Valve Setting etc.
• Boiler Begins!December 30, 2016
  Sorry for the long silence, we have been working hard to relocate to Cumbria and convert the garage into a workshop – with that approximately complete it allows me to get started on the boiler for Befur. So this post concerns itself with this topic.
• What a lot of holes…January 20, 2017
  We are progressing with the building of the boiler. The first job is drilling all the holes in the steam and mud drums. We have 1,236 to do, and so far we have finished 824 of them – it’s boring!
• A little lubricationFebruary 5, 2017
  While we wait for the plasma cut boiler plates and housing to arrive I went back to a job that’s needed doing for a while on the engine; the Lubricator. Approaches to lubrication There are several approaches to lubricating a steam engine, from a hand-held oil can (tends to be a bit erratic, and you chop… Read more: A little lubrication
• A boiler making “Contraption”February 25, 2017
  More Progress on the Boilers – and a “Contraption” We now have all the components to commence the “real construction” of the boilers. Boilerplate and Steel As you will recall from earlier posts we have drilled the holes in the steam and mud drums, and ordered the plasma cut 3mm plates for the housings from… Read more: A boiler making “Contraption”
• Shiny ThingsMarch 6, 2017
  While we await the 600+ cut and bent boiler tubes from the other members of the “Boiler Collective” beavering away in Sussex, we went back to the engine to try and close off the final list of “to do” jobs…. Cleading/Lagging/Cladding I think Cleading is the official word for this, even though WordPress objects!
• Boiler tubes (in profusion)!March 7, 2017
  The tubes are ready to fit…! After what must have been an epic session, Nigel and his assistants in the southern group of the “Boiler Collective” have now cut, deburred and bent the 600+ tubes for the three boilers we are building. The pictures below show the extent of this activity, and the bending jigs… Read more: Boiler tubes (in profusion)!
• Tube Expanding and Economiser HeadersApril 3, 2017
  Just an update on progress with the boiler and other (interrupting) activities. Tube Expanding Nigel was good enough to make the trip north and assist with the tubing of the first boiler. This was actually a simple, if repetitive, job. Fitting the tubes
• Finishing the Superheaters & Boiler CasingApril 30, 2017
  Work on the Boiler continues with the finishing and installing of the Economiser (pre-heats the incoming water to the boiler using waste heat from just before the flue) and the Superheater (adds energy to the steam on the way to the engine, again using waste heat from the flue gasses. Milling and Drilling the Econo/Superheater… Read more: Finishing the Superheaters & Boiler Casing
• Mid 2017 UpdateJune 25, 2017
  Progress since April Well, it seems like high time I provided an update, as the last one was in April! At some level it feels like not much has been achieved, but that’s because a lot of the work has been “bitty”, finishing up jobs and tidying up items that had been hanging around for… Read more: Mid 2017 Update
• Boiler Insulation and FunnelJuly 4, 2017
  Just a quick note on recent days’ work. We have been insulating the inner boiler casing and installing the funnel (at a jaunty angle)! The boiler has two casings- one surrounding the burner, tubes etc. (the hot stuff) and an outer one of wood, with an air-gap in-between to keep passengers safe. This also includes… Read more: Boiler Insulation and Funnel
• All Pumped up!July 10, 2017
  Well a definite milestone was reached today; the boiler passed its official initial hydraulic test at 500psi conducted by our Boiler Inspector. It will never need to be pressed that hard again, next we have a 375psi test with all the ancillaries fitted (gauges, valves, plumbing etc.) then we put some fire in its belly… Read more: All Pumped up!
• Boiler Gauge Glass and Boiler FittingsAugust 19, 2017
  Boiler Gauge Glass We decided to make the sight glass for the boiler following John King’s design, with slight modifications. Ian Cross of the SBA was very helpful and modified some existing patterns he had for “normal” reflex gauge glasses to suite rear-entry installations, and had 3 sets of these cast for our “boiler making… Read more: Boiler Gauge Glass and Boiler Fittings
• A Plumber’s Nightmare & a Real McCoyAugust 24, 2017
  Over the last few days we have encountered the two items mentioned in the title in real life, in a slightly stressful way. The Real McCoy While Wikipedia suggests two origins for the phrase “The Real McCoy”, the most well documented version relates to one of the brass beauties shown here. It is a displacement… Read more: A Plumber’s Nightmare & a Real McCoy
• A Boiler Full of SteamNovember 11, 2017
  Well the 10th November 2017 marks a major milestone – the boiler passed its initial inspection and steam test, and is now certified for use. (big smiles all round). John, our inspector from SBAS Ltd (the SBA’s Boiler Inspecting Company) had been booked to arrive at 3:00pm – at 9:00am I set about final sealing… Read more: A Boiler Full of Steam
• Worthington Simpson Pump RestorationNovember 11, 2017
  You will have realised that I am a bit of a sucker for ageing lumps of cast iron in need of restoration. So I could not resist a circa 1940 Worthington Simpson Steam Pump that Mark Rudell offered to me. It seemed it would serve well as a boiler feed pump or circulating pump for… Read more: Worthington Simpson Pump Restoration
• A final video: Everything running on the benchNovember 28, 2017
  First Fix the Bugs! Following on from the Boiler test, and a quick trial we identified just over 20 items that needed some attention. So a week later, with all these items fixed (from leaking valves to painting and plating valve gear components), we are ready to try again.
• Three Months and Counting!January 13, 2018
  We are feeling like the end (of the first phase) of “project Befur” is in sight – we have set a goal of having her on the water in April – the remaining 90 days appear to be passing at some speed. This time I wanted to document the final work to get the engine… Read more: Three Months and Counting!
• Engine Meets HullFebruary 13, 2018
  Just a note to commemorate another milestone. Yesterday we (neighbour Mike and I) lifted the engine into the boat! Hurrah! We had spent a deal of time debating how best to do this, with the hydraulic bucket on the tractor being the initial option – but in the end we both felt a bit “windy”… Read more: Engine Meets Hull
• Lifting the Boiler InFebruary 28, 2018
  With the snow too deep to open the doors today, a few words on the last couple of weeks work seem appropriate. We are still working towards an April launch, but there is a fair amount still to do.
• More Electrics, “Decks” and WoodworkMarch 26, 2018
  Having craned the engine and boiler into the hull we have now settled the position of the key components and can start to deal with some of the remaining fitting out tasks. We are still aiming for an April Launch, but in true project planning style we had not said which day in April, so… Read more: More Electrics, “Decks” and Woodwork
• Late- yes, Embarrassed – some, Nearly There – maybeMay 22, 2018
  I noticed that I had not written anything since the end of March, and I guess (unconsciously) this was because I had intended to have Befur ready for the water on the first of April, and that clearly wasn’t happening – and addressing that fact in print was a bridge too far! However, we have… Read more: Late- yes, Embarrassed – some, Nearly There – maybe
• Going at it hammer and tongs!June 10, 2018
  Well, we have been working very hard to try to get Befur ready for the water, and this picture of me taking a break from boat building (on a blacksmith’s course seemed to epitomise what life is like….). – thank you Becca for the course, provided as a Christmas present, at a real Elizabethan forge!
• 2019 – progress to dateJanuary 8, 2019
  Well, I have been very quiet over the last few months, but some work has progressed. As I noted in October, we had a quite extensive list of snagging to address, not least the crankshaft re-manufacture…. well, while quiet on line, I have made some progress in the background, so I figured an update is… Read more: 2019 – progress to date
• Steamboat Crankshafts – Lessons & Manufacture Pt#1January 31, 2019
  Introduction Those of you who have been following Befur’s progress will know that our first year in the water was marred by the failure of the crankshaft in the Leak Compound engine I built. This post deals with the manufacture of a replacement, and the results of my research/experience into the approaches to building cranks… Read more: Steamboat Crankshafts – Lessons & Manufacture Pt#1
• Update on a snowy dayApril 3, 2019
  As April begins the weather returns to snow and cold, so it seems a good time to provide a progress report. We are working towards getting Befur into the water for 2019 – I was hoping for April 1st, but (as always) I am behind plan. However, it really is too cold to be on… Read more: Update on a snowy day
• Burner FixesAugust 8, 2019
  Just a quick note to record the changes we made to the burner, following the failures on Windermere and Ullswater. The conclusion was that these failures were mostly heat related. But also we fitted three new control boxes to the burner before we found one that worked!!… The solutions were: Fit a heat absorbing blanket… Read more: Burner Fixes
• A bit of a blow to progress!June 28, 2020
  Well two bits of good news, and two less positive points, for this entry…. Positive #1 – She’s in her berth at on Windermere So, having dispensed with the medical matters (see below), we set about trying to complete the list of 60+ jobs that needed to be done before we could put her back… Read more: A bit of a blow to progress!
• On Condensers – what a lot of water!August 12, 2021
  The hunt for the vacuum Regular readers will recognise that we have been searching for the fabled 20+ inches of vacuum that our fellow  stem boaters claim to achieve…. We, meanwhile, have only ever seen 5 to 10 inches at best 😦 Well, over the last few weeks, I think we have been edging towards… Read more: On Condensers – what a lot of water!
• Winter WorkOctober 5, 2021
  Well, Befur is back in the fells for some winter work. The pull-out and trip home was uneventful, thanks to Simon and Dean’s help, and the garage finally finding and fixing the leak in the Land Rover’s turbo pipes! Much less smoke and much more go! Work to do We have a tentative list of… Read more: Winter Work
• Winter Work (some progress)October 24, 2021
      Well, we have been working on the list we made in the last post, and have some positive news, and some better understanding of the problems… Wear I spent a couple of days with the engine on the bench and a dial indicator attempting to find and measure the wear or absence of… Read more: Winter Work (some progress)
• Engine Rebuild – Valve timing analysisDecember 13, 2021
  As you may have seen from earlier posts, and here we are embarking on a major winter “shopping” of Befur, to address a number of problems. One of these tasks is to analyse and reset the valve timing of the engine to improve efficiency and performance.
• A Digital Engine IndicatorDecember 13, 2021
  As my first job was working as an Instrument Technician for Shell Research in the Applied Physics department, I became interested in the measurement of physical systems… thus I was interested in Engine Indicators as a tool for evaluating engine performance, and measuring valve events and gas-flow in steam and very large marine diesels.  … Read more: A Digital Engine Indicator
• Progress – a new scotch crank pump driveDecember 13, 2021
  A last quick post for the day, then it’s back to the cold workshop…. The pump drive on Befur has been an on-going source of angst and failure… So we redesigned and rebuilt it! This appears to be much better, and pending final cleaning, plating etc. here is a video of it in action on… Read more: Progress – a new scotch crank pump drive
• Sorting the HP Valve problemsDecember 17, 2021
  The next stage in the refurbishment and sorting of the valve timing issues is to pay some attention to the HP Valve problems.
• Valve Setting on a Leak CompoundJanuary 26, 2022
  This time we are looking at how to fix the problems with the Leak’s valve gear design. This is now part of our Leak Hints and Tips section on the known errors or problems with Leak design…… As we get to the end of January 2022, the tuning/rebuild/shopping of Befur’s engine continues, once this is… Read more: Valve Setting on a Leak Compound
• Comparing old and new valve timingJanuary 28, 2022
  As a last post on the subject of correcting the valve timing on the Leak  Compound in Befur (prior to “sea trials” later in the year), here we will look at the results from the static (blowing) valve timing tests, and compare to the results prior to rebuild. But first a video of it running… Read more: Comparing old and new valve timing
• Getting to the end of the worklistApril 15, 2022
  I’m falling behind! No progress update since January – sorry. We have been working hard to get her ready for re-entering the water… This winter’s workslist has turned into quite a major refit. The list below shows the work we are undertaking, and all is completed except installing the engine and the work on mast… Read more: Getting to the end of the worklist
• Who needs a Whistle!October 23, 2023
  Making Whistles is hard Well, as mentioned elsewhere I have found it very hard to make a whistle that sounds nice (in fact one that sounds at all!) … the principal is simple enough, but the practice is much harder with quite fine tolerances and dimensional “magic numbers”. I had one noticeable success with a… Read more: Who needs a Whistle!
• Christmas 2023December 25, 2023
  Well as I sit here in my  new (Christmas present) noise cancelling headphones that are doing a fine job of isolating me from the culinary marathon taking place in the kitchen, it seems a good time to provide an update on Winter ’23/’24 boat work list! We have an extensive set of work, aiming to… Read more: Christmas 2023
• Spring ’24 – work so farMarch 3, 2024
  Well, as we reach March 2024, I should jot down some notes on the work being undertaken this winter. Work done We made a list of jobs to be done back when we fetched Befur out last autumn. The completed work is shown below in Green, still to be done in Red: Cleaning the inside… Read more: Spring ’24 – work so far