Steam Engine Restoration

In the early twentieth century the Kramer family ran a threshing ring powered by a Port Huron traction engine. If you travel to the Bob Evans in Eaton you can see a picture of this threshing bee in action. It has become a family tradition, and also a way of carrying on our heritage, to preserve and restore steam engines. We are equipped with working knowledge that has been passed down from former generations.

Cylinders

If an engine has been sitting a while or didn't receive proper lubrication the cylinders often need to be bored out. We have the capability to line bore compound cylinders. The largest cylinders we have bored were for a 35hp Advance compound engine. This engine never ran right before we bore it and upon setting it up in our lathe we found the high and low pressure cylinders were not machined in line with each other thus causing the engine to be in a bind!



Babbitt Bearings
                                                                   
We have the proper tools and experience to accurately heat, pour, and scrape Babbitt bearings. We use high quality materials to ensure the bearings have a long life. We can fabricate shim sets or if you have a complete set (original) we can use those as well.

Wheels, Gears, & Flywheels
Often times, due to the fact that it wasn't always a daily necessity, greasing the wheels was sometimes forgotten all together. KPE is able to bore and turn wheels and gears. We can either make bushings or pour Babbitt to make a better than new fit!

Boiler Tubing & Piping

Occasionally boiler tubing needs to be replaced. Flues are designed to transfer heat very well and thus are thin and prone to pitting over time. KPE can remove and install new flues in minimal time. We can also provide boiler tubing to those who wish to do their own work. KPE also can make and replace custom length pipe which is also occasionally required to maintain safe operation. We have most sizes of full length black pipe in stock.

 

Hand Hole plates

KPE can easily machine and fabricate new hand hole plugs. We use an original as an example and cad a drawing. The studs are machined new and permanently installed. These provide a nice tight fit and help prevent gaskets from blowing out! This can be helpful when repairing a hand hole in a boiler as we can make the plug oversize to fit the larger hole.

Safety Valves, Tri-Cocks, and Fusible Plugs

Ohio historical boilers are now required to have certified and sealed safety valves that are adequate for the square feet of heating surface area. Since this has taken effect we have provided many satisfied customers with new safety valves that bring their historical boilers into compliance. We have several factory catalogs, and experience with the "modern" valves, that we can use to determine the proper size valve for a given engine. We tested several valves and reported our findings to the state of Ohio. We can test any valve up to 175psi. Historical boilers are also required to have working tri-cocks and a new fusible plug approximately every three years. We can provide our customers with these products at competitive prices.

Oil Field and Gas Engine Restoration

NEW - 4HP Reid Flywheels!!!