budge patent thing

[deecee]

This machine is stamped 'Budge's Patent' and it has a lion rampant cast into the back. That's all the marks I can fine - no serial number or anything.
I believe it to be a compressor of some kind. It appears to have a heavy cast iron 'bucket' on top.
Any information welcome.

[tanksmate]

Hi Deecee  I am just rolling through some pages I do not often look at  and came across your posting. That sure is an odd looking piece of machinery.  Pass it on to the Steam Collectors, they may be able to recognize what it is.  It just has that look to me that it is steam operated.   cheers  John

[oldgoat]

It looks like a steam piston compressor the vertical bit is the steam cylinder the horizontal bit is the compressor

[Peter Short]

I would guess the vertical part is a refrigeration compressor, with water cooled jacket. The horizontal part looks to have been double-acting (because it looks to have been made for a piston rod, not a trunk-type piston). But was the horizontal part a steam engine or another compressor? It looks like there is a governor belt pulley and possibly an eccentric next to it for the valve gear.

I did a Google search and found that James Budge of Sydney made compressors up until the 1990's. There are a couple of photos showing surviving compressors at the Powerhouse in Sydney.

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=141761

BTW, one reason the 90 degree layout was used for engine-driven compressors was the favourable positioning of the crank pin. When the compressor required maximum power (approaching, and at, top of stroke) the engine piston was developing maximum power (TDC to half stroke).

[deecee]

Thanks. The Powerhouse museum link was useful. Refrigeration has come a long way since Mr Budge's time.

[edgwick]

Peter is spot on with the refrigeration answer. The gas was generally ammonia, it would be hard to say what the patent was all about, as the design was common in American "ice houses" with ''Eclipse" and "De La Vergne" being the most common manufacturers in that design. They both made some large machines also with 2 compressor pistons at 180 degrees and one steam cylinder. A safety feature of these was also a "false head" to bypass any liquid coming back through the suction line, as manual valves and operators generally controlled liquid refrigerant flow.