# Can anyone identify this piston?



## JKB (Jul 6, 2007)

Hello all:
A friend of mine has a piston that he uses as a waste paper bin in his office. This is the description he gives:
"It's been in the family for about 45 years; it's 10.5" roughly in diameter and about 20" high. It's ally. There are holes drilled in the bottom groove above the gudgeon pin bore. Crown is dished but otherwise flat. The bottom 2" of the skirt is a bit meatier than the rest of the wall of the piston.
Any chance of recognising it? I suspect it came from a Furness Withy ship in the mid/late 60s."

If anyone fancies a go at giving it a name, there's a picture of it on my Flickr site here:
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/8720313650/in/photostream> .
As a supplementary question, Ian tells me the family have always known the piston as "Rosie" but have no idea why. I know that maritime waste bins are all called Rosie but searching the web has failed to explain why. Can anyone shed any light, please?

Cheers,
JKB.


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

Well, being a full skirt I would set off the bidding on a 2-stroke ported engine, i.e. No valves. This would suggest that it is not a B&W. The small diameter would suggest a relatively small engine such as that found in a tug or coaster type vessel.Are there any serial/part numbers stamped on it? That's my tuppence worth!
Rgds.
Dave


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## oldman 80 (May 7, 2012)

JKB said:


> Hello all:
> A friend of mine has a piston that he uses as a waste paper bin in his office. This is the description he gives:
> "It's been in the family for about 45 years; it's 10.5" roughly in diameter and about 20" high. It's ally. There are holes drilled in the bottom groove above the gudgeon pin bore. Crown is dished but otherwise flat. The bottom 2" of the skirt is a bit meatier than the rest of the wall of the piston.
> Any chance of recognising it?
> ...


 If indeed it came from a Furness Withy Ship as believed, then it must have been from an auxiliary engine - ie. generator/alternator or the like.


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

Agreed, may be auxy/genny pistons.

Blue Funnel Super "P" ships had ashtrays and lamps made from Paxman pistons. I sailed on the Phrontis and accompanied the 2/E to run the emergency gennys one day. The engines were V-8's. After checking the engines over for leaks, oil etc. we retired to the "control room". The bulkhead had been covered with 1/2" plate. We ran the engines up, synchrized them and then shut them down.

I later learned that the engines design speed was 1500 r.p.m. However, the alternator was designed for 3,600 r.p.m.! Consequently, the engines would habitually "liberate" pistons, hence the armour plating on the bulkhead!

When we shut the engines down, I can still hear the long exhale of breath from the 2/E!

Rgds.
Dave


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## sandym19 (May 15, 2013)

oldman 80 said:


> If indeed it came from a Furness Withy Ship as believed, then it must have been from an auxiliary engine - ie. generator/alternator or the like.


Agree, Auxiliary.

Rosie - Rhyming slang. eg. Rosie O'Gradys' ... The Ladies... (The Toilet - where you put ****)


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## JKB (Jul 6, 2007)

sandym19 said:


> Agree, Auxiliary.
> 
> Rosie - Rhyming slang. eg. Rosie O'Gradys' ... The Ladies... (The Toilet - where you put ****)


Thanks everyone, I'll pass all this on to the man with the piston.

Cheers,
JKB.


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## david freeman (Jan 26, 2006)

Rosie's.I only knew waste bin at sea as Rosie's! Lack of education, but during my time with BP all hands knew what A Rosie was? (A waste Bin/Bucket)


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## Macd (Sep 26, 2005)

If it is off a Furness ship, presumably one of the "Pacific" boats, they had steam turbine main engines and Allen generators. From memory it does look like one of those that I wrestled with in my youth!


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## JKB (Jul 6, 2007)

Thanks Macd, I've sent the chap concerned pictures of a W H Allen T47 (the museum at *****willow have one) and links for the various pictures of Pacific Class vessels from the SN gallery. Hopefully I'm not leading him too far up the garden path!


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## JKB (Jul 6, 2007)

Aha! Turns out my friend's father sailed on the "Pacific Stronghold" so that sounds like it may have been the origin of the piston.


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