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Very good!

I was talking to a copper still maker that was telling me that copper is 4 times more conductive than steel. ???

What would be the difference in steam-up time between the steel boiler and the all-copper boiler ? Can I silver-solder the steel boiler together in lieu of welding ? What should be the wall thickness size ?

Thank you, GWRdiver! That is brilliant what you wrote! I will copy your comment into a word doc and will build the mild steel boiler with rolled copper tubes. Is the boiler tig welded? What size copper tubes should I use and roller for a 7.5 inch diameter x 4.5 inch height boiler ?

Will steel pipe have a crevice corrossion problem? I think that a steel shell with copper bulkheads would be much less expensive than a copper shell but can the steel pipe be silver soldered to copper bulkheads without any downsides?

Could I possibly hybridize the boiler construction by using a steel shell with copper plate bulkheads and copper tubes all silver-soldered together ? Could I use seamless heavy wall 316L stainless steel shell if I am not welding it but using compression seals and drilling and threading it for...

Thanks! Regards, Giovanni

Could I possibly hybridize the boiler construction by using a steel shell with copper plate bulkheads and copper tubes all silver-soldered together ? Why can't the traditional steel boiler shell and welded bulkheads be galvanized before installing the copper tubes ? Regards, Giovanni

I've been using Turbo torch/Mapp gas for 30 years for sweating copper tubing at commercial projects but it is very slow for hard soldering. That is just me in a hurry, maybe others like it slower but time has always been money for me. It comes down to budget and time. Regards, Giovanni

Wouldn't an all-copper boiler be faster to boil and the water PH is not critical ? I'm planning to use distilled water, too. Regards, Giovanni

I do not weld but have been silver soldering for a lifetime. The problem that I am coming up against is that the scale model boiler shell is 7.5 inch outside diameter x 4.5 inch height and copper tube is not made in this size but steel pipe is. I can have 1/4 inch copper plate laser cuter with...

It depends on your budget and how long you are going to use the torch. I use 3 different types, a MiniFlam propane/butane/oxygen pencil torch, a medium sizes propane/oxygen torch and a larger size oxygen/acetylene torch. Regards, Giovanni

Being a plumbing contractor for 34 years now, I have known that it is not a good practice to mix dissimilar metals due to electrolysis. How is this different with boilers? What pressures can your boiler be operated? Since I am building a vertical 7.5" diameter x 4.5" height boiler, would it be...

Thanks for all of the images and comments. I'm considering having the boiler shells laser-cut in a dove-tail joint, making the finger-joints very precise for stronger soldered seams. This should create a certain amount of anti-shear. The boiler height is only 4.5". Any suggestions on how to...

Do you have a photo of the external butt-joint? A finger-jointed silver soldered shell should be twice as strong as a straight-line soldered seam-joint? If the finger-joint stands up to a 200psi pressure test, will this be acceptable?

There are no codes for this size boiler in California. I will be running around 100psi.

I'm planning to build a few 7.5" diameter boilers in copper and considering using finger joints. Anyone have any advice about this method?

Very nice work and interesting tutorial!

I have been collecting tools for doing lost-wax casting for jewelry and scale model parts. I'm also looking at an electric crucible, hot wax injector and vacuum casting machine. The vacuum casting machine does an excellent job of extracting all of the bubbles out of the molds and castings.

I'm buying this kiln.