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Good Evening, been busy all day TIG welding boiler pieces together. For those of you that are not familiar with TIG welding, let me give a brief explanation. TIG stands for "tungsten inert gas". Picture #1 shows a typical TIG torch head. The handle and head portion is water cooled. The pink...

I talked with the folks at Coles Power Models this morning. They did confirm that they have the copper tubing I have requested twice, but for some reason they seem to be unable to follow through. Since they indicated that they would not be able to sell what I have, if I returned them, I decided...

Yes, I document the build via pictures. I will be glad to post them. I did start a blog about the machining and construction of the CASE. It went by the wayside when our son was in a very bad motorcycle accident and I never did get back to it.

Picture #1 & #2 are overall views of what my wife and I display at steam and tractor shows across North Carolina and adjacent states. The i/4 scale sawmill is based on the construction articles that ran in ModelTech magazine many years ago. Castings were not available for the various components...

I did receive some copper tubing from Coles Power Models a few weeks ago. It was not what I ordered. I wanted 5/16" OD by 22 gauge (0.028") wall thickness. They sent me what the print called for instead, 3/8" OD by 20 gauge (0.035") wall. So I called them and requested what I needed again and...

Yes, JasonB, deep down in my heart I know that steel cladding is the thing to do. I will probably will do just as you say. I'll save the wood cladding for the stationary boiler that is sitting on the shelf. But I had to ask. Thanks !

Thanks Dan :bow: I just checked out what they have. I think I will get the 1/16" thick by 3" wide material. This way I will not have to cut holes in ONE BIG piece. I can not say I am looking forward to making the otter wrap from the sheet steel that all the other LaFrance engines have. It is...

I have been monitoring several postings in this section. The wealth of information is tremendous. Thank you to all for sharing. In a newly started thread, a gentlemen was requesting some modern day boiler wrap type insulation for his recently acquired Stuart Boiler. It has the dreaded asbestos...

fcheslop, I tried both of the suggested web sites for boiler wrap material. I did not see anything listed on their web sites. I am also in the need of some thin flexible material to wrap around my LaFrance steam boiler. It is 5-1/2" diameter by 11" tall. Any other thoughts ?

Since I have the 1/3 CASE and 1/4 Scale sawmill pretty well squared away for a show next week, I have been able to spend a little time on the LaFrance brake rigging. Picture #1 shows the curb side foot lever and the first transfer lever with a link and rod ends in place. The levers will be...

Hi Tony, I love it. What a great job with the renovation. I love looking at shop pictures and seeing all the personal touches that make it theirs. you have done a fine job. It is bright and cheerful. I love the picture where someone has a drawing tacked to the ceiling. It looks like they are...

My boiler fabrication has been involved with steel materials and TIG welding. Before I even considered welding anything together, I sat down and made a step by step list of how the boiler was to be welded together. I was amazed at the mistakes that I made on paper. The list included which edges...

Gentlemen, thank you for this thread. I have sat here for the past 45 minutes reading about the development of this boiler. Great stuff for sure. I have down loaded Harris's book to my laptop. I hope to get to it soon. I did go to Amozon.com to see if they had copies for sale. They do have some...

Sir Dan, that has a "Knightly" ring to it, thank you very much for the comment. That is a great idea about the 3/8" OD tubes. I will stick to the original flue tube hole pattern on the drawings. I was looking at the drawing the other day. I don't think I could have added any more tubes anyway...

Yes, we scale steam modelers face a lot adversities with the different rules, regulations and the lack of the same from state to state concerning boiler design, fabrication and the materials to be used. This is why I support forums such as this; it helps and/or provides information that will...

Chip Pictures :big:

HI Dan, The Maryland document gave me the formulas for calculating the working pressure, ultimate bursting pressure, stay bolt size and pitch. I did not pursue what Maryland spec out for materials. I just went to my local boiler fabricator and purchased the necessary plate materials. I purchased...

I have been able to squeeze in a little time on the LaFrance. I am concentrating on the brake rigging right now. The foot pedal and its levers are done. The first attached picture shows the first transfer lever and the prototype adjustable rod end. The lever was fabricated from brass flat and...

Dan, I poured over the thread covering 'Flue Tube Calculations" late last night. I copied the formulas and transferred them to a word document that is on my laptop desk top right now. I hope to run some numbers in the next day or two. I understand with what is being said about external pressure...

Hi Walter, it is always great to make a layout before moving the big heavy items. It looks like you have put a lot of thought into your layout. Something I have always done for shop layouts is to make scale paper cutouts of all the items to go into the shop. This includes benches, stools and...