Boiler Construction Photographs.

[don-tucker]

That was excellent Tony,I have started a small boiler,a copy of the Stuart 301 so this post was just in time,Thanks.
It was nice to meet you at Heath park a few weeks ago.
Don

 

[Herbiev]

It looks so easy to do-
when a true craftsman like you does it

 

[Kmot]

You do awesome work Tony! Loved this thread!

 

[metalmad]

nice build Tony
I will have to find this again when it comes time to try my hand at steam :bow: :bow:
Pete

 

[11thHour]

Hi Tony,
Boilers always look so good cleaned up - seems a pity to cover them up.
Is the steam dome fabricated from tube, or is it bored from solid?
Tim

 

[Tony Bird]

Hi Tim,

Is the steam dome fabricated from tube, or is it bored from solid?

It is turned and bored from bronze stock. It has been copper plated like all the other bronze fittings soldered to the boiler from its last long over night pickel after its boiler test.

Regards Tony.

 

[eatonw1960]

Hi Tony
Excellent work with the boiler.
I just started marking out copper for my 5" gauge Qld Rail A-10 so I'm frantically reading up all I can.
If you are OK with it, I'll compile the pics into a word file first and send to you for some editorial. Flick it back to me and I'll PDF it.
cheers
Andrew

 

[Tony Bird]

Hi Andrew,

OK with me. I'm away until next Monday any time after that. After I have written the text if there is something that is not clear please ask.

Regards Tony.

 

[doubletop]

I'd missed this thread. Nice job Tony

Pete

 

[cfellows]

When making the wooden form for the boiler end caps, I assume you calculate the outside diameter by taking the inside diameter of the boiler tube minus 2 times the thickness of the material being used for the end caps, plus maybe .010" or so for skimming the outside of the flange in the lathe after forming?

Also, I'm thinking maybe a 1/4" wide flange on the end cap is enough?

Chuck

 

[GWRdriver]

Chuck,
That's exactly the way I figure forms, and I also typically shoot for a flange finished FLAT of 3X sheet thickness. I performed a little experiment once to see how much 1/8" annealed copper sheet compressed when being severely beaten over a steel form. To my surprise the compression was negligible so that if the form itself is accurately sized, and the copper is properly fomed over, a .010" machining allowance will be plenty, maybe even a bit too much. If only .005" allowance is left, and a few hammer marks should remain after finish maching, no harm will be done, the marks will act as channels for solder.

 

[doubletop]

Chuck

My first set of end plates I dutifully measured up the blanks and cut them to size shaped them and then formed them. I then realised not to bother to much just so long as you have more than enough for the flange. Do the copper bashing and then turn the flanges down to the required depth in the lathe or clamp them in the mill and mill the flanges to size.

1/4" is good for your 3" tube.

Also I suggest you consider aluminium for the formers, you'll always want to make another boiler. I've done way more end plates than I'd ever imagined I would. (note homemade form tool for the radius)

Hope that helps

Pete

 

[cfellows]

Pete, GWDRIVER, thanks for the response and the pictures. Since I don't want to waste any of my copper, I want to make sure I know what I'm doing! :-\

I've dabbled with metal spinning in the past and am going to try spinning the endcaps. If that doesn't work to my satisfaction, I'll take a hammer to it!

Chuck

 

[GWRdriver]

Chuck,
I've never had the first bit of luck spinning, in any metal, even after following all the instructions and having the right gear. For some reason I just don't have the "knack." I'll be interested to see how you make out with it.

 

[fcheslop]

Hi Chuck,The only problem Iv had spinning boiler end caps is the amount of stretch on the material seems to make it difficult for me at least to judge how much allowance.Its obviously not a problem if you are fitting the end caps over the tube rather than into it.
Spinning the parts is far quicker than forming them with a hammer and you don't get the hammer rash :big: on the part
best wishes Frazer

 

[doubletop]

I would have thought whacking with a hammer was the quickest approach. The four end plates in the top picture only took a total of about half an hour for all four. I rough cut the four blanks with a jigsaw, annealed them as a batch formed and re-annealed about four more times to get them to that state. I'd say the time to cut out each blank would have been longer than the time its spends on the die for each whacking cycle. Its really quick once you get into it.

But Chuck I'm really interested to see how you go with spinning I'm here to learn.

Pete

 

[tomfilery]

All,

Firstly, apologies for not introducing myself previously. Although I regularly "lurk" as a guest, I have rarely posted previously.

I'm based in Welwyn, UK, and have a modest workshop - Myford S7 lathe, Axminster (Seig , Harbor Freight, etc.) Micromill. I mostly dabble in engineering (and have for the past 40 years or so) making tools, simple bits for my son's car, railway bits based around 16mm/ft, etc. I have an engineering background, but lack the skill to produce the amazing stuff I regularly view on this forum - inspirational and envy inducing it is!

I'm about to retire and am working on an incomplete (basically chassis only) Kerr-Stuart 0-4-2 loco to Keith Bucklitch's "Brazil" design, however, I've decided that for a first attempt, that style of boiler is too complicated, so I'm going to build mine as per Dacre (very similar to the one Tony build in this thread).

My questions for Tony (or anyone else who can help) are:-

I understand why you have the under-dome steam collection pipe for the feed through the regulator to the cylinders, but wonder why it is Ok to use the turret take off steam for everything else? Is this just convention, or is it just to ensure that you don't get water in the cylinders? Presumably, water in the blower, or pressure gauge take off, is less critical?

On one of your photos, you've masked the boiler to prevent silver solder running - what is it you've used for that - is it Tippex?

Many thanks Regards Tom

 

[cfellows]

I've started a separate boiler build thread.

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=15550.0

Trying to spin the end caps was a non-starter. I used my trusty Estwing instead.

Chuck

 

[GWRdriver]

My questions for Tony (or anyone else who can help) are:- I understand why you have the under-dome steam collection pipe for the feed through the regulator to the cylinders, but wonder why it is Ok to use the turret take off steam for everything else? . . . Presumably, water in the blower, or pressure gauge take off, is less critical?

Hello Tom,
Essentially you've got it, and the pressure gauge specifically must only "see" water, not steam, that's what the siphon is for, to condense steam before it gets to the gauge innards. Also the rear, the fountain area, is where the controls for auxiliaries usually are, so it's also a location and proximity thing. I have seen a couple of model boiler designs where a branch from the drypipe is taken to the fountain bush to insure dry steam but that's a tricky construction detail and usually isn't worth the touble in a model.

 

[woodnut]

My computer skills are limited, I do not know how to create a PDF file. I would be more than happy for someone else to do it. I could add some text if it was thought to be needed.

HI Tony

Just found this thread and loved the pictures. I would be more than happy to assemble this into a PDF file for you. If you are still interested in do this let me know.

John