Cringle boiler build.

[Richard Hed]

yes tony has a great video on making one, but i think you will not find it much fun to make on a small hobby mill and lathe.
Ive just never had a need for a 'boring head' but if i did i would still choose to buy a cheep chinese one for £50 im certain there better quality than your average hobby machinist can produce and much cheeper in time and time is momey after all.
Best regards.
luke.

Certainly, yet often one has more time than $$. I have better than average hobby tools, REAL lathe and intend to buy a REAL mill. Until I managed to obtain that nice lathe, (a Grizz G4003G) I had an Enco kidz toy which would be incapable of making parts easily or quality wise (a poor workman blames his tools, like me). I have used boring heads many times and quite frankly, they save a lot of time--I would't say "indespensible" but close to it. On a mill, I would say it is indispensable, but not entirely. Without one, it would be a "hell" setup. If I have enough moolah or am in a hurry, I might buy a cheap Chinese one but if I simply want to make a project one, I can do that too.

 

[darwenguy]

Each to there own, i just make do with what i have, what i can afford and buy what i need.
I have an old grizzly wouldnt realy call it a REAL LATHE lol.
Best regards.
Luke.

 

[Richard Hed]

Each to there own, i just make do with what i have, what i can afford and buy what i need.
I have an old grizzly wouldnt realy call it a REAL LATHE lol.
Best regards.
Luke.

-Which one? I managed to order mine in November of last year (2020) but they were not in stock. It finally arrived in Bellingham on Jan. 7, 2021. I got it for the old price that I ordered it at of 3950$ but in the catalog the price had risen to something in the order of 4200$. Only a couple months later, now, it is 4800$. This is the G4003G--my first choice was the G4003 but it just didn't have what I wanted. The difference between the G4003 and the G4003G is very great--they are NOT the same lathe at all , altho' one would thimpfk they would be with minor differences. I do not know why Grizz does that, IMNSHO they should have a completely different number-designation because they are so different.

This G4003G is accurate. I have a few minor complaints: the inside ways on which the tailstock travels does not extend inward toward the head stock far enough. I thimpfk this is because they removed the removable section at the headstock and failed to extend the ways. I needed to put a steady rest there and it was about 2" short of what I needed. Then the cover for the gears on the end is simply removed with a couple hand nuts which I hate, altho' it is really just a minor inconvenience, I reaqlly would like it to have a swing out cover with hinges. There is some other minor problem which I have forgotten too. Overall, this is a great machine especially for the $$. A comparable machine made by Germans, European or American would cost several times as much, even Taiwan and Japanese stuff is much higher cost.

You are correct if you are selling something, but for hobby, it is entirely different. Even a crappy homemade boring head would be better than alternatives as a boring head really doesn't have that many critical parts--don't get me wrong, the thing as a whole must end up being accurate but if you have something off or it doesn't quite fit right, it would most likely be irrelevant to what you use it on.

 

[darwenguy]

Hi all, back to the subject.
I have all the parts machined and fitted now.
First i made the brass hinges from the flat bar stock.

First turn and tap the m3 stud.

Then mark and drill for the hinge pin hole.

Cut the parts off the end of the stock and file the corners round.

Next cleaned up the door casting with a file and drilled for the door handle and hinge pin holes then tap m3 for the door handle.

Then i made the door handles from 3mm brass bar.
First turn and thread m3 then part off to length and round off the end.
Then aneal the parts before bending.

I use a bar with an m3 hole dilled and tapped in the end to hold the part and use pliers to bend.

Then fit the handle and door hinges and pin.

And thats all the fabricating and machining done now.
Tomorrow i will clean and paint the boilers and fit all the shiney brass bits.

Best regards.
Luke.

 

[Richard Hed]

Hi all, back to the subject.
I have all the parts machined and fitted now.
First i made the brass hinges from the flat bar stock.
View attachment 126379
First turn and tap the m3 stud.
View attachment 126380
Then mark and drill for the hinge pin hole.
View attachment 126381
Cut the parts off the end of the stock and file the corners round.
View attachment 126382
View attachment 126383
Next cleaned up the door casting with a file and drilled for the door handle and hinge pin holes then tap m3 for the door handle.
View attachment 126384
Then i made the door handles from 3mm brass bar.
First turn and thread m3 then part off to length and round off the end.
Then aneal the parts before bending.
View attachment 126385
I use a bar with an m3 hole dilled and tapped in the end to hold the part and use pliers to bend.
View attachment 126386
Then fit the handle and door hinges and pin.
View attachment 126387
And thats all the fabricating and machining done now.
Tomorrow i will clean and paint the boilers and fit all the shiney brass bits.
View attachment 126388
Best regards.
Luke.

Luv ur stuff. What I really appreciate is tht you did the castings yourself!

 

[darwenguy]

Hi all.
Finished making the boilers now.
I paint the boilers with high temp spray paint, first mask off the bushes and brass bits.

And all the shiney brass fittings ready to fit. I buy all my fittings from 'cleavdon steam' i would highly recomend them for a great service, quality and price.

And the finished boilers..

And thats all folks. Im just working on a new horizontal boiler design so will record making that in the future.
Best regards.
Luke.

 

[MIKE4444]

Hi great work MIKE

 

[minh-thanh]

A beautiful boiler!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Lesgrandepotato]

Hi I’m building one of these, I’m struggling to hold the boiler outer tube in the lathe and get a cut. How tight can I squeeze it? I’m finding it really hard to set it up true. How true does it need to be? Can I ‘rough’ it closer to true? Then turn around in the chuck it and come back it’s a couple of mm out on each face. I’m using a 7*14 Amadeal lathe if that makes a difference! Any advice greatly welcomed

 

[Lesgrandepotato]

Hi I’m building one of these, I’m struggling to hold the boiler outer tube in the lathe and get a cut. How tight can I squeeze it? I’m finding it really hard to set it up true. How true does it need to be? Can I ‘rough’ it closer to true? Then turn around in the chuck it and come back it’s a couple of mm out on each face. I’m using a 7*14 Amadeal lathe if that makes a difference! Any advice greatly welcomed

I’ve tried putting the tube ends in. I wonder if making a Delrin plug for each end would help and let me use a live centre in the tailstock for support?

 

[Steamchick]

Hi guys, I have just spotted this thread - Another of Luke's excellent tutorials of how he makes his stuff. Well done Luke!
Msr. Big Potato! YES! - I was going to suggest a wood plug. Except I use the humble file to dress the ends of my boiler cylinders... For me it is simpler, easier, and the boiler insulations I use completely cover the copper so it is only seen by the boiler inspector anyway. (I can cut close enough to square with a hack-saw to only need to finish the ends with a file.).
I think LUKE (Darwin guy) does great work with his explanations of how to make all of his products. But he has a bucket load of skill, and experience to make things that are harder for the beginner making a one-off. So don't be bothered if you can't do a process he has "de-bugged" as long as what you do is satisfactory workmanship for the required strength (e.g. for a boiler). Machining thin copper, to something even thinner, using sharp tools that can create stress concentrations may look "easy", but I worry that a first time builder may make something too thin and not have the required factor of safety with the finished product.
So personally, I would be fitting the copper "as spun" to the correct size rather than any machining to fit things. Please take care, as the boiler you make should be tested professionally (for safety) before use. Luke is a professional guy so I am sure he does all the certification testing before selling his boilers.
Also, I am sure Luke gets his calculations ratified by a professional engineer before he certifies anything.
Luke, do you have a website where you sell your castings and stuff? I have looked for "Darwin Guy" on the web and not found it yet.
Cheers!
K2

 

[Steamchick]

Hi All,
Just a word to the "un-initiated"... I have recently seen a thing on the TV where it was explained that the "professional use drain un-blocker" that is made to a high strength with sulphuric acid, is for Professional & licenced operators only in the UK. Luke obviously is... but I am not, so should not be able to buy over the counter in the UK. (certs need to be shown to purchase).
https://www.barrettinepro.co.uk/uploads/assets/Documents/MSDS 2019 /Toilet & Drain Unblocker KO.pdf
Instead, I use Fernox de-scaler... This is a powder, that you mix with water and it is yellow when active, and blue when all used up (green when part used!).
Fernox de=scaler will not immediately take your skin off, although you must use proper gloves and aprons AND safety specs (for protection against splashes) when using any active de-scaling solution.
Strong Caustic solutions or ACID BURN SKIN & EYES. So do take care to avoid the pain and scarring and loss of sight that can occur by accidents when improperly protected. The Strong Acid drain unblocker WILL take your skin off immediately upon contact. (Which is why banks have toughened glass screens to protect tellers from attack by robbers using drain unblocker!).
Also: As the "used" fluid contains copper you must not pour it into the drains (UK law), but must dispose of it at the industrial fluid waste point at your local re-cycling tip.
Copper (solution) taken into the body will cause dementure with time and accumulation. I can't remember what else I was taught....
I don't want to spoil any of the presentation from Luke, but do think a word of caution about safety is necessary sometimes, as readers are not all professionals like Luke. (I am not!).
Take care all, and enjoy your hobby!
K2

 

[packrat]

Quote "A handy way to use shorter pieces of solder is using a drill pin vice to save burning finger tips." very good tip on holding short silver solder rod, I have done lots silver soldering as a HVAC-R person, we just heat up the ends and solder the short rod together as rod is not cheap. I will try your tip with the pin vice.
Your photos are first rate of the boiler..

 

[Steamchick]

Sorry, I am a bit crude. I just use a small vice grip wrench to hold silver solder. When wearing welding gauntlets for Hot Work (to avoid burnt hands) I can only grab large objects... For a pin vice I could not wear my safe gloves. I do join the dog-ends to a new rod when away from the proper job (afterwards, using a tiny hobby blow-lamp in a little hearth).
For hot work I also wear my blacksmiths/welder's leather apron... It does keep a lot of heat off me at critical moments, and if ever there was an issue, would save me from becoming grilled-chicken...
Sorry if it sounds "OTT", but I am in the 20% of Motorcyclists to have survived more than 50 years without a major accident, and was taught hot work in a copper casting environment.
When starting to run a "continuously cast copper rod plant" there is a fine balance when starting to pour the molten copper onto the large wheel (with a groove in it) and then spraying the water onto it to solidify the rod before it falls off the wheel. The end of the new rod then has to be caught in tongs by the operator and fed into the rolls to draw the new rod away. Too much water too soon causes steam explosions of the copper. too little causes the solidifying end to fall off the wheel and fresh melt to run off and splatter on the floor... Too much grip or bend on the copper causes the solidifying tube to collapse, releasing molten copper into the water spray. You can't see a lot because of the steam off the vaporising water... All in all a Hades job! Wearing suitable protection allowed operators to be less stressed and afraid of injury if they got it wrong, and accidents dropped to zero! They also improved their "first-time starts", without mis-hap. I also worked with welders, who did 12-hour shifts in their protective gear, and they were seriously disciplined in wearing safety gear. Also wear leather boots - not lace-ups, trainers, or anything made from man-made plastics, nylon, etc. - so any spatter will bounce off and not get trapped in welts or gaps at the ankle. I had a bee get into my trainer while I was gardening, and the sting was a bit unpleasant, but never weld spatter or molten metal from "hot-work"... But a guy showed me his scars once! (On a beach on holiday). A 1/2" hole in his foot where a small blob of metal had fallen inside his boot.
Silver soldering in your own garage may not be considered to be in the same risk for safety, but it is. If the job "falls-over" when silver solder is molten, a blob of molten metal splatter can burn through most clothes to flesh in a fraction of a second - and I am told it is "very painful". (In 45 years of hobby welding and soldering I haven't had an accident - yet...).
Take care and enjoy the hobby!
K2

 

[LorenOtto]

Hi all.
Finished making the boilers now.
I paint the boilers with high temp spray paint, first mask off the bushes and brass bits.
View attachment 126453
View attachment 126454
View attachment 126455
And all the shiney brass fittings ready to fit. I buy all my fittings from 'cleavdon steam' i would highly recomend them for a great service, quality and price.
View attachment 126456
And the finished boilers..
View attachment 126457
View attachment 126458
View attachment 126459
View attachment 126460
And thats all folks. Im just working on a new horizontal boiler design so will record making that in the future.
Best regards.
Luke.

Really great photos and descriptions. I have one question, how did you 'bell out' the chimneys?

 

[Lesgrandepotato]

I’ve tried putting the tube ends in. I wonder if making a Delrin plug for each end would help and let me use a live centre in the tailstock for support?

Ok - I have some delrin here, I’ll report back. The plan is to turn it 95% of its length to slide into the tube and the remainder in the Chuck.
I’ll turn one end true with the live centre in. Then pop it off and turn it round

 

[BlackDogWhite]

View attachment 125962View attachment 125963

This is fantastic! How do you keep it all from collapsing down on itself?

 

[Gedeon Spilett]

very elegant boiler, brazing looks great.
3D PLA printed parts are great to make stamping or flaring dies for annealed copper.