My first boiler

[Rudy from Norway]

Hello my model engineering friends,
I’m finally got around to start making my first boiler, for my first build, the Stuart 10V you can see in the background. Surprisingly amount of work involved in a boiler. Starting to understand why internal combustion engines got popular.
I have no plans, just build as I go. I found it practical to start with a simple design and this “Stuart 504” style seems to be a safe bet. It´s made of a 3” copper tube. The fittings are bronze with a flange on the inside so they never will pop out. I will make all the fittings, valves and everything my selves. I´m also putting in rivets just to make it look more authentic.

I’m open for suggestions for the burner, but it has to be something that doesn’t make much noise as the gas torch type does. The engine runs so smooth, slow and quiet that it would be sad to cover that up. I´m thinking spirit burner or ceramic gas burner.

Rudy

 

[jcreasey]

Hi Rudy,
The rivets look really nice on your boiler! How did you manage to pean over the insides?

 

[Rudy from Norway]

Hi jcreasy,
Well.. I did a blooper. I'm stil inn there!
Rudy

 

[Rudy from Norway]

Actually the rivets are just for show, just cut to length and silver soldered in place. The soldered end caps is strong enough to begin with, but silver soldered rivets are probably as strong as if they where peaned on the inside. With flux in the holes and on the rivets the solder flowed fine around the rivet heads.
Rudy

 

[minh-thanh]

Rudy !
I like a steam engine, I'm also looking information of boiler
Can you draw your boiler outline? thickness of boiler ...?
Thanks!

 

[Rudy from Norway]

OK minh-thanh. I will put up som scetches as I make the parts. Stil a lot of things to figure out.
Keep in mind this is my first boiler. However, I have done some homework. Read a lot of threads here and watched Keith Appelton on YouTube.
Rudy

 

[minh-thanh]

Rudy !
My goal after finishing V4 (far away) is to build a steam engine and build a steam train (I always wanted a steam train) .And I also made 2 simple boilers to learn more,
I also read about them on the this forum
Thanks for telling me about youtube of Keith Appelton !

 

[Mechanicboy]

Minh-Thanh,.. There is two important thing to think: How big are the pressure and how much volume of steam it will give per minute.

To make effective steam boiler: Big surface of heat and super heater. To not make the boiler with much water in the boiler, it crap too much energy to heat up water. Use waterpump to fill up the boiler in same time the steam boiler produce enough pressure and the volume of steam. 1 liter water will give about 3600 liter steam. The youtube where i am showing my steam engine for tugboat..

 

[Mechanicboy]

The thickness is determined by pressure of steam. To much thick wall rob the heat of burner and less pressure of steam whre you need more heat = spend of fuel for the burner.

 

[Cogsy]

1 liter water will give about 3600 liter steam.

1 litre of water will produce around 1600 litres of steam. Still a lot, but not 3600.

 

[minh-thanh]

Mechanicboy !
For a novice like me, I think there is no need for a boiler with a complex system, I am not a " PRO" , I just need it to be efficient and safe (pressure control valve)
I like horizontal boilers, because I can make a train with it

Cogsy !

1 litre of water will produce around 1600 litres of steam. Still a lot, but not 3600.

With a boiling point : 100 degrees Celsius . 1 litre of water will produce around 1600 litres of steam

 

[Mechanicboy]

1 litre of water will produce around 1600 litres of steam. Still a lot, but not 3600.

I hit at wrong key "3" instead "1". Would be 1600..

 

[John Antliff]

My first copper boiler build is detailed in this YouTube video.


The various fittings, pipes, valves and paraphernalia took longer to make/install than the making of the boiler. I was very pleased with the performance of this boiler and I hope it gives you some ideas at to what you want to achieve. Since making the video I have used it to test various steam devices like pumps, injectors and relief valves. One thing I got wrong was that I did not make provision for bottom feed water so I have had to adapt one of the blow downs by adding a clack valve to enable feed water to enter at the foundation ring. Previously, feed water entered in the steam space and this had a disastrous effect on the steam pressure causing severe drop in pressure whenever the boiler was topped up.

 

[Andy Munns]

Inescapable part of pressure vessel engineering is staying of flat surfaces to resist bulging - For a 3" drum perhaps 3 x 1/4" copper rods spaced equally and SS onto end plates. Your compressor air vessel avoids this issue with install of dished ends (loads are tension not bending). Stays are vital and hundreds are seen on locomotive and scotch marine boilers, etc. Also what was the hydraulic test result and what pressure please? Used to make these small boilers for toy engines in schools so would hydraulic test by filling boiler with water, closing off with a good pressure gauge and warm the boiler. Test pressure for a 30 psi boiler was 45 psi. (150%).

 

[Rudy from Norway]

Thanks for sharing your build John. This is absolutely a beauty and you have good reasons for celebrating. I want to make a bigger engine and a coal fired boiler after this. Your boiler design is absolutely something I will look into.
Do you think it is OK to solder with a big torch instead of making that tent around it with insulation material?
Rudy

 

[goldstar31]

Thanks for sharing your build John. This is absolutely a beauty and you have good reasons for celebrating. I want to make a bigger engine and a coal fired boiler after this. Your boiler design is absolutely something I will look into.
Do you think it is OK to solder with a big torch instead of making that tent around it with insulation material?
Rudy

How big is BIG?

I taught an old friend to do a 5" Simplex boiler with oxy acetylene without any shielding whatsoever. He did have a minor heart attack but he's still about happily at 92

 

[Rudy from Norway]

goldstar31, compared to my Stuart 10V, I'm thinking something like a Twin Victoria as a "big" engine. 1" x 2" bore, stroke.
I had no problem making the ends on the boiler glow red with my large Sivert propane torch, so I guess It will be sufficient. If not, I have two. I was thinking of how the silver solder will flow heating everything at the same time comparing to doing one end at a time. If there is som distortion or other problems that could occur.
Rudy

 

[goldstar31]

Probably 'tinning' with silver solder paste first might guarantee eventual success

 

[fcheslop]

I built the 2inch Clayton boiler just using one Sievert torch with very little insulation and it was more than capable
The drawings for the Clayton steam lorry are on the John Tom site from memory its a 1 inch bore twin the stroke eludes me
Silver solder/hard solder comes in different grades and this can be an asset when building larger boiler
Start at a higher melting one and work down the grades although Iv only ever used two. Another point is that it takes a higher temp to remelt an already made joint
Probably telling my granny how to suck eggs
cheers
frazer

 

[Rudy from Norway]

Thanks frazer. Did´t think about that! I´m not that good at doing eggs either.
Rudy