My own Engine

[steamer]

Paolo,

It might not require you disassemble everything. I would try this first.


Give it a good pickle in acid, inside and out.

Sulphuric ( 10 parts water to 1 part acid I think) is best but Muriatic from the hardware store works just fine.

If you use muriatic, use the solution right from the bottle and don't dilute it. this is my solution of choice because its convienent and it works....everybody chime in if they have a better one

Make sure you pickle the INSIDE as well so make sure all the boiler plugs are removed.

Leave it for a good hour. Agitate it periodically.....

While it's pickling, obtain a scrupulously clean plastic bucket the proper size and fill it with distilled water.

When the boiler comes out of the pickle, don't touch it with your hands, use a clean utensil

Rinse it well in the distilled water.agitate it...but don't touch it.

Now...is your torch big enough for this job? I'm guessing a 1" diameter tip propane torch connected to a 20 pound propane tank would be JUST big enough with some fire brick surrounding the part. It takes a lot of heat to get a big piece of copper hot enough to silver solder. From what little I can see in your photo, I suspect a "cold joint"

Spend a little time building a hearth from bricks to do this in. It will help keep the heat in and make life a little easier. Just the end of the boiler your working on need be exposed...but don't contaminate your part with the hearth.

Thin your CLEAN flux some with some CLEAN denatured alcohol and paint it on heavy at the questionalble joints....if there is a gap, the alcohol will carry the flux in through capillary action.

With the boiler in the hearth, THAT YOU HAVEN"T TOUCHED! ;D, bring the heat up on the part slowly well away from the joint. Don't paint the joint itself with the torch, it will burn the flux and the flux won't do it's job.

Usually when I have a problem with a joint, it's either dirty, not enough heat, or I burned the flux.....there I admitted it !

Move the torch around and bring it up to red....the joints should reflow nicely. A clean Stainless steel scratch rod can sometimes be useful here....


You have nothing to lose if you try this and it just might solve the problem. I rarely have much luck taking a fabrication apart after the fact........

As to what to do with the acid, it can be diluted with water and then nuetralized with baking soda.

From there, its harmless, and you can dump it down the drain

A drawing of what your soldering would be very helpful to me as I don't know what you have going on in there.


Again good members of this forum....pipe in if you see a better way forward, but that is what I would do.


Dave

 

[Paolo]

Hi Dave..As I told before the seep is inside the funnel maybe from one the cross tube!! Is quite impossible to find which is...! I'm preparing a drawing explaining how i would like to do for solving that trouble!! Thanks for supporting me...
Cheers
Paolo

 

[steamer]

Ok Paolo.

What ever I can do to help.... You might want to try attaching a hose to the otherwise closed empty boiler and with your breath, see if any bubbles show with the boiler under water........

That would be one way to find it safely.


Dave

 

[ariz]

ciao Paolo

I didn't follow you (and anybody on the forum) because was busy in the last weeks...
I'm very happy to see that you have bought a new mill (precision type, those Optimum are very well done!).
You will have lot of pleasing working sessions with it

On the other hand, I'm sorry for your problems with the boiler and hope that you solve them as soon as possible.
I'm the least person that could help you with silver solder, yesterday I have had same problems (not a boiler however) and I'm rather angry with me for that failure

see you soon
ariz

 

[Paolo]

Thanks ariz ...learning from own faults is better !!!
Hi Dave...nice idea is really helpful!! I'm going to try...I'll let you know...
Cheers
Paolo

 

[Paolo]

Hi Dave..and All... :big:
I adopted the same way but I just added some disches soap into funnel and that is the test results :fan:

No Way..I have to cut the funnel with a dremmel just under the upper and lover tip and after a strong heating try to remove the top cover...and do another funnel with cross tube.....BUT TESTED this time before introducing it into the boiler..... :hDe:
Cheers

 

[steamer]

well Paolo.....sorry to hear of your troubles.....but better to fix it now I suppose.

I think your right...and you will need to do surgery.....sorry buddy!

Dave

 

[Maryak]

Paolo,

Commiserations on the leaky tube. :'(

Best Regards
Bob

 

[Paolo]

Dear friends....Thanks for supporting me...Today in the after noon I'll start the surgery!!!

 

[steamer]

Make sure you scrub under the fingernails.........and make sure Dr. Dremel doesn't drink before the operation! :big: ;D


Good Luck Paolo!

Dave

 

[bearcar1]

Here's to a speedy recovery of 'the patient' ;D

BC1

 

[Paolo]

Dear friends...surgery was done!!!!!!! This is what I did:
I bought an hole saw 28mm diameter, the same as the funnel...,and I prepared two Teflon bushes 26 mm diameter,the same of the interior of funnel; and forced it into the funnel extremity as a guide;

then I placed the boiler on my new mill and slowly and with a lot lubricant i drilled away the funnel from up and lover tips;

this is the result...

I practiced some holes for opening the top end pull away the rest of the funnel

the funnel was extracted for further examinations...

with the boiler on the lathe I gently removed the rest of the top

 

[Paolo]

Time for removing ALL the rest of the top...but I need a bigger lathe than mine...Tomorrow I'll ask to one of my best friend, a professional worker, to do it for me...but I'm happy the PATIENT SURVIVED!!!! :big: :big: :big:

 

[steamer]

Paolo,

Great News!.....She will be steaming soon I can feel it.

Pickle that shell before you try to do any brazing. You'll thank yourself...trust me!

Dave

 

[bearcar1]

Oh jolly well good, Paulo. Good news indeed. Glad to see that you were able to salvage the shell and the bottom.

Cheers

BC1

 

[Paolo]

Thanks Dave and BC1 for supporting me!! Yes Dave after the complete removing of the top ring rest. I have to do it my own, my best friend didn't had time for me, cutting diagonally many times the ring and heating the upper tip until the segment will go down freely. I'll give at shell a good pickle in acid, inside and out as you told me before..be sure!!!
Cheers Paolo

 

[Paolo]

Today I made two steps:cleaned the boiler in a muriatic solution...and prepared a new funnel...

 

[steamer]

Paolo,

I have never seen parts pickle up green before......Is that the camera or is it really that green?

Dave

 

[Paolo]

Hi Dave....yes this is!! Is an oxidation easy to remove..tomorrow I'll sand it with blaster pistol!!! maybe the origin is because I used muriatic acid..new formula..."smokeless". Is colour is Green infact...!
Cheers Paolo

 

[SandyC]

Hi Paolo,

Sorry to see that you are having so much trouble with your boiler.

First thing...... whatever else you do, do not even think about trying to silver solder that barrel.
That thick layer of copper oxide WILL have to come off first.

Before you do anything further, place that whole barrel in some clean water (submerged totally) and soak it overnight....it looks like the pickle you have used is FERRIC CHLORIDE based and it is attacking the copper.

Clean pickled copper takes on a salmon pink appearance.....certainly not GREEN.

Go to your local Pharmacy  (drug store) and buy 200grams of CITRIC ACID CRYSTALS. As used for winemaking.

Mix 100grams in 2litres of clean warm water in a plastic bucket and use this for pickle.

Take the barrel out of the soak and give it a good rub over (inside and outside including the lower plate) with some steel wool or some emery paper, to remove any stubborn remaining scale etc, then submerge the whole thing in the CITRIC ACID solution and leave it for at least 6 or 7 hours (overnight will be OK).

The new parts you have made will also require a good clean over, inside and out, with steel wool or emery paper.
I have looked back through your earlier build posts and I think I can see where things started to go wrong for you, however, as my better half is just about to go to bed I will not be able to go into more detail at this point (computer is in the bedroom).... I will resume this in the morning and hopefully we can get you back on track.... meanwhile you can get started on the major clean up.

More soon.

Best regards.

SandyC 

BTW what silver solder are you using? and what flux?
Do you have a large (1" dia gas torch)?