# Water glass for a Ruby boiler?



## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

I two several Rubys that i have rebuilt as Forneys and #5 that I have added more details. I have also added Goodall valves so I can top them off. except I have trouble guessing how much water to add. while more operational experiance will probably solve my problem with out any mechanical changes, I was concidering the addition of a water glass.

has any one done this? 

It seems we would need a fitting down low in the boiler near the flue tube. I would probably do it if i could just drill and tap the copper. is there enough meat in that copper to make a safe fitting?

If I have to silver solder, (which I have done ) I would have to re-paint and might as well consider just making a bigger boiler. 

Thanks--- Eric Schade


----------



## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

The main issue is gettign a top bushing as you cant connect it to the same banjo the throttle comes off of. The back plate is about .100 thick. No problem to thread it in. You would have a larger sight glass though if you solder on two bushings from the side of the boiler. I would put a brass wrapper on after soldering. Just to clean it up and look better. Can also get a thin layer of insulation between.


----------



## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

I would go with Jay's suggestion and solder in two bushings on the side. You want the bottom of the gauge glass just above the top of the flue tube. I recently did a boiler for a buddy and tried going into the backhead plate. It got tight trying to get the lower end fitting in.

If you have the capability to make a boiler I would recommend adding fins on the fire tube to increase heating surface. The pictures below show what I mean. This particular boiler was brass, it failed so the boiler maker cut it apart. The replacement was copper and used "porcupines" instead, bottom photo. I'd go with the fins. Adding the extra heating surface is a good thing.


----------



## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

Tread some time ago author drilled thru the boiler mount post (under the boiler) into the boiler. Drilled perpendicular hole into the post and solder on a copper pipe for a Tee to the water glass bottom. Then plugged the bottom of mount post. Top connection was to one of the unused fittings (each with a hex plug) on, what I call, the christmas tree atop the boiler. If your Ruby has a pressure gauge it connects to the unused tap at the right end of the christmas tree and a banjo. The pressure gauge also needs a connection before the throttle so the christmas tree connection method I believe works for the water glass. 

Update, Finally found the photos of this, I sent the pics ro Jason asking him to post them. The bottom connection is a little different but the picture tells the story. It looks as if the top fittling was made by boring a hole through one of the hex plug bolts on christmas tree.


----------



## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

Now that is a good idea...that post will only have a small opening but should get the job done. and it will not harm the existing boiler beyond simple repair! it seems an elegant solution. 

there are several variations on the porcupine theme...another is cross tubes which i havnt done but like the idea of better. I think the heat transfer between the copper and the water will be fine either way but the heat transfer from the flame to the copper is where help would be useful. the crossing tubes would disrupt the free flow of hot gasses an absorb more heat by my way of thinking. however, if you run a super heater tube through the flew (as Roundhouse does) then the cross tubes may interfere. 

--eric


----------



## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

You can run the porcupines through the flue also?


----------



## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

I am sure the porcupine quills protrude into the flue as well which is probably the cause of most of the improvement in efficiency.


----------



## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is a gauge glass that Chris sent photos of. I think it was drawn up by Larry Herget or Ernie Noa

The top is attached to the orignal manifold block. The bottom is attached to the bottom of the boiler mounting stud. It was drilled through and threaded for a banjo with 2 nuts. The hole that is drilled straight through is plugged with the 3mm mounting screw.


----------



## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Shay Gear Head on 21 Jun 2011 02:21 PM 
You can run the porcupines through the flue also?

They stick in the flue just enough to solder them in place. If they go in too far they block the fire in the tube. Don't ask me how I know that.


----------



## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

Well there it is...must have been hard to fix!


----------



## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Wow, Excellent pictures Jason. That's a great way to add a sight glass. Just wondering though, I've heard it's risky to use the tree for the top end of the sight glass. Once the throttle is cracked, it can turn the whole assembly into an injector? It seems there is sufficient separation that it may not happen in this case. Did this set up work well? I think I'd like to employ it.


----------



## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

The sight glass might have been a Harry Wade design - although it looks like a Herget sight glass in its construction.


----------



## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

If having the top of the sight glass attached to the throttle manifold is a cause for concern due to priming, a shut-off valve on the sight glass would take care of that. Open it to check the water level while stopped, and close it when you're running.


----------



## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Shay Gear Head on 22 Jun 2011 12:21 PM 
The sight glass might have been a Harry Wade design - although it looks like a Herget sight glass in its construction.


I had the Ruby water gauge photos filed in my Harry Wade folder so they are his. I searched the SitG article index not finding any article by him on a site glass.

An Accucraft site glass, if you have a spare, would be good start. Adding a longer glass tube alone, maybe adding stays for strength too. Modifying the connection fittings as needed. 

A shut off valve isn't needed becaause the water gauge takeoff is before the throttle valve so the pressure is constant to both the water gauge and throttle valve.


----------



## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Nutz-n-Bolts on 22 Jun 2011 08:40 AM 
Wow, Excellent pictures Jason. That's a great way to add a sight glass. Just wondering though, I've heard it's risky to use the tree for the top end of the sight glass. Once the throttle is cracked, it can turn the whole assembly into an injector? It seems there is sufficient separation that it may not happen in this case. Did this set up work well? I think I'd like to employ it. 

The glass on the ruby bash I am building will have the throttle from another filler plug.


----------



## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Chris Scott on 22 Jun 2011 04:21 PM 
A shut off valve isn't needed becaause the water gauge takeoff is before the throttle valve so the pressure is constant to both the water gauge and throttle valve.
When the throttle is open, the pressure in the manifold is lower than the pressure in the boiler, with steam leaving the manifold via the throttle, and steam coming into the manifold being constricted somewhat by the banjo connection withe boiler. The sight glass provides another route for the higher pressure in the boiler to equalize with the lower pressure in the manifold, except that the sight glass is tapped off the bottom of the boiler where all the water is, instead of the top where the steam is. As long as the path of least resistance is via the banjo fitting on top of the boiler, it's presumably ok, but I imagine if too large a diameter of piping is used in the sight glass plumbing, it will draw water into the throttle. At the very least, it seems it would give a falsely high water reading in the glass when the throttle is open, though that's not a problem if you close the throttle to check it (which you would probably do anyway when you stop to add water via the Goodall valve).


----------



## Bob in Mich (Mar 8, 2008)

Here are some that I have Made https://picasaweb.google.com/105243551088729834969/WeltykSWhistleSightGlass?authkey=Gv1sRgCIahxqCQ6ZSEpgE#


----------



## highpressure (Jan 2, 2008)

*The glasses I have built over the years use 3 vertical tension rods & 7mm Blue line water glass. *


----------

