# Fascinated by Boilers



## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Over the past five years or so I have tracked down a few books on boilers and scale boiler making, knowing someday that is something I'd love to try. After Cabin Fever '09 we spent a day with Justin Koch at Steamtown after being invited to visit his basement garage/shop area. After seeing a few of his boilers in progress I was fired up to get started, it struck me. The key is progress, move forward. You can't get it finished if you don't start.

This past winter, through Mass Rehab I took a basic welding class at the local tech school, under the Artisan/Craftsman category for some state form or another. It gave me the opportunity to try using torches again. After bailing out half way through the first three hour class I wasn't so confident this was a good idea. My hand was so cramped, the pain went all the way to my shoulder. I went back two days later and loosened up as I felt more comfortable and didn't concentrate too hard. Just go with the flow. During the four weeks we ruined a lot of small pieces of good material and welded a stack of steel squares into hollow cubes. I saved my exercises to bring to the railway. They are gonna look great in the back as freight if the british wagons.

Advanced welding starts next week, and I am all singed up. Instead of TIG and MIG welding I'll be playing with my torches and learning how to silver solder. I have made arrangements with my teacher and she is willing to watch and assist if needed as I start my first boiler. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Live-Steam-Vert...1e5e9b7b4e

Twenty four hours of class time should make a good dent on this boiler. I figure once it is completed it would be an ideal mate for my Stuart D-10 castings and make a great shay, launch or portable display model.

And speaking of the D-10, through the Tech I met a retired Master Machinist who has been looking for a student who is eager to learn. He stops by once a week for the past few weeks and so far I have fired up the lathe once and made a pile of shavings. However it is late and would be best told in another thread.

I look forward to hearing your experience with boiler making, shots at the bar don't count.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Kent
Great opportunity, certainly keep track of your progress.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Awesome Kent! I too want to take advantage of the course like that before they are gone in NY state! Things are bad enough here now that the education funds are being cut rapidly you only hear about the funds for the kids being cut but adult education is affected by that too! 

Chas


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Kent: This is great news. Give it a try. Boiler making is a lot of fun and very satisfying. Silver soldering is not hard to do. It's like soft soldering, only higher temps. Good clean close fitting joints, flux, all that. The torch has to put out a large volume of relatively low heat. 45% silver melts at about 1160F. I use a Sievert propane air rig. If you are using oxy-acet, use a big wide rosebud tip to spread out the heat.

The key to success is watching the flux. Heating slowly and watch the flux go thru the stages. The flux is white water based about like toothpaste. Put on the heat and the water boils off first and leaves a white cake behind. The tops of the flux turns kind of black at first. Then it begins to melt to a dark brownish goo. After a while it starts to bubble and turn more clear. When the bubbles break you see very bright shiny metal underneath. It's just about ready. A little more heat and the solder will take off. The solder might need a gentle nudge with a scratch rod to get started, but it will take off. Move the torch around the joint and watch the solder chase along.


Flux breaks down chemically at about 1400F. If you burn the flux, you'll have to clean it all off and do again. That's why it's important to heat UP the parts, not burn it and wait to cool down.


Two hard parts Soldering is doing parts of different sizes is one. You have to heat the bigger part more. It's just practice. Soldering in the correct sequence is the other.


I go by Kozo Hiraoka for silver soldering. 





As an editorial comment, you will run into guys who will tell you you can't make a boiler. They will tell you that you are crazy and will kill yourself. Only the boiler gods can do it. A guy told me once that I was practicing witch craft silver soldering my own boilers. Just do your research, follow the accepted methods, use quality materials and supplies, practice, start with easier designs, inspect your work closely as you go and you will do fine. If you get in a trick bag, call for help.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Congratulations kent!! If you've found a journeyman machinist at whose knee you can sit while he shows you the ropes, you are indeed lucky. With everything going CNC, it's beginning to become a lost art. My buddy's partner Don is such a man. Just WATCHING him work is an education!! Seeing how he approaches a problem, does his setup, and tackles the job is incredibly enlightening. Having him actually take the time to show me and explain the "whys" is even better. Jesse has been under Don's wing for a year now and has become a far better (manual) machinist as a result. 

I'll be going to Vegas again next month. Looking forward to continuing my education. hehehe


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

Dwight, while you are in Vegas, you could stop by the GOLD AND SILVER PAWN SHOP and see what they would give your for your 7 1/2 gauge American. You might get to be on PAWN STARS.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I think I'll pass.


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

I am going this same route, I already purchased an AML 0-6-0 to put a coal fired boiler into and will need to do A LOT of research in developing a boiler for it (also a lot of silver soldiering practice once I get my torches) - will be fun!. My workbench is almost complete - I need to update my workbench thread with pictures! I should see if they still have after school shop classes in my area, have a few friends(other live steamers) that are interested in learning the art too.


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## Jim Schulz (Aug 10, 2009)

"...after school shop classes in my area..." 

Where do you begin to look for shop classes? I'm a more hands-on learner from someone showing me how than trying to do it on my own from a book. ("I do - you watch. You do - I watch. You do.")


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

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I think I'll pass.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Jim 

I got my start as a bench jeweler at a Junior College. It was an experimental class one summer and became an offered course afterwards. They also had welding classes and other shop courses. 

John


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

We have a technical high school here, that is where I'm taking evening classes


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

When I was in high school, I had a great shop class. 

the teacher was retired from Pratt and Whitney making airplane engines. Before I got there the class...over seveal years...had made a 7"gauge live 0-4-0 steam loco and train. During my first year metals class, We all worked on model Model-T cars...mine was a truck. Using the car as a teaching aid, we all learned gas welding, MIG welding, soldering, lathe work and milling work. Turns out that that old truck looks just fine on my railway today! The next year we worked on a steam Corliss factory engine as a class project. 

Several years later after Mr Bauer retired, the school board dropped the shop classes from the curriculum. Too bad, too! I credit those classes for setting me out as an engineer.


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

My boiler kit arrived last week and I had my first class.

The kit comes with two sheets of plans and all the materials needed. Some of the stock is used to make tools needed to complete the boiler. I've thought about scanning a few drawings from the plans then thought better, not wanting to violate cpoyright laws and such.

The first thing I did was chuck the hex stock into the lathe to make the flue flaring tool. This was to be the first time I used the lathe for a real project instead of reducing scrap. I drilled it out and placed a 45 deg angle on one side. THen I brought it to class Tursday night and tapped it to match the included spreader bolt. I now have my first tool and feel productive.

Also in class I used the power hack saw to cut the drill rod; which will become rivetting tools and the 13 boiler flues. Sure would be nice to have one of those on hand when ever I want. One of the tubes slipped/ or I mismeasured and was about 1/8 - 3/16 inches short. I probably gotten away with it, however seeing all of them together and the glaring discrpencey eliminated that idea. I went down to the local hardware store and bought 6" of 3/8" copper flex tubing. I am a little concerned the flex is too different than the stiff tubing that was sent in the kit and will become the weakest link in the boiler. If someone has knowledge in the area and put my mind at ease I'd love to hear from you.

Today I spent a few hours facing off the four sections of drill rod and cleaning both sides of the flue tubes on the lathe, followed by what seemed like days slowly working the tubes into the flue sheets. 




























My work so far.


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## steveciambrone (Jan 2, 2008)

I built the same boiler a few years back, ask if the shop has a power riveter. it will do a very neet and fast job of the riviting. it will take literaly minutes to do them all. 
I would assume the flex copper is just anealed for ease of use. Do an internet search or look up the company that sells what you bought and see if it is an alloy or just straight copper. If it is just copper then it is sold in an anealled state making it easier to bend. 

Steve


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## Taperpin (Jan 6, 2008)

Kent, 

What alovely piece of work that boiler is! if you can do this already nothing is beyond you.. 

Gordon.


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