Member postings for Bill Dawes

PS I have a 3525 cyclone burner which is about 10 kw, problem I find is that the heat is soaking away into the boiler as fast as it goes in, gets there eventually of course but still seems an awful lot of heat to put in to the whole boiler just get a few square mm up to temperature.

A friend on mine was perplexed at the logic of having to do this but he is a qualified welding engineer and has a lot of experience in the use of and the science behind methods like oxy acetylene, TIG welding etc.

Bill D.

Hi Peter, I posted a similar question not long ago, some of your replies seem less anti oxy propane than mine. The reason for my question was that my boiler (5" gauge, 4" diameter x about 11" long) was pretty much finished but a low pressure soap bubble test revealed a few leaks. Making the boiler I used a 2943 burner (43kw) eventually, having started off with one about 7kw I think, seemed to take all day to reach temperature by which time the flux was shot. Now a big burner seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut for sealing up a small leak inside the firebox so wondered about using the propane burner to get some heat into the boiler but oxy propane for localised heat build up quickly around the bit to be re-soldered.

I don't have an oxy propane set but looking at the oxyturbo 200 one, about £220 including oxygen, propane, valves, gauges, hose and burners. Oxygen won't last long but I was hoping with a bit of practice that the operation would only take a couple of minutes. Still wavering on whether to go for it or not, have another test to do, this is about three reheats, so if i still have a leak somewhere I will take the plunge and give it a try.

Bill D.

Hi all, made a schoolboy error silver soldering stays inside firebox, hadn't noticed boiler was resting on stays already done and they popped up, still soldered in but rivet heads not flush against wall. Can they be left, just cutting off flush as you would do on the outside or is there some reason that escapes me that says you must have heads on the rivets. My logic is pressure is acting equally on inner and outer firebox and the outside will not have heads on, in fact would the force on the outer wall be slightly more as it will be a bigger area.

Another question, is it easy to remove glass on pressure gauge to put a max pressure mark on the actual gauge face.

And lastly, how do I stop the spring retainer on my safety valves unscrewing, Loctite ok? in fact any boiler fittings come to that, seem to remember reading somewhere that PTFE tape not a good idea, is that because it is not suitable or just the danger of loose bits floating around.

Thanks guys.

Bill D.

Agree with all the above re water based paints, tried them to save the planet but they are a waste of time in my opinion. We too have a staircase with a million spindles, takes an age but oil based paint lasts well for us oldies anyway, no kids or dogs/cats to wear them out.

Bill D.

A call from BT Openreach is another one, it's one or the other as far as I am aware.

Recently advertised a car for sale, one of the messages I had started 'is car still for sale, said it was and they replied 'consider it sold, I am more than happy with details, can't fetch it myself as I am wheelchair bound so will send courier, will have to pay by Paypal as having technical problems with my bank account'

I can't believe that people actually fall for this, mention of Paypal was enough to put me off.

Bill D

If this lark ended in a school report it would say 'can do better, must do better, see me'

In red pen of course, not permitted these days I understand, too traumatising for the little chaps.

As a matter of interest how long would you normally expect to get up to temperature to melt 455 solder on a 5" boiler, assuming well insulated and using the 2943 (43kw) burner Henry Wood used in his article. I started off making the boiler with a Sievert kit that had a 2941 burner (7.7kw) upgraded to a 3525 cyclone burner (10.3kw) but found both were taking forever to get up to temperature.

I use aerated building blocks and have some ceramic wool but it's gradually becoming just a heap of bits. I do have some spare Rockwool lying around but think that would not stand up to the heat, the binder in it I think rather than the Rockwool itself.

On this subject of insulation one of the things I have found frustrating watching various youtube videos is so often I have seen people getting results apparently not working to 'the rules', an example is a couple of blokes soldering up quite a large boiler, 71/4" possible, just standing on end, no insulation, a couple of burners, these fellas apparently impervious to the the radiated heat, this annoys me as I think well I'm doing it all correctly and it turns out to be a cock up.

Never mind, will press on and see if I get it sorted.

Thanks for advice guys.

Bill D.

OK guys thanks, you are really confirming my thoughts because deep down I know it must be me as so many of you guys seem to rattle out boilers using propane like shelling peas.

I've found it frustrating because I thought I have been careful to get everything right. I always do loads of research on most things I do so read all the books, watched videos etc, at the end of the day I appreciate it's practice makes perfect. I find all this embarrassing really as I have spent all my working life in engineering, did engineering apprenticeship including a few years on shop floor but after that all office based on drawing office, tech sales and finally as engineering manager but not spent a lot of years on the workshop side so limited practical skills in model engineering terms, relatively new to ME but I do realise that many people have no engineering background at all and make superb models.

Bill I think you are correct, it's me that's the problem even though I think I have taken great care over everything.

Interesting what you say about the cyclone burner John, tried that at first inside firebox but seemed to take forever to get up to temperature, maybe try it again and make sure it's all well insulated.

So watch this space for the next exciting episode on my saga.

Bill D.

Hi all of you silver soldering gurus.

My quest to finish my Emma Victoria boiler seems relentless.

Got to the 'finished it' stage ready for testing. Decided to start off with a soap bubble leak test with a couple of psi.

First test didn't even register on the pressure gauge, leak inside firebox around one of the inner firebox flanges.

Set to with the propane torch re-soldered, and tested again, leak from other side now and a bit from one of the stays on the outside. pickled again and soldered.

Now ready to test again.

Now my question is, silver soldering a 'small' leak inside the firebox with a hefty propane torch seems like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

All that heat going in to get one tiny bit up to temperature.

Does anyone use oxy propane for such jobs. A friend of mine has made a few stationary boilers using oxy acetylene and is perplexed at the thought of having to use huge propane burners but then he is a qualified welding engineer and knows what he is doing.

I have seen Helen at Western Steam making silver soldering a boiler look a doddle, she is using what looks like some form of oxy/fuel system.

I was looking at the Rothenberger Roxy 120L kit on sale at various places including Machine Mart but not sure how long the gas lasts, not long I guess but maybe long enough for leak fixes.

Looked on the Rothenberger website but they don't list a 120L,

Any advice would be appreciated, I have gone away several times to count to ten on this boiler and come very close to chucking it in the scrap bin more than once but I am a very patient chap and never give up (coming close to the first time)

If I ever make another steam loco again (unlikely, don't think I will live long enough) it will not include the boiler, I'll find some other mug, sorry expert to make it.

Bill D.

I have a Dell, looked at sticker underneath, 'Mad in China'

Bill D.

And drilling and boring was a nightmare, hard bits and blow holes, i had to drill well undersize, straighten it out with a boring bar and then finish bore or ream. Must have caused the poor fitters a problem they were that hot coming off the lathe the cold bore must have well undersize. Scraping out was the order of the day, scrapers there's a lost art.

The components mentioned were large hubs for centrifugal fans.

Hope none of the old Alldays & Onions fiitters are reading this!

Bill D.

I remember in my days as an apprentice during my machine shop experience that turning cast iron could be a pain, it had hard glass like bits in it, could well have been glass mixed in the scrap iron that went into the cupola, we had our own foundry. Castings were much more frequent then (late 50s) largely replaced with fabricated parts now.

Bill D.

At last. Matt Hancock slaps down the media attempt to turn the Covid update into a who paid for Boris's wallpaper session.

Long overdue, should have done that at the start of these updates.

Bill

On a similar theme, today I dug out my old B&D Lawnraker. Can't remember when I bought it but I reckon it's 40 years plus. Anyone else got one and knows history. In these days of cordless its a bit of a pain dragging a cable around but it does the trick.

Bill D.

My son recently sent me a pic of his 7 year old Workmate we bought him as a Christmas present.

This prompted me to send him a pic of mine, an original 'Aircraft Alloy' version going back to early-mid 70's.

A few battle scars and rickety joints, but still in regular use, a bit like me really!!

Probably one of the oldest and most useful tools I have.

Bill D.

Question dismissed with the contempt it deserved in the context of the programme content which is supposed to Covid updates. If it was me in a ministers shoes I would have stopped that the first time the media tried it on, I think they have show remarkable tolerence towards the media considering the stupid questions they have asked from time to time (well every time really). One of the many tricks of the media I have observed is asking an unanswerable question.

Bill D.

Yes I admit I started doing that, a temporary lapse tonight but which served to remind why I did start switching off.

Bill D.

Having just watched 5pm update today, a 'told you so' feeling came over me.

Nothing to do with Covid which is the whole point, more and more questions are being asked entirely unrelated to Covid, todays hot topic was football super league. Going back some months when the first media nerd asked such a question I expected the (PM or health minister, can't remember who) to firmly say 'this is not PMQ, it's a Covid update. Sadly the question was politely answered, a rod for their own back I mused at the time, sure enough more and more of these questions are being asked, give the media an inch and they'll take a mile.

One question(s) today was nothing to do with Covid at all.

Please ministers, start politely asking the media to stop high jacking Covid updates.

Bill D.

I have an SX3 and do use the tapping feature (not always though) treat it very gingerly unless it's a meaty size, say m6 and up or thereabouts. I don't think I would risk it on something like anything less than 6BA and then just a starter backing off frequently, to get the thread in line and finish off by hand.

Bill D.

Yes BA-Bolts excellent for stainless steel.

Bill D.

Interesting, been thinking of doing the same for some time but waiting for fluorescent ones to fail,

Bill D.