Stainless steel boilers

But welding of any type, irrespective of the material being welded, must be carried out by a coded welder according to the current UK code.

So while I agree a coded welder of the younger generation might agree with your statement, the majority of builders in clubs have either never been coded or are retired and so are no longer so.

Fizzy's thread a few years ago shows you don't need to be coded if you get the welds tested which was quite a cheap process

You also don't have to get the boiler tested by a club, may independant boiler inspectors able to do it and that is the way a lot of traction engine builders choose to go.

Edited By JasonB on 28/01/2022 10:19:36

Jason you too quick!

I have every sympathy with Speedy Builder 5 as my first boiler was made when I worked in the aircraft industry. The boiler was made using certified 316 and tig welded by a coded welder followed by pressure testing. I then joined the local model engineering society only to find that only copper, silver soldered boilers were accepted.

Everything else on the model (a 5 inch Terrier) was also made in 316, even the wheels.

Brian

It would be good if someone knowledgeable described the Art of the Possible in a clear way. It should cover how things can be done, who can do it, which materials can be used, and what the likely costs are. A list of pros and cons Copper vs SS would be helpful too.

• Which Steel, Design, and jointing methods?
• How can welds be tested, and who can do it?
• Who can Independently test model boilers
• What do Clubs need to do to modernise their approach to accepting boilers

My feeling is the main problem is lack of organisation, resulting in Stainless being forced out due to lack of information and encouragement. The UK's Model Engineering community has settled on a time-honoured way of doing things and seen no advantage in moving on for about a century! The result is a gap between Model Engineering and professional boiler practice because the latter has moved away from copper. And because many home engineers today do Tig welding rather than brazing, there's a danger that the next generation of Model Engineers will be put off making locomotives.

I don't doubt the UK's ME community has the technical skills needed to support members making Stainless Steel boilers. But it's seems unlikely to happen unless someone energetic organises a group and drives it through. Seems to me the obstacles are will-power, organisational and administrative rather than technical. If it can be done abroad, it can be done here.

Dave

Hi Dave,

I agree! I would not call myself knowledgeable, but I have experimented and run a few analytical scenarios for stainless purely for the cost benefit over copper (and of course built and tested them). The series I submitted (2 parts if I remember correctly) was specifically to show how I go about manufacturing my boilers and the materials I use (as well as welding procedures and suggestions for the boiler data book for the inspector). I also suggested a few simple tests for stainless welding as well as things to look out for (again specifically for the boiler inspectors). Hopefully this would be a good starting point and shorten some of the development time. Incidentally the Australian boiler codes are reasonably good but do not cater for the smaller boilers (last time I checked.)