16mm IDRIS

Martin,

You can safely exchange 'phone numbers using the 'message member' icon below people's posts. This sends a 'private message'.

Neil

Thanks Neil ... I did not know that ... have now given my number to Alex ... martin

All the bushes are made.
I now have holes in the boiler tube for all the bushes.
Everything is a nice fit, just tight. By the time it's all cleaned up we will be spot on.

The end caps are bored for the fire tube. I decided on the thickness of the flange + 1.5mm for the fire tube height.
That way it is just above the radius on the end caps.

One thing I have learned. Don't solder the copper tube into the Steam bush before you try and fit it. I may have to remake this one. I'll flux it well and drop a ring of solder over the tube so that it as good as solders itself with the bush. Lets hope we don't block the tube in the process !
Other ideas welcome.

My Soldering plan very much follows Martins idea.
High temp for all the bushes in the boiler tube.
High temp for 1 end of the fire tube in it's end cap. Probably the one with the steam gauge.
The boiler tube I plan to heat from the inside with my larger torch. Once it's hot use a small torch on the outside just to run the solder.

I can then use Lower temp solder for the end caps and the other end of the fire tube.

Mental note: Need more pickle.........

Attempted soldering the end cap and pressure gauge bush yesterday.
Things didn't go well !
I just can't get it hot enough for Sllverflo 24 with my blowlamp.
I did however back out before any damage was done.
That no.5 flux is a pig to remove, I do know that much. Hot water and Scotchbrite seemed to do the trick.

Will attempt again today. A friend has a large Propane torch.

I also have Silverflo 55 and Easyflo No.2 solder and flux.

Alex from martin ranson ... years ago I bought two ROTHENBERGER blowlamps from the local plumbers merchants ( B and Q also sell them ) ... wonderful creations ... they use the yellow cylinders of MAP gas ... NOT the red cylinders of propane ... now I can melt brass and copper if I try ... be careful where you point it !!! do not set the shed on fire !!!

martin

Been getting on with the Boiler fittings.

Tomorrow I clean up and hope to silver solder this lot together.
One of the most valuable things I bought a while back is a set of Slow Spiral drills. They make drilling Brass and Bronze really easy. No Grabbing, even when you are breaking through on other holes.

MAP gas torch borrowed.
MAP gas bought.

Fluxed up the Oiler and away we went....

Or not as the case may be!

The rest of the Boiler fittings are in Pickle at the moment and soldered as expected with Easyflo2.

Well done Alex, I am glad someone has taken on this engine from the series currently running in ME. It will be a great reference for everyone and make a change from the slog of larger machines that can be made. Personally I am stuck with building a 4" traction engine a 5" sweetpea and making a boiler for a 4 wheel chub. + domestic chores OH and working ( dull). I keep watching Jason who makes some very interesting models and I just wish I had the spare time.

so keep up the good work, I for one enjoy the forum listings that you are posting.

Brian

Today I hope is soldering day for the boiler where this lot could become one.....
(Sorry for the rather poor image)


The Oiler will be soldered as one bit with easyflo 2 rather than the 2 stage setup Martin suggested.
The steam Union is also slightly modified from Martin's design.

I still need to drill the temporary holes in the boiler tube for the Water Gauge bushes.
I'm wondering if I want to put a radius on the inside of the bushes ?
Also wondering how I can accomplish this.......

I have made a Masterboard Hearth.
A Friends Large Propane torch will provide the energy and keep it all warm.
I now have a MAP Gas torch to run the solder.

The solder should flow enough to fill most of the gap to give a good joint but its always harder to completely fill it as the boiler dia gets smaller.

It's been a long and busy afternoon.

Soldered the end cap and Oiler with the MAP gas torch.

A Sand Blaster made clean up super easy.

A brush with the wire wool and we setup to do the 4 Boiler Bushes.

A MAP Gas torch, as I suspected may be hot enough but does not have the guts on it's own to solder the boiler.
Propane torch was required to provide the coverage for both Silver flow 24 and Easyflo 2 operations.
1 Bush is a bit untidy on the outside but has a nice filet on the inside.
The rest of the joints are really nice.

The final assembly after cleanup went well. Again the propane torch was called for.



I'm rather pleased. Its all gone very well.

You will note the lack of Water Gauge bushes. We ran out of time so will add them separately.

I have just had one of those "Oh Bother" Moments......

On the 1st page I asked about Tapping the Bushes.
They are all Part tapped so they are square and the Silver Soldering doesn't damage the thread crests.

So how do I tap the Steam dome bush ? ...........

Probably should have soldered in the top bushes and then finished tapping them before soldering on the side bush with its pipe.

Either have to unsolder the side bush or have a go at making a 3/8" tap from silversteel with a hole drilled up the middle to clear the small pipe.

Also take it easy with the sand blaster, each use will take away a bit of the coppers thickness.

Boiler is out of the pickle.
A rub with the scotch brite and fibre glass pencil and I'm very pleased.
The end caps and fire tube have an unbroken filet of solder all the way around.

1 Bush is not tidy on the outside. May pull that one out. I think I may have killed the flux.....
The other bushes are good. May add some easyflo2 to them when I warm it up again to make them tidier.

****** The Steam bush is going to have to come out *****
If this blog helps someone else not to make the same (Rather silly I admit) mistake it will be worth it !

Unsoldering seems like rather hard work It's in with easyflo24 and will probably wreck the end cap joints.
I was looking more towards a drill. The inside is smaller than the Bush So I can brake it off inside the boiler then file the outside of the Bush flush. The fishing will be fun......
If the hole is still central I can drill out the remaining bush. If not I can mill it out.

Agree with the Sand Blaster. It's rather aggressive and was used with due care.


It was all going so well, or so I thought......

Alex ... your post on 4th. May ... asking how to radius the inside of the2 bushes for the water gauge ... please use bronze not brass ... my method for the task is a large half round file ... I have no separate milling machine ... as regards a hearth I have been using DRY house bricks for decades ... I repeat, DRY bricks, some left intact and some chopped in half ... a question for you ... what sort of acid do you use for a pickle ? I always use 10% sulphuric acid and leave the items in it for 30 minutes ... BLACKGATES sell concentrated acid ... if you could find someone locally to share it with, then you do not end up with storing strong acids in the workshop.

If you end up having to fasten the water gauge bushes on after the boiler is complete, be careful drilling the copper as it will be very soft after silver soldering ... a hollow sacrificial bolt may be a useful method to clamp the bush onto the boiler ... when finished the bolt could be drilled through ... hopefully the centre hole wil stop your drill wandering too much.

if you try to dismantle a silver soldered boiler it can be dangerous ... it is very easy to have a piece of red-hot metal bouncing round the workshop !! for me I would not do it ever again ( don`t ask ) ... also the copper tube can easily end up getting squashed out of shape.

Looking at your lubricator photo ... the piping looks a bit different from mine ... what is the long piece of piping on the right hand side please ? Can you still use the lathe to drill the small communicating hole into the cross-bar ? or have you already drilled it ?

martin

Hi Martin.

The water gauge bushes are Bonze. The square blocks soldered to the Boiler. I made these Square from Round.
My current plan is to position them. Drill 2 mm into the copper and tap the hole M2.5.
1/2 cutting through cheap n nasty M2.5 screws, use those to attach the bushes to the boiler.
If they solder themselves in they are very easy to snap off inside the bush and drill through.
As for radiusing the Boiler joint, I think it would be worthwhile. If a file has to come out, a file it'll be.
I have a (Small) mill and boring head. That will probably work.
I also have the lathe. I may be able to hold the bushes in the Tool Holder better than I can on the mill and use the Boring head in the lathe head. Can I swing the boring head ? I'll tell you in an hour......

The gauge fittings I have made from Brass. If brass is unsuitable I will re make them.
Whilst I have lots of Brass and not a lot of Bronze, I have no wish to spoil the ship for a hapeth of Tar.

The Pickle I use is Citric Acid. 50g in 1 L of water.
Citric Acid is easily available from the local Chemist and reasonably low cost. (£0.50 for a packet)
I used the Sand Blaster cos it was there. Not for any other reason.

The Oiler is slightly redesigned using Copper Tube rather than drilled rod. The pipe on the R will be shortened to a suitable length. The hole in the bush (hanging down ) is Centred and needs to be drilled through. I have suitable long drills to do this. The hole for the oil needs to be drilled. Again I have suitable drills.

I have no intention of dis assembling the boiler (Un Soldering). I can see far to much potential for a huge number of issues.
What I have to do is re do both of the Side Bushes. (Steam and Check Valve)
The Steam bush cos I have not tapped the Dome Bush.
That puts the steam pipe in the way and is a rather silly mistake to make.
I'm simply not happy with the joint for the check valve. It may well be fine but I'd rather fix it now than later.

My plan is to leave the boiler for a few days. That should remove some of the ductility of the copper before I do anything more..

Thanks for your suggestions and advice.

Alex.

I have radiused the inside of the water gauge bushes on the lathe.
Boring head set at 25 mm radius. Well close enough to.... Very fine feed.
1st pass the bushes were not quite square in the tool holder. Fixed for the 2nd pass.
I have 1/2 mm flat on each side. of the bushes.

Thinking - may well trap some fine (0.2mm) copper wire under the bushes to provide some soldering clearance. A trick I have used before.

As for the boiler ends. I call them close to perfic. Your comments and thoughts would be welcome.

Looking good, a couple of punch marks throw up enough of a burr to give a nice gap for the solder.