Author Topic: 3 inch boiler build  (Read 53225 times)

Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #60 on: July 21, 2018, 04:13:37 PM »
Thanks! Very helpful.  :ThumbsUp:
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
"To work. To work."
Zee-Another Thread Trasher.

Offline Stuart

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #61 on: July 21, 2018, 04:53:59 PM »
Well Jason that’s just bad water testing/treatment

I have seen that sort of buildup in wet cooling tower ponds two things were found to be the trouble manager trying to save money by turning off the chemical dosing and second salt carryover from the ion exchange water softeners again said manager poking his nose in and reducing the rinse cycles both done without telling us he had done it
 :stir:
With ref to that boiler a quick dip in citric acid would have cleaned it up or fetch in “blaster Bates”   :stir:
My aim is for a accurate part with a good finish

Offline Gas_mantle

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #62 on: July 21, 2018, 08:52:36 PM »
Great news Gary, I look forward to see it producing the hot stuff.

Better start thinking about buying some coal next  ;)

Online crueby

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #63 on: July 21, 2018, 09:36:15 PM »
Congratulations Gary!!


 :whoohoo:

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #64 on: July 21, 2018, 10:02:12 PM »
Thanks all for the good vibes!

I think that most of the questions raised in the above discussion have been answered, but if not please keep talking!

@ Peter - a couple of tons on order  ;)

@ Jason @Stuart - where I live the rock is granitic and the water very soft. No limescale inside our kettle year after year. Do you think I'll get away with tap water on that basis?

@ Jason - surprised you managed to remove that scale with a wimpish mini forklift arm. I would have thought you'd need one of these:



 :)

gary

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #65 on: July 22, 2018, 12:10:13 AM »
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KjwgqLxTLA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KjwgqLxTLA</a>

Offline Stuart

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #66 on: July 22, 2018, 05:59:07 AM »
If it’s that soft you will be ok ,you put more water though the kettle than you will though the boiler

Water facts
Distilled water is an electrical insulator and is use to wash down he insulators in service
Water is known as the universal solvent

My aim is for a accurate part with a good finish

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #67 on: July 22, 2018, 07:43:39 AM »
Yes, thanks Stuart. I thought so.

You are right - I drink 4 or 5 cups of tea every day - I don't see myself firing up the boiler that often  :)

Isn't water a conductor though? I was brought up to believe it to be a bad idea to drop a live electric fire into the bath when one is in it... :zap:  :)

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #68 on: July 22, 2018, 03:55:17 PM »
Following an initial cleanup with files, Scotch-Brite and steel wool:





gary

Offline Stuart

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #69 on: July 22, 2018, 04:40:26 PM »
Gary

Misconception distilled water is non conductive as it has no minerals in it , note I said distilled not softened or deionised  or put though a reverse osmosis plant

It’s the minerals that make it conductive , eg salt , soap as bath watta , one pinch of salt and it’s conductive

That goes for storing it in a metal container all must plastic/glass

To add a note when they wash down the insulators they do push a earth on the nozzle


When I wxxked at the iron works were I did my time we had some large electrostatic preciperator for cleaning the blast furnace gas very dirty stuff in cyanide
But they washed them down with mains water whiles on 25-30 kv


Boiler looks great
My aim is for a accurate part with a good finish

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #70 on: July 22, 2018, 09:21:45 PM »
Wow... I didn't know that. I always thought that water itself is conductive.

On the boiler - thank you Sir!

Offline MMan

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #71 on: July 22, 2018, 10:36:32 PM »
Yep, on water being an insulator. The arc furnace I worked on as a kid had water cooled electrode cables. The water came out of a treatment plant so was an insulator. I did idly wonder what a bag of chips would do if dropped in.

Martin.

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #72 on: July 22, 2018, 10:42:23 PM »
Ha... especially with extra salt and vinegar...!  :zap:

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #73 on: August 07, 2018, 10:20:36 PM »
Hi guys -

progress has been slow as I've been away and the weather has been more conducive to alfresco beer and BBQ's than to workshop time   :DrinkPint:

However, I have just taken the black paint off all my fittings with acetone in favour of an all-brass look, and have made a start with Loctite threadlocker. My first experience with the stuff, but it does inspire confidence I have to say.

One slight issue faces me before I can go on to the second hydro test: way back when I was silver soldering in my bushes, I left brass blanking plugs (connected by a steel strip) in the two water gauge bushes in an attempt to keep them parallel. In my inexperience I didn't realise that the brass would be prone to melt, but the plug in the top bush did so. I had to drill it out and for reasons I can't now remember I ended up having to drill and tap it 5/16 instead of 1/4. I then made a threaded sleeve to reduce it back down to 1/4. This seemed ok, but tonight the sleeve sheared when I was trying it out. The upshot is that I'll have to make another one. I'm not overly worried about this as I'm pretty sure that with the Loctite it will be fine, but it's all more time of course...

Will keep chipping away and will post significant developments.

BTW you guys have been very kind and I'd like to return the courtesy by reading some more of your threads about your own work. It doesn't seem too easy to search for threads by author (am I missing something?), so if any of you would like to post a link here to your own favourite threads or just name them so I can search for them I'd be very grateful.

Cheers,

gary

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: 3 inch boiler build
« Reply #74 on: August 07, 2018, 11:27:35 PM »
It doesn't seem too easy to search for threads by author

Gary, if you go to any members profile page select 'show posts' then open the topics tab to show all the threads that member has started.

Dan
ShaylocoDan

 

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