COLUMBINE'S BOILER

[Robert Hornby]

The timber slats and Ceramic tile holder.

[Robert Hornby]

I think I need some suggestions here. I have a piece of brass sheet 0.6mm thick. It is 400mm long x 150mm wide and I need to make 4 straps 350mm long to hold the timber slats onto the boiler. The straps will be 6mm wide. I am thinking that if I cut them with tin snips then they will end up like a helix (i.e. all curvy). Will the same result occur if I cut them with a hack saw?
Robert

[gadabout]

What about a angle grinder with the thin cutoff wheel?

Mark

[Maryak]

An alternative option may be to use shorter multiple lengths, (150 mm?), with multiple joints.

Hope this helps

Best Regards
Bob

[Ian S C]

Have you got an engineering type bandsaw that can be used vertically, you can use that, best to put the brass on a bit of wood/ ply, thin MDF, you might even be able to set up a guide.  Run the saw fast,  the cut may be a bit ragged, but easily cleaned up.   Ian S C

[ths]

1/4" boiler banding is available from here:

http://www.ejwinter.com.au/image/data/pdf/april13ejw.pdf

Bottom right, page 27. Hugh.

[arnoldb]

Some more options...

Sandwhich the plate between two bits of wood so that you can saw right through the wood (hacksaw or bandsaw).  If you have a mill with suitable travel, you can even use a fine slitting saw for best results.

If you have some loose pocket money, a sheet metal nibbler is a great investment - but get a good quality one.  In this Wikkipedia link, the shear type would be my suggestion.  Get as narrow a one as you can if you do go for this; makes for less wastage.  These nibblers are great for cutting sheet metal with very little warpage.

Kind regards, Arnold

[Robert Hornby]

Thanks guys on the suggestions for making the boiler bands I will get back to them later.
In the meanwhile I have finally got past my lethargic attitude and presented myself back into the workshop. For a couple of months other priorities got in the way and little or no work was done. I find getting back into it after a lay off can be difficult and I make excuses to do other things even mowing the back paddock will you believe!!!!!!!!
Anyway having got that off my chest progress has been made in the way of making the top plate bushes and soldering them to the top plate and then after much pondering about which plate to fix to the barrel first i.e. the top plate or the bottom plate (which is well inside the barrel by around 46 mm) I did indeed solder the top plate. It took four sessions doing a quarter at a time and cleaning up the joint and applying new flux each time. I was a little concerned that the solder around the bushes might remelt during the task but they remained good.
I will clean up the joint as it will be seen when all is finished. The bottom will be trickier as the flue and stays will have to go in at the same time and I will be working down that 46 mm deep hole – wish me luck.


Robert

[Robert Hornby]

The 5 barrel bushes are now soldered to the barrel. Two for the gauge glass, one for steam out, one for water in, and one for the pressure gauge. The bushes stand proud of the barrel by 7.5mm to allow for the cloth insulation and timber slats, so they will protrude by 1mm past the timber. The 5th bush is on the back and cannot be seen in the photo.
The next job I am dreading as it is the soldering of the lower plate together with the flue and the 4 stays and they are 46mm into the barrel. I am really thinking that I will need oxy acetaline to achieve enough heat for the job as I only just had heat enough for the bushes.


Robert

[Robert Hornby]

With much thought overnight I formulated a plan to solder the lower end plate to the barrel, flue and stays. I centre punched around the hole  to ensure minimum movement of the flue in the hole then carefully set up the flue to the end plate ensuring it was all square. With the fixed LPG burner playing on the end plate and the MAP gas burner hand held around the flue the job went very well. I was pleased to see the solder come through to the bottom side thus ensuring a quality joint.
Stage 2 tomorrow.




Robert

[steamer]

Nice Job Robert!

Enough heat properly placed...and cleanliness....and your in a good place.   Good luck!

Dave

[arnoldb]

What Dave said 

And I'm going to steal the tinfoil-over-bricks idea as well 

Kind regards, Arnold

[Robert Hornby]

First the good news, I found some one who has an oxy/act set and was happy to lone it to me for the stays soldering job.

Second the bad news, when attempting to solder the lower ends of the stays down inside the shell the torch kept blowing out if I placed it further than about an inch into the shell. I tried adjusting the flame size both larger and smaller and different amounts of oxy but to no avail. As I couldn’t get the flame close enough it wasn’t doing the job. I was quite surprised at this as I can only assume the environment in the shell was causing the issue, and as the flame had its own source of oxygen would not have thought this would happen.

Thirdly the good news, I resorted to my previous technique of a fixed LPG burner on the outside for general/assisting heating and the MAP touch for the main local heat. It went very well and the job was done without remelting of other parts. Phew!!!!!!!

So it seems that I have finished with the soldering on the boiler itself though I still have to fabricate/make the burner assembly but that is just mechanically fixed to the lower part of the shell.

[Maryak]

Second the bad news, when attempting to solder the lower ends of the stays down inside the shell the torch kept blowing out if I placed it further than about an inch into the shell. I tried adjusting the flame size both larger and smaller and different amounts of oxy but to no avail.

Usually a dirty tip but can be wonky control valves on the torch and or regulators or running out of gas.

HTH

Best Regards
Bob

[GWRdriver]

Robert,
That's a very neatly done professional looking job.  Well done.  I'll pass along a bit of advice, no matter how well you've rinsed or neutralized the pickle, after tapping the bushes brush clean and immerse your taps (and other cutting bits which have touched the pickled boiler) in light machine or preservative oil for a day or so.  This will prevent you coming in one day to discover the business ends of your taps pitted with rust.