No 60 Boiler

[Midland60]

For Spring crocus!!!!
Steve
I need to consult you about my boiler for the No 60. if you don't mind I can spill it all out here but I have to admit to being a clot. I am coming to you after your thread about repairing a tube and it is clear you know more about boilers than I. Once I have figured out how post a picture I will be able to tell all!!! Are you happy? I think it might amuse out American cousins to see what a cock up one can do!!!!!
Cheers David
PS Have a found a picture of the No 60, sheer beauty!

[springcrocus]

David,
I've sent you a PM.
Regards, Steve

[Midland60]

David,
I've sent you a PM.
Regards, Steve

Thanks Steve. I do not view myself as completely stupid, well not some of the time,  but how does one post a follow up to the forum. I am completely lost here. Have been through help and got lost, perhaps, I need a lesson in forums. Help Jo!!!!!! I know you are there.

Anyway, made ten bronze  screws today to replace the brass ones the FBI don't like. FBI Fareham Boiler Inspectorate,. Never done that before so quite chuffed. Tomorrow onto twelve studs with a smooth bit in the middle, an FBI requirement.
Cheers David.

[Midland60]

Does anyone know where one can get some alum to burn out a broken drill in the backhead? It seems my boiler is too long for the local spark eroders!
Cheers David

[TimB]

Hi David,  you can buy alum powder on Amazon 100g for about £2, just search for Alum.

Thats a beautiful midland,...Midland !

Tim

[Midland60]

Thanks Tim. I was just being very impatient!  Will order from the dreadful amazon.

Not sure if I have explained the place No 60 sits in history, will do soon. But she is the only example to be modelled in 5" as far as I can find out. Once back together she will be a thrill to watch going around.

Cheers David

[TimB]

Absolutely, hopefully you will post some pics of the event.

Among everything else I have started a Princess of Wales in G1, tender coming along, I quite like the 'Spinners'...

Tim

[Midland60]

I think I might write a blog on the reassembly as it will be like a build but faster!!!

If you do not use the Princess of Wales splasher and use a number like 2602, you could revert to making it into a '115' class which were better looking. Put the dome on the second boiler ring and use an appropriate number, then you would, have something special.

Cheers David

[Midland60]

Hi all
Being a bit new I am not sure if I am in the correct place to start a  thread on my boiler as I have been putting most of the conversation on the PM section for 'Springcrocus' so here goes.

I acquired a loco that is a bit of a rarity as it has not been modelled before as far as research takes us. It is a No 60 class Midland railway 4-4-0 known as a 'slim boilered' Johnson very similar in appearance to a 115 class single rather like the 'Princess of Wales', quite a famous engine. It appears to have been made around 1989/90 in England and then bought by a German. It came up at an auction in Cologne and I bought it. There is no Provenance to the boiler other than some stamping 1560 2 89 GM. It needs a 'shell test' first at twice WP.. My local boiler inspectors required it to be stripped of all clothing and be presented to them 'naked' so as to speak. This is standard UK practice and this is where the trouble starts.
First they want all the brass fittings changed to bronze as they are scared of dezincification. That goes well until the end where the firebox door sits. Three 8BA screws are successfully drilled out or in one case un done but then on the fourth I break a small drill. Have already got a small drill through but in slightly enlarging the hole it broke. Have been applying alum and it bubbles away. Have the boiler on end and small bund around the hole. Apply hot alum and heat the boiler. Lots of tiny bubbles, hooray. The tonight the last dollop of alum suddenly disappeared. The old drill is still there but I can get a needle (sewing basket kind) through. Is that the old hole? Have I eroded enough of the old drill. Very difficult to take a photo, so what next. Don't want to drill in case I break anther one. Cannot erode any more due to the alum running away or do I bash it with a punch to try to push it through? Will have to sleep on that one.
There is another problem but more tomorrow!!!
Cheers David

[Kim]

Interesting quandary, David. 

My experience in removing broken drill bits or taps out of a part is limited, but I have done it.  Alum helped reduce the problem and get it to where I could hit it with a punch to shatter the item (it was a tap, in this case).  Then I was able to get the remaining tap shards out of the hole.

In a different situation I made a small annular cutter, just larger than the broken drill and drilled a hole around it. Then I threaded that larger hole and screwed in a patch (with loctite) to seal the hole.  I was able to clean up my patch and re-drill the correct-sized hole (without breaking this time!).  You'd have to silver solder the patch, in your case, of course.  But making a bigger hole to cut out the little hole might not be a good option for you.

I've also used a small carbide end mill (1/16") to carefully mill out a broken drill bit.  I went through several of those small carbide end mills to fix one problem, so not necessarily cost efficient.  I actually found the annular cutter method above to be better, at least in my case.

Just some thoughts...

Best of luck figuring something out here.
Kim

[crueby]

I don't have any experience with the alum method, but I have used small rotary tool burs to grind out small drill bits and taps. These were the diamond coated type, like what a dentist uses, you can get them from woodcarving catalogs/stores. The narrow tapered burs were the best for this, worked my way down the flutes with the point to get all the way through. Once the center was out, each side flute could be picked out with a fine pointed piece of steel.

[springcrocus]

Somewhat similar to Chris's method, I would offer a diamond-coated circular needle-file to the hole and see if it abrades the rest of the drill away. Now that you have a through-hole, if you are unfortunate enough to break the needle file, it will punch through and can be flushed out. Gently, gently is the order of the day...

Regards, Steve

[john mills]

I have used the alum on a 2mm drill 30 mm deep in a steam passage   it was well stuck. the alum dissolved the hss until the last little bit
fell out .not much of it was left the problem was to get the drill wet with the alum solution. but it did take time .when it could wet the
metal it did not take that long to finish.i have removed lots of broken taps drills easy outs  since i started working .the 2mm drill was more difficult but the alum did .
John

[Midland60]

Thanks chaps, yes gently! Spent the day on the Fed accounts so the boiler is a little lonely!! Will have to source a diamond coated needle file and give it a go. I could bash it though but the depth to the top of the broken drill is .021 and the backhead is .136 (5 probably) and that would mean moving a lot of metal and I do not really want to do much bashing!!!!
Nothing like a gin to help the pondering of course.
Cheers David

[Midland60]

Nothing like a little success to cheer one up. Got the needle files and poked away at my piece of broken drill and  it simply disappeared! So tapped the hole 7BA made (a pair) of screws in bronze, put them in and that job is done. The alum worked very well. made a bund with blue tac and pouted the alum in. The area by the drill just seemed to issue a very fine stream of bubbles more like a fizz and it works. As with many things, patience and slowly.
If some one can give me the link to publishing photos I can show you what it looks like. And I have 3/4 of a bag of alum if you would like some, must be interesting to experiment with. I am not suggesting you break some drills but just put some in a beaker and watch. I had to warm the boiler quite a lot to make it bubble.
Next jobs are to fix a small leak in the superheater and then apply the strip of copper along the poor little boiler's belly. I am told comsol needs Bakers No 3 as a flux but it is very corrosive and toxic so I may have to do this work outside, any thoughts anyone????
Cheers David