76mm Babcock Boiler Build

[ozsteamdemon]

Hi Guys , Here is the story of my new boiler build project . It is roughly based on the Stuart 501 , but mine has a 6mm bigger shell dia .
The Stuart has only 2 top bushings , mine has 4 , 2 - 1/4x40 and 2 - 5/16x32 , the idea being that this will be my utility boiler that could run 3 small engines or 2 small engines and a whistle .
It is constructed from all heavy guage copper and the bushings are of phos bronze .
The firebox , smokebox and chimney are still under construction and hopefully will be ready in a week or 2 .

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIJ5SLTGVNc[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-CSPHGnN3U[/ame]

The boiler is now completed and here is the first fireing .

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZgaUyAuLcQ[/ame]

 

[don-tucker]

That was excellent,what a nice setup,I have a simular project under the bench,tube and the two flanged ends,I am a bit worried in case I don't have enough heat.
Don

 

[ozsteamdemon]

Don , i was worried about that too , but if you have 2 torches you might be lucky .

The main thing is to have good " Background Heat "

I liken heavy guage copper to a big heat sponge ......... its soaks it up faster than you can put it in .

I had more than enough background heat cos i bought a torch that will do 4inch and larger boilers .

If your torch is a bit on the small side , i`ve seen people that build a fire brick wall round 3 sides of the job , to try and reflect wasted heat back in .


Let us know how you get on .

 

[ozsteamdemon]

Bump , now finished , see vid 3 at the top of the page .

 

[gbritnell]

I noticed on the video that you more than maxed out the pressure gauge but I never saw the relief valve open up. What pressure do you have it set for?
gbritnell

 

[ozsteamdemon]

Arh , i was waiting for that question .
The S/V is a new one from the model engineers supplies . When raising steam it was dribbleing and hissing at 30, 40 , 50 PSI and making a terrible mess , so i screwed it down ............ maybe i should back it off a tad . ;D

 

[Ora Banda]

Nice boiler, great videos... thanks for sharing!

Where did you get the whistle from?... it works and sounds superb.

Regards

John

 

[SAM in LA]

What a great looking and performing boiler.

Going from Clear Steam, air, to real steam is a big step up.

It may be a few years from now before I make that big step.

Thanks for sharing.

SAM

 

[cfellows]

Great series of videos, Oz. Really enjoyed them. Thanks for posting.

Chuck

 

[Maryak]

Oz,

Nice looking boiler. :bow:

Best Regards
Bob

 

[Deanofid]

Oz, everything came out so nice, and your boiler is a beauty. Makes plenty of steam, even for a whistle.
I like your turntable, there. You're really setup well for your work.

Do you have plans for the whistle? It sounds very good for such a small one!

Thanks for the vids.

Dean

 

[RonGinger]

I really like the brazing table- It looks like you spin the table with your foot, like a potters wheel. That seems very handy. Also the fixed torch holder.

Ive never taken the time to build such a neat rig, but I pay for it every time I try to cobble something up, like balancing a torch on a couple bricks, but never able to quite get it on the right spot.

Very nice work, thanks for sharing

 

[ozsteamdemon]

Thanks for the nice words guys , it was my pleasure to share my experience for the potensial benifit by anyone contemplating doing a bit of boiler building ..... and perhaps save them some grief , but i`m no expert and am still learning myself . But its an enjoyable learning curve and perhaps i can make my next boiler build a bit less stressfull , ( The materials are too expensive and hard to come by and the preparations that go in to it too time consuming to ruin with poor worksmanship ) so maybe my next build will be a bit nicer result and done a bit quicker .

The whistle is a bought one , its available from several on-line sellers .

http://www.pmresearchinc.com/store/product.php?productid=3151&cat=121&page=1

you couldn`t make one cheaper than that .

The brazing bench is indeed just like an old potters wheel , made from a light angle iron frame , a bit of 7/8" shaft , 2 common flange type bearing housings and two identicle discs , one at the top for the table , and the other at the bottom mounted as low as possible , if fact , it sits on the bottom bearing . A stool to sit on at the right height for comfortable working is a great help too .