Copper pipe couplings combined to maka a boiler - would it work ?

[georgeseal]

"As a matter of safety and professional practice, pressure test your new boilers to twice operating pressure with all the bushes plugged. Once a year thereafter, test to 1.5 operating pressure with all the fittings in place. If there is ever a problem, they will turn up at test time."



Please use a Hydro test

 

[arnoldb]

Thanks Pete. Our scrappies are still a bit up-tight with me... Still trying to break down some barriers. But they are coming down

Bob, thank you. I'll definitely order up some of Kozo's books in future; as I mentioned earlier his name pops up very frequently in boiler builds. And bronze stays it will be - if I need stays. The bushes will also definitely be phosphor bronze; I can get that easily locally.

Thanks George; I'm aware of the hydro test, and already have the pump and a good quality pressure guage. This will be my second boiler; the first one was a small one for an O guage loco - I did the boiler tests here

Once again, many thanks to everyone who has responded.

Kind regards, Arnold

 

[shred]

I had a thought on stays... would small-diameter copper tubing be easier to source? The AC and refrigerator guys probably have that on the roll. You'd lose some strength but that could probably be worked out.

 

[arnoldb]

Thanks Shred ;D

This is a real oh: moment for me! ;D

Yes, I can source small-diameter copper piping; in fact I have a roll with about 9m of 3mm piping lying in the shop... I can easily get 4mm and 5mm on a roll as well...

I think it would work if one calculates the effective metal cross section, and make an additional allowance for the fact that it's not solid. Obviously the tube will have to be rated for an external (compressive) pressure at least as high as for the flues - in fact all calculations will have to be done as if they are flues.

I'm thinking more and more I'll build a boiler like this - as an experiment to see how it comes out if nothing more. I'm sure I can thoroughly and safely test it - if it then gets destroyed in the process of testing, it will be a lesson learned and experience gained. If it works, that will be great.

First some other projects to finish and loose ends to tie up... Then a boiler to build ;D

Regards, Arnold

 

[johnthomp]

the scrappy i go to is great but its a bit of a weird setup my brother takes metal in and cash home and i take cash in and scrap home at first the scrap man was a bit dubious of me but when i told him what i wanted the metal for he was ok with me rooting through his bins nowadays i just go to the counter and ask if its ok to look round and hes fine with it
i got told off by him the other day though i wanted the bearings out of 3 miniature kids scooters he saw me stood there with these things and said what do you want to pay for those i said ill make you a deal he snapped and said i make the f*****g deals here mate but still heared me out when i said if i can borrow an allen key to remove the wheels for the ball races ill give you £5 for just those and ill even put the rest of it back in the skip for you he just grinned and said the toolbox is over there help yourself