Current Boiler Build

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GWRdriver

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I thought I would post a couple of photos of my current boiler project. This is for a 1.5" scale / 7.5"gauge 4-4-0 to the Walt Disney "Lily Belle" design which is being built by a fellow here in the USA. The overall length is 24.75", barrel length 15", and barrel diameter is 6.125". One particular challenge the design presented was that it required a 5/8" parallel forward offset in the foundation ring of the rear heads which made the forming and eventual fitting more difficult. It turned out not to be quite as difficult as I thought it would be, although it did take just as much time, and it all came out well enough.

ENV03a.jpg


HEADSX.jpg
 
Nice work Harry , as usual !
Dan.
 
Nice work, love to here you're soldering strategy. I had a bit of a go with my 4" o.d. marine boiler. It really took a lot of heat to accomplish. I used stay sold 56 and a lower temp HVAC solder for the rest. (easyflo) Interesting smoke stack position you chose there.
 
Interesting smoke stack position you chose there.
Hi Johnny,
Thank you, and that outlandish vertical bit, if you hadn't already guessed, is the steam dome tube. It was purposely made overly long for machining and forming purposes and it has now been cut down to less than half that height and is fixed in place. It looks so much more sensible now.

The silver soldering is going to be a challenge, due as always to the amount of heat needed. I have the torch firepower for the job but what I really need to have on hand is a capable assistant and there aren't any of those around here. Another concern will be handling. The final all-in weight will be more than I can easily lift without assistance so consideration will need to be given to lifting and turning gear (and/or an assistant.)

At this time my approach will be to solder things in sub-assemblies, first the firebox (with attached foundation ring, girder stays, and flues) an then the outer shell. Eventually those assemblies will be combined, along with the front flue sheet and back head, and given a final heat to finish. This approach has been successful on a couple of 5"ga boilers I've done, the difference will be that this one will take a great deal more heat. For that reason another consideration will be protective gear. For the boilers I've done in the last few years, including the 5"ga ones, I found I needed very little in the way of specialized protective gear; eye protection and leather gloves, but otherwise I wore typical workshop attire and a heavy apron. This one promises to be a different kettle of fish and I expect to need protection from exposure to prolonged intense heat. A boiler of this size at full soldering heat is akin to standing near the Sun, very uncomfortable.
 
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Work on the boiler continues. I've just finished cutting and fitting lower firebox stays and the crown stays are next. The vertical light-colored thing you see on the crown sheet is a block of wood which was used to maintain parallel alignment while the inner and outer firebox assemblies were pinned to each other. At this point nothing is finally fixed (screwed, riveted, etc) because it there is still lot of fitting of bits to do and then all has to come apart for de-burring, relieving, countersinking, etc. This phase takes considerable time to do it right.

Stay1a.jpg
 
Complex and beautiful work Harry!

Please continue posting photos as work progresses.

-Larry
 
Thank you Larry. One of the challenges (as always) is to carry a consistent level of good workmanship through to the end of the project. It's easy to become weary and impatient and want to get it done and out the door. What I have found is that any extra time spent in joint fitting and preparation is more than repaid when it comes time to solder up.
 

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