Hardware Store Boiler

[gr8life]

I have been at this all week, searching the net and the machine sites. I want to build a small steam boiler like the Argus & Hardware Store Boiler in the photos section. I think I understand the marty burner idea but have no idea about the boiler construction, the coils, where & how much water, gauge & pressure relief placement. As you see I am lost. I would like to find a book, no luck or an actual set of plans that I can understand.
ANY ANY help or direction would be appreciated.
thanks
ed

 

[wareagle]

Ed, I don't want to take the wind out of your sails and destroy your excitement, so please don't take my reply that way...

Do you have any experience with boiler operations? In your post you said that you didn't have knowledge of boiler construction. I want to give you a fair warning that building and operating a boiler is not something that should be taken lightly. The fact is, any boiler is a potential bomb. My advice would be to find someone in you local area that has the knowledge and experience, and mentor under them. Also, when/if you build a boiler, do so from a published design. There are so many variables when it comes to steam generation that have to be taken into account that a small detail could be over looked resulting in a serious accident.

There are numerous folks around here that can steer you in the right direction. Read all you can and understand what you are doing before embarking on the journey!

Best wishes! And welcome to HMEM!

 

[gr8life]

I fully understand the dangers, but thanks for the warning. I live in Las Vegas and have never found anyone other than shops that does machine work as a hobby. Finding someone in my area would be a dream come true.
thanks

 

[Loose nut]

There are a couple of books written by Martin Evans and published by Argus Press, probably defunct by now, that may still be available from places like Tee publishing. It is a good place to start. But as Wareagle says it better to get instructions first hand.

 

[laddy]

I was at a garage sale and purchased an old Brass fire extinguisher for the simple idea that the 14" by 5inch diameter cylinder would make a great boiler. Haven't done it yet Thpough. Good luck

 

[Circlip]

Hades Dentures, here we go again, virtually one of the "Bibles".
" Model Boilers and Boilermaking" by K.N. Harris. From all good department stores and fleebay.
Regards Ian.
I suppose we are practicing for April 1st?? "Search" is good too.

 

[steamboatmodel]

I was at a garage sale and purchased an old Brass fire extinguisher for the simple idea that the 14" by 5inch diameter cylinder would make a great boiler. Haven't done it yet Thpough. Good luck

Don't do it, Brass is a very poor material for boilers,the zinc leaches out and leaves a copper-rich sponge with poor mechanical properties, find some copper pipe and use it.
Regards,
Gerald

 

[Circlip]

Quick, tell Mamod they've been doing it wrong for fifty years.

 

[Cedge]

Ian...
Someone pee in your cornflakes this morning? The guy is just not educated to the dangers yet. Telling him to do a search might be good enough on those other ME boards, but we try much harder here....(grin). All it takes is a few short lines with a large "I don't think that is a very good idea", somewhere in the middle.

Gerald Laddy... Bad idea. It's quite likely to get you or someone you love hurt when you suddenly discover the metal in an old fire extinguisher is usually not rated for the pressures it will encounter as a boiler.... especially not over the long haul.

Steve

 

[steamboatmodel]

Hi Steve,
The first part of my post is laddy's quote, I then tell him NOT to do it.
Mamod as well as Wilesc do make boilers out of Brass, thats why they spring leaks after a couple of years.
Regards,
Gerald.

 

[Cedge]

Gerald
Sorry for the missed identification. Jensen also uses annealed brass for their boilers but the heavy walls of the vessel are such that, as far as we know, we've never had a dezincing failure in 75 years. Jensen engines are just that heavily over built. Brass is fine under the 15 psi limits the small toy engines operate with. I'd be very careful about using it in larger diameter boilers or even slightly higher pressures.

Oooops...
Steve

 

[Andrewinpopayan]

Is it possible to over-engineer a boiler?

If you made a near copy of a "mamod" boiler in 2" dia 1/8 " wall waterpipe with screwed ends that were also brazed shut ?. Boilers seem to be a compromise between weight and safety margin.

I would like to learn more about using unmodified pressure vessels as boilers, but ata much reduced (to their original test) pressures. For example would an air receiver designed and tested for use up to 200 bar as "normal" operation be safe for use as a boiler shell at 20 bar provided that the original mechanical integrety was not compromised by drilling holes etc etc

For example a gas cylinder designed for use a a supply of HP nitrogen gas was used as a large mamod fashion boiler for supply pressures of 20 bar of steam, assuming no changes to the body of the vessel itself?

 

[gr8life]

Getting started. Gathering parts. So far I have a Schedule 80 nipple 6"x2" with 2 heavy duty end caps, some thread-o-lets and some copper tube. I have the steel for the side plates still need pressure relief, fittings, gauge and fill fitting. Bought the Harris book on flebay, used coming from UK. I will fit this project between other projects so it might take a while. I want to be more safe than sorry (or dead)
Thanks for all the help, even the don't do it negative stuff.
ed

 

[Cedge]

:

Steve

 

[Circlip]

Sorry it came over heavy Steve, but I make no excuse for stopping someone in their tracks if it avoids personal injury. The reference work I mentioned, (and KEEP mentioning) gives virtually everything necessary for the SAFE design and construction of a model boiler, thus the reference to "Search"
At least one of our members, whose boiler design is deposited in the plans section, would no doubt be able to tell a few horror stories to emphasize the care required to build them properly. We've managed to avert one possible "Near miss" from a garage or car boot purchase, so the 14 X 5 brass tube purchaser hasn't read Firebirds' saga.Why Brass? is it cos it would look "Neat" polished up? Working boilers ain't bling! If made correctly they can be tarted up, but the primary object is SAFETY, and I make no excuse for shouting that one.
Brass for boilers? why not, as long as the limitations of the material are understood! As I posted, one British manufacturer used it exclusively, but at a very LOW pressure. "I know, lets use steel or even stainless cos they're strong" Yep and that's an even bigger bag of worms. Going down to the car boot this weekend to see if I can find a bit of tube to make a small nuclear reactor, sound silly? Its ONLY a pressure vessel.
Sorry for the rave guys but the simplistic view taken on some aspects of our hobby can certainly lead to tears before bedtime and I don't believe that anyone SERIUOSLY contemplating building a miniature BOMB can't bash a few keys and get info via the tinternet using search.
Regards in the interest of safety, Ian

 

[Cedge]

Ian...
That's more like it....LOL. Much better than "use the search function". We're both singing the same tune, on this one. What scares me is that he is obviously going to do it anyway. Some people just can't be persuaded to protect themselves. In my wife's profession, they're called patients.... if they're lucky.

Steve

 

[DickDastardly40]

The subject of boiler safety has emerged a few times recently; I wonder if it would be worth trawling through the various threads on the subject to pick out the 'pearls of wisdom' to make a 'definitive as possible' treastise which could be made sticky at the top of the existing Safety section or a new specialist boiler section.

Any potential boiler builders could then be steered towards this as a one stop shop rather than have to search and sift.

I present this as what seems to me a pragmatic option but perhaps not workable, any thoughts?

Al