Section 14 - Boiler Accessories

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Neidrauer Live Steam Locomotives Photo Albums » Building a Live Steam Locomotive - the Mikado Project » Section 14 - Boiler Accessories

Boiler Accessories. Steam dome cover, sand dome.

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65-128 (of 145 found)

IMG_3861 20-Aug-2011 The after-effects of the burner test. The use of mortar grout as a protective skin over the softer high temperature insulating cement was a failure. The thin grout cracked and peeled up into the flame path. I resorted to breaking and peeling the sections away, removing them from the pan.

IMG_3881 5-Sept-2011 Cleaned up Backhead manifold after silver soldering on some firebricks. I held the Mapp gas torch to the brass bar stock, Bill held the propane torch to the round fitting to get the whole thing hot enough for the silver solder.

IMG_3882 5-sept-2011 Manifold in the vise, laying out the valve spacing. We decide on 1-1/4

IMG_3883 5-Sept-2011 Using an inside angle plate to line up the holes on the end of the bar for tapping. The angle plate was checked for level first, then the top of the bar checked to insure it was in agreement.

IMG_3884 5-Sept-2011 Backhead Manifold installed on the boiler! Also pictured: throttle lever temporarily installed.

IMG_3885 5-Sept-2011 Also completed this labor day: throttle bracket welded to the boiler, throttle momentarily installed to check clearances.

IMG_3901 14-Sept-2011 The piece of 303 machinable stainless steel 1/2x1/2 stock came in, Bill made up the throttle clevis end from it.

IMG_3910 19-Sept-2011 With the angle head set at 90 and the rule on the vertical up and down marks, we set the scriber to 5-13/16

IMG_3912 19-Sept-2011 Having previously set the scriber on center, we lay out the water inlet holes on the boiler. We clamp a piece of 1/4

IMG_3913 19-Sept-2011 on the fireman's side, we mark two inlets on center, one for the water pump and the other for the injector. The holes are two inches apart on center.

IMG_3999 Machining a fixture to align the hand tap to the boiler so the threaded holes will be straight.

IMG_4000 3-Oct-2011 Not wanting to drill a hole into the soft copper flues inside the boiler, we use a piece of pipe as a 'drill stop' when drilling the pilot holes for the water inlets.

IMG_4001 3-Oct-2011 Tapping the new blowdown holes

IMG_4002 3-Oct-2011 Blowdown valve aligned and installed! Decided not to use the washout plug hole for the blowdown so we would not have to unscrew the blowdown every year during boiler washout and inspection.

IMG_4008 10-Oct-2011 Another

IMG_4009 10-Oct-2011 We've centered and indicated the spindle directly over the manifold nipple. Using an endmill machined the nipple shorter and now are using a boring bar to cut on the outside to reduce the diameter so we can put new pipe threads on it.

IMG_4010 10-Oct-2011 My larger boring head did not have enough travel to allow outside machining, so we chucked up another smaller head to achieve the outside distance we needed. Not a very rigid setup, but acceptable for cutting brass with easy tolerances.

IMG_4086 2-Jan-2012 A New Year and a full day in the shop. We continue working on mounting the water glass. Putting another hole in a

IMG_4088 2-Jan-12 Here's how the bottom of the glass is shaping up. The bottom of the _glass_ is 1/2

IMG_4093 7-Jan-12 With the lower water glass valve located, we start puzzling out the upper plumbing.

IMG_4094 7-Jan-12 Picking the top centerline of the boiler, we locate the upper water glass fitting point and mark it for drilling. I also used the tagboard jacket and cardboard cab front mockups to make sure I was not locating the fitting outside of the cab!

IMG_4098 10-Jan-12 The finished piping for the water glass. We spent the rest of the night on our elbows leaning over the plumbing drawing to figure out what to do next.

IMG_4101 16-Jan-12 After installing the burner we have changed our minds about how to route the plumbing and not have both the oil and steam lines on the same side. A plug is made for the steam side.

IMG_4103 12-Jan-12 A new hole for the steam line.

IMG_4104 12-Jan-12 Plumbing up the steam atomizer line with 1/4

IMG_4105 12-Jan-12 Cut little feller, aint he? the burner with the plumbing fittings on either side.

IMG_4122 30-Jan-12 Not a duplicate picture of the burner. After studying plumbing diagram some more, and looking at the atomizer control valve with a 3/16

IMG_4435 28-July-2012 With a paper template made from the drawings and notes made about actual fit, I use power shears to cut the 16 gage mild steel to shape.

IMG_4441 30-July-2012 Rolling the rear jacketing course

IMG_4443 30-July-2012 The rear jacket was a bit of a challenge due to the compound curve at the end closest to the steam dome. The sides of the jacketing are straight in the back, but rounded to fit the boiler curve up front. After rolling the top half of the jacket, I put the sheet metal in the roller diagonally, matching the diagonal dotted line.

IMG_4444 30-July-2012 Trial fitting of the jacket.

IMG_4448 4-Aug-2012 How to match the actual jacketing curve so you can cut out the cab front: dozens of slips of paper. With a wood frame stationary over the boiler, tape paper strips to the wood when they just touch the jacket. repeat until you have worked your way around the area you want to describe.

IMG_4454 4-Aug-2012 Boiler jacketing bands are welded up.

IMG_4476 20-Aug-2012 How I laid out the third transition course of jacketing. Start with some old posters taped to the floor, use a four foot carpenters square to line things up and use the tape measure with a pencil taped on the back to swing the 134-17/64

IMG_4477 20-Aug-2012 Tonight I made on the paper stencils for the jacketing courses 1,2 and 3. After this I taped them to the 16 gauge sheet metal and cut them to rough size with the power hand shear.

IMG_4480 Jacket course #1 needed some one inch holes in it for the check valves, so I grabbed the electrical knockout tool for some easy holes.

IMG_4882 A proper throttle handle was free-hand turned on the lathe.

IMG_5088 22-July-2013 We spend the better part of one evening fitting the first course. We had a lot of trouble getting the top piece to sit down snugly on the boiler. We discover the boiler standoff pads which I welded to the boiler to anchor the sand dome actually stuck up and interfered with the jacketing. Quick work with the cutoff saw removed the pads and solved that problem.

IMG_5090 29-July-2013 The first course of jacketing fits nicely after we removed the boiler mounting pads for the sand dome. Now we have to figure out how to anchor the dome. No, it will not be a wing nut! I weld a nut to the boiler, and with some allthread temporarily hold it in place so I can drill holes through the apron of the dome to through the jacketing. We will bolt the dome to the jacketing.

IMG_5091 29-July-2013 After much fussing, we have a nice neat fit at the seam of the upper and lower pieces.

IMG_5098 12-August-2013 We continue fitting and fussing with each course of jacketing until we get everything to fit, including the boiler bands. We needed to use nylon ratchet straps to help clamp them down, we wonder how much of a problem this will be after we paint them. We also wonder how we will line each course up again after we put the handrails on.

IMG_5100 15-August-2013 Based on measurements from the SLSF 4100 erecting card print, I begin locating the handrail positions. The turns out to be the start of a small saga. Attempt #1 uses the height gage and scriber, as measured from the rail head. After making all the marks, I can look down the jacketing and see that the handrail marks do not line up. I think the problem is because the scriber is not level but angled up, so I readjust it to level and go around again and make new marks. It is still not correct.

IMG_5102 15-Aug-2013 After two unsuccessful rounds of using the scriber to mark the handrail positions, I realize my problem is I have not adjusted for the different jacketing diameters for each course. Also, my measurements are based on the final handrail position away from the jacketing, not the handrail stanchion mount point. So I try running a string down the length of the boiler as if it was the handrail. Thinking I could then use a marker to spot the stanchion points over the string. This does not work because the angle of the marker changes where the spot on the jacketing ends up. I need to hold the marker to point to the centerline of the boiler to make this idea work, so I scrap this attempt too.

IMG_5103 18-Aug-2013 Fourth attempt to mark where the handrail stanchions go on the jacketing. This time I will use a straightedge and flat scriber for the marks.

IMG_5104 18-Aug-2013 I go back to the drawing board and figure out the actual handrail stanchion mount points for each course of jacketing.

IMG_5105 18-Aug-2013 Using a straightedge set to the correct height at both ends of the boiler, I take the flat scriber and mark the stanchion positions. The straight edge is tilted to point to the centerline of the boiler. After the marks are made, they finally match the calculated values.

IMG_5106 9-Aug-2013 The steam dome is chucked in the four jaw, centered using the inside of the dome for reference, and drilled in the center for mounting.

IMG_5107 19-Aug-2013 I want to pour lead into the sand dome, but worry that it will not stick to the cast iron casting. So, using the hole in the center of the casting, we tap it to a 10-24 thread, put some allthread into it, and weld a plate to that, which is held away from casting to about the middle of the casting.

IMG_5109 26-Aug-2013 Thinking it might help to preheat the casting, and to more safely contain any possible spills, I put the casting in a bed of dry sand, in a tray, on the grill which was turned to High.

IMG_5110 26-Aug-2013 Leaving the sand dome filled with lead to cool, we modify and silver solder the handrail stanchions I purchased to a length appropriate for a Frisco engine.

IMG_5114 27-Aug-2013 Weighing the casting filled with lead - 19.2 pounds. The cast iron dome itself weight about 10 pounds, meaning I only poured 9 pounds of lead. I am surprised, I thought it would be much heavier.

IMG_5115 31-Aug-2013 Two 14

IMG_5116 31-Aug-2013 The 'one more little pour' of lead created a mound of lead which would interfere with the jacketing, so a ball mill and the slowest speed in back gear cleans things up. It also validates our idea of using an anchor plate to hold the lead in place as the lead broke free from the sides of the casting and could rotate every so slightly. If the anchor plate was not there, the lead would fall right out.

IMG_5117 31-Aug-2013 After machining and a little scraping with a bastard file, none of the lead will interfere with the jacketing when we flip it right side up.

IMG_5128 31-Aug-2013 Bill starts machining the decorative air tanks. On the Frisco, the tanks had bell end swedged inside the tank, held in place by crushing down the ends of the tank.

IMG_5130 31-Aug-2013 My poor little Clausing steady rest has a maximum capacity of 2-7/8

IMG_5133 2-Sept-2013 I work on creating templates for the air tank brackets. The tanks are mounted on top of the boiler, not underneath like most roads.

IMG_5134 2-Sept-2013 Left air tank rought machined, right one finished.

IMG_5139 9-Sept-2013 Cardboard templates made and key locations pin punched onto 1/8

IMG_5140 9-Sept-2013 Since the centerlines of both brackets are identical, the pieces are stacked onto each other and locating using pins. Next I tack welded both plates together for machining.

IMG_5141 9-Sept-2013 With sacrificial board underneath, we step through a succession of boring tools and then boring heads in the boring head to machine out the 3

IMG_5144 14-Sept-2013 Bill uses a bore gage to verify the holes are three inches in diameter, which match the air tank diameters.

IMG_5145 14-Sept-2013 We open a pocket in the center to lighten the appearance of the brackets. The prototype brackets are separate cast pieces, but we make them one-piece to add some strength to the assembly.

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