Steam Leak Patch Material

[Steam Engine Dan]

hello everyone, I have a question. i have a steam leak in my smokebox. it's a copper line that carries the exhaust from the steam pump, into the booster stack. does anyone have a recommendation for any kind of metal epoxy or steam leak patch material. all recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[Bill Shields]

replace the line.

if it has one hole, it is most likely getting generally thin and should go into the reclaim bucket.

the only 'FIX' that is worth anything is a dab of silver solder and / or a patch silver soldered in place...but to do that you must get the copper REALLY CLEAN etc...which is more work than replacing the line.

[steamin10]

To remind of such repairs: small copper is best bent around sockets and bars, filled with cerrobend or sand, (sodlered shut at the ends). and worked to completion. The final mating is easy given the copper has been annealed by torchwork, and is quite soft. Access on some engines is problematic due to arrangement, but what was done before, can be redone.

[John_S]

A couple folks I know have started using stainless pipe wrap around any copper lines in the smokebox they may have. This is the same type of pipe wrap you'd use on headers or motorcycle exhaust. It seems to work very well at protecting those lines from damage.
When I get my mogul back home for some small repairs, including the copper blower line, I may give that wrap a shot.

[Bill Wilkins]

When I built my Allen Mogul I put some flexible aluminum tubing over the copper to protect from the abrading effects of the smoke and cinders coming thru the boiler tube. It did prove to be beneficial in three years.
If the copper tubing has a hole causing the leak, X2 what Bill S. said, Replace.
Most of the time the quick fix is not the best.

[Pontiacguy1]

I just started using stainless steel tube for everything inside the smoke box, no covers, no wraps, no fuss. You can get tube made from 303 stainless on-line. I use it with brass flare fittings from the local hardware store. It's a lot harder to bend and flare, but basically I've never had to repair or replace one, after having to replace quite a few copper lines for the exact same thing you are experiencing. They always fail at the worst possible time too... right at the beginning of a big meet that you've traveled 12+ hours to get to! If you take the stainless tubes out and clean the soot off of them, they look almost like new after more than 10 years of hard use.