The boiler jacket for the K-4

[ebtfan]

For the past few months I have been bending, pounding, grinding, and fitting the sub jacket for my K-4. The sub jacket is 13 gage steel(approximately 3/32 thick). On top of this jacket will be placed a 22 gage steel detailed jacket made up of pieces as on the prototype. Those jacket pieces will be fastened to the sub jacket with 1-72 screws. The 13 gage sub jacket also allows direct mount of hand rails and accessories.

[Berkman]

has anyone added lead sheet under the jacket for added weight ?

[daves1459]

has anyone added lead sheet under the jacket for added weight ?

I have. I got the lead sheet from McMaster-Carr. They have several thicknesses available. First I insulated the boiler with 3/32" thick adhesive back woven ceramic insulation, also from McMaster-Carr. The insulation comes in strip and sheet and is easy to work with. It molds nicely into corners and around radii. Then I cut and formed 3/32" thick lead sheet around boiler holding the joints closed with masking tape. The boiler had a conical section ahead of the fire box that was mocked up with the lagging and provided space for multiple layers of lead. Lastly The laging was fitted. I expected condesate to drip down the steam dome from the safeties. Since lead is corrosion active in water I painted the lead in that area with a heavy coat of epoxy paint.

Dave

[Berkman]

Wonder how much weight that added?

[david griner]

Outstanding work, Sir !!!

[Fender]

Dave, is this an all-new jacket & sub-jacket, or are you re-using the original materials?

[ebtfan]

Dan. The k-4 in the photos is being built by Dan H. In Lancaster, PA. I am using the same construction techniques that Dave S. used on his 1361.

[Glenn Brooks]

Ebtfan,

Any chance you could post some closeup photos of how the sub jacket is made and fastened to to the frame or boiler. I will be wanting to do the same thing when I refurbish my old 12” ga wagon top boiler on my 4-4-0 this coming winter.

Thanks
Glenn B.

[Fender]

Oops, sorry.

[Mike McCotter]

Dan,

Thanks for posting the progress on your K-4. You are doing a beautiful job. Keep up the good work!!!!!

[ebtfan]

Dave G. and Mike M. - thanks for the positive comments. This part of the project seemed overwhelming to me at times as I struggled at first to make several of the belpaire firebox jacket pieces from copper using formers. I ended up going with a predominantly steel jacket. If I had to make a living as a copper smith I would be in trouble.


Glenn B. - am sorry but I do not have any photos of the metal forming process. I did use some you tube videos describing procedures used by HVAC technicians to make different duct parts. I used those techniques to make templates for the sub jacket pieces. These pieces were fastened to the rings shown in the first photo. I used a combination of screws and weld to attach the plates to the rings.

[daves1459]

Wonder how much weight that added?

It is a rather small boiler so the total added weight was not a lot. The weight as I recall was around 12 pounds. I also put a lead plug in the sand dome that weighed 7 pounds. The advertised weight of the loco was 250 pounds which is probably optimistic. I also put weight in the cab. One good thing about adding weight to the boiler shell and sand dome is the distribution of weight on the lead truck and drivers remains the same.

Dave