The Home Machinist!

I acquired this vertical boiler over a decade ago. My first thought would be to try to restore it to its original glory, but it is over 40 years old and the flues don't hold water at city pressure when I tried to hydro it a couple years back. I'd like to eventually use it for my CliShay project. It's over 400#s, 16" in diameter and 38" tall. It is all tubes with a really short water leg (aprox 1.5") and was used commercially some where. Don't have much history on the beast but pictures are attached.

With finances in the dumps, my options are some what limited but I'm interested in anyone's opinions...

1. Presently, the Clishay I'm building will be battery/electric till I can afford to buy or build a 2 cylinder steam engine (I'm looking at something like Tiny Power's W marine engine with 2" diameter cylinders). I was thinking of finding a very large band saw some were and cut the top and tubes off the boiler just below the upper crown sheet at the weld. Using the air tank and compressor standing next to the boiler in the second photo, I'd like to fake a vertical boiler and use it provide air for a whistle and air brakes only. The CliShay has its own manual disk brake on the drive shaft. That way, I can see inside the boiler and make a visual for solid steel.

2. Later, when finances permit, rebuild the boiler for hobby steam usage. It'll need to put out 100#s of steam per hour at 3 to 4 HP.

3. Never use the boiler for any steam use (retirement).

Thanks for your thoughts.

George

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George J. Becker
Lancaster, CA (formerly of Shandon, CA)
Model railroading is fun but the work expands proportionately to the track gauge.

First, No need to destroy what you have by cutting it apart. I see a cloverleaf stamp on it, so the shell may be valuable.

If you are going battery, then just mock up a boiler of Sono-tube, a concrete form available at most good Home Store yards. Give it an aluminium trim wrap and a fun-nel, and you are good. Stick a tire flater tank on end, and dress it out. Lots of fake-ey ways to go.

I think I see the boiler date is in the 60's, it should have a pressure stamp on it too. If it is #100 lbs or greater, read on. I have been called to many a boiler, that is rated for#30lbs on the shell. Simply for steam heat, or even hydronic. No good for you.

Read up a little, and see if the tubes are rolled down, or seal welded. Detube the thing, and see what is left, it may not be much, or a lot.

Seal welds can be ground off the outside, or machined off with a mandrel that fits the tube and sweeps the welds. Tubing and a roller is easy to find. I have a tube roller for small tubes. An air gun can flair the ends with a forming mandrel. If done right, you will need no cert welding on the shell.

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Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

My bad, I just expanded the pic. It is a 1969 Columbia boiler, 17.4 sq ft heated surface. Shell is 1/4 inch, head is 5/16. Rated for 100 lbs.

Now if it hasnt suffered too much fire scale and corrosion on the bottom sheet, it is probably good for a reflue.

Small boilers like this were used in dry cleaners for shirt presses, and were gas fired. With controls, you can run them at any pressure up to the max.

Ultra sonics are used to test shell thickness, and such tests are not that expensive for an hours work.

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Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

looks like about 1" steel flues rolled in with the ends flaired over. really too big for the engine unless you are building a 15" ga. engine. you should be able to pear into one of the holes in the side and get an idea of the interior condition.

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Fred V
Pensacola, Fl.
home track:
http://www.waleswest.com

Fred, if you click on the last pic you can see two tubes overwelded to seal a leaker.

A light on a cord, like an auto tailight, dropped into a major hole can give you some idea of a look around. I think Horror Fright had a cheap Bore scope for sale not long ago.

I was thinking the same thing, this is a neat peice. But too big and heavy for 7.5.

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Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

yeah, i saw that but those ends sure don't look any weld i've ever seen. they are too smooth especially for when this was built and the edges aren't melted into the flue sheet; looks like an edge there. maybe George can look at it closer.

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Fred V
Pensacola, Fl.
home track:
http://www.waleswest.com

I am sure now the ends are flared out and peened down. This method kept flue gasses from burning off the exposed ends of the tubing.

My eyes are getting bad. The avatar I always thought was an Elk, or Mule deer. I just realized its a jackalope! My bad.

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Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

Here is an engine that your boiler would look good on. The one on it is just 2" larger.

John

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http://www.ngshay.com/
Shay drawings and castings

NOW you are talking! But what scale /gauge is it? You didn't say.

_________________
Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

That picture of the stampings is the best I can get so far. Manufacture date was 1969. It's strange, but that M in the clover leaf sure looks like a N. Figure if it was a N, I'd be sick by now...

The ID on those flues are around 1.125". A one inch cut off tool purchased from McMaster (been doing a lot of shopping from them lately) fits inside the tube but my moto tool doesn't have the umph to do more than scratch the inside of the tube. I have air tools (i.e. a die grinder) from when I did automotive work (during the '90's) but no air compressor or a 20A circuit at home to run one. Now if I could sneak a big compressor home without Momma finding out about it... Lighting off one of those gas powered air compressors might have the neighbors in an uproar.

I researched cutters that might make chips of the tops of the tubes but I think I'd need one of those big radial drill presses to do the job. Cutter is called a "port tool" and is available from http://www.newmantools.com

Thanks for the comments. I think I may have that picture of a 15" Clishay in my project book. I don't know who the men are though.

George

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George J. Becker
Lancaster, CA (formerly of Shandon, CA)
Model railroading is fun but the work expands proportionately to the track gauge.

I saw a Field repair done to a Case boiler with a brace and pipe reaming tool. The reaming tool looked like a big countersink. It only cuts the round shoulder out of the tube. A point chisel then collapses the edge of the tube, and it is worked out from there. Any welds on the tube sheets are dressed up, and fire scale removed, to check for hidden flaws or cracks.

Think 1800's when they had finess with a hammer. All the electric doodads we have today are fine, but you can do this without a lot of hassle.

_________________
Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

how bad are the leaks? could it be sealed with ginger. Caterpillar makes a radiator stop leak tablet that is supposed to plug a good sized leak.

_________________
Fred V
Pensacola, Fl.
home track:
http://www.waleswest.com