Replacement of 1" Boiler Tube?

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apm
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Replacement of 1" Boiler Tube?

Post by apm »

I need to replace some 1 in od boiler tubes. The original tubes were steel and are 1 inch OD, ligament sizing is currently 1/4". Going up to 1.125 in for 1-in copper seems like it'll probably leave the ligaments too small I think. I have rollers for 1-in and 3/4 in copper pipe but I'm not sure about 1 in OD tube nor where I can get the appropriate steel tubing.

If I go with steel, what should I use for wall thickness? Will 0.035 leave enough allowance for future corrosion? Otherwise on the full size locomotives we often used copper sleeves around the tubes. Would it be unheard of to make a 1"of, 0.875" ID copper bushing and roll the whole thing in there or maybe silver solder on bushings? I am wondering if copper sweat unions can maybe be machined to fit? I am not sure if I have ever heard of that being done in scale but it seems to work on paper assuming we don't destroy the tube sheets getting them out. Anyone ever done this before?
765nkp
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Re: Replacement of 1" Boiler Tube?

Post by 765nkp »

Easiest way to fix that would be cut out the old tube sheets out, make new ones with the hole size you want.
Would suggest using copper tubes.

Tim
apm
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Re: Replacement of 1" Boiler Tube?

Post by apm »

765nkp wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 8:01 pm Easiest way to fix that would be cut out the old tube sheets out, make new ones with the hole size you want.
Would suggest using copper tubes.

Tim
I have been going back and forth over whether it is better to cut out the old and weld in a new set of tube sheets vs saving what's there. What's consensus say? I think we can manage the welding if needed.

It looks like 1" copper OD tube is available with a 0.87" ID so is sleeving the ends a practical option?
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Bill Shields
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Re: Replacement of 1" Boiler Tube?

Post by Bill Shields »

silver soldering sleeves on is a no no. You would never roll them properly.

Do you actually have the old steel tubes out? I am assuming not. The whole world changes when you try to get the tubes out..

Is this a typical horizontal locomotive boiler or something else?
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
apm
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Re: Replacement of 1" Boiler Tube?

Post by apm »

Bill Shields wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 9:02 pm silver soldering sleeves on is a no no. You would never roll them properly.

Do you actually have the old steel tubes out? I am assuming not. The whole world changes when you try to get the tubes out..

Is this a typical horizontal locomotive boiler or something else?
Typical locomotive style horizontal boiler. The plan is to have a go at trying to get the tubes out this weekend, so they're still in there. If they don't come out the plan is to cut the sheets and remove the bundle and then make/weld in new ones.

I looked it up I guess the word is "ferrules" at least it is pretty common practice to use steel tubes on copper ferrules for the bigger boilers. Would it be practical on this size? Would copper on copper be practical? I probably will have some material on hand to at least make a test piece and figure it out.

In the past I have made a sample piece by welding 2 end plates of equal thickness of the tube sheets with a short length of pipe welded between. Then I roll in my tubes and hydro to 2X working pressure and if it all holds I have some confidence my process should work on the greater boiler.
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Re: Replacement of 1" Boiler Tube?

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

The plan is to have a go at trying to get the tubes out this weekend, so they're still in there. If they don't come out the plan is to cut the sheets and remove the bundle and then make/weld in new ones.
That's what I would plan on from the get-go. I've done this numerous times, and I believe it will work out best this way and save you a lot of time and hassle. I tried to save a tube sheet that had copper tubes silver soldered into it. The sheets didn't look that bad, so I drilled and removed the tubes. but I could never get it back to clean steel with my reamer. There was always something left in some of the holes. I tried reaming it 0.010" oversize and it still didn't get completely clean on several of them, so I just cut it out and made new sheets. Should have done that to begin with and not wasted my time.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Replacement of 1" Boiler Tube?

Post by Bill Shields »

Saw the boiler in half through the shell at a convenient location.

Take the tubes out that way.

Weld shell back together with new sheets a needed.

Install new tubes of the correct size, no ferrules is best way
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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