[modeleng] Re: steel boilers & Cu flues

I don't consider myself as a steel boiler builder, but I have made 5 of the 
things for my different locomotives.  One is a vertical style and one is a 
"T" Boiler Shay, another is a "Wagon top" American, one is the wee little 
Falk #1, while the Filer and Stowell Boiler is a straight 6" tube type.  All 
use copper tubes with the Falk and vertical boiler "Newbie Project" being 
3/8" copper swaged with a taper punch.  The other three have 1/2" ID copper 
water pipe and I rolled them with a home made roller.  No problems with any 
of them leaking after the first rolling and hydro test to 400PSIG.  Oops, 
take that back, one flue in the Filer and Stowell horizontal did eventually 
spring a leak and needed to be rerolled, but I made my roller so I can drive 
it from the firebox end even when rolling the firebox end of the flue.  The 
roller was featured in an issue of Live Steam and Outdoor Railroading and 
also in the hardback collection of my musings and useless misinformation. 
Commercial flue rollers just don't have enough room to work in the confines 
of our small fireboxes hence the reason for designing my own.

Jesse the somewhat crazed machinist/boilermaker in West Tennessee USA. 

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