Bill Shields
11-08-2006, 01:42 PM
Last night, Jim and I took the beast by the horns and finished the boiler..all except for the gaskets that he is going to make today so that we can hydro on Thursday (choir practice tonight).
Anyway, BEFORE we put in the tubes, the boiler got a thorough washing out of all welding slag, chips, dead mice, broken drills, grinding grit, safety glasses and other miscellaneous junk from the construction process.
Months of hard work, drug out into the front yard and hosed down like a dirty dog..oh well....gotta do it. Getting the junk out BEFORE you put the tubes in is much easier than afterward.
Also, you need to be ABSOLUTELY sure that you have a flat surface for the rolling collar to sit on...welding slag, WELD, etc, must be removed around the tube holes so that the collar and consequently the roller, can sit perfectly square with the hole. I had a few small 'balls' of weld spatter that I had to knock off with a hammer and small chlsel to get the desired flat surface.
Next, with Jim sitting on the floor, hands in the firebox, we put the tubes in one at a time and rolled the smokebox end.
Excuse the bad photo. I intentionally took it without a flash to show what is seen from the 'feed end' of tube insertion....and I didn't hold the camera very still..
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/jimonfloor.jpg
Jim is sitting on the floor, holding the crash light so that I can see where the tube is supposed to go. The tubesheet holes were reamed about 0.002" oversize to allow easy insertion of the tubes. I did this reaming AFTER the tubesheet had been welded in place.
My tool of choice is for this process is a bridge reamer. For the firebox end, I reamed the holes BEFORE the smokebox tubesheet was welded in place. For this, I used..you guessed it...LOCTITE to put an extension on the reamer...which makes it easy to take off when no longer needed.
I fed the tubes down through the top, then the firebox. Jim made sure that we were in the correct hole in the firebox and, that we had the correct amount of protrusion inside. Getting a tube into the wrong hole is a serious problem...so DON'T let this happen!
The tubes need to be a at least flush with the non-pressure side of the tubesheet... preferrably a bit 'proud'...exactly how much is not terribly critical. Having the protrusion match the depth of the roller collar recess is good...so again, planning ahead for the rolling process when you cut the tubes is a good thing...
Even though Jim couldn't see the ends of the tubes, his 60 years of shop 'feel' was more than accurate enough to give me a +/- 1/32" reference to center the tubes.
When he was satisfied that the tube was where it should be, I rolled the top (smokebox end) and moved on to the next tube.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/fronttubeshalfdone.jpg
I set a telescope gage for the desired minimum ID and worked to that initially...roll...check..maybe roll again...go to the next tube. After about 6 tubes, I really didn't have to bother checking each one...but I did check after all were finished.
Next, we flipped the boiler over on the smokebox end, and started rolling the firebox sheet.
Here is where you need to be very careful because, with an extension and a universal joint on the thin roller mandrel, it is VERY POSSIBLE to break the roller. ALSO, if things wobble..the rolling doesn't always go as neat as it should...so caution.
Remember, this is a free-lance loco design...almost entirely out of my head.
I designed the boiler / firedoor to allow me to get inside with a minimal angle on the roller. I ALSO was careful to be ABSOLUTELY SURE that I had enough space between the end tubes and the firebox wrapper (and weld) to get the roller in without interference.
If you aren't careful during the design stage, and simply try to cram in as many tubes as you can (common practice with live steamers)....you might just end up having to expand the tubes using the rubber washer method down through the smokebox....or building a Jesse roller with a LONG mandrel and working from the smokebox. Trust me, you don't want to purchase an extension roller...they cost $1000.00 and up...
The collar on my roller is 1-3/8" in diameter, so there is 3/4" clearance from the center line of any tube to the nearest obstruction. This I designed into the boiler. If you have closer obstructions, a new collar can be made...so the world won't come to an end...
The next two pictures show how firebox rolling, including one of Jim with the drill in hand. Believe me, this is tough on a VSD drill and it was quite hot by the time the job was done...high torque at low speeds.
Marty uses a Mikwaulkee Hole Shooter..and if I were in the business of building a LOT of boilers, I would too..
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/rollingfirebox.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/Rollingfirebox-jim.jpg
One final note...
Again, we used my magic marker method on the rolling....since it IS a part of boiler building and eligible for magic marker treatment.
Since the mandrel is tapered and all the tubes / holes are the same size, it follows that if you roll to a point where the mandrel is 'down in' the roller to a specific point every time, you will get consistent rolling.
So, once we found that point, I simply...you guessed it...marked the mandrel it with magic marker...and worked to the mark.
If you use this technique, be sure that you use realy good marker..because before it is all over with, everything is covered in the oil used to lubricate the roller...I dunk it in a coffee can of oil before each roll.
The rolling process frequently creates little flakes of copper that stick to the roll..and you really DON'T want them transferred to the ID of the next tube...so wash them off with oil and lubricate the works in the process.
Another way to do this would possibly be to put a sleeve on the mandrel to limit the depth to which you can roll...kind of like a depth gauge on a drill.
The only potential problem with this is that if you DO roll a bit deep, and jam the mandrel down on the sleeve, there is a possibility that you might break the mandrel...
Here is what the finished job looked like, 1-1/2 hours after starting the process.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/fronttubesdone.jpg
If you are going to roll tubes, I STRONGLY suggest that you get a trusted friend to help..snaking the tubes in, getting them into the correct hole and keeping them in place while you get the roller started takes practice and can be frustrating. An extra pair of hands and eyes makes a job like this go like clockwork rather than being a frustrating evening.
After you have done a few boilers, you can get the hang of it and do the engire job by yourself, but until then...a friend indeed.. when it's a friend you need.
Besides, with a friend helping, you have somebody to share a beer with when the job is done.
The next photo you see from me will most likely be one of a pressure gauge sitting on 300 PSI.
The moral of this story is that if you plan ahead (for the roller and tube length / placement), don't get in a hurry and KNOW what the possible pitfalls are BEFORE you start building the boiler, even the most delicate of boiler work can go smoothly without a hitch.
Even a guy armed with a magic marker, grinder, cutting torch and a yardstick can build a boiler if he is careful..
Time for a beer....
[This message has been edited by Bill Shields (edited 11-08-2006).]
Anyway, BEFORE we put in the tubes, the boiler got a thorough washing out of all welding slag, chips, dead mice, broken drills, grinding grit, safety glasses and other miscellaneous junk from the construction process.
Months of hard work, drug out into the front yard and hosed down like a dirty dog..oh well....gotta do it. Getting the junk out BEFORE you put the tubes in is much easier than afterward.
Also, you need to be ABSOLUTELY sure that you have a flat surface for the rolling collar to sit on...welding slag, WELD, etc, must be removed around the tube holes so that the collar and consequently the roller, can sit perfectly square with the hole. I had a few small 'balls' of weld spatter that I had to knock off with a hammer and small chlsel to get the desired flat surface.
Next, with Jim sitting on the floor, hands in the firebox, we put the tubes in one at a time and rolled the smokebox end.
Excuse the bad photo. I intentionally took it without a flash to show what is seen from the 'feed end' of tube insertion....and I didn't hold the camera very still..
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/jimonfloor.jpg
Jim is sitting on the floor, holding the crash light so that I can see where the tube is supposed to go. The tubesheet holes were reamed about 0.002" oversize to allow easy insertion of the tubes. I did this reaming AFTER the tubesheet had been welded in place.
My tool of choice is for this process is a bridge reamer. For the firebox end, I reamed the holes BEFORE the smokebox tubesheet was welded in place. For this, I used..you guessed it...LOCTITE to put an extension on the reamer...which makes it easy to take off when no longer needed.
I fed the tubes down through the top, then the firebox. Jim made sure that we were in the correct hole in the firebox and, that we had the correct amount of protrusion inside. Getting a tube into the wrong hole is a serious problem...so DON'T let this happen!
The tubes need to be a at least flush with the non-pressure side of the tubesheet... preferrably a bit 'proud'...exactly how much is not terribly critical. Having the protrusion match the depth of the roller collar recess is good...so again, planning ahead for the rolling process when you cut the tubes is a good thing...
Even though Jim couldn't see the ends of the tubes, his 60 years of shop 'feel' was more than accurate enough to give me a +/- 1/32" reference to center the tubes.
When he was satisfied that the tube was where it should be, I rolled the top (smokebox end) and moved on to the next tube.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/fronttubeshalfdone.jpg
I set a telescope gage for the desired minimum ID and worked to that initially...roll...check..maybe roll again...go to the next tube. After about 6 tubes, I really didn't have to bother checking each one...but I did check after all were finished.
Next, we flipped the boiler over on the smokebox end, and started rolling the firebox sheet.
Here is where you need to be very careful because, with an extension and a universal joint on the thin roller mandrel, it is VERY POSSIBLE to break the roller. ALSO, if things wobble..the rolling doesn't always go as neat as it should...so caution.
Remember, this is a free-lance loco design...almost entirely out of my head.
I designed the boiler / firedoor to allow me to get inside with a minimal angle on the roller. I ALSO was careful to be ABSOLUTELY SURE that I had enough space between the end tubes and the firebox wrapper (and weld) to get the roller in without interference.
If you aren't careful during the design stage, and simply try to cram in as many tubes as you can (common practice with live steamers)....you might just end up having to expand the tubes using the rubber washer method down through the smokebox....or building a Jesse roller with a LONG mandrel and working from the smokebox. Trust me, you don't want to purchase an extension roller...they cost $1000.00 and up...
The collar on my roller is 1-3/8" in diameter, so there is 3/4" clearance from the center line of any tube to the nearest obstruction. This I designed into the boiler. If you have closer obstructions, a new collar can be made...so the world won't come to an end...
The next two pictures show how firebox rolling, including one of Jim with the drill in hand. Believe me, this is tough on a VSD drill and it was quite hot by the time the job was done...high torque at low speeds.
Marty uses a Mikwaulkee Hole Shooter..and if I were in the business of building a LOT of boilers, I would too..
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/rollingfirebox.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/Rollingfirebox-jim.jpg
One final note...
Again, we used my magic marker method on the rolling....since it IS a part of boiler building and eligible for magic marker treatment.
Since the mandrel is tapered and all the tubes / holes are the same size, it follows that if you roll to a point where the mandrel is 'down in' the roller to a specific point every time, you will get consistent rolling.
So, once we found that point, I simply...you guessed it...marked the mandrel it with magic marker...and worked to the mark.
If you use this technique, be sure that you use realy good marker..because before it is all over with, everything is covered in the oil used to lubricate the roller...I dunk it in a coffee can of oil before each roll.
The rolling process frequently creates little flakes of copper that stick to the roll..and you really DON'T want them transferred to the ID of the next tube...so wash them off with oil and lubricate the works in the process.
Another way to do this would possibly be to put a sleeve on the mandrel to limit the depth to which you can roll...kind of like a depth gauge on a drill.
The only potential problem with this is that if you DO roll a bit deep, and jam the mandrel down on the sleeve, there is a possibility that you might break the mandrel...
Here is what the finished job looked like, 1-1/2 hours after starting the process.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l45/crazysteamer/boiler/fronttubesdone.jpg
If you are going to roll tubes, I STRONGLY suggest that you get a trusted friend to help..snaking the tubes in, getting them into the correct hole and keeping them in place while you get the roller started takes practice and can be frustrating. An extra pair of hands and eyes makes a job like this go like clockwork rather than being a frustrating evening.
After you have done a few boilers, you can get the hang of it and do the engire job by yourself, but until then...a friend indeed.. when it's a friend you need.
Besides, with a friend helping, you have somebody to share a beer with when the job is done.
The next photo you see from me will most likely be one of a pressure gauge sitting on 300 PSI.
The moral of this story is that if you plan ahead (for the roller and tube length / placement), don't get in a hurry and KNOW what the possible pitfalls are BEFORE you start building the boiler, even the most delicate of boiler work can go smoothly without a hitch.
Even a guy armed with a magic marker, grinder, cutting torch and a yardstick can build a boiler if he is careful..
Time for a beer....
[This message has been edited by Bill Shields (edited 11-08-2006).]