R. R. #13, Box 209, Brazil, Indiana 47834
We would like to believe that the boiler on Granddad’s
engine is as good as the day it left the factory, but rust and
corrosion have taken their toll. Many of our boilers are now 70 or
more years in age. Some of the needed repairs may be minor but few
boiler repairs are ‘quick fixes.’
Many of us do not have the facilities for boiler repairs or to
do hot riveting. I would like fellow steam hobbyists to know that
there are a few boiler shops around that still make repairs. Some
of you may think this article is going to be an advertisement, but
that is not really my intention. My intent is let everyone know
that there is no reason to operate an unsafe boiler!
The boiler shop I am most familiar with is B&B Steam
Restoration Shop at Greensburg, Indiana. The owners are Berry
Moorman and Bob Gold; (hence the name B&B). Brian Vaughn and
Sam Ertel work along with Bob and Berry in the shop.
My story begins in October, 1994. My father and I planned to
steam up our 20-75 Nichols & Shepard double rear-mount, to pull
it on the Baker fan and put it into the shed for the winter. At 135
lbs. of steam pressure we heard a steam leak in the smokebox. We
were not lucky enough to have blown a hand hole gasket; instead we
had a leak in the front flue sheet. The hole was large enough to
stick a baling wire in and was in the bend of the flue sheet below
and to the side of the front hand hole plate.
I borrowed an ultrasonic tester from work and after a series of
test spots I discovered that the front flue sheet was less than
1/16 inch thickness in a few places. This
meant that you could not build up around the leak with weld, as it
would likely start leaking somewhere else shortly. The proper
repair would be to patch the front flue sheet.
Quantity
Description
Rate
Amount
32
Labor-tube sheet
25.00
800.00
4
Labor-smoke box patch
25.00
100.00
11.5
Labor-install flues
25.00
287.50
Subtotal-nontaxable items
1,187.50
3/8 boiler plate
125.00
125.00
3/4 rivets
25.00
25.00
1/4 boiler plate
50.00
50.00
Indiana Sales Tax
5.00%
10.00
TOTAL
1397.50
Detail of charges from B&B invoice.
I phoned B&B Steam Restoration to get an idea of guidelines
they used to determine the size of the patch and what the repair
might cost. The original flue sheet was ‘ or .50 thick, and in
order to do a proper patch we wanted a minimum of .330 or
approximately 21/64 thickness on the old flue
sheet to weld the patch to. One other factor was the condition of
the rivet heads, as we wanted to remove all rivets where the head
was deteriorated. I proceeded to cut out all but the top two rows
of flues, as they would be above the new patch. The top of the
patch would actually be between the third and fourth row of flues
but in order to weld and grind at the patch line, the row of flues
above the top of the patch needed to be removed.
After moving the engine to B&B’s shop, the bad part of
the flue sheet was removed and we decided to replace the lower part
of the smokebox, as the bottom was very thin. This was the perfect
time to replace the smokebox bottom, because with part of the flue
sheet removed, the new bottom could be welded in without leaving
any signs of welding.
B&B hand-formed a new flue sheet patch complete with flange,
welded in the patch, put in 19 new rivets, replaced the smokebox
bottom, put in the flues (which I furnished) and cold-water-tested
the boiler all in a two-week period.
I was well pleased with the work quality and appearance, also I
appreciated getting my engine back home in such a short period of
time. B&B doesn’t do this work for free, but I do feel that
their repair charges are reasonable, as the copy of my invoice will
show.
If you should find yourself east of Greensburg, Indiana, or
close to the New Point exit on 1-74, stop in at the B&B Steam
Restoration Shop and talk to Berry, Bob, Brian or Sam. You will get
to see a variety of repairs in progress and many different makes of
steam engines. To reach B&B by telephone call 812-663-4531.
