Fleischmann sight glass joint

steamgranny · Fleischmann sight glass joint

Need

with my Fleischmann sight glass joint. Don’t know what the original should look like but it arrived looking like this:

Dismantled, it appeared to be homemade. 2 roughly-cut pieces of superimposed inner tubing & no joints at all under the little screws. I just tidied things up & put it back but a leak has since appeared & need to do a better job.
Any info appreciated.

IndianaRog

Hi SG...

I have a Fleishmann with a sight glass just like yours, but in 46 years of owning it I have never had a leak nor touched even the sight glass cover attachment screws. I CAN tell you from other readings that the sight glass itself is horseshoe shape with the two open ends extending into non threaded holes in the boiler face. Mine appears to have been bedded in a red rubber compound of a sealant sort from the factory...definitely NOT a gasket. If I were to try and replicate it I think I might try silicone caulk, but before trying that, lets hear if others have actually disassembled one and successfully put it back together without leaks.

cheers,
Roger

steamgranny

Thanks for that Rog & interesting, as there did seem to be remains of some reddish deposit under the black rubber. I have some silicone if needs be. Hopefully someone else can shed more light.

oldstuff

Though not identical, the principle should be the same.
This was done to seal my Falk vertical's sight glass leak:

I removed all the pieces and cleaned them smooth with a Dremel, mixed up
some JB weld(black silicone calk would probably work just as well), and
applied it so it surrounded the two ends of the glass in they're respective
holes in the boiler. As I recall, a little JB weld was applied to the two
anchoring screw holes, also.

steamgranny

Thanks oldstuff. So it would seem there is more than just a joint & some form of caulking is in order. Can anyone confirm whether there should be joints under the actual screws as well? Mine didn't have any.

steamgranny

Just wanted to thank Roger & Chuck for their tips re: sight glass & have since replaced using silicone caulk. This has held through 2 test steamings with nary a drip & will hopefully continue to do so

All that needs solving now is burner tray. Had made one out of bent tin that looked vaugely similar to one seen in photos of same model but it simply vibrates backwards out of firebox

There may well have been a rail holding it in originally, so it's back to the drawing board for time being with that problem

IndianaRog

SG...glad the sight glass replacement with silicone caulking seems to be holding back the pressure.

Now for you fuel tray...sounds like you are just sliding it in on a flat surface with no try guide to hold it. If that is the case, you could make such a guide out of same tin that you made tray from, form it into a horseshoe shape snug enough to hold the burner tray, then drill hole up from beneath and pop rivet it to the floor of the firebox (or nut and bolt). Hope that makes sense...nothing fancy, just a friction fit that won't move.

cheers,
Rog

steamgranny