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       The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum Forum Index -> Technical tips, Details, Home Builds and Help Me!!
James

Hmmm

I was thinking, is it possible to make a steam engine out of stainless steel? As I can get as much as I want for nowt
Titan

Possible - yes, easy - no.
Griffin

James, Stainless steel is tough as old boots, so is real hard to cut by hand. Put it this way, I use an angle grinder to cut it at work.

Also an Oxy torch will not cut it to well either

Oh, and to join it you will have to use an electric arc welder.
rough-shunter

stainless steel will not hold pressure of steam verry welland it allso reacts with other metals dont touch it with a barge pole
seven.mpd

Sorry rough-shunter but stainless is a excellent material to use, I use it to make pressure vessels that have a working pessure of 80 bar and I certainly do not find it reacts with other metals. the main problem with it has been pointed out, it is a hard material, difficult to machine and bend without proper tools and needs to be welded for a good job with an argon- arc welding set this is not something that is kept in a garden shed but shoot me down bet one or two of our members have one. I think it was at the Midland Model Exibision last year that I saw a model traction engine made completley out of stainless
Chris

I'm with rough-shunter, I also think you have to be careful what other metals you use along side stainless steel. Either way I can't see it could be worth the effort trying to work with it.

Stainless is expensive. I suggest you get some for free, sell it, and use the money to buy brass!
Lewis

thats jamess knifes and forks gone
Mamodman123

Yes stick to brass! All the best steam toys are made from it
James

So would you have a go?
MTA

James wrote:
So would you have a go?


Nope! Although you could use Stainless Steel for a Mamod type Firebox or baseplate
James

You are too posh MTA, therefore you would take the easy option out
MTA

James wrote:
You are too posh MTA, therefore you would take the easy option out


If I was posh, I wouldn't be going out almost every weekend getting dirty on railways and talking to the public would I?
Chris

Yes you would...you love it!
Mamodman123

MTA wrote:
James wrote:
You are too posh MTA, therefore you would take the easy option out


If I was posh, I wouldn't be going out almost every weekend getting dirty on railways and talking to the public would I?


Why does it say in your signature you are posh and proud then?
James

LMFAO! One art proud!

Must do a screenshot
MTA

Mamodman123 wrote:
MTA wrote:
James wrote:
You are too posh MTA, therefore you would take the easy option out


If I was posh, I wouldn't be going out almost every weekend getting dirty on railways and talking to the public would I?


Why does it say in your signature you are posh and proud then?


BECUAE JAMES HAD BEEN F*****G AROUND WITH MY SIGNATURE FOR THE FOURTH TIME JAMES, DO IT AGAIN, AND I'LL LEAVE
James

We all know you are joking MTA
MTA

James wrote:
We all know you are joking MTA


James, stop covering up what YOU and only you and I can do, why would I openly admit that I am posh even though I am not.
Mamodman123

MTA wrote:
James wrote:
We all know you are joking MTA


James, stop covering up what YOU and only you and I can do, why would I openly admit that I am posh even though I am not.


Now for some cucumber sandwiches, Jeeves and make it snappy
rough-shunter

see here this is a link to another forum withe the top flite steam locomotive engineers replyinghttp://railways.national-preserva...404&highlight=stainless+steel
Dauntless

Hi James

I make pressure vessels out of Stainless but they have to be welded at tremendously high temperatures, most of the items we weld are made of pure iron which is welded, machined then either Nickel Plated or Cadmium Plated to resist corrosion, Some are even Gold Plated ??? Something to do with electrical properties,

If any of the boys in work want to do any welding for themselves they always use mild steel which can be done with a standard welder. Mild steel though be useless for a boiler because of corrosion.

what I would say though is you could get a cheap brass boiler piston & pipework off ebay and make a steam engine frame etc out of the steel if you can machine it/fabricate it yourself easily enough.
James

MTA LMFAO!!

Maybe it wasn't me that changed it, or you. Maybe it was your butler

Aye Dauntless. Going to have a go at making an all brass engine, but anything to save a few quid an I am there. Might give it a go!

Thanks for your help guys
Wallace

What about using copper for the boiler James.

It polishes up just as good as Brass.

Won't dezincify either

Sorry I couldn't find a pic already in my pb album, so here's a vid of my brothers engine

The boiler is copper (piping)

Graham-Jilly

Lovely engine Wallace
Wallace

Graham-Jilly wrote:
Lovely engine Wallace


Cheers, but unfortunately not mine.

It's my brothers homemade engine.

Still, it's the engine that started me on collecting Mamods.

If it weren't for this engine, I don't know what I'd be collecting
SPOKESMAN

Dauntless wrote:
Hi James

I make pressure vessels out of Stainless but they have to be welded at tremendously high temperatures, most of the items we weld are made of pure iron which is welded, machined then either Nickel Plated or Cadmium Plated to resist corrosion, Some are even Gold Plated ??? Something to do with electrical properties,

If any of the boys in work want to do any welding for themselves they always use mild steel which can be done with a standard welder. Mild steel though be useless for a boiler because of corrosion.

what I would say though is you could get a cheap brass boiler piston & pipework off ebay and make a steam engine frame etc out of the steel if you can machine it/fabricate it yourself easily enough.


My dad trained as a boiler maker/welder and when nearing the end of his career was working on nuclear subs - welding stainless steel for reactor covers/shields etc - he said it took a tremendous amount of heat to weld was a very tough material to work with, but very strong and durable. Well it had to be on a N sub! So I agree with Duantless - stick to brass ot mild steel!
James

Great engine Wallace! That's the sort of thing I am aiming to make
oldstuff

Wallace, great vid! Quite like that engine, it runs very well. I wonder what
the pressure guage was reading.

James, I've heard the same about stainless steel. It's just too hard to work, you'll
be spending all your dough on drill bits, not to mention the welding difficulties.

Yet, if a Girth Mamod is desired and James is the builder then I suppose
"submarine tough" isn't a bad idea either!

Are you still aiming for a 2 litre boiler, mate? Awesome! You're a wildman, dude.
('tis madness, that's what it is. He's mad...mad I tell you!)
James



Aiming for a 2 litre boiler I think, aye

IF it turns out well I MIGHT build another and sell it on ebay. I dread to think what it would make on ebay OZ
Mamodman123

James wrote:


Aiming for a 2 litre boiler I think, aye

IF it turns out well I MIGHT build another and sell it on ebay. I dread to think what it would make on ebay OZ


I'd dread to think of the postage to Oz
rough-shunter

i am thinking that a te1a would be good scaled up but that will have to wait
James

I was going to do one, but back wheels would be impossible.
rough-shunter

no they wont did brunel say that the Great Way Rounf was impossible
MTA

God's Wonderful Railway (yeah right )
James

I don't know, I do not know everything he said.
rough-shunter

basicley the rear wheels would be cut from two pices of plate folded into shape and then a spacer would be used in between the two then rivetted into place on a fabricated rim
Wallace

oldstuff wrote:
Wallace, great vid! Quite like that engine, it runs very well. I wonder what
the pressure guage was reading.
James, I've heard the same about stainless steel. It's just too hard to work, you'll
be spending all your dough on drill bits, not to mention the welding difficulties.

Yet, if a Girth Mamod is desired and James is the builder then I suppose
"submarine tough" isn't a bad idea either!

Are you still aiming for a 2 litre boiler, mate? Awesome! You're a wildman, dude.
('tis madness, that's what it is. He's mad...mad I tell you!)


Mate I'll have to confirm, but I think it runs at about 25psi. I haven't been able to contact my brother for a while, been trying to for another email I got regarding his Bing.

But yeah, from memory, it was 25. It's a oxygen bottle gauge. The safey valve is a hot water system releif valve with the setting adjusted
SPOKESMAN

Without wishing to point out the obvious - you dont think you are getting a bit ahead of yourself here James!!
rough-shunter

i have some plans that where given to me by aengineer that i know for a v twin boat ebgine made from stock and there is some boilermking i can photocopy them and send them to folk at cost of copys and postage
SPOKESMAN

Wish when I was younger I had asked mny dad to help more - he made all his own tools for his appreticeship - in those days out manufacturing industries ruled the world, skill, precision and deidcation were all pre-requisites for the job.
       The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum Forum Index -> Technical tips, Details, Home Builds and Help Me!!
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