Trial Boiler Assembly With Water Tubes

Here are some pics of the boiler, water tubes included, being assembled into the casing.

But first let’s try to answer the question:-

Can The Existing Boiler Design Be Actually Constructed?​

Before a decision is made on a new boiler I have to know whether the existing boiler design can actually be constructed or is a redesign needed?

The first question is this: Is the same technique as described above (minus melting the temporary throatplate and the copper water tubes) of silver soldering the water tubes into the boiler shell, aligning them with a temporary throatplate and then silver soldering the tubes as a first operation worth pursuing in the next boiler?

Well as shown in the photos below is was possible to get the water tubes into the throatplate. Possible, but no easy. And made more difficult by trying to get the 1/16″ holding rivets in place. Some tubes are short of course, where they have melted.

But, in the photo above note that the throatplate is too far forwards. Pull it back and the tubes start to drop out.

This is how it looks from the other side:-

Notice that the boiler shell itself has melted! That’s probably the aluminium burning rather than melting solely from the heat of the blow torch.

OK so not lets try to assemble the rest of the boiler including the casing.

And a side view:-

The above photo shows the limited amount of space for the water tubes between the boiler and the casing. i.e. zero clearance hence the water tubes mut be flat an parallel to the boiler.