UK Suppliers of 3” Copper Tube for Model Boilers
Les Smith is building a model of a Case Traction Engine to a design by ‘Julian’.
Model Case Traction Engine “Julian” – Side View
Les had problems sourcing in Thailand the 3” thick walled* copper tube for the boiler as specified in the design.
* The drawings call for a 3mm (about 1/8″ or 10 swg) thick copper boiler shell. Boiler diameter 83mm or about 3.25″. See comments on boiler barrel thicknesses below.
I offered to search for suppliers and finding none in Thailand, switched my search to UK.
Below is what I came up with (July 2024)
Report of A Review Of 7 (Seven) Suppliers With UK Based Websites
1) College Engineering
https://www.collegeengineering.co.uk/product/3-od-x-10g/
UK Only
2) MK Metals
https://www.mkmetals.co.uk/product/3-od-x-10g-copper-tube-metre/
Out of Stock
Delivery UK and worldwide
3) Polly Models
https://www.polly-me.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=65_179
21/05/2024: We are pleased to announce that international shipping is now available.
Only up to 7/16″ Dia
4) Metals4U
https://www.metals4u.co.uk
No Copper
5) AJ Reeves
https://www.ajreeves.com/8661[1].html
COPPER TUBE 3 1/4″ X 16 G (1.6mm)
6) Blackgates Engineering
http://www.blackgates.co.uk/
Tube (Solid Drawn Seamless) Sizes 1/16″ OD x 28G To 6″ OD x 10G.
Catalogue shows 3″OD X 16g
Boiler Kits
We Will Be Pleased To Quote For Complete Boiler Material Kits With Or Without Flanged Plates For Any Model.
Kits Include Barrel, All Flues & Tubes. Plates Either Cut To Sufficient Size Ready For Flanging By The Customer Or Already Flanged. Firehole Ring, Foundation Ring, Stay And Bush Materials.
Please Note Barrels Will Be Supplied As Tube If It Is A Standard Diameter. Tapered Barrels And Non Standard Diameters Will Be Supplied As Flat Sheet. However We Will Quote For Rolling, Silver Soldering With Butt Strap Taper And Non Standard Diameter Tubes.
7) Maidstone Engineering
https://www.maidstone-engineering.com/collections/copper/products/copper-tube?variant=36261951242406
Copper Tube C106, 3″ X 16swg x 300mm 1,408.01 THB
Conclusions On Sources for Thick Walled Copper Tube
Apart from College Engineering who offer 3″ X 10g but supply to UK only, none of the suppliers offer 3″ X 10g copper tube.
Only the following suppliers list 3″ (or thereabouts) X 16g (about 1.6mm or 1/16″) tube:-
- AJ Reeves – 3 1/4″ X 16g
- Blackgates Engineering – 3″ X 16g
- Maidstone Engineering – 3″ X 16g
Comments On Boiler Barrel Thicknesses
This is probably not the right section of the website to be commenting upon boiler designs and specifications.
However this subject is directly related to what thickness of copper boiler tube is available, so this brief comment section is included here.
The Case boiler design mentioned above calls for 3mm wall thickness boiler shell with 5mm thick tubeplates plain and unflanged.
Case Traction Engine “Julian” Boiler Design
Similar sized boilers (3″ dia”) in the UK the boiler shell are sometimes specified as 16 gauge, about 1/16″ or 1.6mm. In these cases all boiler plates, such as tubeplates and throatplates etc would be flanged with flanges silver soldered as lap joints.
Here is an example of such a boiler offered by Maxitrak:-
Maxitrak 1 1/8″ Scale Burrell Boiler for Coal Firing
The above drawing specifies the boiler barrel: 3″ OD X 16g (Copper)
Of course other considerations come into affect, here such as working pressure and external stresses – these being higher in a traction engine than, say, a locomotive, so it is not suggested that 16g is the correct thickness for all model steam boilers of 3″ diameter.
There is a lot more info on the subject here:-
copper tube wall thickness | Home Model Engine Machinist Forum
Model boiler design information | Home Model Engine Machinist Forum
One of the best sources of information on model boiler design is the Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee. (AMBSC) The four books (1) Copper (2) Steel (3) Sub-miniature and (4) Duplex Steel:-
http://www.smex.net.au/Store/Store_AALS-Codes.php
What I am suggesting is that this could be why none of the UK suppliers investigated in the exercise reported above offer 3″ copper tube at 3mm (10g) thickness.
Tube or Pipe?
From Bing Copilot 04/07/2024:-
- Pipe: Typically used for transporting fluids and gases. It’s measured by its nominal pipe size (NPS), which indicates the approximate inner diameter, and the wall thickness is specified by a schedule number.
- Tube: Often used for structural applications. It’s measured by the exact outside diameter (OD) and wall thickness (WT). Tubes can be round, square, rectangular, or oval in shape12.
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