The Steamboating Forum

I wish to buy a set of new brass gauges for the launch that I am building. Who makes/sells the best classic looking brass gauges in 3'' - 4" ?

Hi
I would email Richard Havard, he has lots of new old stock.

Lionel,

If you're looking for the best then either Budenberg Gauge Co. of Irlam, Manchester, UK or Sydney Smith Gauges (now part of Rototherm group, who have a Singapore branch) would be my recommendation- don't be fooled by modern industrial websites, their factories still make the best gauges available- for a price!

The other option, given your machining facilities, buy any gauge of the right pressure range, make a new case in brass and make/get made a new engraved/printed dial- bespoke gauges at a fraction of the price that way.

Greg

Ebay is a good place and I've had good luck with old gauges working properly, other steam stuff from Ebay not so much. Stick with Crosby if possible.

The 12" brass bezel/brass face Crosby steam gauge in my wheelhouse is in perfect condition and I lucked out and found it newly listed on Ebay for 50 dollars. Someone needed 50 dollars really bad.

-Ron

Many thanks for your replies.

Have spoken with Richard regarding the gauges already, no luck.

I will contact the companies that have been suggested by Greg and get some quotes.

I rather like the idea of making my own housings and using the internals of some new gauges. Let me see how the prices stack up against each other.

Yes Ebay can be good and I have looked there a few times. The problem is that I need 5 or 6 gauges and I want them all to be a matched set.

Thanks

Lionel

I'm an ashcroft fan new and old. They have a lot of different models, just make sure you pick the right one for the application add a siphon/pig tail or bend your own. and have a stop cock so if the guage breaks you can isolate the gauge.

Here is one 3.5 brass gauge from mcmaster. Not a fan of the font on this one. I really don't think printing your old-timey gauge dial would be that hard. The traction engine folks do this because they all want the guages that were branded for the manufacturer of traction engine. You could get just photoshop it and print on a color laser and spray it with somekind of sealer.
https://www.mcmaster.com/#4023k311/=1c1oc0s

Here is one set of gauges that may be of interest, add your own siphon/pigtail
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ASHCROFT-AIR-P ... SwEeFU6eUl

-CB

P.S. Just search ebay for ashcroft pressure guage and the psi range you need. To my understanding of the ASME that's supposed to be 1.5 * your boiler's MAWP generally if it is serving as the primary boiler pressure gauge.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=a ... i&_sacat=0

In the Uk there are;-

www.tjwilliams co.uk
and
www.pressuregauge.co.uk (S.M. gauge co)

Regards
Jack
p.s. "guage" is not a word! (yes I am an old pedant)

Better check your O.E.D. Jack.

p.s. "guage" is not a word! (yes I am an old pedant)

According the Wiki, guage is a word..... a misspelled word.

Quote: "The problem is that I need 5 or 6 gauges and I want them all to be a matched set."

That would be about impossible to find in antique gauges. I've seen perhaps three on a board, all old and matching and they go for insane money. One route you could go and wind up with antique gauges, the cases are typically the same as long as it all one maker, the only difference is the pressure range and the face or dial.

It wouldn't be too difficult to find gauges by the same manufacturer with identical cases. For the face: The faces of just about all these old gauges I have seen were sheet brass and engraved, which is easy with Cad Cam and CNC. Any artwork desired with a .005" deep pocketing routine and .005" tip er so v-bit engraver for the characters (I think the originals were done either by hand or an impression die). Some of the faces were left brass finish, some were finely sandblasted and then Nickle plated for a satin silver finish. When I restored my cars' gauges, I researched how the letters were colored and they used colored wax. I needed black wax, thought about it a bit and it dawned on me - black crayola crayons.. Worked perfectly.

Just curious, why are 5 or 6 gauges needed?

-Ron