I understand that stainless steel is not a material that is to be used in the wetted area of a boiler, but I'm trying to find all the reasonings. I've found some information on stress cracking from chloride contamination in the water, and have seen some bizarre cracking in stainless steel shafts fir...

I found the thread in the FAQs, I had remembered it but was unable to find it with the search function, since the site format change quite a while ago I've had a hard time finding threads I know existed

Thank you, that was what I was thinking (20' length by 6' beam on the flat bottom, chined to 7'' beam at 45 degrees midship, than chined to 8' at the midship rail line, and elipsing to a vertical bow and stern, but wanted to do a reality check.

I'm still slowly scrounging materials to build a steam plant, but until then I've been toying with the idea of using a 1909 associated 2.25 hp (450 rpm) hit and miss engine. My question is how much can two hp really be expected to be able to push? I'd be building a boat to use on a slow shallow rive...

Just a thought, look for a local refrigeration parts supply werehouse. I believe Gustav Larson has distributors nation wide, and carries them. With the industry switching to 410A and it's operating pressures hitting 600psi, they carry thick walled silver solderable fittings.

Okay, idea officially scrapped. Though I guess I never really though about saftey margins to ultimate fail as high as >100/1. Im more use to 1.5/1 or 2/1 on life critical parts in my other hobby (experimental class aircraft) but weight is much more of an issue there.

Okay, I know this thought is a bit out there, but with local shops that will lazer cut sheet stock cheap ive been toying with the idea of cutting a series of "harp?" Shaped sheets, weld the edges together, hook up a 2400psi pressure washer to one of the bungs welded to it, and "inflate" it to shape....

I couldn't agree more with the muzzle loader, charcoal is easy to make and you can leach niter out of about any good soil. If t works better with sulfer but its not "essential", more than one fort was saved in the early days of the united states by leaching out the dirt under the latreans when they ...

The log shows one extreme event where he moved 12 tons of coal into the boiler in one hour. . I feel sorry for the dumb bastard that picks a bar fight with the guy who's pulled that shift for couple years, calluses that can grab a broken beer bottle, and an uppercut that would introduce your chin t...

Run it on whale oil, a liquid burner would be much easier to control, and its supposed to burn supper clean