The Steamboating Forum

Help!

I have not figured out to best utilize the search feature here to find the answer to my question which is:

I have a 20 year old boiler purchased several years ago that has the boiler lagging falling apart. The copper straps holding the lagging are failing resulting in lagging starting to fall off the boiler falling off or slipping down in several locations. It needs major work.

Is there any information on how to install boiler lagging available? I cant find any. Help would be appreciated.

The question is rather vague, but the best tool I've found is a nylon cargo ratchet strap. Use a couple, tighten one and loosen the other. They will stretch a bit to allow another strip be installed without them all falling out. They will hold the strips while new bands are installed also.

-Ron

I don't know if there is any insulation under your lagging but this might be an opportunity to add some. As well as refinish your lagging pieces. As Ron says, those el cheapo 1" wide ratchet straps work great to pull everything together when it's time to reassemble.

Hi,

try rubber luggage straps like this to fix boiler insulation and lagging during assembly.

--
Dietrich

I am a little confused. In the boiler business the insulation is the “lagging” and the sheet metal covering is the “jacket”. Did the first message suggest that the lagging was the finished surface as with wood lagging bound with brass bands?

Wooden slats or sheet metal jacket are commonly referred to as the "lagging" in the hobby marine steam world.

Note that wood is a traditional insulating & covering material for firetube boilers. A layer of fiberglass or fiberfrax underneath will make the boiler more efficient.

Here's an example of a locomotive with wooden lagging: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_lagg ... irefly.jpg

- Bart

I have a VFT-40 with about 40mm of glass blanket under 10mm wood slats. The glass really helps unless you have just come to the dock and would rather the beast not make so much steam!

I find that in places where the wood (mahogany) touches the boiler that it can char at 140 p.s.i.

With the glass blanket I can snuggle up against the lagging with no danger of burns. Of course all too many of my pipe fittings are bare so I manage to cook myself fairly often. No substitute for thinking. Sigh.