The Steamboating Forum

I have a foot or so of flexible steam pipe between my boiler and engine. Not that it needs to flex seriously but to fix a cracking issue I had with ordinary copper pipe. In spite of some seriously solid motor beds in my new hull, the engine does move a bit when working hard.

The question being, are any of these lagging schemes more flexible than others? Also, the flexible pipe has a S.S. woven outer sheath. Wondering if I should take any measures to keep liquids from penetrating that weave. What damage that might do I have no idea. Just fussing I suppose. Same for the flexing issue as well.

I'm still at my winter home in southern Baja Mexico so I'm sitting around thinking up problems.

Mike

I have a foot or so of flexible steam pipe between my boiler and engine. Not that it needs to flex seriously but to fix a cracking issue I had with ordinary copper pipe. In spite of some seriously solid motor beds in my new hull, the engine does move a bit when working hard.

The question being, are any of these lagging schemes more flexible than others? Also, the flexible pipe has a S.S. woven outer sheath. Wondering if I should take any measures to keep liquids from penetrating that weave. What damage that might do I have no idea. Just fussing I suppose. Same for the flexing issue as well.

I just put the same sort of flexible steam (corrugated stainless tube w/ braided stainless sheath) on the connection from the boiler to the siren & whistle bolted to the canopy, since the
canopy does flex forward and aft a bit. Clearly, woven fiberglass is flexible, but it looks a bit anachronistic at times. I'll try wrapping the line w/ fiberglass, rope and then cotton fabric w/
Titebond III to keep the water out, and finish it off w/a couple of coats of gloss white paint. If you want more flex, some of the liquid rubber compounds used for trailer roofs may work well.

- Bart

barts wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 6:55 pm There are also various products available made from fiberglass sold as exhaust wrap. Keep in mind that unless covered with a water proof
coating, these wraps will soak up rain or spray making them less effective both as insulators and in preventing burns, and for those covering
covering steel rather than beautifully bent bronze piping ...

Hence, the "beautifully bent bronze on IONA ...

Rub it in, Steve. Rub it in.

Mike

Rub it in, Steve. Rub it in.

Of course... that's how that bronze stays so shiny.

- Bart

Booo.

Of course that explains why my head is much shinier than yours. Ladies rubbing on it!

Lol!

Barbara says my crop failure aloft is simply due to gravity. It's sinking in up there and coming out my nose and ears. Science in action.