Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Builds, Repairs, Show Your Machines! => Technical Tips, Builds, and Help => Topic started by: AirSpyder on February 22, 2022, 09:01:40 pm

Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on March 07, 2022, 04:56:54 pm
Thanks for posting the instructions Nick.
Good place for them.
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: Nick on March 06, 2022, 07:53:41 am
That looks great Bill! 👍 By the way, don’t know if you have the instructions, but I recently took pictures of mine, so I will add them here in case you or anyone else want them


[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on March 06, 2022, 07:32:06 am
I got impatient waiting for the 1/32" material so I forced it out of 1/16".
Pretty good fit so I think I'll leave it alone for now and move on to the next project.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on March 03, 2022, 06:01:21 pm
I have had no luck finding 1/32nd thick aluminum locally, had toorder online :(
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on March 03, 2022, 06:00:02 pm
Hi Exador,
I used a lead free plumbing solder as all the heat is in the coiled tube.
If the boiler needed to withstand higher pressure or heat heat I would use silver.
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: Exador on February 26, 2022, 07:57:39 pm
It's a very nice looking setup. Question, what type/brand solder did you use?
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on February 26, 2022, 09:23:34 am
Thanks Nick,
I'll give it a shot.
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: Nick on February 26, 2022, 09:02:13 am
[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

[attachimg=3]
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: Nick on February 26, 2022, 09:01:22 am
Hi Bill, here are the measurements, they don’t snap on very well, so I can see why they get lost

[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on February 24, 2022, 04:29:06 pm
Thank you Bruce, I was most concerned that the heating element would not work when I plugged it in, and of course I couldn't try it until I could keep water in the boiler. It feels really good to have it running again.

Bill
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: St Paul Steam on February 24, 2022, 03:02:12 am
Nice work of it Bill (as always) another one saved !
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on February 23, 2022, 06:00:02 pm
Thanks Nick,
Yes, very common.
The missing dome is also common, I will need to fabricate one of those as well.

Do you need dimensions?

Thanks Nick, Yes I would love some dimensions.
I had found some of the dimensions on the UM&OSF but they were incomplete.

Thanks Charlie
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on February 23, 2022, 05:59:24 pm
Nicely done!

These "nuclear plants" rarely appear without parts missing or mechanical issues...

Very true, the red plastic cap on the Line Mar atomic is usually missing.
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on February 23, 2022, 05:56:01 pm
Thanks Nick,
Yes, very common.
The missing dome is also common, I will need to fabricate one of those as well.

Do you need dimensions?

Thanks Nick, Yes I would love some dimensions.
I had found some of the dimensions on the UM&OSF but they were incomplete.
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: txlabman on February 23, 2022, 11:02:41 am

Nice work Bill!
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: yussufhippo on February 23, 2022, 01:55:50 am
Nicely done!

These "nuclear plants" rarely appear without parts missing or mechanical issues...
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: Nick on February 22, 2022, 10:25:43 pm
Thanks Nick,
Yes, very common.
The missing dome is also common, I will need to fabricate one of those as well.

Do you need dimensions?
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on February 22, 2022, 10:20:46 pm
Thanks Nick,
Yes, very common.
The missing dome is also common, I will need to fabricate one of those as well.
Title: Re: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: Nick on February 22, 2022, 09:14:40 pm
Nice repair 👍 I just picked one up yesterday from a local auction, hoping mine doesn’t have the same issue as it’s very common with these…
Title: Wilesco R200 boiler repair
Post by: AirSpyder on February 22, 2022, 09:01:40 pm
Hi all,
I haven't shared anything for awhile, mostly just check the forum to see whats going on.
Anyway I thought I'd share my latest success.

I picked ip a Wilesco R200 that looked pretty good considering its age but of course it didn't run.
After figuring out how to disassemble it without damaging the tinwork I discovered that the bottom of the boiler was getting pretty thin due. Why people don't drain thier boilers before tucking them away for long periods of time is beyond me.
Anyway there was about a quarter inch of Zinc buildup in the boiler when the bottom was removed.
The steam line was plugged and the engine was very stiff.

First I desoldered the boiler from the engine and got the engine running well on air.

Then it was time to dig in the copper box and make some parts.
I had a 12 inch piece of 2" copper pipe and a couple of caps which were cut to size.

[attachimg=1]

I pressed a recess in the top boiler cap so the Safety valve woul mount flush like the original.

[attachimg=2]

I was able to salvage the double coil and solder it to the new boiler.
The larger diameter tube is solered top and bottom into the boiler, the heating element runs up through the center of the coiled tubing.
The water enter the coil from the bottom of the boiler, as it's heated it goes up the tube and re-enters the top of the boiler as steam.
The smaller diameter tube is the steam pipe it comes from the top of the boiler and coils down the other way, the heating element superheats the steam on its way to the engine.

[attachimg=3]

This is the old boiler next to the new one.

[attachimg=4]

A short clip from the first run.

https://youtu.be/QjzZ_4_1eEc

Sorry I didn't take more pictures of the build.

Thanks for looking.

Bill