Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
The Regular Stuff: Chat, Buy, Sell, Off Topic, etc. => General Discussion - Model & Toy Steam Engines – Stirling Cycle – Flame Lickers – Small Antique Originals => Topic started by: RedRyder on February 28, 2026, 03:26:13 pm
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Good luck with it Gil
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A stirling cycle engine like this experiences very low pressure and vacuum
Extreme Heat JB Weld will withstand up to 800 PSI if properly applied and cured..
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Provided the area sealed by the JB is not under pressure it just might work.
Fingers crossed!
I used the Hi Temp JB on the leaky bottom of a Weeden 'steel boiler' pumper
engine. It was just building pressure when it started leaking again.
I run it on air, now.
On a personal note...
Steel boilers on toy engines. What were the designers and managers of Weeden,
Marx, and Ind-X engines/boilers thinking! Probably bending the knee to the penny
pinching accountants. God saves us!
Good Luck,
Wayne
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I agree getting someone to weld or braze is the right move.
However I am first trying a simpler fix.
I have applied Extreme Heat JB Weld which is rated for 1,000 degrees F continuous and up to 2,000 F for short durations.
In addition it will be easy enough to grind it away if it doesn't work well.
Gil
[attachimg=1]
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Welding does take practice but you'll definitely get the hang of it with time but looking at what you're trying to weld I personally would pay somebody to tig weld it I would imagine that could be welded for probably 50 bucks somebody that's a tig welder with experience it'll look beautiful when it's done.
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Not up to speed with a TIG welder, I have a MIG welder that's takes either gas or gasless wire and it works 110% better using gas and I can weld pretty thin material ie car body.
I would be brazing that though Gil.
By the look of the price of the item, I'd personally take it to a couple of metal fabricator shops and see what they say and get a pro to do the job.
Think I'd have to agree with Jim on this one .... looking into professional service might well be the best idea for such a job!
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With the various other materials on that, it may be easier to fabricate a new part.
The old solder, etc. will contaminate the area and you will never get good adhesion.
Scott
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Not up to speed with a TIG welder, I have a MIG welder that's takes either gas or gasless wire and it works 110% better using gas and I can weld pretty thin material ie car body.
I would be brazing that though Gil.
By the look of the price of the item, I'd personally take it to a couple of metal fabricator shops and see what they say and get a pro to do the job.
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Well, there is different types of brazing. I was thinking of brazing with a brass or bronze brazing rod and borax flux, though a good silver braze should be fine and may even be better. I don't really know which has the higher temperature tolerance but suppose that would be easy to look up?!?!
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Thanks, Daniel. I think it was originally brazed an I tried to put some silver solder on it but it didn't take well.
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Looks like someone has tried to solder that, which will need to be scrupulously cleaned off before attempting any further repair.
Think I would consider brazing instead of welding on that situation.
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I need to weld here
[attachimg=1]
For this engine
[attachimg=2]
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I agree.
I need to get good enough to lay a bead over about 1.5" to repair the heated end of a Stirling Cycle engine.
Picture coming.
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On thin material like that it might be better to do a series of spot welds rather than try to run a continuous bead.
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I got a very basic 120 volt Tig welder 125 amp from Harbor Freight called the Titanium 125.
It doesn't require an inert gas but uses .030" flux core wire.
I thought I would practice on some unimportant steel to get the hang of it.
I watched a couple videos and after the first to attempts (pictures below) I am convinced that good welds require training and experience.
Here are the welder and my first 2 attempts:
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]