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

  Well, thanks for the 'UNF'  I've seen a few taps and dies but I'm trying
to digest the price.  If you please, what is an 'adjustable' die?  It is just
too bad that there isn't a ready-made selection of 1/4-28 fittings.  I need
the taps for 'elective' work.

The following is on the critical path to steaming up.

  I'm trying to figure out how to heat the boiler. It is a horizontal center-flue
with cross-tubes, and was heated by a time-bomb home-made blowtorch. 
I'd like to keep it fired by bottled-gas but I'm having trouble imagining it. 
I'm leaning to 4X200watt cartridge heaters and I'm working up some good
ideas on how to 'ballast' them.  If not ballasted w/some soft steel in contact
they will heat-up, light-up, and burn-out.  Hard lesson learned.

Thanks,
Wayne