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

While I have a Big Giant and a #20 (both brass) working their way to me, I have started a experiment with this steel Big Giant.  I am using KBS cycle tank sealer, since there is a nice box hole for the bayonet pressure valve.  I hardly give myself 50% chance it will work & hold.  Even if it does work, I'll never really trust it and the parts I can take off will likely go to the #20 that my brother found.  That engine is missing anything that could easily be taken off!  It is a interesting engine as it has a Bayonet Pressure valve with a steam line connection, sadly the pressure valve arm was busted off.

Anyways, I ran the engine through the KBS process yesterday, so I have 96 hours for it to cure properly.  During stage one, the tank ended up having more leaks than I realized - including four pinholes on the side of the tank.  I reinforced the outside of these pinholes with JB Weld patches.

Once I get to the sealer, it really became apparent how it was compromised, as now you see the "silver" sealer oozing out everywhere.  From the top around the smoke stack, the bottom of the tank, around the seam there the tank attaches to the base.  No wonder why I could figure out where the steam/water was coming from - it was from everywhere!  Though now that it as started to dry, it doesn't look that bad around the seams.  Well, unless you look underneath and up into the wick slot and you see it all around the tank's base.

I also wouldn't be surprised if I have lost a bit of water capacity too - its not like a Big Giant / #20 holds a lot of water in the first place!  I also wonder how the sealer will effect the heating up of the water to steam.  The sealer is rated to 500°F, so I am not to worried about that but more it acting as a insulator.  If it actually runs as good as my first steam up I'll be pleased (and surprised).

Pretty expensive experiment but I am bored here in Atlanta, Ga!  I am also debating if I want to try and paint it (if it doesn't exploded on me).  The Stage 1 of the KBS ate off just about anything left of the nickel on the tank and paint that was left on the engine.  Then it could be just a interesting "display" item.