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

Re the JB Weld fix.

  I tried it using the regular (not quick hardening) JB Weld.
I did a good clean prep, proper application, and a 48 hrs cure
time.  I put in some water, it started heating, and as soon as
I could sense pressure building, TINK went the base and the
water started to leak again.  Perhaps applying a vacuum to
the boiler, to draw the JB in, might have helped. 

  I do have a couple of KJ boilers that leak a bit from base
cracks but still make enough steam to work.  I think the best
most reliable fix is a base replacement.  Whoever thought this
boiler material and heating arrangement needed a checkup from
the neck up.  That goes for the MARX and Weeden designers who
decided a tin boiler was the way to go.  Their analysis was
flawed - they dropped the ball.  The results, over time, are
bad, bad, bad.

Good Luck,
Wayne