Thread: Restoring a Weir boiler feed pump

Would make an interesting incident report if worker had a panic attack due to alarm and was then unable to leave the boiler. It can be tight enough going through manhole (sorry, should be person hole) openings at the best of times without being in a panic. (Long time since I have had to go in a boiler.)

Whilst all these regulations may be there to make the job safer, they also make a lot of jobs that much harder to do. What may have in the past been a quick job, now takes half the day and can create a mountain of paper work.

Lubricator is looking good. Have had fun with the lubrication check valves in the past with crap on the balls and worn seats.

Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer

Just to point out how crazy this gets.
I had a man vacuuming in the boiler with the new air quality meter that will save our lives and my man suffered a small bout of flatulence. The meter picked up an excess reading of Hydrogen sulphide and went into alarm. It only spiked and wasn't of a duration that was enough to lock in but still, it alarmed. Procedure dictates that he is to remove himself from harms way and fill out an incident report, All because he farted!!!!
I ask you gentlemen, where are we headed

Phil

I know the feeling Phil. We use these meters quite a lot at work and I have often wondered how big a bout of flatulance it would take to set them off. We would generally enter bigger compartments than you I would think (up to 284,000 litres) and we do not have to keep the meter in the tank during the work process.

Dean

It's been a while but as promised, I managed to 'do a bit' on the pump.
A long while back, redshirt guy came around and we annealed and flattened a strip of brass flat. At that time I was in the process of making a handle for the plunger lubricator off the pump.
I stuffed it up! Beautiful job of machining but when I drilled the hole for the spindle/plunger, it was so far off centre that it was half way into next week (wow, that far off)
Yep, very annoying. Needless to say, everytime I entered the shed, it stared me down.
I started to think that as I have to machine the bore to a taper to match the spindle, it might clean up. Pffft, who am I kidding.
I grabbed another piece of mild steel and machined up 'another' handle.
As it turned out the taper is 1 in 48 on the original and for those of us imperial savvy (read that as older folk) people, it is standard taper pin specs. I know I know, 'imperial' standard taper pin.
Job just got easy. I have a taper reamer the correct size and the conical function for turning tapers on the DRO.
The pilot hole (where I went wrong last time) still needed to be drilled.
This time a drilling jig was in order so a piece of 25mm, lets say 1" for the sake of the argument, square solid was cut and drilled in the lathe to suit the freshly machined handle.
After successfully drilling the hole, I set to and reamed it close to the final dimension.
I then clocked the plunger up in the lathe then realised I hadn't set up the conical function yet.
4 jaw chuck off and 3 jaw on with some round stock in and I set up the taper. I just love the DRO
Back on with the 4 jaw and machined the plunger end until the whole end was a taper.
I just reamed the handle until it went all the way on and 'Voila', jobs done, 'cept for the small taper pin at right angles to hold it all together and rounding the end to blend it all in.

Phil
From left to right
Machining the taper, reaming the handle, finished, the old and the new and the whole unit so far.
DSC_1864.JPG DSC_1867.JPG DSC_1869.JPG DSC_1877.JPG DSC_1878.JPG

Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer

It's been a while but as promised, I managed to 'do a bit' on the pump.
A long while back, redshirt guy came around and we annealed and flattened a strip of brass flat. At that time I was in the process of making a handle for the plunger lubricator off the pump.
I stuffed it up! Beautiful job of machining but when I drilled the hole for the spindle/plunger, it was so far off centre that it was half way into next week (wow, that far off)
Yep, very annoying. Needless to say, everytime I entered the shed, it stared me down.
I started to think that as I have to machine the bore to a taper to match the spindle, it might clean up. Pffft, who am I kidding.
I grabbed another piece of mild steel and machined up 'another' handle.
As it turned out the taper is 1 in 48 on the original and for those of us imperial savvy (read that as older folk) people, it is standard taper pin specs. I know I know, 'imperial' standard taper pin.
Job just got easy. I have a taper reamer the correct size and the conical function for turning tapers on the DRO.
The pilot hole (where I went wrong last time) still needed to be drilled.
This time a drilling jig was in order so a piece of 25mm, lets say 1" for the sake of the argument, square solid was cut and drilled in the lathe to suit the freshly machined handle.
After successfully drilling the hole, I set to and reamed it close to the final dimension.
I then clocked the plunger up in the lathe then realised I hadn't set up the conical function yet.
4 jaw chuck off and 3 jaw on with some round stock in and I set up the taper. I just love the DRO
Back on with the 4 jaw and machined the plunger end until the whole end was a taper.
I just reamed the handle until it went all the way on and 'Voila', jobs done, 'cept for the small taper pin at right angles to hold it all together and rounding the end to blend it all in.

Phil
From left to right
Machining the taper, reaming the handle, finished, the old and the new and the whole unit so far.
DSC_1864.JPG DSC_1867.JPG DSC_1869.JPG DSC_1877.JPG DSC_1878.JPG

Absolutely superb.. Out of curiosity why is it tapered?

-Josh

Originally Posted by Brobdingnagian

Absolutely superb.. Out of curiosity why is it tapered?

-Josh

Hi Josh,
the handle has to be removable as the stuffing box seat, follower and nut have to go on between the thread and the handle.

Phil
DSC_1882.JPG

Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer

Hi Josh,
the handle has to be removable as the stuffing box seat, follower and nut have to go on between the thread and the handle.

Phil
DSC_1882.JPG

Phil,

That makes sense, I'm filling that one away under "neat idea" cross referenced to "so good that I will have to use it somewhere".
Once again beautiful work.

-Josh

Good to see you got some shed time Phil

My day was taken up with house time today.....yes it does happen!

The finish on the parts looks great, is that off the DTH or have you used some emery on them?

Cheers,
Ew

Originally Posted by Ueee

Good to see you got some shed time Phil

My day was taken up with house time today.....yes it does happen!

The finish on the parts looks great, is that off the DTH or have you used some emery on them?

Cheers,
Ew

By house time you mean you walked around the house to get back to the shed.
Nah, straight off the DTH probably due to the fact that I have a helluva nice radius on the point and it got one of it's rare sharpenings.

Phil

Hi Guys,
nah no work on the pump, it's just that I noticed it is getting close to a year since I did anything and I didn't want this thread locked off.
I am in the throes of packing up the workshop and moving to temporary ( I hope) digs as our landlord has decided she would like to move back in to her house.
I have a very slim chance of being able to buy a house (the paperwork hits the bank today) and a new shed is, I hope, the first order should we get the house.
I would respectfully ask everyone to cross their fingers and everything else that can be crossed for us.
The new house is about 5 minutes from the Lake Goldsmith steam rally site with room for accommodation for any forum rally goers should they need it.
Only thing is the entire workshop contents will be packed away for quite some time and as slack as I have been, there is definitely going to no shed work for a bit now.
here's hoping it works out our way.
I'll keep you posted.

A nervous
Phil

Good luck Phil.

Everyting crossed here

Cheers

Jayson

Originally Posted by Jayson

Good luck Phil.

Everyting crossed here

Cheers

Jayson

I'm also (hopefully) going to be a little closer to your house

Phil

Phil
Hope everything goes well for you & the move.
regards
Bruce

Good luck with the house hunting, BTW I have a small leather box here for you, ( from Stuart ) next time you are passing through.

Ray

Best wishes and good luck Phil. I know how stressful moving can be.
I can see an Amish type shed build and machinery move coming up.