Belpaire Firebox Cleading

[RickyTParticipant @rickyt]

I am currently attempting to fit brass cleading around the firebox of my 5" gauge Manor. I have sourced several GWR-based cleading articles from back copies of magazines which have taken me a certain way forward, but they still fall a long way short of giving me the full picture.

I have successfully flanged copper plates to cover the backhead and firebox front around the boiler barrel. I am now deliberating the best way to attach the cleading itself. I have tapped 8BA into the base of the flange of the front and rear copper plates where the firebox is concave to secure the brass with screws (which will be barely visible (I hope) when the model is complete). This has been successful in part, but I still have a slight bulge in the convex section higher up which I really need to iron out. It was quite a smooth fit originally, but drilling for and soldering the dummy washout plugs has brought some minor distortion.

Are the 8BA screws as described the way I should have gone about it? Is there some other viable method of securing the brass? Clearly there are boiler bands to go around the firebox, but in reality do these have any real flattening/smoothing effect when in place? And how should I fix the bands at the lower end, particularly the band going round the middle of the firebox where there is no helpful flange?

Any advice gratefully received.

[RickyTParticipant @rickyt]

[julian atkinsParticipant @julianatkins58923]

hi RickyT,

if you made a proper flanged plate out of brass for the front of the firebox cleading then no additional fixings will be required if the belpaire firebox cleading is soft soldered to the formed front firebox cleading, and i am somewhat alarmed that you have made 8BA holes into the flange of the throatplate – your club boiler inspector might have something not very nice to say about this!

i should add perhaps that the boiler cleading for my GWR KING took longer to make than the boiler! it is one complete assembly and slides over the boiler from the smokebox end before the boiler banding is tightened up.

cheers,

julian

Edited By julian atkins on 03/09/2014 20:50:51

[RickyTParticipant @rickyt]

Thanks Julian

Just to be clear – I have not tapped into the flange of the throatplate itself. I have made up front and rear flanged cleading plates from 1/16 copper and tapped into that.

My boiler is a professional build, but I can well believe that the cleading can take longer than the boiler itself given the to-ing and fro-ing it has created so far.

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