The Steamboating Forum

Hi All,

I need to find 1/8" drain cocks for my engine and a 1/4" try cock for my boiler and drain and shutoff valves for my water gauge. I also need to find siphon tubes for my pressure gauges.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

jon

Hi Jon,

McMaster-Carr for all of that.

-Ron

If you are in the Americas you can use 1/8 NPT x 1/4 Compression Brass Angle valves as try cocks, they cost abour $3 USD each. I often whip a piece of wood onto the metal handle so I won't get burned an can try without gloves. I also use these for cylinder drains, vents, etc.

I have also used similar 3/8 Compression x 3/8 Compression Brass Angle valves as the basis for model boiler gauge glass fittings. The glass fits into the tubing socket, and the compression eye is replaced with a few turns of Teflon pipe thread tape, it acts as packing for the glass, followed by the compression nut. For high pressure I have silver soldered two pieces of brass tubing as sleeves on each side of the valve bodies, and insert a two studs with nuts to keep the pressure from separating the two valves.

A gauge glass made this way has no safety ball checks, and does not meet Code, but I have been using them for over 40 years, with steam pressures up to 150 PSIG.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the responses ! I have a follow up question. On the Mcmaster
Carr sits there are brass stop cocks rated to 100psi at 150f, called
"Air shot off brass stop cocks" at about $15 a piece. The other option
Is "Extended life bronze stop cocks" that have a max pressure of
500 psi at 212F. They are $55 a piece.

Do I need to go with the high pressure valves ?

Jon

Jon,

I used the 15 dollar models, haven't had any issues with them.

-Ron

$ 639 plus shipping...............and most of my plumbing fittings are on their way from McMaster Carr.................I will just need to source the pipe and couplings locally.

Thanks !

jon

If you are going for a period look at all, may I recommend Essex? They have beautiful products:

http://www.brassaircocks.com/

Jon,

Try Rappahannock boatworks, he has valves steam rated and you wil be keeping it in the hobby, plus he is a great guy to talk to. tell him Don Fenstermacher, Jr sent you.

his name is Ronnie Baird and his number is 540-439-4045

The quarter turn cocks offered by the vendors (Mcmaster, Essex, or Rappahannock) have always been rather stiff and I have never been able to turn them manually in steam service without a wrench.

The cocks with an ordinary screwed stem work well, but are much more expensive (Mcmaster= $55 each, Rappahannock = $22 each). I have three these on the boiler for water column try cocks.

All the other engine and piping drains on the sidewheeler are the brass "bar stock" type, either 1/8 NPT or compression fitting valve variety, at about $3 each. These have screwed stems, and packings, and are small enough to match our typical engine sizes.

Try this

http://www.johnernst.com/liquid_level_gauges_p41.html

Ken