- 6,070
- 4,441
- 113
A bumper... the lateral horizontal towpoints are one piece with the frame mounts - 3/8" angle extended under the bumper and continuing as a tab.
-
Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!
What do you build?
- Thread starter BenTerrible
- Start date
Another Ahab
Well-known member
- 17,999
- 4,556
- 113
- Location
- Alexandria, VA
That is really good looking work. Nice.
Just kind of curious, do you maybe live in a house that looks sort of like this:
74M35A2
Well-known member
- 4,145
- 330
- 83
- Location
- Livonia, MI
So, when I saw the thread title, I was like "Cool, I can throw my junk up there.". So, where does a Bobcat bucket place within all of this?
The bragging part was I took my gas powered lawn edger, removed the blade, and tightened up a metal cutting disc from Home Depot in it. Next think you know, I have all 4 necessary pieces cut nearly laser straight from a large flat plate of 1/4" diamond plate steel, in my own backyard on the grass, while the kids swam in the pool and the neighbors thought I just really hated the edger.
The bragging part was I took my gas powered lawn edger, removed the blade, and tightened up a metal cutting disc from Home Depot in it. Next think you know, I have all 4 necessary pieces cut nearly laser straight from a large flat plate of 1/4" diamond plate steel, in my own backyard on the grass, while the kids swam in the pool and the neighbors thought I just really hated the edger.
Hoefler
Active member
- 1,096
- 20
- 38
- Location
- White Bear Lake,MN
SCHNIKEES! Bet that was honking loud.
Pete
Another Ahab
Well-known member
- 17,999
- 4,556
- 113
- Location
- Alexandria, VA
- 6,070
- 4,441
- 113
The latest project - a flatbed for an M916....
- 6,070
- 4,441
- 113
And yet another bumper for the redtruck. This one has the hitch height optimized for the m1101 lunette height.
Last edited:
74M35A2
Well-known member
- 4,145
- 330
- 83
- Location
- Livonia, MI
It was, but not many get to say they cut steel with their lawn edger!
Hoefler
Active member
- 1,096
- 20
- 38
- Location
- White Bear Lake,MN
I like it! Go big and loud and git er done.
Pete
Pete
74M35A2
Well-known member
- 4,145
- 330
- 83
- Location
- Livonia, MI
I thought I would bring another to the table, though it is not welding or sanding. It is not really CNC level either like some of you cool cats, but we'll see what happens. I just built a wood fired water heater for an outdoor hot tub. 55 gallon drum, 5 sticks of copper tube, some expanded metal, 2 garden hose fittings, and a $39 barrel stove kit. I really have no idea if it will work, but it should? As long as water is in the pipes and not flashing to steam, the solder should not melt. Anybody that has soldered copper tubing knows it can't be done with and water standing in the pipe. Ran a few switchbacks at the top where the chimney flange flue damper valve prevents pipes from passing through. Hillbilly hot tub here we come. Could also be used to sell warm showers? It was just cheap fun really just to build it. Looks like a locomotive boiler on the inside, kind of.....or not. Garden hose male and female on the back side.
Another Ahab
Well-known member
- 17,999
- 4,556
- 113
- Location
- Alexandria, VA
Very inventive, 74M35a2! And nice looking work.
And I'm no engineer but use caution appropriately, because what you built there is a boiler. And the operation of a boiler has a whole record of legislation around it almost everywhere because of the hazards they present. Steam is some serious product when contained.
Want to think it through how you circulate the water - and keep it moving (pump or convection)- because if it stays stationary too long and becomes super-heated steam; well, essentially:
- Then you just built yourself a bomb.
Maybe some others around here know more about this, and can chime in.
Last edited:
74M35A2
Well-known member
- 4,145
- 330
- 83
- Location
- Livonia, MI
*One day I will learn to not double-post*
Last edited:
74M35A2
Well-known member
- 4,145
- 330
- 83
- Location
- Livonia, MI
Well aware, and appreciated. That is why there are no valves on it to let pressure build. Open system, with temp monitoring on the inlet, outlet (this one especially important), and flue pipe. Water flow rate will be 22GPM between the heater and the pallet tote full of water. If the pump fails, and the flow stops, it should just boil the water in the pipes, emitting steam out the inlet and outlet, then melt the joint solder, and then melt the pipes, which, by all measures, should not be a big deal as it will be 10' or so away. Being an open system, I relate it more closely to a common water heater as found in just about any house, boiler being a pressure vessel. I just wanted to use wood and not costly fuel. Folks have used a coil of copper tube in the drum, but I wanted something a little different. There is 42 linear feet of 3/4" red label copper tube within the barrel.
I have no idea of how to simplistically control the temp though as the water needs to keep flowing through the heater. A comfortable hot tub is about 104F, so once coming up on that point, I will try to choke the fire down and maybe have to add some snow into the bath water. Will have a snowman on standby waiting to be pushed in.
I have no idea of how to simplistically control the temp though as the water needs to keep flowing through the heater. A comfortable hot tub is about 104F, so once coming up on that point, I will try to choke the fire down and maybe have to add some snow into the bath water. Will have a snowman on standby waiting to be pushed in.
gimpyrobb
dumpsterlandingfromorbit!
- 27,786
- 755
- 113
- Location
- Cincy Ohio
If you could position the heater lower than the tub, you wouldn't need a pump, it would circulate through convection. Nice project, make sure there is some kind of pressure release in there.
74M35A2
Well-known member
- 4,145
- 330
- 83
- Location
- Livonia, MI
I think the heat input rate will be too high, and dictate pump usage, which is what I designed it for (inlet and outlet at same level).
I don't see a point of a temperature/pressure relief valve, unless somebody can paint a clear picture of something I'm not considering (not being mean here). Centrifugal pump on the inlet (non-positive displacement), and open ended outlet. Even in a house system, the T&P valve blows down away from the system pressure (40psi or so). This should have no pressure as it will be open ended.
I don't see a point of a temperature/pressure relief valve, unless somebody can paint a clear picture of something I'm not considering (not being mean here). Centrifugal pump on the inlet (non-positive displacement), and open ended outlet. Even in a house system, the T&P valve blows down away from the system pressure (40psi or so). This should have no pressure as it will be open ended.
Keith_J
Well-known member
- 3,657
- 1,323
- 113
- Location
- Schertz TX
should have brazen the joints with either refrigeration silver or phosphor bronze. Keep it at atmospheric pressure and it should be fine. Outdoor boilers for home heating are a bit different.
Make sure you add an appropriate PRV (Pressure Relief Valve s) piped to an
area where no one will get hurt if she blows.
The solder joints seem a little to close to the hot can for my liking.
Insulation is your friend.
If the copper gets real hot it could sag inside, maybe a support inside to help
prevent that.
You need to regulate flow, if the water hauls azz there is no time to heat it,
if too slow it will make undesirable steam. Maybe add GLOBE valves to
throttle the volumn of water.
Maybe a storage tank for ALL HOT WATER and a mixing valve to
combine hot and cold = comfort.
No matter BRAVO on the try, sub'd in!
area where no one will get hurt if she blows.
The solder joints seem a little to close to the hot can for my liking.
Insulation is your friend.
If the copper gets real hot it could sag inside, maybe a support inside to help
prevent that.
You need to regulate flow, if the water hauls azz there is no time to heat it,
if too slow it will make undesirable steam. Maybe add GLOBE valves to
throttle the volumn of water.
Maybe a storage tank for ALL HOT WATER and a mixing valve to
combine hot and cold = comfort.
No matter BRAVO on the try, sub'd in!
74M35A2
Well-known member
- 4,145
- 330
- 83
- Location
- Livonia, MI
Wood fired barrel heater worked awesome this weekend! It raised a 450 gallon pallet tote full of water 5F degrees every 13 minutes. That equates to about 75,000BTU as absorbed through the 42' of copper tube within the barrel. Family of 4 stayed in it for over 2 hours as it was 20F outside.
No issues on solder melting, as expected, even for the joints directly getting licked by flames within the barrel. I used a 25gpm pump from Harbor Freight, which was way overkill on the flow, but I didn't know going into it. I will likely return that pump and buy one much smaller in flow and power to be more right sized. Thanks to WildChild467 for stoking the fire.
No issues on solder melting, as expected, even for the joints directly getting licked by flames within the barrel. I used a 25gpm pump from Harbor Freight, which was way overkill on the flow, but I didn't know going into it. I will likely return that pump and buy one much smaller in flow and power to be more right sized. Thanks to WildChild467 for stoking the fire.
- 2,052
- 57
- 48
- Location
- Milford / Michigan
Yea, it was fun building the fire. I wanted to spray used oil in there to get it going. You know its a good time when the heaters are blowing flames out the stack and making rumbling noises inside! That is my style!
I still would like to see how an immersion heater would compare. Just for fun
Another Ahab
Well-known member
- 17,999
- 4,556
- 113
- Location
- Alexandria, VA