Boiler former plates

[ettingtonliam]

Sad to read in many ways, but Reeves 2000 are having a final clearance sale of their remaining boiler former plates, at 60% off their original asking price. Look on their website for details of whats left. I got my former plates from them a year or so ago, if they were good enough for Alec Farmer, they are good enough for me!

[Roger]

Jul 29, 2019 12:32:03 GMT ettingtonliam said:

Sad to read in many ways, but Reeves 2000 are having a final clearance sale of their remaining boiler former plates, at 60% off their original asking price. Look on their website for details of whats left. I got my former plates from them a year or so ago, if they were good enough for Alec Farmer, they are good enough for me!

In reality, you can get laser cut ones to your own design using free CAD programs so it's easy enough to get anything you want made these days. I get the impression that there are fewer boilers being privately made these days than at any other time in the past 50 years, so we can't be surprised if companies don't want to hold stock of things that support this dwindling element of the hobby.

[ettingtonliam]

I think the boiler former plates date back to the time when Reeves themselves offered a boiler making service, and so would need the plates for their own purposes. Yes they also offered to supply boiler kits, still do in fact, but with plates in the flat, no longer flanged. Given the prices they quote I'm not really surprised that they don't see much business in that line.

[Jim]

For the home builder who is only making the boiler for their current project former plates made from MDF are more than adequate and easily made to suit the builder's specific needs.

The plate used in stage 1 to form the flange to fit the boiler barrel.

This is an MDF plate I made for forming stage 2 of the Britannia's double flanged throat plate.

The black arrows to ensure everything was kept in alignment while moving a setting up for stage 2. The copper plate has been trimmed ready to form the outer flange.

Forming the outer flange. It all looks Heath Robinsonish but everything needs to be held securely to prevent things moving or other areas being deformed such as the barrel flange secured by the large pipe clip to ensure it keeps its shape.

Jim