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Post by grandfathertyke on Oct 3, 2013 10:35:18 GMT
I've been trying to contact John Gaunt at Devon Steam Boilers, Exmouth. His email address is btinternet, which is no longer operative. Does anyone have a phone number for him?
Thanks in advance.
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dem132
Seasoned Member
Posts: 122
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Post by dem132 on Nov 1, 2013 12:49:45 GMT
I called Devon Boilers end of August this year and he's retired from boiler making and moved to Spain. Great shame, I've got one of his boilers on my Maid Of Kent and wanted a replacement boiler quote for a Black 5.
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Post by Ruston92 on Dec 19, 2013 15:37:23 GMT
I spoke to John earlier today, and he was happy to take on building a Juliet boiler for me... Strange
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2013 0:36:25 GMT
I spoke to John earlier today, and he was happy to take on building a Juliet boiler for me... Strange Could you please give me his contact details, I have his email but reading above I believe it's no longer active ( haven't tried myself)... He gave me a quote some time back on a boiler for 4472, he is highly recommended by members of my club and I do intend to give him the job , when I can afford it that is....hope he's still in business... |
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dem132
Seasoned Member
Posts: 122
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Post by dem132 on Dec 20, 2013 11:06:01 GMT
I'll be interested to hear as well! I wonder what's changed?
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Post by Shawki Shlemon on Dec 21, 2013 9:00:43 GMT
Pete, judging from the high quality of work that you do I am surprised that you do not intend to build your own boiler , believe me it is the easiest part of building a loco and not the hardest . The only reason it takes time to finish is the waiting for boiler inspector inspections otherwise it is two weeks job , give or take a few days .I am sure that you can build a very good boiler not mention self satisfaction .
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2013 14:28:07 GMT
Hi Shawki I guess that there are a number of reasons that to date I have planned to get the boiler built by a professional, although admittedly I have also been considering the possibility of building the boiler myself of late. 1: it would make life easier to sell if after I've fallen off my perch the family so decide, I hope they will keep it in the family for good and that one of my 4 boys will treat the loco with the respect it deserves and continue using it but alas I won't have any say in the matter. 2: it may be the easiest to build but's it's probably also the easiest to get wrong and thus waste a lot of money. 3: the cost of building one's own boiler of this size isn't cheap, copper, silver solder, gas etc all adds up, yes it's cheaper than commissioning one to be built but there's no come back if you build it yourself. 4: The most important reason is probably due to the fact that I haven't built any boilers before and this particular boiler is perhaps not the best to learn on, mind you nor is the loco the best to build as a first timer but I guess that didn't stop me...  To sum up although steam locomotive building is totally new to me the various processes involved are not ( granted some are) whereas building the boiler is a dark art to me at this moment in time.. having said all of that with my work status due to health over the last couple of years perhaps the only way of getting a boiler built for 4472 is to build it myself.. we shall see. Kind Regards Pete |
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Post by Shawki Shlemon on Dec 22, 2013 9:34:54 GMT
I understand Pete , all the best , Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you all and your families .
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Post by ejparrott on Dec 22, 2013 10:05:03 GMT
IF I have a copper boiler for the Manning Wardle, then that will most likely be a commercial boiler. I've built several boilers and assisted several others, but this is by far the largest, with a barrel at 8.5" diameter and 32" long, it'll take an awesome amount of heating!
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uuu
Elder Statesman
your message here...
Posts: 2,808
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Post by uuu on Dec 22, 2013 10:47:51 GMT
...and a commercial one will take an awesome amount of money!
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jma1009
Elder Statesman
Posts: 5,901
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Post by jma1009 on Dec 22, 2013 22:22:44 GMT
hi pete,
i agree with Shawki. your silver soldering skills so far have shown themselves to be excellent.IMHO its the small bits that require the skill rather than big bits like a boiler. the DONCASTER boiler is quite straightforward. so far as re-sale value is concerned, an amateur made boiler with a boiler certificate (even if expired) should be worth the same as a commercially made boiler in my book. and considerably cheaper. i built a 5"g loco boiler (medium size) for one of my locos a couple of years ago and it cost £220 in copper and bronze, though i already had the silver solder in stock. i got my propane bottle exchanged recently for a new full one for i think £26. i think STEPNEY's boiler will cost me £350 as i had to buy £125 of silver solder 2 years ago. i think you should be able to make the DONCASTER boiler for £500-£600. and probably as Shawki says wont take you more than a few weeks. when i built my last boiler it took 6 weeks of spare time.
and very enjoyable too and rewarding! a huge chunk of a loco done in a few weeks!
cheers,
julian
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2013 11:05:08 GMT
Thanks for the vote of confidence Julian I'm just not sure it's a good idea, I don't have the equipment for one.. now if you lived just down the road then it might have been more viable as I could ask for advice and have an eye watching over me so to speak, I don't know my club inspectors well enough to ask for extra help and I suspect it would be a lot of extra help if for no other reason than to have someone as I say watching closely what I'm doing and can shout at me if I'm not doing something right. Now having said all that with my current financial position I may well have to bite the bullet and build myself, reading through more of Don's words last night it seems that the boiler should be next on the list, before erecting the frames..... don't think that's going to be possible. We shall see... I have no doubt that I will get it sorted one way or the other... Cheers Pete |
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dem132
Seasoned Member
Posts: 122
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Post by dem132 on Jan 10, 2014 12:02:03 GMT
John Gaunt at Devon Steam Boilers is still in business, I've just agreed with him for a new boiler. My Maid of Kent has one of his boilers, and very nice job too! Looking forward to the new boiler arriving and my Black 5 running. I would love to have the time to make a boiler myself, but with work/live pressures it's the easier route for myself. Hopefully this will result in the Black 5 running later on in the year and not 10+ years time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm planning on building a boiler myself, and looking the test boiler that DAG Brown speaks about in his well written book Miniature Injectors would be good start.
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