Subject: Re: fire-tube brushes

From: Bob Bickers <[email-masked]>
Date: 14 May 1996 23:08:09 GMT

You don't say where you live, I buy these locally in Seattle at a steam supply house, you 
might check your yellow pages.

 Bob

Tom Alexander <[email-masked]> wrote:
> I realize this may not be the place to ask, but wonder if anyone knows where to 
>find the kind of brushes used to clean the long tubes in a full-sized steam boiler?
>I've got a running engine with 10-foot, 2"-diam. tubes that hasn't been cleaned in 
>years and haven't figured out how to do it.
>

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From: [email-masked] (Dion Hollenbeck)
Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 16:12:04 GMT

>>>>> "Tom" == Tom Alexander <[email-masked]> writes:

Tom> I realize this may not be the place to ask, but wonder if anyone
Tom> knows where to find the kind of brushes used to clean the long
Tom> tubes in a full-sized steam boiler?  I've got a running engine
Tom> with 10-foot, 2"-diam. tubes that hasn't been cleaned in years
Tom> and haven't figured out how to do it.

You might get the following to work for you.  Homebrewer's have long
hoses that need to be brushed out.  One way to do that is to insert a
long wire from the opposite end and when it is completely through,
then attach an appropriate brush on it and pull it back through.  If
your tubes are open at both ends, then it should work.

dion
-- 
Dion Hollenbeck (619)597-7080x164                 Email: [email-masked]
Sr. Software Engineer - Vigra Div. of Visicom Labs  San Diego, California

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From: [email-masked] (John W. Hall)
Date: Wed, 15 May 96 02:19:26 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
>years and haven't figured out how to do it.
Why not pick up  some of the fibreglas rods chimney sweeps use and 
mount a brush on the end of those? The rods ought to be a hardware 
store item (maybe one of the bigger stores, admittedly). For a brush 
how about a wire cup intended for angle grinders? all you need is an 
adapter from the thread of one to the thread of the other.
Good luck!
John

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From: [email-masked] (Blake Malkamaki)
Date: 15 May 1996 03:41:10 GMT

$ You might get the following to work for you.  Homebrewer's have long
$ hoses that need to be brushed out.  One way to do that is to insert a
$ long wire from the opposite end and when it is completely through,
$ then attach an appropriate brush on it and pull it back through.  If
$ your tubes are open at both ends, then it should work.
$ 
This brush would probably fall apart after 3 flues.  I have had cheap flue
brushes that were no good.
Blake Malkamaki, Little Mountain Ironworks, Concord, Ohio <[email-masked]>
>>Steam engines - Cletrac Crawler Tractors - Maple Syrup - Metal Signs<<
http://www.ncweb.com/users/blake

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From: [email-masked] (Blake Malkamaki)
Date: 15 May 1996 03:45:03 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, Tom Alexander
<[email-masked]> wrote:

$  I realize this may not be the place to ask, but wonder if anyone knows
where to 
$ find the kind of brushes used to clean the long tubes in a full-sized
steam boiler?
$ I've got a running engine with 10-foot, 2"-diam. tubes that hasn't been
cleaned in 
$ years and haven't figured out how to do it.

A friend of mine, Rich Miller, has a factory that makes flue brushes.  You
can reach him at [email-masked].  What kind of engine do you have?  I
have a 20 horsepower Rumely steam traction engine.  Flue scrapers work
good too.

Blake

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From: Tom Alexander <[email-masked]>
Date: 14 May 1996 12:14:37 GMT

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From: Steve Wellcome <[email-masked]>
Date: 16 May 1996 12:42:23 GMT

I dont' have a catalog handy, but I'd check with McMaster-Carr.
It sounds like something they might carry; they've got nearly
everything else.