Leader Drop Flue

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Check Out This Rear Pan I Just Piked Up Tell Me What You Think. People Have Said Could Be Early Proto Type For A Steam Away??

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Top View, Its Leader And Completly Copper

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Last Photo That I Got, Have You Ever Seen Anything Like This. Ive Also Been Trying To Clean It Up But Nothing Is Touching The Nitre Build Up, Do You Have Any Suggestions??

[vermaple]

Rookie,

That looks like a King style float system on the pan, and looks like the older style flow reverse with a single tube in the pan which you change from side to side to reverse flow. (The later style is changed with a plug in the float box so you don't have to reach inside a hooded pan to reverse flow). The niter thickness that is on the pan will not do any harm as far as possibly scorching on the pan. If you let it dry thoroughly and then brush it with a mild abrasive you will get a lot of the niter off, and after a year or two will improve it considerably.

vermaple

[Haynes Forest Products]

My old set of English tin pans looked just like that. I dont think you will ever get all the niter off and I dont think you want to. That old coating on the tin is gone and replaced with years of oxidation and if you were to remove it all you would weaken the metal to the point of disaster. It is what time made it and I dont think trying to bring it back to "clean/new" condition is possible.

[KenWP]

I would like to see it boil. I have been soldering and am amazed at the heat trasfer of copper compared to SS. You don't grab the end of a copper pipe after a little bit of heat.
I might make a pan with copper drop tubes also but useing smaller pipe which I have laying around also.

[PARKER MAPLE]

Yes Me Too Ken I Cant Wait Too See It Boil. Its Still New To Me And Hoping It Goes As Good As Everybody Thinks It Should. I Test Filled It For Leaks And Let It Set All Night It Didnt Lose Any Water But Did Notice Just A Small Water Spot On The Floor. I Think I Might Have A Pin Hole That Needs Resoldering.. But That The Awesome Thing About Copper You Can Easily Repair With Not Alot Of Expence Or Skills.. What Do You Guys Think Something Like This Is Worth??

[KenWP]

I will give you 20 bucks for it sight unseen. The pinhole will probbably seal its self once you heat the pan. Then again its maybe unfixable and you better take the first offer you get and take your losses.

[PARKER MAPLE]

Ha Ha Ha, There Alot Of Comedians Around Here, In All Seriousness Though I Have Never Seen A Manufactured Copper Pan Like This, Can I Compare Them In Price To A Stainless??

[vermaple]

Can I Compare Them In Price To A Stainless??

I saw the last copper flue pan that leader made as they were finishing it at the plant, about 4-5 years ago as they were going to all welded pans. It was pretty as could be, a large drop flue pan about a 5 x 10 or a 6 x 10 allbright and shiney.
The last I remember hearing a price on one it was probably twice the cost of an English Tin pan and maybe 25-30% more than stainless.

[3% Solution]

Rookie,
I'd say that looks more like the boiler in a steam locomotive than a steam away.
Yeah I bet that will boil very nicely.
The tubes in the bottom of a steam-away are to inject air and they are not exposed to the firebox the way these are.
The fire goes through the tubes (you know that).
If you have a pin hole fire it up and it will seal.
What if you got some liquid copper flux, that may help clean it up a bit.
Why don't you fire it up for a test run and let us know!!!
Says you are from Andover ........... Vermont, Mass., or New Hampshire.
Let us know!!

Dave

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andover vermont

[heus]

I'm from Andover, Ohio

[KenWP]

I am from bendover Quebec.

[Haynes Forest Products]

KenWP Am I the only one laughing here. I saw the Dr. the other day so Im renaming my town. If I hear one more person tell me to relax:o

[3rdgen.maple]

LMAO Ken you are too much. That was perfectly executed.

[vermaple]

Rookie,

I talked to the guy who designed that flue pan and can now say that I know a lot more about it than you do. I might even share some of this information with you. I don't have time right now to go into a lot of details,but

1. It is lead solder :-|
2. It works really well :D
3. It the only one of its kind (No wonder few have ever seen one like it) :o

I'll fill you in later with more details. ;)

vermaple

[3% Solution]

Rookie,
Not too far from each other, maybe 30 minutes.

Ken,
Nice, real nice!!!!! :lol:


Vermaple,
Would love to hear about this also!!!
Was I close????

Dave

[PARKER MAPLE]

thanks vermaple, cant wait to here more. the lead solder kind of bums me out though.. fill me in when you get a chance.. greatly appriecated. rookie:D

[PARKER MAPLE]

hey vermaple when you get a chance drop me a pm, i would like to chat. thanks rookie

[vermaple]

Rookie.
Haven't taken time, but to fill you and others in a little about your flue pan, it is a prototype of a tube flue pan. I don't know the details of it but it never was put into production. Your pan was made in the early 1990's. I don't know if any modifications have been made, but originally it had no drain as it was built for a one time test run. I'll talk to you about setting it up, as it will need some attention to get the best out of it.
vermaple

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Awesome Vermaple, Cant Wait To Hear About It, Yeah The Man I Bought It Off Of Said Orriginally It Didnt Have A Drain On It, But He Had Them Install On. Cant Wait To Hear Your News Thanks Again.. Rookie

[PARKER MAPLE]

just wondering if you can give any feed back on how to set this up, i know vermaple did so research on it. if he get sometime i would greatly appr it. thanks rookie

[vermaple]

Rookie,

I looked at your posted pictures again and it looks like you have a leader front pan so set up is pretty straight forward. You want to build up your arch under the flue pan like a W to approximately the same shape as the flue pan. This will force the flames--smoke to go through the flues for the best heat to the pan.

[PARKER MAPLE]

Vermaple, What If The Arch Is Alreadt Built, And I Make Up The Space Under The Flue Pan With Arch Board Abd Fire Brick. Will This Work The Same. I Think As Long As The Flames And Smoke Fallow The Flues And Flue Pipe It Should Be Ok.

[red maples]

ambergold(josh) has some pictures of how he bricked his drop flu arch for a raised flu pan (at least I think thats what he did) check out his photobucket. he filled that back with something don't know what it is but it must be cheaper that board and bricks.

[halfast tapper]

What you do is build up a wall at the back of the firebox to within 3/4 inch of the bottom of the flues. Brick or archboard the sides to the same height. Then fill in the area under the pan up with coarse sand. Did this with a buddy of mines arch and it works real well, after 15 hours of boiling you can put your hand on the bottom of arch under pan and it is ice cold.

[3rdgen.maple]

Halfast and red you need to take a look at his pan he does not have a regular drop or raised flue. He posted pics of it.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

You can fill the space with vermiculite and cover with fire brick to hold it in place. Lighter on the arch and won't hold moisture like the sand.

[802maple]

I also fill with vermiculite but then I put sacrete mortar mix over it dry about 1 inch thick and then spray with water. It will harden and hold in place. There are many ways to do it.

[3rdgen.maple]

Maple Rookie here is my thought. If you get a heavy guage peice of sheet metal cut it wider and taller than your arch by a few inches. Bend a 90 degree on 4 sides, trace the flue pan out on it, cut the shape out and then rivet it to the sides and bottom of the arch and cover with arch board on the fireside. I would think it would worrk very well for you. It will block all the heat form going around your flue tubes and direct it through them.

[KenWP]

Vermiculite does it insulate well. I know its pretty fire proof since its puffed rock any ways but how does it compare to ceramic blanket.

[3rdgen.maple]

Ken it is good stuff but, it is very light weight and needs to be covered as it will get sucked out the stack and it does not work on vertical surfaces. I even seen the stuff in bags at home depot.

[KenWP]

I even seen the stuff in bags in my greenhouse. I have a lot of it floating around to mix with potting soil. Just wondered if it had any insulation value close to ceramic blanket. I like the idea of covering it with concret mix and then wetting it down.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Ken,
Vermiculite was used for years as a "pour in" insulation. You would go into your attic and pour it down the walls between the studs. Worked pretty good but it settled after a while. Was also commonly poured over the attic floor. I don't know what the R value is.

[3rdgen.maple]

Ken did a little research the answer I found was that it is fire retardent not fireproof and has no significant degree rating for insulating the arch. I think most use it in their arches just to raise the floor of the arch bottom closer to the flue pan.

[Fred Henderson]

There is two type of the vermiculate one is very corse and the other is very fine. Its the fine that is use to fill concete blocks. That stuff wll run into the smallest crack.