Richard, I can't say from experience with 1 gauge models, but after 30+ years of steaming with coal fired 3/4" and 1/2" scale locos, I have never had the least bit of trouble with brushing my flues! I can't say if there is any difference between what you call a bottle brush and what I use, but it is a brush designed for cleaning coffee percolators! The handle is about 4" long, and there is a twisted wire shank about 10" long with white plastic bristles, that are way softer than the copper of the tubes! yet you do want enough of a scrubbing action to get off any coating of carbon that remains in the tube, it will accumulate and eventually insulate the tube making it less capable of transmitting it's heat. I'd be careful about using solvents in an atmosphere that will be touching flames. Should any remain after you're done cleaning, you may make you engine a potential flame thrower! I can also remember a fellow who used to clean down his locomotive, while still hot, with Carbon Tet! And an air compressor, as I recall one of the members at the club took him aside and told him that this particular combination was likely to form some sort of poison gas! (phosgene gas if I remember correctly?) We asked that he stop doing this! But back to brushing, I think you will find that a gentle brushing with some sort of bristle or plastic brush will do no harm at all! Keith Taylor ----- Original Message ----- From: Richard Finlayson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Multiple recipients of sslivesteam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 11:36 PM Subject: Other boiler related topic
> ... on cleaning flues in coal fired loco... > > I think I read on this list that someone recommended against bottle > brushes for cleaning flues due to abrasive action of brush and coal > grit. I know first hand that the coal ash/grit is massively > abrasive... ruined a steam engine I once built. I have been pondering > this... wonder if a cotton cloth on the end of a rod soaked in ? > might be a good way to clean. What is the non-ash residue of burning > coal? Would WD40 or kerosene remove it? Also, I've taken a shop vac > to the smokebox on my C62... did a great job of sucking all that gunk > and nonsense out of there. I had a small tool... but then thought it > might snag the lagging. So I just pressed the hose up against the > opening of the smokebox door, closed the firebox door, held a thumb > on the stack... and sucked it clean. > > Any ideas on the flue cleaning? > > Thanks, > > -Richard > -- > ================================================== > Richard Finlayson > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
