My homemade steamer for £10!!!

[Philip]

If you read my other thread you will know l made a steamer. l used to have one made of wood (scaffold planks) problem with wood steamers is they absorb the steam. So time for a new one, my choice was wood or plastic pipe. I went to the builders merchants and it worked out to about £90+!!. So, l put the old grey matter into gear and came up with this all from my local scrap dealers. 9in drainage pipe, two old saucepans cut the handles of one to make a base. the other left them on to help removal . next problem was how to put steamer onto it , you can see from the photos l have allowed for two steamers . to get a tight fit in the wood l cut the nozzles of a silcone gun and rammed them in the hole, because they tapered makes a good fit. Used my old steamer, Bobs you uncle! Fannys your aunt one steamer!!!!!. p.s all patent rights to meeee!!

[pjl83]

thats great. just goes to prove that things can be made using a little bit of thought and not a lot of cash. well done that man! ;)

[Mike]

Superb job, Phil. :approval: Thanks for sharing that with us. Where did you buy the steamer - just in case I need to steam any of my timber?

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the only problem with using plastic pipe is heat loss through it. I guess some simple pipe lagging would help overcome that problem. Did you find you needed two steamers in the end or was one enough?

Regards

[Philip]

Hi mike glad you like, steamer is a wallpaper steamer with the head off. as for lose of heat , l disagree , the pipe holds well might be different in the winter. l personally found wood steamers absorbed the steam to much. l think a metal steamer would be the best. One steamer is adquate , the job l used for was port quater beam shelf dim = 2800x140x50 just over 3 hrs ready to bend, l was expecting 4 hrs . regards phil

[Audrey S]

Before I took Audrey on, I was concentrating on models built from scratch, the aim being to take apart the "final" one, scale the planks up, and build it at a scale of 1:12,

Audrey has saved me around £ 2000, as her hull is exactly what I was looking for, a bilge keeled displacement hull.

But I digress, for the models I built a steamer, and powered it with a wall paper steamer, I used melamine coated chipboard (from industrial shelving, 22mm thick, and coated both sides) for the body, minimal absorption of steam and a very cool exterior, mind, I was only steaming planks 2/3 mm thick, but I think the melamine would cope with building a proper boat,

And as each shelf is/was 1.8 x .750 x .022 mm thick, and didn't cost a bean, ok so I had to drive to Dartford, they proved exceptionally good VFM ,

However today, at work whilst clearing out an old motor wokshop, I came across a defunct fuel tank, made of copper, from some long since forgotten vintage car,

Audrey is going to claim it as a bounty, then i'm going to turn it into an supercharged immersion heater, don't panic, i'm providing an adequate water supply, with the aid of a gravity fed drip, and an old pair of "Vals knickers"

(sorry that was a lie)

Flashback to Peter Noakes and Shep,

Seriously, i've an assortment of ball cocks, float valves, and header tanks to be able to cobble together a steamer that's efficient and works well







(I think) :escape:

Asuming I don't blow the shed up on her first fire up, i'll post some pics, however, If I do blow the shed up, you'll probaly hear of it on the news

[Philip]

l was always worried about peter and shep, lol l put it down as welsh thing! . good idea the best steamers are made from water tanks. as for the box going on from your ideas , find some one in the kitchen trade get some old worksurfaces knock up a box with them, not very moverable but will hold heat summer/winter. least my idea, doubles up as bong! l shouldnt say that l get all the hippys for miles trying to have ago.

[Philip]

audrey better idea! sod the steamer. with what you got there add some copper pipe got yourself a whisky still. if you are going to blowup the shed do it in style and probabley very pissed to!! what a way to go:JC_hurrah: