In a message dated 11/29/2004 12:05:47 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: there would be nothing wrong with soft soldering the thing together, but it would all need to be securely riveted together and the "rivets" could simply be short snippets of copper wire peened over. That is right Harry, done many a boiler that way. Some were silvered soldered for the main parts, but soft soldered some parts onto the shell with bronze or copper screws or rivets for mechanical strength and solder to plug the weeps when I did not want to heat things up to brazing temperatures. On an oscillating cylinder engine like the Midwest the spring holding the faces together is also a safety valve of sorts as the faces should push apart enough to allow excess pressure to vent. Depending on which end of the plastic tube slips off to relieve pressure can be kind of exciting if it slips off the engine end and leaves you with several inches of flexible tube flopping around squirting live steam all over the place. John Meacham
