Repairing a Steam Whistle for the Steam Powered Sawmill

In this video we will machine a new part to repair a steam whistle for the Georgia Museum of Agriculture to go on their steam powered sawmill. Includes turning on the lathe, threading on the lathe, milling a square head, and lapping a valve seat. We also give you a look at the new boiler for the museums steam powered sawmill.
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Joel Hunger
2014-11-27

[@yasirwazir567]

Your videos now have much better quality in every regard. You have had such a good journey and I am glad to be a part of it, in some small way.

[@awizardalso]

I love to see someone who builds a boiler to meet modern day codes, and also restores the outer appearance to look like the original antique boiler.

[@stillbashingmetal]

Hi. I very much appreciate that people such as yourself restore and keep this heritage machinery working. I also very much appreciate that you take the time and trouble to post on YT so that we can see the fine things that you do. Thanks very much for showing, it's great to watch and learn. Best wishes.

[@tomeasley5979]

Keith, that was a great lesson on the boiler. Thanks for taking the time to explain everything. Nice rebuild on the whistle.

[@FredMiller]

FANTASTIC segment Keith. Loved the whistle repair and the over the shoulder tour of the new boiler. The new boiler looks just great. Looking forward to many more segments... THANK YOU! Fred

[@GK1918]

Very nice Keith, I have the same whistle from a knocked down factory in the 1950's. This was in my bycycle days & I found it in the woods. They used to blow it at noon time. Its plumed into shop air. I try to blow it a noon time if I remember to. Thanks sam

[@dighsx]

That boiler is a work of art. Thanks for showing it. All the best, Jay

[@JohnBare747]

Thanks Keith, what could be more fun than tooting the whistle that you just restored, odd sized threads notwithstanding.

[@TheTarHeelTom]

Nice repair on the steam whistle. Very excellent job he's done on building the new boiler.

[@mrpete222]

Thanks Keith I enjoy all your videos. You are very knowledgeable--great teacher too.

[@krbuck]

I could listen to you say "boller" over and over... :) Nice video. Thanks Keith.

[@buckbuck9225]

Isn't that amazing that there is no makers mark on such a fine tool as that vise? I have a surveying devise in a leather sheath.no marks what so ever.old school craftsman had pride.i guess that was enough.love your work.my pop was a machinist.your show is better than a fireplace.....

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Love the whistle repair. Thanks for showing the boiler. Reminded me of my days on steam ships. Thanks Keith for the video.

[@not2fast4u2c]

Nice repair to the whistle I enjoyed seeing the boiler and Thanks for showing all the parts and how it operates

[@dkrenshaw]

Nice work and great looking boiler. JS Company does great work and Jonas' Advance and Baker engines are some of the best looking traction engines I've seen. And they know how to work them too. Stutzman did the repairs on my 1903 Case traction engine boiler and just finished putting a fire box in a friend's Port Huron traction engine boiler. Glad that we have the Amish to help us keep steam alive.

[@AnthonyFDeLeo]

Keith, Great video, I always learn something new watching your programs. Thanks Tony

[@VintageMachinery]

Anthony F. De Leo Thanks Tony!

[@milesbennetdyson5]

+Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org Can I get some measurements on this whistle when you have to take it apart again?

[@geohig01]

Thank you for an incredibly educational presentation, highlighting the challenges of restoration!

[@VintageMachinery]

+George Higgins Thank you!

[@gordonanderson8303]

George Higgins I

[@welshpete12]

These lead plugs were found on British steam engines , but as far as I remember there were more then just one . I never understood how an injector worked until you explained it . As always , a interesting and instructive video , thank you for posting .

[@jasonreis6719]

I have a whistle just like that. Very cool. Thanks for sharing

[@leedawgdds]

Keith just wanted to say I have been following your videos for the past couple of months they are all fantastic I know it takes a lot of work to put these together and just want to thank you for your time and knowledge. Great video and I look forward to them every week!! Your wealth of knowledge is impressive and you do a great job of conveying that knowledge to all of us. Thanks again!

[@badWithComputer]

Welcome back Keith, good to see you again.

[@clydecessna737]

It even has a faux rivets INSIDE the firebox. Very impressive.

[@Trainman11185]

that whistle sounds great

[@mikemalliski8380]

Stuztman , I know him and a good friend of mine has a restored steam engine.....which he runs at Stuztman’s place.....how cool is that...

[@SteffenReichel]

Genuie, Keith... What about a copper o-ring so seal the plug into the whistle body...

[@kenwhite5132]

Awesome man all of it...... from A-Z......

[@fire5506]

There used to be many standard threads, everyone now is used to the 2 most common ones, UNC and UNF threads. 1/4-24 is a UNS thread and 7/8-16 is a UN thread. Taps and dies can still be bought for them, just hard to find and expensive. If you needed a washer on the plug I'd use an annealed copper washer. You can get them at an auto parts store, they are used as oil plug washers. The steam dome cap on the steam locomotives I used to work on used annealed copper rings as a gasket. We were running them at 190 PSI. I've enjoyed all the videos I've seen that you posted.

[@andregross7420]

That boiler looks great!

[@Ropetangler]

Thanks Keith for sharing your workplace with all of us. As others have said, the boiler really looks great, nice to see some original castings retained, and just the love, care and respect for the original makers shown in the reproduction. The vice which came with my Sacia Shaper is nearly identical to the Bison 6531 self centering vice in the link provided by Dustincoc down the page in these comments. Different to yours, but same principal. Great work Keith, Best wishes, Rob

[@BleuJurassic]

a small amount of PTFE tape would seal the plug and stop any leaks and you would not need to tighten it so much and you would not see it. great video

[@romar1581]

PTFE tape is a very bad choice for pressured steam. This material is Not elastic, it is plastic and deforms under pressured, be it steam or torque. It will leak quite soon. It can be tightened and be brought to seal again, until all PTFE is squeezed flat. Use a thin strand of hemp, it will swell up when humid and tighten without additional torque.

[@clayz1]

Great boiler. It looks like it should be on top of a small 2-4-2 going some place.

[@swarfrat311]

Keith, Thanks for the great video! I just love old stuff like you have at the museum. I hope someone can shoot some video of the sawmill running. Thanks again! Regards, Dave

[@vajake1]

I really loved the steam boiler explanations!

[@lastmanstandingwtsht]

Hi Keith glad your back I was surprised to see that horizontal boiler I was picturing a skid mounted vertical like on an old donkey. She sure is a beauty hope you will be able to show us a little video of the sawdust flying.-cheers

[@camojoe2]

Glad to see you back Keith, i enjoyed the whistle repair vid. I told the wife just a few minutes ago that we have to take a short road trip to the museum. I wanna see your shop and check out the train and all your steam equipment. After all, what kid doesn't like trains?? Regards, Duck

[@frankpattisr.80]

The hex head bolt looks great!!

[@VintageMachinery]

+Frank Patti Sr. Thank you!

[@MrUbiquitousTech]

Thanks for sharing Keith! Very interesting!

[@horneygeorgeforge7079]

great job Keith ! thanks for sharing. did you know that when locomotives came in the yard that the way the whistle was blown. was different for each Engineer. The reason, was to let people in the yard which one was coming in and to let the Wives of the crew on the train to start Dinner. or "Special treat" for their Husbands.. anyway, that is what my parents told me. My Dads first job was working in a Car Wacking shop, (repair shop) and Granddad was a Loci-engineer on a Shay ( Logging train). in Washington State . starting around 1929 till his Retirement. keep up the good work, ans thanks again for sharing! Dennis

[@joshtaschuk2153]

Another great video Keith, I love the sound of the steam whistle in the back ground and now the video of rebuilding a whistle. Hope you put on some video of the saw mill running!

[@joetiller1031]

I enjoy the work you do I wish I had a job like that I enjoy working on old equipment I do farm equipment.

[@ronthompson3528]

Love repair.... found your youtube site... Will be watching!!!

[@g2macs]

Nice to have you back. excellent vid as usual.

[@CompEdgeX2013]

Nice whistle repair Keith. Sure looks better than the file/hacksaw job. The new boiler must have taken some time to build. It looks very elaborate with the rivets and all. Cool Colin

[@one4stevo]

Great video Keith. keep up the great work.

[@yves1951able]

formidable mon cher keith !! fidèle de vos vidéo ; merci beaucoup de partager votre savoir avec nous ..

[@shawnmrfixitlee6478]

Good repair.. Right down to the 1/4 24 bolt !!

[@davew368]

Nice Video...thanks for sharing it!

[@Wildman4910]

Love your vids, you get to play with the coolest equipment.

[@daki222000]

great vdeo, Keith. Thanks again

[@halnywiatr]

The steam injector venturi tempers the intake water to prevent cold water from entering the boiler which can destabilize pressure and can also cause temperature stress cracking.

[@billdlv]

Keith nice job on the repair. Looks like the body and most of the whistle are made of bronze? Glad there is someone still around making the boilers that have a similar appearance to what was used at the time.

[@Kalkaekie]

Very interesting !!

[@josephmagedanz4070]

Nice video, good work. Henry Ford used a 1/4-24 thread on the starter-equipped 1919-27 Model T...four of them to hold on the Bendix drive cover.

[@EVguru]

***** 1/2" by 12tpi is the original Whitworth standard! What fool thought up 13tpi?

[@harrybarry2291]

I like your video explaining about the new up to code boiler made with fake rivets to look classic. You do good work. I refer to ones like you as a "craftsman". In comparison to ones I refer to a "crapsman". We have all seen the beautiful steam whistles and other things they have butchered and ruined with their poor destructive workmanship. Makes me sick to see it. Looks like you worked on a 4 inch diameter Lonergan plain single note. I have whistles in most common sizes made from 1 inch to 12 inches diameters. I have made two steel fabricated organ pipe type whistles. They have super extra long bells ( cylinders ) and make the deepest bass note of any whistles we know of. The longest one has a 72 inch ( 6 foot ) bell length. The low bass blast is incredible. Listen to it on high pressure steam on my you tube posting, Organ Pipe whistles. If possible, listen to it on a large stereo or home theatre with large speakers able to create deep bass notes.

[@aserta]

That type of vise is called a self-centering shaft vise. Mr. Fenner might know about it. Unfortunately the internet has drawn a blank, with the exception of this piece made in India. - www.mukeshtrading.com/work_holding_equipments43.htm Rather similar wouldn't you say? Note the shaft stop that pokes through the holes in the vise. Check yours for the possibility of implementing such an attachment to it. I'm certain you will find it either via thread or more likely some sort of screw that holds the stopper. So give Mr. Fenner a holler, maybe during his apprenticeship years, might of had seen one. EDIT: when you asked the question i went on a search spree and didn't finish the video at that time. At 8:51 you can see the set screw holes on top of the jaws. That's where the stop attachment set screws go. A round piece of stock with a small leg at the end. I'd say a rather simple project.

[@outsidescrewball]

Keith Enjoyed the video, but now I am on the search for a whistle to use in my shop.....lol Chuck

[@KPearce57]

+outsidescrewball I have see them at the Petro truck stop in Joplin Mo.and at the Iowa 80 (worlds Largest)truck stop, they were made out of brass 2 whistles, designed to run on compressed air.

[@keldsor]

Nice repair there Kieth ! I noticed though, the testblow revealed a lot of water in your compressed air !

[@CompEdgeX2013]

Keld, I was thinking the same but also had the thought of the volume of air used and the rapid decompression may cause the same effect....?....

[@daleburrell6273]

Keld Sørensen WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?!!

[@larryrestainer9949]

There are many so called standard threads depending who you talk to ..the old new England machine mfgs used their own standards in order to sell spare parts...very good source for bastard taps and dies is Production tool supply in Detroit mi from small to large with good inventory.

[@phuzzz1]

Hi Keith, great video as always, great project, and great explanation on the boiler and especially on the water injector, I would never have known about that, looking forward to the next video. Mike

[@heritagehomestead5505]

We just ran into a 1/4" 24 thread on a "Thompson Mfg Co." forge blower, the bolts that hold the gear box closed were all 1/4" 24.

[@VintageMachinery]

+Heritage Homestead A lot of the old stuff used odd sized threads before they became standard.

[@ScottandTera]

did not have time to get that far down last time we were down there. made it as far as the ice cream parlor lol

[@jamesrpm]

Good job . I have two whistles that need work ,but I had no idea how they worked until now . Wondering if a home style compressor would make them function ? I haven't tried to take them apart for fear of ruining them.

[@meyawabdulaziz3863]

i loooove your videos man.. i hope your your always well oh man thats a realy tight spot to thread...i dont like threading tight spots.... .....i though you were gona use a sanding block on that seating area...

[@HolzMichel]

great video Keith, a thought on the threads: the whistle may be german or swiss made looking at it. the pitch of the tone tells me it may have originally been intended for a BR44 locomotive. so the threads are probably metric

[@Blazer02LS]

Nice boiler. Any plans to maybe put it back on sills? 1/4-24 is a common thread on old Harley Davidson engines. As the story was related to me by an old HD mechanic they used it because it was a split between 1/4-20 (which as a coarse thread was prone to loosening due to vibration) and 1/4-28 (which was prone to stripping when used in aluminum).

[@halnywiatr]

***** .25x25 was popular with Indian Motorcycles as well as Hudsons and Ramblers. It was the preferred "soft-metal" thread.

[@mikestevens8046]

Kieth, Why do you not stock some red brass for these period correct restorations? Thanks, Mike

[@jackjacke4654]

Just noticing, If that was running on your compressor, You best drain it! Letting you know....

[@gregbrodie-tyrrell3473]

Keith, would it be acceptable to put one of those red fibre washers that we find in plumbing fittings and taps between the new plug and its seat? Or is steam and pressure too nasty a combination for that sort of seal?

[@noahwoods8038]

That new boiler looks wonderful! I've done all my boiler study on the ones used for locomotive service. Is that new repro one fitted with a blower in the smokebox that is operated continuously when the sawmill is in operation? Or is the exhaust steam from the sawmill steam engine plumbed to a blastpipe in the smokebox?

[@VintageMachinery]

+Noah Woods The new boiler is pretty much an exact copy of the old one, with the exception of being welded instead of riveted (but with fake rivets to make it look correct). The steam from the exhaust is piped up the stack and we also have a valve that will blow steam up the stack to create a draft when the engine is not running.

[@messenger8279]

Should there be a fibre washer on that brass fitting to seal it ?

[@SuperAWaC]

since it's a straight, oddball thread anyways, would it have been too much to convert it to ORB, which would require less precision since the ring would be doing the sealing instead?

[@tom7601]

I think that's called a floating jaw vice... Tom - Vista, CA

[@JosephStalin-hv8en]

So the sawmill will run😂😂like a person

[@moking1761]

Hi Keith, I noticed that the repaired steam whistle when tested on air still had issues with leakage around the actuator stem. The repair of this should be fairly simple, a new slightly over sized stem and the hole reamed out to suit the new stem. What would be your repair scenario? Cheers MoK

[@Railfanable]

Those pipes, in the boiler, look like "flues"! How many does it hold?

[@Opinionator52]

Hey Keith, Cool stuff, nice, interesting video... What a neat vice, and I try not to say much about folks vices... :o] O,

[@theozarkhillbilly9040]

how much did the new boiler set yall back just out of curiosity?

[@mikelafferty9506]

can anyone tell me how the thread cutter starts at the exact correct spot each time? Is the lathe and cutting head/tool somehow connected? - just a noob that would like to know. Cheers

[@TopHatGent]

I have been gifted one used BEAT UP old buckeye train whistle...which is stuck on a two foot metal pipe from the train i am told. i tried soaking in pb blaster but it looks like they had used a monkey wrench in the past to put this thing on. I can't get this whistle loose. Do you think heating the pipe below the whistle could work?

[@adjustablehammer3749]

Are you allowed rivited boilers in the US here in the UK allmost all new boilers are made with rivits

[@robertcornelius3514]

Almost ten years later, you mentioned the safety valve set at 150psi, and I think It should be around 200psi. Personally, I don't think your boiler will be able to produce enough output of steam. Yes/No?

[@oiu7890]

Just won a 3 chime whistle at a auction. Have not found a name on it just some short numbers 2 to 3 digits. Hooked it up to air and it blows well. The problem is it looks like someone shot it with a black powder ball round twice both in the same chime towards the top one made a dent about the size of a quarter the second round was just below the first about 1 1/2 inches it also made a dent about the size of a quarter this dent also has a small crack in the brass. Can any one tell me how to remove dents in a brass whistle and what would be the best way to repair the crack in the bell? I will get some pictures but I am not sure how to get them up to view. Bill

[@jackjacke4654]

Did you say you was in georgia? If so can i ask where?

[@kenwhite5132]

Mr.rutger r anyone what kind of museum does he do work for??????

[@albassett9755]

Keith...love your videos....wish you didn't have to travel so much for your real job so you could make more....but if you could shoot me the specs for that odd ball screw on the whistle I would be glad to produce one for you...my little contribution to the museum...lol....if interested let me know and I will shoot you my email address...Take care.

[@stevengrotte2987]

Gonna clean up/polish the rest of the whistle??? LOL I thought there was only gold colored brass that is all that was on the bridge of the ship , Navy, 45 years ago that I was on.

[@SuperAWaC]

red brass just has more copper in it, it's also known as gunmetal and is more corrosion resistant than yellow brass. red brass will have around 85% copper while yellow brass usually has around 65%. red brass is sometimes also considered a bronze.

[@shade38211]

Father in law is big train nut, he will like.

[@Martyz-TV]

I wonder how many lives could have been saved if that meltable crown sheet valve had been used since 1800? 200, 500 lives?

[@aserta]

When you did the surface smoothing you could of had chucked the bit then using a 90 degrees L shape or a block pushed the aligned whistle body to clean it. Oh and this wouldn't of had required any use of the actual machine, you'd get away with simply using the carriage to force the whistle body on the bit that you'd rotate with the chuck by hand. The result would of had been no chatter. I don't know who..but one of the medium sized lathe channels here on KZbin presented this outrageous idea (since no one uses it i assume it is) that you could use the lathe as a quick mill by reversing the tool to the chuck and the work to the carriage. Only seen it done once. No idea why people don't do it more often. It can't be stress on the carriage since the forces applied are an equation, therefore they can be reversed. Just my two cents.

[@NuttyforNissan]

I think 7/8 16tpi is British conduit, strange thing that. :)

[@Patroand]

***** Maybe at that time they did not care about standards, they use the same machine for all the threading works and just change the roll! They aim efficiency and productivity !!!!

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

***** Some of the old Homelite chainsaws used 12-20 threads. It was a bit tougher to find a thread repair kit.

[@douglaslodge8580]

I'm surprised you weren't required to have 2 injectors.

[@TheDisorderly1]

Ouch, what did you do to your thumb? It hurts me just to look at it. Sorry buddy..

[@charleshiser7633]

M XX 🐴🐷🐻🐷🐷🐷🐹🐮🐽🐘🐷🐘🐷🐷🐷🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯 SW. ww#####!####1223734567890!#

[@edgarmilson8686]

Hello Keith, I am a retired pipe-fitter/Welder/Plumber. I was taught that joint compound or teflon tape, we used hemp when I was an apprentice back in the late fifties. We do this for two reasons, one is to keep the joint from leaking, the other reason is to keep the joint from corroding, we always appreciate the joint compound when we need to replace something or make an addition.

[@VintageMachinery]

+Edgar Milson Thanks Edgar!

[@charlesherrington63]

The plug should be brass not lead. Just saying

[@morg52]

Your description of what causes boiler explosions is incorrect. The injector is not going to dump cold water on the crown sheet. Explosions are caused by sudden collapse of a crown sheet weakened by overheating and distorted by steam pressure. The boiling water in the boiler, flashes over into steam at a rapid rate causing the boiler to rupture catastrophically. Water to steam ratio, 1 to 1800.

[@morg52]

Movement and slope, none of which will be in play with a stationary boiler. The water being injected will drop to the bottom and be heated by the surrounding water. I get my information from studies involving volunteering with NP steam locomotive #328 of the Minnesota Transportation Museum. I served as fireman on that old gal. By the way, I really enjoy your videos!

[@morg52]

***** I suppose if I had gone to boiler school I would have learned all that other stuff. I was really only just a brakeman who would spell the licensed fireman on really hot days. It was at the time a passion of mine to learn everything I could about the subject. Unfortunately the 328 had the same problem your old sawmill boiler had, outdated and unsafe, the steel shell is too thin in many places to pass inspection. Still it was lots of fun while it lasted. I was born in 1955 and steam was mostly a thing of the past in the city I grew up in. There was a NP pacific on display in a local zoo that I would stand and gape at the incredible size and scope of. When I started to volunteer at the museum, one of my first tasks was to climb inside the fire box of that same locomotive and free the ashpan door. It was like being in the inner sanctum of a holy shrine.

[@Elodea]

Rather surprised to see that you don't use a product like "Never-Seez" anti-seize compound on threaded fittings when putting things back together. Working with antique equipment is hard enough doing initial disassembly. It would think you would want to make it easier for the next time. Also interesting to note the lack of rising stem, union bonnet valves on the new boiler. The only one I noticed was on the cold water feed line from the barrel. Union bonnet valves have always been "standard specification" on almost all steam equipment I've ever worked on. Very nice series of videos.

[@thepathps.2716]

Is a chinese knock off counterfeit vice . L.O.L