Challenge to All on the Wall

Steamhead (in transit)

he's probably posted before under a bunch of aliases.....

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tim smith

Challenge to all on the Wall

As Dave's post said, he hates throwing away cast iron radiators just because couple sections are bad. Let's all try and figure out a way to get these units apart and reassembled. Post pics of your progress or completion!! Maybe we all can learn from this. Tim

Jeremy_14

You can't be serious. My time would be better spent pounding sand. I believe this thread will disappear soon but if your considering fixing junk radiators, your probably not making much $ in this business. Sorry to sound mean, I'm really a nice guy.

Unknown

Pound away Hunter,

as for me, I`d like to know/see how handling one of these beasts can be done.
Money isn`t everything.

Dave

Jeremy_14

no

I havn't posted under any alias, just Jeremy Hunter. A leaking radiator can be fixed. Have fun.
What the bleep's a troll alert?

Timco

Rads with rods & push nipples are easy...it's the LH /RH thread rads that are tough. I hooked one up to a 20 gal electric WH and ran hurcules boiler solder through it and it sealed up well. It was a HW rad used for steam that was leaking out all top joints. I use it for HW in my own home. Likely not worth it for many rads, but this is a fine dining room rad with 3 doors...

Tim

Mark Eatherton

Hunter...

You are obviously new to the wall, or at least have never posted here before.

A Troll is someone who likes to come in, stir up the pot under an assumed name, then leave. They are people who have nothing else better to do. Troll's as it were.

Trust me, these guys are a serious bunch of extremely dedicated wetheads, and if one of them (Timco) puts his mind to finding a way to refurbish/salvage cast iron radiators, they WILL find a way to do it.

Making comments about wasting time or pounding sand won't gain you many friends here at the Wall.... My suggestion would be to follow the recommendations of my lovely mum, bless her soul. She used to tell me "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" It is your perrogative to speak your mind here at the Wall, just make certain your brain is engaged before you do so.

Now, sit back and see what happens. You will most probably learn something from these guys. THey've been known to cast their own wall hung brackets for hanging these beautiful works of art on the wall...

Welcome to the Wall.

ME

[Deleted User]

depending on the location/access

to the leak, they can be welded. but, it ain't easy/i've watched lifer welders chase the 'running', heat-related crack/'leak' for an hour before giving up. welding cast is a very delicate process

and hercules is a very viable option from what an independate lab tech told me; ie, the silica products come close to actually 'welding' themselves to the metal

and, i have my eye on some ornate, late 1800s, wll-hung steamers that'll, leaking or not, come home with me. they'll join the ornate, cast/copper tube water heater. they're really industrial 'art'

tim smith

Hunter, I run a very succesfull heating company as many

do here. 70 years in business and still going strong. Just happens I have a passion for this business and a strong will to learn things of all forms. And as Mark said, made our own wall brackets for old cast iron wall radiators. Refurbish old cast ornate radiators and install them on new zones for old mansions. These radiators are things of beauty that I hate to see go to waste when all it takes is to take them apart and reassemble in a configuration we need. Now take your negativity somewhere else as we all don't really want it here!! Tim

tim smith

Tim, the r/l nipple old rococco's are the ones that I stock and

want to resize/repair. Just can't stand not being able to reuse them. They are a challenge to do but I hope either I or others come up with a decent process. Tim

tommyoil

Tim

could you elaborate on your current process? Sort of take me through whatever steps you currently have in place?

Big Ed_4

Sure it can be done

Cut the rods, split apart the sections of radiators with wedges. Pie cut the push nipples and cave them inward you don't want Locate new push nipples. Resurface the female ports on the sections and used nipples with cutting compound and sand paper. Lube up the nipples with soft set permatex.Insert push nipples and make sure they are square Cut new rods and pull together evenly. It's the same method as changing a section on a boiler ...

Timco

Here is my rad on life support. Worked very well, I added like 6 bottles to the solution to ensure I got a strong fix and no leaks 2 years later now. Shout out to Dave Stroman for the lead to get this beauty!!! Drove to Veil, CO to get it...

Tim

tim smith

Tommy, thanks for the reply.,

Right now I have just tried been trying to figure a decent way of getting them apart intact, hopefully with plugs and nipples intact. If not intact I will see if I can get r/l nipples cast to replace them. Mainly a efficient way to get them apart is what I am after. I could cut the nipples out, with a few losses here and there but there must be a better way!! I do work for a large plating machine company that has a huge high temp bake oven I have even thought about running one through the oven to see if it helps loosen the nipples/plugs. Also this oven does paint stripping at the same time for aircraft and industrial parts so that would be an extra bonus. Just grasping. Tim

clammy

beautiful rad

Tim that is one beautiful rad it was well worth all the time you spent to get and keep it going .To just think that many years ago someservant kept the bread and dinner fixens warm in it just amazing ,just wonder with people spend boat loads of money on granite counters and such sillyness why wouldn't they spend a couple of buck sfor a beauty like this ,what's even sadder is that no manafactures would even think of manafacturing any thing similar very sad.I know that if i saw one of these in a pile of garbage i would not hesitate to grab it.Excellent work keep the aith brother and don't hurt your back peace and good luck clammy

realolman

wow that's really something

I've never seen anything like that. What are the doors for?

realolman

never mind

I read clammy's post. I see what it's for now.... excellent.

Timco

Doors are for this...3 original shelves! What a find! Again, shout out to Dave Stroman for the hook-up. Cost me $500 to buy, and about the same in sandblasting, buy the WH, and paint it, but worth every penny to us. We use it at almost every dinner.

Tim

[Deleted User]

wowie-wow-wow!!!

excellent find! i'd drive a few miles to get that

is veil/vail an inside joke?

Big Will

That thing is great.

Well worth the. Time it just looks like history. Whenever I see something like that I think of the time when it was made and people really did care about quality. I doubt I could by anything that will last as long as that has. Definitely not with that much character. Not so sure about the boiler though:)

tommyoil

Since you're grasping....

And I'm not sure it applies here but,how about something along the lines of a log splitting wedge except a larger width and made of some sort of hard wood. I once took two "wedges" made of wood and inserted them top and bottom and began to beat them between the sections. As the wedges drove in the rad split in two. It almost seemed too easy when it popped apart. It helped out (I think) that the push nipples were smooth. I'm not sure of the issues associated with r/l nips and the specific problems they present. Are r/l nipples threaded? Just thinking out loud.

gerry gill

That dining room radiators beautiful

as is the girl in the picture frame next to it..

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tim smith

Timco, I remember when you first posted the proud pics of that

radiator in the back of your truck. Was that last year or year before? What a find. A client of ours found one along the way and we piped for him. Can't wait until I find one some day... Tim

tim smith

Tommy, these are r/l threaded nips. The split aparts are much

easier to deal with. Thanks again, Tim

[Deleted User]

yikes!

is that short bed pu, or is the rad that long?
what's it weigh?

Unknown

That's purty!

That'll keep your buns warm!

I also notice a piece of Roseville, looks authentic from the color too! Nice!

Bob Gagnon plumbing and heating

Sealing Radiators

Salt Works! I have sprinkled a little salt into the the leaking joint on two different radiators and they both sealed up. One was a steam to hot water conversion and the leak was stopped for years. Another plumber I know tried it on a large black iron pipe in a FHW system, and it stopped leaking, same as the radiators, without draining the water or lowering the pressure. I have run into this only a few times over the years, but I would like to see someone else try it and let us know how it worked out.

Thanks, Bob Gagnon

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Timco

Good eye. We have a large collection of roseville. The picture is late 1800's family of my wife. The rad is huge, around 600 lbs or so.

Dave Stroman

Here is a photo of a pile of raditors that I had to scrap just because there were 1 or 2 sections that froze. Made me sick. I will be contacting my local Burnham rep to look into the tools they have, but I believe I will end up having some made. I will also contact a local machine shop to see what they have to say.

Dave Stroman

[Deleted User]

burnham tools, instructions and supplies

http://www.burnham.com/PDF/classicradiator_I&O.pdf

Radiator Ranger

l / r threaded fittings

What a great challenge Tim - thanks for framing this in a way that focuses on solutions! Your email makes me think I ought to get the ornate radiator I passed up last week because it's bottom section was separated at a joint. I can probably fix it.

I'm thinking all non-pushrod radiators may have the L / R threaded nipples between fins (not just the Rococo). I'm including a picture of a radiator with both Rococo & plain fins which makes me think all units w/o push-rods may be constructed with the L/ R fitting (which makes sense since the likely difference is on the exterior of the cast and not the entire cast / design).

We don't have a lot of specialized tools here which leaves me thinking there is a straightforward remedy (because the hybrid rad. pictured was most likely assembled/ disassembled onsite). Those dead men probably didn't have any spectacular tools either - the last threaded nipple to be installed must have been tightened through the footed or end fin?

There is the Sawzall or grinder approach which would ruin one fin but separate the sections making other fins available for reinstallation....

About that warming radiator - WOW what a gem; I want one or 2! It looks like that cast pattern has what I interpret as dragon scales on the feet, flames on the lower section and smoke swirling at the top.

Is hercules boiler solder easy to use / apply? I'll research this as it may be an approach I could use for some rad. fixes.

Those frozen open rads. are a sad sight. Mighty mites (a favorite style because of their compact effectiveness) AND ornate units too a big boo-hoo for sure.

We've got snow falling today - my workshop space is outside so I won't be working on radiators until it warms up but I'll give this riddle some time this summer - your message is real cool - helps me realize I'm not only person dragging these functional antiques home hoping to heat 'em up for another many years.

Thanks again for the challenge!
Gwen

Steamhead (in transit)

You're right

that hybrid rad is made up of Rococo and Peerless sections, and whoever put it together had to have dealt with those right/left nipples.

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Radiator Ranger

Tightening last sections

Do you think the last fin was tightened through the end section? I can't think of another way to do it.

Gwen

Charlie from wmass

ME I must say my favorite way to fix a radiator for a paying customer is to call Governale. Over the years I have been burned to many times trying to repair rads of customers I do appreciate the work taken to try and keep these parts of the past alive. One of the first jobs I had out of high school with Da was a dreaded steam to hot water conversion on a bid contract. Tainted me towards working on old rads. I will be reading this and enjoying all the work you guys do. I do wonder if copper plating would help seal the holes in an old rad.I also wonder if chrome plating would be helpfull for bathroom rads.

bob young

YOU ARE A GOOD MAN , CHARLIE BROWN

AND that radiator is like a piece of fine jewelry , Tim. what a beauty. good job, bro. to scrap that would have been a felony offense

Dave Stroman

Here are 3 pages out of a 1925 Ideal Fitter book. It shows the L/R nipples and how the radiators go together. Also a wrench used to assemble and disassemble the radiators. The key will be if the nipples will break loose after so many years. I think rads used on water systems will break loose easier than ones used in steam systems. That has been the case with plugs that I have tried to remove.

The Burnham nipples are different so I do not know if their wrenches will work.

Dave Stroman

Mars_3

Thank you Dave

I thank you for the information that you have posted this is good stuff. I also do work in Denver and am happy to have a qualified heating contractor to bid against. I hope that the project for Mike T works out for you. Thanks again and hope to bid against you soon.

Dave Stroman

Hello Matt, nice to meet you. The project you mentioned went well. We installed a Triangle boiler, converted all the steam radiators to hot water, and replaced all the old steel piping with 1/2" PEX. He is now putting in some Ultra Fin for some radiant floor heat and is considering some more cast iron radiators for the basement.

Dave Stroman

bob young

where are the cats ?

Steamhead (in transit)

It

had to have been. There's no other way to get to it.

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[Deleted User]