Factory Ofeldt Boilers

 

Factory Ofeldt Boiler   Factory Ofeldt Boiler
     
Factory Ofeldt Boiler   Factory Ofeldt Boiler

These are photos of a factory made Ofeldt that is 19” diameter, 36” long, central drum 4 ½” O.D., and 10 coils. 

A page from the James Edward Homans book, Self-propelled Vehicles: A Practical Treatise on the Theory, Construction, Operation, Care and Management of All Forms of Automobiles
on the Ofeldt-boiler pp.198-99

 


Fabricating Tony Grzyb's Ofeldt Boiler

     
  Making a Ofeldt Boiler  

Left to right: Tony Grzyb, Tom Kimmel, and Terry Stout, Tom's mechanic. The coil that we are making is for Tony Grzyb and it replaces a Locomobile fire tube boiler of about 14” diameter and 14” tall.  The central drum is 5 ½” O.D.  As one can see half of the coils are wound right hand and half left hand.  Because the coils fit together at a slight angle to each other the spacing between the turns is about 1 ¼ the O.D. of the tubing.  The winding procedure used a hydraulically powered rotating table and a mandrel with an acme thread lead screw hand turned at the rate of 8 turns for each rotation of the larger table.  It is important to have drag on the tubing as it is wound.  This is done with a nylon split block squeezed tight with bolts.  The boiler steams very well and it never scorches.

     
Making a Ofeldt Boiler    
     
Making a Ofeldt Boiler   Making a Ofeldt Boiler
     
Progress on the new Ofeldt Boiler   Progress on the new Ofeldt Boiler
     
Progress on the new Ofeldt Boiler   Progress on the new Ofeldt Boiler
     
Progress on the new Ofeldt Boiler  

Out of focus. The only top view of all one sided coils applied to central drum.

     
Progress on the new Ofeldt Boiler   Progress on the new Ofeldt Boiler

Both right hand and left hand coiles applied to central drum.

Progress on the new Ofeldt Boiler    

And the finsihed product.