Lyka Kit #17 - Boiler

Kit 17 finally arrived after a misunderstanding with the receiving shipping agent at Charleston, SC (and in case you are wondering what happened to Kit 16, that was a phantom kit considering it was an additional payment for the boiler).  It had been so long since I had an over-the-seas by ship delivery I didn't realize that I was responsible for acquiring a Custom's Agent to guide and clear my shipment through all the red tape. Oh well live and learn....I received the boiler June 13th after sitting in Charleston since May 28th.
All unpacked and with the help of a friend placed on a dolly:

The boiler is way too heavy to manage by myself.  Looking at the boiler there are a few tapped holes for the water and steam that possibly could be used for lifting with an eye bolt mounted into the center tapped hole. I decided that I did not want to chance stripping the threads - again did I mention this thing is really heavy! So I made a cardboard outline of the diameter of the boiler and placed it in the Lykamobile frame to get an idea of the available space and designed my platform accordingly.

I figured I could fabricate a platform that I could use to lift the boiler using a hydraulic engine hoist that I have. So off to our local building supply for some materials. I purchased a 4 foot section of 1"x1" x 16 ga. cold rolled steel tubing and some eye bolts. I cut two pieces at 16 inches of tubing and then cut the remainder into approximately 8 inch pieces and welded it all up and drilled through holes for the eye bolts.

Fits perfectly !

And tested the platform with some nylon straps and the engine hoist. At this time placing the boiler in the frame isn't recommended by Steam Traction World. Additional insulation etc. needs to be done before this step can be taken.

Not that I believe this boiler will ever rust away, I decided it would be good to paint the exterior with POR 15 High Temperature paint. I first used their recommended degreaser and a wire brush and scotch-brite pad to clean the surface.

After letting the boiler dry in the sun for the day, I painted it with the POR 15 High Temperature paint (manifold gray). The paint takes 24 hours to cure before a second coat can be applied which I will do, and the final cure takes place after the boiler reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is the Pressure Test Certification document: Certification

Not much else to do until the burner, insulation and fittings etc. arrives.