Folding Chimney Stack

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Today I took a folding stack I have made to Bullfinch to see if it worked prior to any painting and detail finishing.

It worked well in a first test. It is fairly heavy however and the counterbalance is a four pound weight. I used the original chimney (shortened by hitting a number of bridges) as the top folding part with a new brass hoop smoke baffle. The lower tube is a piece of three inch stove pipe scavenged from a scrap yard.

The hinge is simply a brass door hinge cut down to size. Bracket for the balance weight was bent with some heat and shaped on the grinding wheel. The bottom brass tube, to fit onto the roof, is from a rectangular brass door plate. The hook is from a discarded rusty chimney found in the marina skip. The rope is a test of a monkey's fist round a small ball. The rope has to be shortened yet of course and the whole chimney painted and the brass laquered. This summer I peered at a few other folding stacks to see how they worked as we travelled around.

I hope it all works in practise. It lowers easily to gently rest on the pigeon box and with a small flick of the rope it pops upright again.

[Tonka]

What stops it damaging the piegon box

[ditchcrawler]

What stops it damaging the piegon box

The piece of wood he is going to take next time he goes to the boat

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Or....a rubber domed bumper glued to the pigeon box top.

[the grinch]

personally I would shorten the non hinged part so that the hinged bit lays flat across the pidgeon box as it stands it won't pass under several bridges on the lee, stort, nene also think it will struggle in some of the tunnels harecastle/gosty hill/froghall

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Good advice hamsterfan, I'll have a rethink about the height now.

[MtB]

How do you make it return to the UP position without leaving the tiller?

 

Mike

[coventrylad]

Nice job, but ! I think an internal spring would of been neater and also returned the chimney to the upright position when releasing the pull cord.

[ditchcrawler]

Nice job, but ! I think an internal spring would of been neater and also returned the chimney to the upright position when releasing the pull cord.

The weight acts as a cutter in tunnels and bridges

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Mike, a very small flick upwards on the rope from the steering position lifts the chimney a little then the weight takes over and returns it upright.

Coventry lad, I thought about a spring but I never considered an internal one. Its a good idea and I wish I'd thought of that.

[MtB]

Mike, a very small flick upwards on the rope from the steering position lifts the chimney a little then the weight takes over and returns it upright.

 

I see, that's very elegant! Fancy making me one?

 

MtB

 

(Or two, actually!)

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Lets see how it works for real. Its one thing playing around in the marina but quite another out travelling. Can't go yet. Lock six on the Rufford branch is getting new gates. I suspect I will modify the design slowly in light of the suggestions here.

[ChasDWarren]

Hi Peter,

 

I like the concept, I think the balance weight is more elegant & would be more reliable than a spring that could be affected by heat. Just wondering how your design has worked out in practice, whether you have evolved it further or are even marketing it now ?

 

Regards,

 

Chas

[saltysplash]

I like it, but id make the counter balance heavier so it would return to upright on its own with out flicking the rope. The rope would just need a cleat to tie off on to to keep the stack in the lowered position

[ChasDWarren]

Good thinking, or maybe the lever longer & the same weight ?

[ditchcrawler]

Well I have just had a friend make one for my boat. The pipe is car exhaust and the hinge part stainless steel, its all a snug fit on a piece of 2" pipe that screws into the engine room roof.

 

 

[MtB]

Tony Redshaw makes them too. £50 each IIRC, when he has any!

 

Most exhaust stacks are 3" though aren't they? Not 2".

 

MtB

[BlueStringPudding]

Very smart

[ChasDWarren]

Looks great. How does it work?

Do you pull it down with a cord from the helm, does it then go back up when you release the cord or what ?

[ditchcrawler]

Tony Redshaw makes them too. £50 each IIRC, when he has any!

 

Most exhaust stacks are 3" though aren't they? Not 2".

 

MtB

Mine was made to fit my exhaust, it is a 2" threaded socket on the roof. Tony had some on display at the Braunston Historic Boat show

Edited July 28, 2014 by ditchcrawler