Packing material

[jscarmozza]

The steam chest and cylinder packing glands on my 1"Atlantic are leaking and there is none to very little adjustment left, what would be the better choice for packing, asbestos graphite or PTFE ?

[Odyknuck]

I am considering using Viton "O" rings on my build.

[Marty_Knox]

I use the graphite packing tape from McMaster-Carr. 50 feet of the 1/4" wide cost $6.73, part number 9481K11.
The big advantage is you don't need to remove the old, just add more on top of what's already there.

[jscarmozza]

Thanks Marty, I was concerned about the old packing because it's hard as a rock and I wasn't looking
Forward to picking it all out.
John

[Bill Shields]

Marty is correct about the packing choice...but understand that the "no need to remove old stuff" only applies once you start with the graphite ribbon.

It there is other stuff in there that is old and hard ..you need to get it out.

Use a dental pick

[NP317]

I've used PTFE 3/32" dia. round (string) on my Ten Wheeler piston and valve rods.
With over 550 real miles on it over the past 15 years, I've only needed to tighten the packing once, and never needed to add more.
'Works for me.
And I also installed the same packing on my Mikado.

On our 1/8th scale steam locomotives, I think o-rings might be problematic because the o-rings are not likely to properly compress and form around the rods,
and will have decreased sealing surface area compared to packing. Also, o-ring replacement requires removal of the rods from the crossheads so the new rings can be slipped over the rod.
RussN

[Odyknuck]

Good thought on the "O" rings. No need to reinvent the wheel here, so I guess I will stick to the tried and true packing.

[jscarmozza]

There's no easy way out in this hobby:) Thanks for clearing that up Bill, I ordered the graphite tape last night and would have stuck it right on top of what was in there.

[Crosshead4]

John I have some I can give you next time I’m there. Teflon rope pieces pulled from a thick packing rope.
Phil Meade

[Bill Shields]

getting the old stuff out (whatever it is) -> not always that bad. Picking and blowing with air from the outside is not always the most productive.

Suggest:

roll the piston to the correct position so that the air is on the packing (not the front of the cylinder). maybe 1/4 of the way forward from rear dead center.

pull the packing glands all the way back out of the way

block the loco so that the drivers cannot move (a padded screwdriver or dowel jammed into the driver spokes works well). blocking the chassis is NOT what you want to do since the if the wheels spin while the packing glands are all the way back and / or your fingers are in there -> !!!!!!

lightly pressurize the boiler with air. A few PSI is all you need.

Open throttle slowly.

If packing does not blow out, get in there with a dental pick and go to work. the air pressure will assist with 'removal'.

takes longer to describe than do.

there is a blacksmith's solution to most everything with a loco....

[NP317]

Pic is attached of the PTFE packing I use.
One roll of it has lasted for many years.
RussN

[jscarmozza]

Thanks Phil and Russ, I have a roll that I bought some time ago and used it to repack a project that I have but I never ran with PTFE packing since I didn't finish that project. It had a soft squishy feel so I never knew if I had enough packing or was tight enough.

Bill thanks for the tip on removing the old packing, I'm going to give it a try.