Re: Boiler repair by plating

Tom...
My inclination is that no kind of plating could be useful, practically, in boiler repair. Plating is basically a process of placing thin layers (like microinches) of special purpose material on some kind of substrate.
I did have one interesting situation where a boiler was repaired with plating. I built a live steam locomotive using parts from Little Engines. They supplied a casting for the backhead and exterior of the firebox area. When I had finished the boiler, and started testing it, the casting leaked terribly. A friend at Hewlett Packard arranged to have it plated with copper. After about five passes, we got enough copper built up to seal the damn thing. But, that is not particularly pertinent to your question.
That crown sheet should have been replaced. But, the report seems to indicate that the owner was not aware of the terrible condition it was in, and therefore had no thought of a repair of any kind.
Bob Keller