Boiler water level gauge background

[Bob HParticipant @bobh]

Hi, who can supply a background to go behind the boiler water level gauge on my 3 1/2” loco to make it easier to read?

[Bob HParticipant @bobh]

Making level gauges easier to read

[David Davies 8Participant @daviddavies8]

Hi, you could make your own, a strip,mounted behind the gauge glass, painted white with diagonal black lines thereon is used on full sized locos. The water defracts the image of the diagonal line and so helps the viewer to see the level.

hth

Dave

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

Plus 1 for that!

Andrew.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

You can get glass tube with a line down the back, when it has water it looks that colour all across, I think it's called Schelbach

[Bob HParticipant @bobh]

Yes it had a blue line glass fitted but the seals had perished were leaking and stuck to the glass. I almost got it out before it broke! I can only find plain glass replacements.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

what size and how long? I might have some spare

[Paul KempParticipant @paulkemp46892]

Polly Models do red line glass in various sizes, that's very good.

Paul.

[Bob HParticipant @bobh]

The holes in the gauge nuts are 4.4mm and in the fittings 4.8mm. The old glass measured 4.18mm so I guess it was nominally 3/16”. This model being from Clarksons is all in imperial.

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

The glass which I purchased for my engine has a red line painted on the back which works well but needs a white background behind the glass to see the level in low light.

My preference though is for clear glass and a white background with red or black diagonal lines which is what we use on full size engines. The angle of the lines is inverted as light passes thru the water.

Paul.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

All the blue glass tubes appear to have had the line and white background deposited on the glass during manufacture.

Would I be wrong in assuming a blue line quite literally painted on would work?

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

Give it a go Nick, nothing to lose. Those that I bought have a red line in the middle and a white line on each side but a single painted line would probably be OK.

Also a white reflector as shown in my previous post as they are hard to see in dim light without it.

Paul.

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