Does a Jensen 25 have a larger Cyl bore than a Jensen 75?
Also the one I am looking at is Electric fired, is there a off the peg product that is value priced that could vary the voltage on the cheap? I was thinking along the lines of a light dimmer switch but I have no Idea how many amps these draw.
Any sharp eye steamers see any issues with this unit?
I freely admit voltage is not my strong point.
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I run all my electrically heated engines thru a dimmer
switch, especially those without a throttle. No difference
between a light bulb filament and a steam engines heater
element. A very easy and inexpensive build. I added a
video link demonstrating it with a Jensen #35.
https://youtu.be/zoOc3TL7N1UGood Luck,
Wayne
I have that one in my watch list as well Ben.
The #25 & 75 are exactly the same engine except the #25 has the belly heater & the #75 has holes in the firebox & of course a burner tray. I think the #25 pulls 3.5 amp & 400 or so watts ,yes, as Wayne said , a dimmer switch of the correct amperage will do nicely (I have 2 home made ones)
Oh Darn Ben .... I thought we were going to play 25 questions based on Jensen, but now I see that you only have a few Jensen 25 questions .... ;c)
First off, from what I can see, that is a nearly new condition #25 and should be a good one.
As far as I recall, the #25 & #75 have the same cylinder size, but the #65's cylinder is a little bit smaller.
Many of us use an aftermarket type Router Speed Controller to control the power to our electric boilers. They can generally be had on evilbay, Harbor Freight or the like, for between $10 - 20, and work great on engines the size of a Jensen 25.
I'll post a link to one just like what I have and often use:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/393021519754?_Do look around some as there may be better deals to be found.
Thanks guys! I found this Very helpful.
Bruce, don't let my interest stop you from bidding if you want! I generally go for fuel fired engines because of my voltage unfamiliarity, BUT what drew me to this listing was the 25 looked pretty clean and the brick house was not badly discolored! This leads me to believe that A this engine has not been run much and B volts heat MUST be a "softer" heat than Alcohol or Esbit type fuels.
I actually watched a video Very recently of a guy firing a Brand New Jensen 85, now granted he used a max load of Esbit but the New engine was badly discolored on the Very first Run!
I think when my shiny new 85 shows up I am going to try some Very High Temp paint on it before ever firing.
I used a dimmer switch setup very much like Wayne's years ago, I wired it in to my Lee Lead melting pot to make the heat softer, by this method I was able to cast Wax bullets for indoor practice.
The seller is a member of the forum
The seller is a member of the forum
Is that yours Nick?....why shoot fire, you could have boxed her right up with that Empire water pump and made me a whale of a package deal!
Ben, I have that 25 on my watch list as well. As I mentioned in my intro, my very first steam engine was a Jensen 75 (approx. mid-sixties.) The beautiful brick-embossed firebox resembled an overdone fritter after the very first steaming. I was disappointed, and I eventually gave the engine away. I've been on the lookout for a 25 from that same general era, with the slimmer handles, and ungrooved flywheel.
I kind of wonder why Jensen has never addressed this issue through the years. They must have had to use a thinner metal when they went to the embossed design, but you think they might have added some insulation, similar to what Stuart did with the 500 series boilers. That thin metal really conducts the heat to the outer coating.
Good luck with the bidding! I'm at a disadvantage since I just purchased a 55, and I think I may have overpaid. However, it's a brass-tag model, and was upgraded with a generator. But my engine budget is feeling the pinch.
Paula
Not to worry Paula .... Jensen 25's on ebay are almost a constant, so there will be another one along before too long .... but Jensen 55's, much less so!
Ben, I have that 25 on my watch list as well. As I mentioned in my intro, my very first steam engine was a Jensen 75 (approx. mid-sixties.) The beautiful brick-embossed firebox resembled an overdone fritter after the very first steaming. I was disappointed, and I eventually gave the engine away. I've been on the lookout for a 25 from that same general era, with the slimmer handles, and ungrooved flywheel.
I kind of wonder why Jensen has never addressed this issue through the years. They must have had to use a thinner metal when they went to the embossed design, but you think they might have added some insulation, similar to what Stuart did with the 500 series boilers. That thin metal really conducts the heat to the outer coating.
Good luck with the bidding! I'm at a disadvantage since I just purchased a 55, and I think I may have overpaid. However, it's a brass-tag model, and was upgraded with a generator. But my engine budget is feeling the pinch.
Paula
Paula, it's sad you gave your first Jensen away, (but I have done worse)
Bruce painted a Jensen 85 "bricks" with Very High Temp paint...you can find this at Automotive Stores, it is commonly used to paint engine exhaust headers. The 85 now lives at Nicks house.....he is a busy man but it would be cool if he posted how the little 85 paint is holding up wouldn't it?
I think the Jensen issue is the paint, it may need to be stripped before the good stuff goes on.
I think they also have a layer of copper (plating?) under the paint. I found that out when I attempted to steel wool away the blackened paint. I doubt if it has much effect on saving the paint from the heat.
Ben, I have that 25 on my watch list as well. As I mentioned in my intro, my very first steam engine was a Jensen 75 (approx. mid-sixties.) The beautiful brick-embossed firebox resembled an overdone fritter after the very first steaming. I was disappointed, and I eventually gave the engine away. I've been on the lookout for a 25 from that same general era, with the slimmer handles, and ungrooved flywheel.
I kind of wonder why Jensen has never addressed this issue through the years. They must have had to use a thinner metal when they went to the embossed design, but you think they might have added some insulation, similar to what Stuart did with the 500 series boilers. That thin metal really conducts the heat to the outer coating.
Good luck with the bidding! I'm at a disadvantage since I just purchased a 55, and I think I may have overpaid. However, it's a brass-tag model, and was upgraded with a generator. But my engine budget is feeling the pinch.
Paula
Paula, it's sad you gave your first Jensen away, (but I have done worse)
Bruce painted a Jensen 85 "bricks" with Very High Temp paint...you can find this at Automotive Stores, it is commonly used to paint engine exhaust headers. The 85 now lives at Nicks house.....he is a busy man but it would be cool if he posted how the little 85 paint is holding up wouldn't it?
I think the Jensen issue is the paint, it may need to be stripped before the good stuff goes on.
Ben , I use VHT "burnt copper" for all my Jensen fire box's for over 5 yrs now , I get it from AutoZone ,about $9-10 A can.
Re:Jensen not doing something about the fire box color choice , I talked to Alita Jensen personally during a visit to the Jensen factory about this common complaint , & her reply was that she thought it gave the engine "charm" and was pretty adamant that it NOT change , despite what all the customers wanted.
Electric heat is less volatile than fuel heat by the obvious heat discoloration of the fire box sometimes after the 1st firing , always after the second fuel firing 😐