Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

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.



Good Luck,
Wayne

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.

The seller is a member of the forum 

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

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.

Quote from: Paula on May 19, 2021, 07:39:09 pm

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 😐