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

     I just received a “transitional” 35, can post photos later this week, but for now I am seeking some information, specifically about the electric heater. I was not aware that these used the old round heating elements that fit into a tube in the boiler (I guess I should have!). As far as I know, these heaters are not available. Any easy alternatives?

     This example has an obviously non-original wood base, riveted and plated boiler, and what is as far as I know the earliest type of black cord with the gold stitching (but no plug).

     My regular computer is in the shop and I am working on a tablet that I cannot use to load photos, so photos will come later. Any advice appreciated - Thanks!

  Thanks Bruce, that must be what it is, as the heater is ceramic and round (about 3/4 inch diameter), and clearly original to the engine. But, wouldn’t all of the riveted boiler “transition” 35 engines (and the “forgotten” 35) have had the same boiler and heating element? If not, then maybe it is more special than I assumed. The person I bought it from said that it belonged to his grandfather, and he last remembered playing with it in the early 1960s. So, no way that I would trust it to still be in safe working order by now (I could be wrong). Otherwise, overall the engine appears to be in decent condition, piston and flywheel move freely, no damage or solder repairs on the boiler, etc.

    Will post photos soon

     Here are some photos. The chimney is a piece of copper pipe that has a plug in the bottom and was held on with a square nut below in the firebox, and there is no cup for the chimney, so I assume that was all replaced. The base is undersized and obviously is just a piece of scrap wood (full of other holes). Which I think is very puzzling, why would anyone replace the original base, especially since everything else would seem to be original except the chimney? Can't think of any other reason, unless the engine was dropped and the base alone was broken? The sight glass was obviously worked on at some point, and I have not gotten around to investigating what is holding the bottom block on. Anyway, here it is, if I can't find any simple way to get it working then I will pass it along to someone else.

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Check your heater for continuity. If it checks out, you should have nothing to worry about. Just be careful with it. 🙂

Working on the sight glass, you may find that the bottom screw is seized, or just rotted away to the point that it just breaks off. I’ve been down that road before. It’s a very careful extraction process at that point.

I’ll help you any way I can. I’ve repaired more than 100 Jensen engines over the last 25 years or so, but if you do decide that it’s too much of a challenge for you, I’d certainly be willing to take it on. 😁

Check your heater for continuity. If it checks out, you should have nothing to worry about. Just be careful with it. 🙂

Working on the sight glass, you may find that the bottom screw is seized, or just rotted away to the point that it just breaks off. I’ve been down that road before. It’s a very careful extraction process at that point.

I’ll help you any way I can. I’ve repaired more than 100 Jensen engines over the last 25 years or so, but if you do decide that it’s too much of a challenge for you, I’d certainly be willing to take it on. 😁

    Thanks so much Mike for your suggestions and offer to help. The video is just great, really a remarkable education on the model 35, and I can’t imagine that anyone could do any better (especially given the quantity of reference material on display!).

    I am increasingly inclined to believe that I don’t want to try to take on any major restoration effort on this engine. I have so far done nothing more than take it apart as shown, which involved only removing the firebox from the base and sliding the heating element out. So, easy enough to just put it back as it was, thus leaving it entirely “as found”.

     I have been seeking an early Jensen to restore, but would prefer something like a larger model, specifically one of the horseshoe magnet generator models (with the lamp) on a wood base from the late 1940s-50s. If I could find one in rough but mostly complete condition. I saw the perfect one on e-bay at a great price just a few weeks ago, but passed it up, and soon regretted that I did. Anyway, I would be interested in some even trade of this engine, for something like that, for which spare parts are readily available (clearly, the heating elements for this 35 are not!).

    For now, I will just put this one back together. I am waiting to hear from the gentleman who sold it to me, because he suspects that he has at least one more engine that also belonged to his grandfather, and is going to look for it, and offer it to me if he can find it. Who knows what it might be, but naturally I will be waiting in suspense to find out!

I have several of the early Jensens with the cartridge type heater in them. One thing you need to make sure of is there isn't a hole in the tube in boiler. These are well know to have a hole in them. If it's good and heater is bad, I have made brass sleeves and put new metal cartridge heaters in them and works fine. Just make sleeve a slip fit in tube and drill hole in center of sleeve for slip fit for new cartridge heater. I've found these heaters on Amazon and are fairly reasonable price. For boiler the size you have I wouldn't put over at 250-300 watt heater in it. If the tube does have a hole in it when you make the sleeve don't drill hole for heater completely though and solder it in tube.

  Thanks to Wayne and Randy and all for your very experienced comments and advice. I am still pondering on what to do next with this, I am not much good with electrical problems, as almost all of my experience is with gas or spirit burners (mostly gas, and I have four in three different models and sizes).

  I wish there was some way to apply a gas burner to this one, but obviously that is not a viable solution, even if I had something appropriate, and as far as I know nothing appropriate exists, short of making something from scratch. I will check to see if the burner tube in the boiler is fully intact with no issues.

    I have made progress on this 35, but still have a way to go. Fortunately, the boiler seems to be intact with no leaks, and the ceramic heater seems to work OK. At least, insofar as it heated up too hot to touch within less than 5 seconds! But, no further tests yet, as the sight glass needs to be replaced (so far I just installed the old one for fit and photos). The glass had suffered some damage on both ends, and so I need to get a replacement from Jensen (which apparently they do have).

    I used some "Mothers" automotive aluminum polish on the boiler, which worked OK, but there is still a haze of oxidation (not really evident in these photos). I don't believe that I can do any better with that polish (which I already had). Any suggestions for trying to improve it further? I know that MAAS polish is typically used, but that stuff is expensive, and I don't know if it will really make much difference? I also have Brasso, which states that it can be used on chrome or aluminum, but I have not tried it. So far I have not had to buy anything aside from two rubber washers, and prefer to keep it that way, unless I could get some significantly better results on the boiler finish. The chimney is of course not original, but something that I got years ago in a lot of parts from e-bay; it is probably home-made, but looks pretty good for now.

  Any suggestions appreciated.

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