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

Thanks for this, Rich.

First time for me seeing the pump work..!!

Well done - looks like the shaft is completely lost its nickel coating - must of had a lot of green stuff and calcium inside.  Mine had a lot of that at the bottom and calcium but being at the bottom hole I was able to agitated with a toothpick.  Where as for yours it needed to dissolve! 

I'd would do some more CLR and keep working that shaft up and done.  After that some ample oil.

You'll need a O-ring that will fit under the cap.  Then insure the spring still has "spring" - its fun getting it just right over the ball and the pump screwed on the tank without it moving.

Looking forward to your update that it's working.  I think you been waiting a long time for the pump to work!

  Rich....Nickel plating on the pump shaft?  That pony left
the barn in the 'Loosening'.  I tried the pump installed
and it sucks up the water well.  Now I know I need to
seal it at the top and get the 'boiler' port check valve
to work as it should. I call it fine-tuning.  Another
challenge to be beaten into submission.

Wayne     

Again, thanks for the advice and encouraging words.

  I got it all together and used a tiny dot of ss screen
on top of the spiral spring to hold it all in place.
Except for leaking at the top (dribbles back into the
water glass) and the ball sticking open (a couple of
taps with the wood end of a small hammer cures that),
IT WORKS!  Now, I have to solve the seals at the top
of the pump.

  Well, I must cut the run and fun short as it is the last
of my distilled H2O.

Thanks,
Wayne

In more B-43 Pumper news, this is the one I got (like within a hour) of getting the one that started this thread.  It has been repainted and some small parts were taken to brass.  I replace just about all of them from the spare parts bin where the nickel in okay condition.

The next problem was the smoke stack is the knurled kind, so I replaced it with the last non-knurled.  The upside it is pretty shinny, the downside it is a little beat up.

Last problem(s) is the pumper.  The pump I swapped with my other, since the one on the engine was taken all the way down to brass.  It also has what I think is a odd repair on the bottom shaft and it also leaks a tiny bit from where it threads to the center.  There is some solder on the threads too, perhaps an attempt to seal it?  Perhaps that dot on the lower shaft is a solder dot by why leave it there?  After replacing it with a spring that would actually work (thankfully the ball was in there) it does pump water.  Not as good as the other two I have but it does work.  The pump shaft seems a bit dodgy and I get closer to the top.  These things are hard a f*&K to get apart, so much so I never gotten one apart (only messed up the finish trying).

Then from the photos you'll see a number of red washers.  This is because the screw coming out of the tank is to far out, so I had to make up the distance.  The screw appears to be correct, just to far out.  I have no idea how to get that screw out, so the washer stay in for now.

Video to soon follow.

Edit:
This engine also doesn't have a label above the power connector.  It is stamped Empire and "B-43".  Its hard to make out because it has so much paint on it.  My other one is actually stamped, as just "43".