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

Builds, Repairs, Show Your Machines! => Live Steam Locomotives => Topic started by: jerseysteam on July 24, 2019, 04:57:23 pm

Title: Re: Steam oil recommendation for Roundhouse
Post by: jerseysteam on July 29, 2019, 07:43:19 am

Roundhouse has confirmed that the Dream Steam 220 weight oil is indeed the same formula as the RH 220.

FYI.  :)

Title: Re: Steam oil recommendation for Roundhouse
Post by: Swift Fox on July 26, 2019, 02:23:35 pm

Glad you were able to source some 220 grade oil even if it has to come from the UK, $7 isn't too bad at all. Hopefully a solution can be found to stock it domestically.

Title: Re: Steam oil recommendation for Roundhouse
Post by: jerseysteam on July 26, 2019, 08:55:24 am

RH acknowledged the issue re: 220 oil availability in the U.S. and don't yet have a solution. A former dealer did stock the 220 oil, but I'm not sure how long ago they stopped trading. Dream Steam says their 220 is the same formula and I've asked RH if they can confirm. In the end, it would cost ~$7 more to ship 500ml of the Dream Steam 220 vs. the local 320. Not much in the entire scheme of things and 500ml will last a long while, so I ordered some. Stay tuned for a review.

Title: Re: Steam oil recommendation for Roundhouse
Post by: Swift Fox on July 26, 2019, 03:41:47 am

Quote from: Nick

Green velvet from my understanding is no longer in business... a local boiler builder has taken over supplying one grade of their oil (I believe one of the heavier/thicker oils)

Thanks for that info Nick, i didn't know they had ceased trading.  :o

I know the oil that Jensen and Wilesco supply is quite thin but they only supply it in small bottles but that is another option. I think 320 might be a suitable compromise. 

Title: Re: Steam oil recommendation for Roundhouse
Post by: Nick on July 26, 2019, 12:07:45 am

Quote from: Swift Fox on July 25, 2019, 01:49:40 pm

are green velvet still in business?

Green velvet from my understanding is no longer in business... a local boiler builder has taken over supplying one grade of their oil (I believe one of the heavier/thicker oils)

Title: Re: Steam oil recommendation for Roundhouse
Post by: Swift Fox on July 25, 2019, 01:49:40 pm

Roundhouse recommend 220 grade oil from what i understand, i definitely think 460 would be too thick to use all the time. Surely there must be a supplier of 220 grade oil in the US, are green velvet still in business? 

Title: Steam oil recommendation for Roundhouse
Post by: jerseysteam on July 24, 2019, 04:57:23 pm

I'll be running out of Roundhouse-provided (in small bottles) 220 weight steam oil by the end of summer. My dealer tells me that RH oil cannot be bulk-shipped to the U.S.

My remaining options are:
Dream Steam 220 weight oil (not sure who concocted it); extremely expensive to ship
320 weight oil; easy to obtain from my very local dealer; not the cheapest; should be fine to use though
460(?) weight Accucraft oil; I already have a ton; super cheap

The Accucraft oil is higher viscosity and I've run it in my Roundhouse locos a few times. I can determine after draining the water from the lubricator that less oil gets to the cylinders. Roundhouse indicates that using 'thicker' oil could eventually lead to carbonization issues.

I'm leaning toward the 320 as a compromise. I also have an email out to Roundhouse to see what they think.

Any advice re: these or other options would be appreciated.

Thanks,