Post by: therat05 on April 09, 2019, 02:17:58 pm
Steve you have done a great job on restoring your Mersey 53, like the video to.Hello Kevin it was a very enjoyable rebuild , these are first class engines and very well constructed, i am going to steam this soonish
so there will be another Video of that...Steve
Post by: Kevin68 on April 09, 2019, 02:05:10 pm
Post by: therat05 on April 03, 2019, 03:37:37 am
Looks great. Well done!Thanks Paul i really want to steam this engine and i keep boffing on about getting new wicks for the burner.
I would like to use gel fuel on this as it does not ruin the boiler with soot and staining...I may have worked out a way to make some slim fuel trays from thick foil cooking trays that will fit through the side vents ,,so watch this space it could happen soon ;D....Steve
Post by: Belugawhaleman on April 03, 2019, 01:44:53 am
Post by: therat05 on March 29, 2019, 06:17:58 pm
I have never even fired it Rog, Its still mint!!... Must get a group shot of my 3 Merseys ..Definitely post that group shot of your 3 Merseys....
Post by: Bowman on March 29, 2019, 10:08:17 am
Dang, another sale that I forgot about. Hope mine is still working for you Sandy...it was a labor of love to restore it years ago.I have never even fired it Rog, Its still mint!!... Must get a group shot of my 3 Merseys ..
Rog
Post by: IndianaRog on March 29, 2019, 10:06:07 am
Thanks Steve, it's Indianarog's old one........He probably forgot who he sold it to!!!
Cheers sandy
Dang, another sale that I forgot about. Hope mine is still working for you Sandy...it was a labor of love to restore it years ago.
Rog
Post by: therat05 on March 29, 2019, 07:34:25 am
Thanks Steve, it's Indianarog's old one........He probably forgot who he sold it to!!!So Sandy your Mersey would be a 53R as i dont see any gears, first one i have seen...Steve
Cheers sandy
Post by: Bowman on March 29, 2019, 07:14:17 am
Cheers sandy
Post by: therat05 on March 29, 2019, 03:14:00 am
Like this one Roger ?? ;D Also great restoration Steve.... Cheers Sandy.Thats a nice engine Sandy...Steve
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
Post by: Bowman on March 29, 2019, 02:34:38 am
I once had one of those and it refurbed beautifully...but not quite as nice as yours. Really good work, it looks factory new.Like this one Roger ?? ;D Also great restoration Steve.... Cheers Sandy.
Roger
[attachimg=1][attach=2][attachimg=2]
Post by: therat05 on March 28, 2019, 06:19:17 pm
That looks amazing Steve. Top notch work as usual. 👍Thanks Mike i have been running it all afternoon, it really is a lovely engine...Steve
Post by: Mike on March 28, 2019, 03:08:17 pm
Post by: therat05 on March 28, 2019, 08:12:41 am
What a turn-about for that worn Mersey. You've done some amazing work, Steve. It looks fantastic.Thank you Benny i have to say it did brush up nice
....Steve
Post by: Dr.Rev.DelmarMacReady on March 28, 2019, 07:09:29 am
Post by: therat05 on March 28, 2019, 03:08:21 am
Looking forward to seeing her run Steve, you've done a resto and a half on this one.i will video it sometime today Jim i have to replace the kitchen taps first
... i may have job fitting up behind and among the the pipe work....Steve
Post by: Jim on March 27, 2019, 08:17:21 pm
Post by: therat05 on March 27, 2019, 07:59:10 pm
Thanks for sharing this great resto Steve.Hello Jim i will add a video of it running a workshop tomorrow..unfortunately it will be on air as i do not have any wicks for the burner, It is not easy to fit a different burner as the Mersey 53's are custom built to use the proper burner from underneath the base ....Steve
Post by: Jim on March 27, 2019, 07:25:44 pm
Post by: therat05 on March 27, 2019, 07:18:24 pm
Steve you did a very nice restoration of the Mersey.Thanks it was a real pleasure to work on...Steve
Post by: therat05 on March 27, 2019, 07:13:40 pm
Must be nice to have a beautiful, brand new Mersey like that ... so what did you do with the old grungy one you show in your first photos??? ;c)Its still there stoker ..under all the bling ;D
Post by: IndianaRog on March 27, 2019, 06:43:50 pm
I am a restorer by heart as well Steve, so i for one is happy (and impressed) with your effort and result.
In fact, when it comes to my toys, i have been living quite a bit by this quote from Roger, which so nicely puts words on my own feelings in this regard:
(Attachment Link)
Holy cow Jan, forgot I wrote that little quote...but to this day it is exactly how I approach every engine/accessory. Though occasionally I pass one on to another steamer knowing it borders on the Shroud of Turin and someone will love it more than I in dreadful condition!!!
Rog
Post by: Stoker on March 27, 2019, 03:59:44 pm
Post by: therat05 on March 27, 2019, 03:07:06 pm
I am a restorer by heart as well Steve, so i for one is happy (and impressed) with your effort and result.They are very good words Jan.... on an engine like this one that is reasonably rare i would never have touched it if i did not think i could do it justice, i, glad you like my efforts ...Steve
In fact, when it comes to my toys, i have been living quite a bit by this quote from Roger, which so nicely puts words on my own feelings in this regard:
(Attachment Link)
Post by: classixs on March 27, 2019, 03:02:33 pm
...i was tempted to just give it a clean up but i really do like my engines looking just like new or as near as i can get it...
I am a restorer by heart as well Steve, so i for one is happy (and impressed) with your effort and result.
In fact, when it comes to my toys, i have been living quite a bit by this quote from Roger, which so nicely puts words on my own feelings in this regard:
[attachimg=1]
Post by: Mi Steam on March 27, 2019, 02:59:29 pm
Post by: therat05 on March 27, 2019, 02:44:46 pm
Talk about a facelift...Thanks Jan these are very well made engines, you do not see many around...Steve
I love it Steve, well done !
Post by: therat05 on March 27, 2019, 02:43:27 pm
I once had one of those and it refurbed beautifully...but not quite as nice as yours. Really good work, it looks factory new.Hello Rodger i was tempted to just give it a clean up but i really do like my engines looking just like new or as near as i can get it....i will post a video of it running on air very soon...Steve
Roger
Post by: classixs on March 27, 2019, 02:28:06 pm
I love it Steve, well done !
Post by: IndianaRog on March 27, 2019, 02:23:00 pm
Roger
Post by: therat05 on March 27, 2019, 02:03:46 pm
As per usual all was disassembled and cleaned and polished to within an inch of its life, the boiler was much dirtier than the pictures show and i needed to use 320 wet and dry to remove the soot and tarnish, then 600 wet and dry to smooth it then T cut with a dremmel polisher to make it shine.
The only thing that was damaged was the burner it had a broken neck, i soldered this together easily.
The firebox was prepared and sprayed with Plastikote BBQ paint dont laugh its really very good... the piston frame and line shaft were undercoated and sprayed with Plastikote double acrylic black.
The line shaft frames have the paint removed from the leading edges to reveal the brass underneath, this is done by rubbing the whole frame edges on a flat surface on a sheet of 600 grade wet and dry until the edges gleam, make sure the paint is 100% dry before you attempt this.
The wooden base board was a real dilemma for me as i really liked the patina and colour which looked like rosewood, but it was badly marked and stained so decision made.. off it came then sanded down and recoloured light oak two coats, Why did i not stain it rosewood? answer unknown i just like oak!!
During the refurb there was a few self inflicted problems ...i dropped the firebox mid spray on a dirty garage floor... "non repeatable text"... i have a hook type thingy i made and have used it lots of times before without issues i can twist and turn the spray item anywhere..except this time i got over acrobatic and gravity took over, next after rubbing down the fire box i resprayed the fire box put it in the oven to cure only for it all to blister another stupid mistake undercoat does not like ovens ... "non repeatable text"... rubbed it all off and third time lucky minus undercoat... perfect....wasted time 4 hours!!!! its a wonder there is any metal left.
Next the piston frame i did the same again and dropped it mid spray ... "non repeatable text"... Binned hook type thingy resprayed frame...wasted time 2 hours.
The rest of the refurb was text book, i really enjoyed working on this well made machine, i think it turned out well considering how many times i dropped the bits(The trout just said you could play cricket for England) just her little joke, the base looks fresh coloured in light oak. After oiling and greasing it was tested on air and ran like a dream.
Just to bore you even more lots of pictures to follow... and a video of it running on air and powering some tools soon...Steve
https://youtu.be/NWbkMbsjZWI
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