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

Close up video:

Getting some leakage around the sight glass too though I don't want to mess with that, I see other thread where those bits fall to bits.   I'll look for some post about the smokestack/safety valve too.

Sorry to hear about the whistle.  Put up a picture or two of the damage
and maybe it is fixable.

As to power...I do not think power, in particular torque, was ever the
strong suit of this engine.  More of a 'cool' engine with a different
sound.

Wayne

Looks like that whistle part is an insert into the lever body.  I'm guessing the only fix would be to dismantle and put (drill) out that insert and have a new one machined.  Fat chance of that ever happening.

In other (bad) news, I picked up an Empire Model 50 pump and it also came in yesterday.  The brass rod for the "bucket" had come loose and there was a badly rusted ball bearing (about the size of a BB) - I assume it acts like a check valve.  I cleaned up the ball with 1500 wet sandpaper, figured out a bucket to / leaver rod, and generally cleaned up the insides of the pump/bucket.  Movement is nice and smooth now but it will hardly pump water.  I can't figure out why, perhaps it is just too worn too suck up water.   The funny thing is, my Empire Windmill's pump looks like a 100 year old rusted junk car inside the pump but it can move water like crazy with very little action movement.

I tried some grease/thick oil thinking the same thing - though I know the stuff I used isn't water proof.  Didn't help a lick.  I suppose there could have been some kind of a flex washer but how it would have mounted on the piston I wouldn't know (doesn't seem to me it would have had one).

I was hoping the whistle top that broke off was an insert into the body, once I got it under the magnifying glass that isn't the case.  I think my only hope is another (not correct) whistle or another Empire donor whistle.  I will be so bummed if I have to get a "replacement that fits" as it would really mess up the original look of the engine.  I just might stick the whistle top on just so it "looks" right - just have to figure out a way to make it stay on.