Hello everyone,
I just recently acquired a Jensen 20G. It’s second hand but in excellent condition. I doubt it was run much at all. Anyway, it runs very well and I’m amazed at how fast the immersion rod heater works. I had steam in no time at all.
Just a few little leaks to tend to, mostly the front and rear of the cylinder.
There must be gaskets that are supposed to be there I would imagine? Just making sure before I unscrew the head.
It runs that generator easily and I’ll bet it can run others as well.
I must say I’m more than pleased with it.
Hello everyone,
I just recently acquired a Jensen 20G. It’s second hand but in excellent condition. I doubt it was run much at all. Anyway, it runs very well and I’m amazed at how fast the immersion rod heater works. I had steam in no time at all.
Just a few little leaks to tend to, mostly the front and rear of the cylinder.
There must be gaskets that are supposed to be there I would imagine? Just making sure before I unscrew the head.
It runs that generator easily and I’ll bet it can run others as well.
I must say I’m more than pleased with it.
There should be cylinder head gaskets, I believe. Someone like St Paul Steam would know better. He’s a big Jensen collector.
@St Paul Steam you’ve probably worked on more of these than anyone, what’s yours recommended replacement gasket?
Congratulations on your new #20, a fine plant.
A few drops leaking around the piston rod & leaking out the end of the crosshead is completely normal.
I use paper currency (one-dollar bills) is an excellent gasket material, & yes, there should be gaskets on each end, the rear cap makes a fine template. my suggestion to get a good centering of the crosshead (the snout end) is have the connecting rod disconnected from the crank pin, & once you get the gaskets in place on both ends, before you completely tighten the crosshead end...hyperextend the piston as far out against the crosshead as it can go & then tighten up the 4 crosshead bolts, this ensures the greatest concentricity as possible & should make a smooth running piston in the bore. the butt end isn't as important, just make sure its centered good. good luck.
Bruce is right. If you need a gasket, cut it from a fresh dollar bill.
Thank you very much for the advice Bruce. Now I know what to do. I’ll use a dollar bill and make the gaskets this week when I get a chance.
Bruce is quite right (as usual) in that dollar bills are made from some of the highest quality cloth fiber paper available, both tough and durable, which is why it does make excellent gasket material. "Paying" only a dollar for that sized sheet of such high quality material is a real bargain in estimation, just as drilling a penny (older when they were copper, but hopefully not a "wheat cent" or even older) is a bargain for getting a nice sized copper washer!
I've also had good luck using Teflon sheet as gasket material for our steam engines, coming in various thicknesses, it can handle a wide range of applications, though I must say that in the thinner sheets, it is a bit harder to handle and get good clean shapes made.
Makes perfect sense to me Daniel. Especially since the value of the dollar is very low now. I’ll probably make a gasket for the boiler glass as well. I’ve got a nice leather punch with multiple size punches that should take care of the holes for the bolts to go.