I have received my Jensen Model #76 from eBay today. The gentleman that sold this did a great job packing it up and all of the pieces were present.
I have started in on the restoration of this steam engine. I am NOT a professional with steam engines, but I know I will enjoy making this work and look good.
The first order of business is the steam tank. It appears that there is a bunch of calcium inside of it. I have cleaned the inside with PJ Blaster. The outside has scorch marks.
I used Scotch-Brite to clean it up.
I removed the glass and the gaskets from the tank. The glass is pitted from calcium or some other adhesive. I will order a new glass and a complete gasket kit from Jensen on Monday. I did clean up the ring a bit as it was rusty.
Some good progress made already, well done!
I´d suggest that you get hold of some polish, like Autosol, Mothers Finest, Maas, or SimiChrome.
Personally i am much in favour of Autosol, but all of the above will polish (and clean) a Jensen boiler to a very high finish.
When it comes to your sightglass, i´d suggest you save the money for a new one, and simply throw the one you have in a glass of ordinary household vinegar over night.
Tomorrow you can wipe that glass clean again, and if not a light polish will remove any remaining deposits.
@classixs Thanks for the tips! I am trying to decide if I just want to buff this tank, or nickel plate it. Buffing might be easier so I will give that a shot first. All of the metal is pitted for some reason. I am going to assume that the water that was used was fairly acidic or dust ate away at it. Also, the glass looks as though it is chipped on 2 sides. The fine people at Jensen have told me that they used to cut them by hand, so they may not have been perfectly round at the time of manufacturing. They have new ones that are better than the originals. It is hard to tell what caused the chipped edges, but I think I would like to replace it. I will save the old one for nostalgia.
You won´t loose much by trying out a mere polishing first, as you´d have to buff it anyway if planning to plate it.
The original glass you have there, has actually been cut nicer than many i´ve seen.
Find some 0000 steel wool and if you have a Wal-Mart or Ace Hardware near you, get some MAAS metal polish. It is near the cleaning supplies (mops, floor/toilet cleaning) at Wal-Mart. Otherwise look for Simichrome, they are pretty much the same polish in different containers... I believe Harley stores carry Simichrome. You will end up with a mirror finish.
I have also had good luck using the metal polish on the sight glass itself after cleaning with vinegar. If you buy gaskets, soak them in steam oil before installing. I would swap them out with teflon/ptfe gaskets.
Many a time I have used a sharp razor blade to remove the scale from a port hole window glass. If you pm me your address I will send you a drop in set of Teflon gaskets.
Resto coming along nicely.
Many a time I have used a sharp razor blade to remove the scale from a port hole window glass. If you pm me your address I will send you a drop in set of Teflon gaskets.
I sent a set out to Montana earlier this week in an envelope, waiting to see if they make the trip with cheap postage. What thickness are you using? I use 0.025” as suggested by Rog, but haven’t bought any since 2008 and am having trouble finding more in that size...
Many a time I have used a sharp razor blade to remove the scale from a port hole window glass. If you pm me your address I will send you a drop in set of Teflon gaskets.
I sent a set out to Montana earlier this week in an envelope, waiting to see if they make the trip with cheap postage. What thickness are you using? I use 0.025” as suggested by Rog, but haven’t bought any since 2008 and am having trouble finding more in that size...
I use 0.030 , I prefer that thickness as it brings the ring out more even with the front of the boiler. I have sent many a gasket set through the mail with 0 issues , I just tape them in rows so they don't gather in the corners.
Many a time I have used a sharp razor blade to remove the scale from a port hole window glass. If you pm me your address I will send you a drop in set of Teflon gaskets.
I sent a set out to Montana earlier this week in an envelope, waiting to see if they make the trip with cheap postage. What thickness are you using? I use 0.025” as suggested by Rog, but haven’t bought any since 2008 and am having trouble finding more in that size...
I use 0.030 , I prefer that thickness as it brings the ring out more even with the front of the boiler. I have sent many a gasket set through the mail with 0 issues , I just tape them in rows so they don't gather in the corners.
Thanks Bruce, that’s exactly what I did and just received confirmation that they arrived safely.
Do you have a link to some you’ve purchased?
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Nick I bought a couple of rolls 7-8 years ago & haven't bought anymore since, I purchased mine from a couple of plastics suppliers I had on my old route. I always have my eyes peeled for potential steam supplies and this has yielded fruit many times....I find people are fascinated in hearing about the intended use for their products , they can see/hear the passion in my steam hobby & often times just give me the items. 😊👍
Any update on your restoration CaptCraig?