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

A bargain from Ebay...no really... for not a lot of money a Stuart No.8 that looked in a reasonable condition,  turned out to be a non runner but after a strip down the culprit was soon found... there was no o ring which was used in these engines as standard.... the ring turned out be yarn and wire which had turned to dust blocking everything, further examination showed there was no damage to the bore of the cylinder.
All parts were cleaned thoroughly and the machine degreased and rubbed down then painted  with 2 undercoats and 3 topcoats of Halfords enamel spray paint, the middle base was left the original green as i quite like the colour.... A new o ring was purchased from Stuarts which when fitted failed to fit in the cylinder so stan gave me a hand and the ring was trimmed to a guessed 5000 thousands of an inch wider than the cylinder, the piston now fitted with some restriction.
I made a complete set of gaskets and the engine was reassembled...timed and then tested on air....the engine now runs perfect for its age...
Here are a few pictures of the before and after and a video of the engine on its second test run on live steam....Steve

VIDEO ON LIVE STEAM


AS PURCHASED
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Another wreck saved by you 

Only suggestion I have is either some very small red lining on the cylinder or a cover to break up some of the grey

Another wreck saved by you 

Only suggestion I have is either some very small red lining on the cylinder or a cover to break up some of the grey

Yes Nick i agree but edges on the cylinder ends were non to clever so very difficult to get a straight line but when i do it again i can file them to a good finish and paint you a line or two then....Steve

Don't worry Steve, my lining would look pretty bad if I gave it a try 

Now i look at it... its annoying me a bit as it does need a line there,  so i may give it a go sometime this week....Steve

Thanks for the show, Steve!


In addition to an appreciation of your restorative work on the number 8......


     I love the wood "floors" you have under and around your steam plant/workshop.


Gil

Seems a fair trade of some needful work to off-set the bargain price of a very nice but usually pricey engine. When buying remote so you don't generally get to see it run first, it should come as no surprise that key elements are not as they should be. Redoing cylinder rings and a bit of paint seems a very good trade for such a nice "Bargain" engine!

You've certainly done well with that one Steve!!!

How about just clamping a brass band or two around the cylinder to give it more definition and a touch of bling?

I must admit though, that the gray it currently wears has industrial written all over it, and that's okay with me!

I took a bit of a chance on it but im just glad it was repairable by myself ... perhaps some Brass on the cylinder,  but im thinking Nick is right and a thin red line around the edge of end plate will do it....Steve

Nice purchase there Steve and another great resto mate.

Hello Jim thanks it did not require to much work externally but the insides were in a right old mess...Steve

Great work Steve.

I always enjoy your restoration threads. 🤠

Thanks for posting the pictures, video and detailed narrative of the restoration process.