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

G'day Jasper, not too sure about what modern day pencils are made out of now?

The graphite that I bought it super slippery and hard to get off your fingers. I have it in a jar and dip an ear bud into it and 'paint' the piston and piston rod with it.

Wow. You folks were spot-on ! The PM #13 ran great and full time till the fuel burned out.
I modified the application of the graphite to the power piston by simply dipping a small paintbrush in denatured alcohol , wet the piston with it, and then sprinkled the powdered graphite on to the wet piston.
I also notice a slight binding in the steel piston pin on the brass connecting rod. I lightly polished the piston pin with OOO steel wool, then gentle hollowed the connecting rod bearing hole very minutely with a small round file.