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

Hi Larry,

Not sure that I can help with the rust but we used to use an industrial hand cleanser 'Swarfega' to remove dirt etc from wooden clock cases.  I think it had a very mild abrasive in it but it didn't appear to harm the wood.  We just wiped it on with tissue let it for a bit and wiped it off again with tissue.  It worked very well no water was used but with tin plate I suppose it could be washed off.  Might be worth a try on a surface that isn't seen.

I might be more help with the mechanism.  I would wind it half way up so the coils of the spring are separated and put in some solvent; un-leaded petrol would be OK.  I would use a paint brush to remove the old oil and debris, then a bamboo skewer with a chisel end to clean any old hard oil from the pinion leaves and around the bearings.   I would allow the mechanism to drain and then wash it in warm soapy water using brush and bamboo again if necessary, then rinse drain and dry with a hair dryer.  Any accusations made by Mrs B of the dishwasher being used for this is completely unfounded. It does work rather well but the hair dryer is still needed.

When dry I would use a medium oil such as car engine oil rather than light sewing machine type oil.  Oil the spring with its coils separated.

Take care Tony.

Hi Larry,

Now if you can just tell me where I can find space enough for a layout.

Always a problem mostly in the storage; I once built a layout for our children using Hornby track screwed to plywood sections that really just made the short Hornby track longer.   It worked OK being quicker to lay and more level than just laying the track on table or floor.

Take care Tony.