Steaming up a Mamod Minor 2 steam engine for the first time since restoration

This is the first time I've steamed up this Mamod Minor 2 model steam engine since I restored and repainted it. It seems to work OK but I overfilled the boiler with water, and then the flywheel came loose.

[@kevlandy]

Great use of slo-mo.👌 I have the same model in my garage, I got it from my parents over 50 years ago. I really do need to fire it up one day.👍 Thanks for the video.

[@puropadre]

Great video…very helpful. Especially the comments. I just bought one of these on eBay and your video is just what I needed to better understand this little guy. Thanks! -TJ

[@jimhood1202]

Great video. I had one of these when I was a kid a long time ago. I was talking about it to my wife tonight and when she said she knew nothing about them I took a look on KZbin and there was your little engine just like mine. I really wanted the steam roller version but that was stretching the birthday budget too much. However with a bit of ingenuity and some of my Meccano I made a little rolling chassis, mounted the model 2 on top and then I had my first vehicle I was probably nine. Happy days. Thanks for posting.

[@johnnz4375]

Jim Hood , I did exactly the same ,but eventually my parents got me the steamroller ( and I still have it and it works but it needs a repaint)

[@wfcwfc1]

Fantastic little engine, great video

[@jacksands3403]

I just inherited one of these from my grandad and it hadn't ran in over a decade. Bloody thing spat brown water at me even after I had drained and refilled the water. On the second go round that it was a beauty 👍

[@djjudas21]

Sorry to hear about your grandad, but what a great way of keeping his memory alive

[@jacksands3403]

@@djjudas21 Thanks Mate👍. I like to think he would be pleased it's working again.

[@kh40yr]

Excellent vid. I Have a restored-by-me 1976-77 Minor 2 solid fuel that runs a Wilesco dynamo and street lamp combo. I ditched the Esbit solid fuel tablets and went with shoveling chunks of Sterno fuel into the tray with a little 'coal" shovel I made. The Methyl Alcohol Sterno wont soot the side of the now-polished boiler like the solid fuel tablets do. Never seen a Minor 2 without a water level plug on the front of the boiler. You might use your graduated syringe and figure out just how much TOTAL water it holds,,then deduct about 1/3 of that volume for a proper fill without spitting water and running hard trying to pass water thru the system. Green 609 hydraulic fitting loctite on the flywheel. Let it cure and dry completely. It wont come loose,,but can be removed with heat soak if needed.

[@kevinjking7026]

I'm thinking of getting one of these, - in my defence, im a engineer by trade! Also, like you, i play the pipe organ. Organs and steam seem to go together.

[@backyardmechanic921]

Chimney needs a new rivet, drill the old one out and use a sealed copper pop rivet. Flywheel is on back to front, pulley should be outside. If it hasn't got a set screw drill and tap one for 6 BA. They are nice little engines I have a few, hope this helps.

[@djjudas21]

enginemaker Thanks for your message. I’ve got a small handheld riveter for sheet materials but I guess I’d need something a bit different for riveting down the chimney? Thanks for the hints with the flywheel too. It has no thread, it just friction fits onto the axle. It’s pretty solid when cold but loosens when it warms up!

[@backyardmechanic921]

A long nose rivet gun is what you need, ebay or one of the suppliers of Mamod parts will have one. A little bit of Locktight thread locker will secure the flywheel if you can't thread it.

[@djjudas21]

The chimney is purely ornamental so I am considering just removing it rather than re-riveting. Will an ordinary aluminium pop rivet suffice or does it have to be a copper rivet?

[@backyardmechanic921]

Ali rivets are not sealed, you need a blind copper one to do the job. You will devalue the engine by taking the chimney off.

[@djjudas21]

OK. I’m not too concerned by the value of the engine (I bought it as a junk piece for less than the cost of a pizza) but I agree it would be best if the new rivet didn’t let the pressure out...!

[@russhazard5566]

You forgot that water expands when heated. Try 2/3full before heating.

[@jalleman61]

Nice job on the rebuild, but what are your colors that youused?😊

[@scottwarwick7514]

What is the best way to clean 40 years worth of soot from the brass parts?

[@thestandardfour0699]

Normally polish, I recommend autosol. It cleans very well.

[@stevebaker6711]

Great video. Is there a way to ajust revolutions on it?

[@misterman3643]

Thanks for the video i picked up an m1 for £40 on eBay polished it up but have the same issue with the flywheel?

[@harveyharrison3840]

hey mate check is on properly this guys flywheel backwards facing :)

[@puropadre]

I realize this is an old video, but I want to ask about the restoration. Did you do any restoration to the outside of the boiler? Do you know if it is coated with something that give it that nice, dark brass finish? Thank you!

[@djjudas21]

I restored the boiler simply by using Brasso and a cloth. The dark finish was caused by a mixture of age, corrosion, and soot from the fire box - no coating etc. If you only want to use it as an ornament, you could lacquer the boiler, but I have used mine a few times and it has lost its shine again and become sooty.

[@tjcorosebaychannel3092]

@@djjudas21 Thanks for the info. Good to know. I was afraid I had buffed off a coating of some sort. BTW, I enjoyed watching your video. ✌️

[@Gusrikh1]

Fabulous..

[@timothylangley6945]

Might be good to put the flywheel on the right way.

[@sambut557]

It’s because the flywheel is but on back to front

[@bobclarke2705]

I bet youre a dentist during the day !!!!

[@AmigaA-or2hj]

3in1 oil is too thin! Use 10/30w engine oil.

[@djjudas21]

Is this because it gets hot?

[@AmigaA-or2hj]

The hot steam will dilute the oil even further, making the engine run erratically.

[@jezusxj8356]

Gauge on front for amount of water needed. You should leave the piston in top throw position not bottom exhaust throw your letting pressure out.

[@djjudas21]

Jezus xj thanks. There’s no sight glass on mine so I just have to guess the water level, but I’ll be sure to set the piston properly next time

[@anthonysinclair5721]

Doesn't yours have a bolt with wings on it on the front of the pressure chamber , which you can remove while filling the water through the top of the pressure chamber then when it leaks out the front you put both back on and your water level is max. 😎

[@briannemec9214]

@@anthonysinclair5721 older ones have no overflow plug or sight glass. I have the same age model.

[@jameshodgson5734]

What paints did you use?

[@djjudas21]

Plasti-Kote Project Enamel in aerosol form. I've now run the engine a few times and it is not peeling or cracking, except for one place where I accidentally let the flame touch it directly.

[@scrapwomblecreatives6944]

your boiler valve needs a seal

[@masterarts3496]

No to tea while making video