Mamod Models

[expensivegarms]

Poking about in my dads garage the other day, and found this.



A forgotten enjoyment from my youth, dad filling it up with meths and me watching it chug away! He did some work on it when I was a child circa 1993, just to make it work, but now he's given it to me. im not sure what my plans are at the moment, but it is between two choices. Restore it as to how it is now with the same colour boiler, or restore it, having removed the paint from the boiler and polishing up the brass. I'm keen to keep the red wheels and flywheel, but unsure how to go on this. Any thoughts? Anyone got any tips on Mamod models in general?

Edit; apologies for the sideways picture, I can't work out how to get it the right way round!

[bristolracer]

Used to love these as a kid.
They used to make static engines too.
Remember chucking meths on them to see how fast you could get them spinning.

if it were mine I'd just clean it up with a damp cloth and keep the played with patina.

[expensivegarms]

bristolracer said:

Used to love these as a kid.
They used to make static engines too.
Remember chucking meths on them to see how fast you could get them spinning.

if it were mine I'd just clean it up with a damp cloth and keep the played with patina.

I've cleaned and degreased it, but it's not in amazing condition, having spent a few years in a garage. Would like to get it properly shiny and tidy! Putting 3in1 into the piston used to make it go some as well can't believe how hooked I've become on Mamod stuff in the last couple of days, I'm searching eBay for other models to buy and do up!

[55palfers]

Proper toys.

"...here son, have some meths, matches, steam and a pressure vessel "

Still here though.

[expensivegarms]

55palfers said:

Proper toys.

"...here son, have some meths, matches, steam and a pressure vessel "

Still here though.

Exactly right! 'No boy, put that petrol down, these things don't like petrol too much...'!

[dr_gn]

I'd clean it up; why not?

Strip it down and get yourself some Simichrome metal polish and go through the whole lot. It will take a few hours and multiple polishing sessions, but it will look great. I bought a Wilesco D20 to restore a few years back:





In the end it looked much better than when I started it, and it now runs really well:



If you need any Mamod spares, this guy will have them:

http://www.forest-classics.co.uk/

had real trouble finding spares for the Wileso until I found him, and he had everything in stock.

Have fun!

[expensivegarms]

dr_gn said:

I'd clean it up; why not?

Strip it down and get yourself some Simichrome metal polish and go through the whole lot. It will take a few hours and multiple polishing sessions, but it will look great. I bought a Wilesco D20 to restore a few years back:





In the end it looked much better than when I started it, and it now runs really well:



If you need any Mamod spares, this guy will have them:

http://www.forest-classics.co.uk/

had real trouble finding spares for the Wileso until I found him, and he had everything in stock.

Have fun!

That looks incredible! I'll have to get some of the simochrome and report back. Thanks for the tip on Forest Classics, I want some new hubcaps to replace the ones I had to take off. Any advice for polishing up the axles and other metalwork? I was think wirewool and metal polish etc.

[dr_gn]

expensivegarms said:

dr_gn said:

I'd clean it up; why not?

Strip it down and get yourself some Simichrome metal polish and go through the whole lot. It will take a few hours and multiple polishing sessions, but it will look great. I bought a Wilesco D20 to restore a few years back:





In the end it looked much better than when I started it, and it now runs really well:



If you need any Mamod spares, this guy will have them:

http://www.forest-classics.co.uk/

had real trouble finding spares for the Wileso until I found him, and he had everything in stock.

Have fun!

That looks incredible! I'll have to get some of the simochrome and report back. Thanks for the tip on Forest Classics, I want some new hubcaps to replace the ones I had to take off. Any advice for polishing up the axles and other metalwork? I was think wirewool and metal polish etc.

If it's light surface rust, you can clean it with a brass suede brush, then Simichrome and then rub oil into it. It will rust again eventually though. Same with the wheel rims, although I think they're alloy, so shouldn't rust! You could use a flat wooden block with some wet & dry to bring up the boiler door lettering. It's really just a question of metal polish and elbow grease - don't underestimate how much polishing time you need to get it really looking good. I found that leaving Simichrome on for an hour or so, before polishing with more using a toothbrush did the trick on most parts. Try T-Cut on the painted surfaces. For the footplate/meths burner holder box thing, you could use Halfords Gloss Black if it's peeled off. I used Halfords Metallic Blue + Clearcoat spray on the Wilesco Base and it's been oil proof so far, and is still the same high gloss it had after final cutting & polishing back in 2012.

[spitfire-ian]

Dragged mine out of the cupboard last year sometime and it now sits on the side in the dining room.

Worked perfectly but could do with a new safety valve gasket which are easily obtainable

[356Speedster]

These things were awesome! My grandad bought me a blue SW1 in the late 70's, but never gave it me until the mid-80's. He would get it out and teach me to use it when I visited his house, eventually giving it me when I was about 10 and could be trusted to look after it.

It's one of my most prized posessions, simply because of 35+ yrs of memories. I managed to keep it on the mantle piece until a few yrs ago, but wifey banished it to the "game room", where it sits with part of our Lego collection and other toys It hasn't been fired up for about 25yrs, but everything is still in the original box in the loft, so I could look to re-comission it at some stage. Great to see others holding onto these.

[expensivegarms]

Great stuff! And thanks for the advice, I'm sorry but I cannot remember who posted it. Been doing some more dismantling tonight. I jave taken the wheels, flywheel and piston mechanism and drilled the rivets out. Was hoping to get the whistle off and remove the boiler from the firebox, but disaster! The solder has broken on the whistle thread, so it just spins in the hole. I believe I need to solder the thread in, and then remove the whistle, but I'm worried about soldering the whistle into place and then I'll be properly down the creek. So I'm not sure what I'll do yet. I may have to try and get someone to teach me to solder properly!

[tvrforever]

I've got the same traction engine - wonderful stuff!

Used these guys to get some spares http://www.mamodparts.com/ great service...

They're still going as a company http://www.mamod.co.uk/

[expensivegarms]

Time for a bit of an update...

I've stripped the TE1a down to its various components and have cleaned up the whole lot. Unfortunately, the soldered, threaded part that the whistle was screwed into had broken its solder, so when trying to remove the whistle, it just span inside the boiler. Having got a bit 'pull happy' with it, I pulled the whole lot out but unfortunately bent the sides of the hole up, so a new one wouldn't fit. So I bought a new boiler. If anyone can suggest how I could repair the pulled out hole on the boiler, that would be great!

So now I have got to the point where everything, bar the wheels, are stripped of their paint. The coal scuttle, new(ish) boiler and firebox minus the cowl are primed. I'm going to buy a new cowl for it, rather than trying to get the current one up to scratch. However, as I have a now spare boiler, I may make another one just as an ornament in different colours, and spraying the box itself a different colour to the usual chrome.

I'm looking forward to soldering all the pipes back on, but I'm not sure how to go about it properly. I think I need leaded solder and some flux, but I've not really done anything that will be on show before. My experience extends to tinning copper wire and a bit of brazing copper bar!

No pictures at the moment, but will get some if and when I remember, and if anyone's interested.