Cleaning Up The Lego

[VetChugger]

Thanks for that! Cheers!

[Regulo]

48 minutes ago, SteveO said:

I must have been 14 years old or so when this was last fired up, so it has been laying there unused for more than 50 years.  I will let you know how we get on.

Don't bother. I'll hear the bang in Basildon. 

[grendel]

when testing a steam engine the first time I run it up using compressed air (from either my nig compressor or my air brush compressor - this is far safer than steam, you can literally hold the end of the compressor pipe in place by hand and get a good enough seal on the filler plug hole to see if it all turns over.

[Polly]

Phil, had his brother's for David, it looked fine but we took it into the model shop where we were regular customers for checking over, which they did. They rang us up a few days later and condemned it as unsafe; there was a crack in the boiler we couldn't see. I am glad we didn't fire it up.

[SteveO]

I will pressure test the boiler with compressed air before I commit to adding fire and water. Judging by the way that the steam valve, piston and whistle valve are seized up, steaming could be some way away. 

[grendel]

I have a similar one in slightly better condition (and several in as bad or worse)

[grendel]

they normally work again if carefully cleaned and lubricated.

[BroadAmbition]

It was Lego for me but moved onto Meccanno.  I had a traction steam engine model - Goodness knows where it went.  Also had  Keil Craft Super 60 - Goodness knows where that ended up, along with a glow motor powered stock car - Lost.  I do however still have a r/c RAF crash tender that I finished construction in about 73.  (OS10 powered) Lost the r/c gear, the boat needs some tlc to get it back to what is should be like.  So much to do and never seem to get time to do it

Griff

[ZimbiIV]

32 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

So much to do and never seem to get time to do it

A warning to all who are looking to retirement to get the time to do those jobs.

You will not have time then, something else seems to come along and take the time away.

I am sure I had more time when I worked!

paul

[quo vadis]

A warning to all always test pressure vessels with a liquid ie water never a gas ie steam or air 

[SteveO]

All seized valves freed off. New level plug fitted. New O rings for whistle and safety valve and boiler filled with water and then pressurized. No leaks, so we part-emptied the boiler, filled the burner with meths and fired her up. She exceeded expectations by running something like a well-oiled watch. A bit more vibration from the crank than I remember, but that was 50 years ago and I might have been wearing the rose-tinted spectacles of memory. Now all we need to do is clean her up.

[grendel]

just as i said, all that is needed is a bit of lubrication.

[TheQ]

A copy of meccano is what I had, I also remember the bleeding fingers..

After that it was on to Airfix, sadly every time we moved, all my models got thrown out.. I just have one left. But built much later by me, a Revell  1/32 Tornado ADV, Much modified:

 A, Because it's not a very good model of an ADV.

B, Because I built it in an on the ground situation, with the nose cone open and I made a radar to fit inside..

The Tornado  Has an allocated corner, in the model railway shed, though the railway will be 1/76 scale.. 4mm to the foot, EM Gauge.

[SteveO]

Anyone remember that rather grubby old Mamod steam engine that I posted about last October? Well it has undergone what I would call a sympathetic restoration. All parts removed and cleaned, painted parts stripped, repainted and then all reassembled. Here is the result. Not too shiny, because some of the bits were too far gone for that, but a huge improvement on what it was nevertheless.

 

[HEM]

On 20/10/2018 at 19:23, ZimbiIV said:

A warning to all who are looking to retirement to get the time to do those jobs.

You will not have time then, something else seems to come along and take the time away.

I am sure I had more time when I worked!

Having been "retired" for just 12 months I second the above.  Too much voluntary work.

[Helian]

I don't see anyone has mentioned Bilofix - basically a larger format wooden version of Meccano with large plastic nuts and bolts. A bit like what Duplo is to Lego.

[JanetAnne]

My mum's (she's 87 this year) original Bayco set from her childhood is still with her, , well looked after and now being enjoyed by the fourth generation of the family.

Anyone remember Stickle Bricks? We still have ours, also now enjoyed by her great grand children.

My collection of Corgi and Dinky cars are now classics in their own right, not that there is much paint left on any of them or the hall skirting boards! They have done some miles across the floors over the years and continue to give sterling service. I noticed the little statue of Graham Hill laid in the bottom of the toy cars box the other day, can anyone else remember which toy car he came with?

[SteveO]

We used to have stickle bricks -  great for brushing your hair if you had lost your comb. A pal of mine had Bayco and we spent many a happy hour building houses with that. We also had something called Betta Bilda, which was made by Airfix. The bricks were white and made from polystyrene, Airfix's stock-in-trade, as opposed to cellulose acetate or ABS which was the case with Lego. They were similar to the one stud thick Lego bricks but more brittle and not compatible. Roofing tiles were made from green polystyrene and interlocked together to make a realistic looking roof. 

[ChrisB]

6 hours ago, JanetAnne said:

My mum's (she's 87 this year) original Bayco set from her childhood is still with her, , well looked after and now being enjoyed by the fourth generation of the family.

Anyone remember Stickle Bricks? We still have ours, also now enjoyed by her great grand children.

My collection of Corgi and Dinky cars are now classics in their own right, not that there is much paint left on any of them or the hall skirting boards! They have done some miles across the floors over the years and continue to give sterling service. I noticed the little statue of Graham Hill laid in the bottom of the toy cars box the other day, can anyone else remember which toy car he came with?

Most likely a Lotus or BRM. The last seasons before his plane crash (71,72,73,74,75) were Brabham, Shadow and Lola. Do you have a Lotus in Gold Leaf livery? I remember there was a lot of celebration in 1966 when he won the Indy500 driving a Lola Ford. Hope you get him back to his right car.

[FairTmiddlin]

12 hours ago, JanetAnne said:

My mum's (she's 87 this year) original Bayco set from her childhood is still with her, , well looked after and now being enjoyed by the fourth generation of the family.

Anyone remember Stickle Bricks? We still have ours, also now enjoyed by her great grand children.

My collection of Corgi and Dinky cars are now classics in their own right, not that there is much paint left on any of them or the hall skirting boards! They have done some miles across the floors over the years and continue to give sterling service. I noticed the little statue of Graham Hill laid in the bottom of the toy cars box the other day, can anyone else remember which toy car he came with?

Probably this one JA

Have stories of GH but for later

[Thiswan]

On 19/10/2018 at 11:18, ranworthbreeze said:

I also had Meccano.

But who remembers Bayco?

Regards

Alan

Alan, was Bayco the one with little steel rods you could your stab yourself? Would never be allowed now! I had one loved it the plastic bricks slid in between the rods.which were slotted into a baseboard.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Peter,

Yes Bayco was the one with the steel rods that fitted into the bases. Bricks, doors and windows all slid between the rods, I liked the pre formed roofs.

Regards 

Alan  

[VetChugger]

Bayco sets often turn up on fleabay if anyone is feeling all nostalgic and wants another go!