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[Adrian]

Les,



I think that's a piston valve, same as on most of the Wilesco versions, not a sleeve valve, much easier to manufacture! Glad Mamod are still going, though they never had any sort of valve gear "when I were a lad", just the oscillating cylinder set-up.



Dare I ask where they're made, now?



A.

[Rattlebattle]

I had a Mamod similar to that in the sixties. I also had a model steam engine with a vertical boiler. It had a meths burner that looked like Alladin's Lamp! I sold it to a school friend for 50p. Doh! It was probably home made. I had various tools for the Mamod too. I believe the modern Mamods use a form of pellet to heat the water; probably Elfin Safety. I used to do a bit of aero-modelling (still do occasionally). Back in the sixties we used to buy our fuel at the chemists. Way cheaper than Keil Kraft or whatever and the brew was pretty exotic. Ah the smell of ether and the power of nitro-methane. Again, I doubt you can buy the stuff as a minor at the local chemist these days....Then again, maybe allowing kids to buy potassium chlorate wasn't such a good idea. Ask the Fire Brigade...

[Les]

Adrian, Mamod describe it as a sleeve valve engine, it has a rod driven by the fly wheel which moves the valve thingy in the cylinder to and fro, I think they are still manufactured in the UK, some info here Mamod

[Adrian]

Well whatever the marketing drones want to call it, it's a piston valve! It is desinitely not one of these:

[Caboose]

Rattlebattle,
Surely you meant Sodium Chlorate? mixed 50/50 with sugar was best!
Or sawing open the widest part of the stem of an aero engine exhaust valve to expose the Sodium filling which was extremely explosive when dropped into water!
Like you I used to buy my "Technical Ether" and Amyl Nitrate at a local chemist shop, the other ingredient being Paraffin, to make my own diesel fuel, and yes, much cheaper than Eddie Keil's best offering.
I still have a green & yellow can in the shed!
I fly all electric these days.
REgards Dick.

[scotty]

I have a stationary steam engine and a steam driven traction engine I picked up on ebay.picked it up on one of our trips back from kirkaldy in scotland, amazing bit of work , gives much happiness to someone brout up at the end of br steam still collect books and videos on steam trains. Just a steamy nut.