Krick Model 2 two cylinder marine steam engine...Part VI, the base...

My marine engine friends would rather it be mounted into a boat. Alas, that is not possible...owning a piece of property and putting a home on it are now top priorities.

A base was necessary though as, once polished, it gets hard to handle without smudging it all up. I could think of no more fitting base than a reminder of God's continued grace poured out on me and my family. This is a scrap drawer front from one of the subsidized housing units I work with, a place my family and I could just as easily be residents of were it not for His unmerited favor and lovingkindness on us.





The area we are moving to is quite beautiful, the nearby town as small as they can get without disappearing off the map, a mere crossroad with a smattering of buildings that include a post office and grocer, yet a major hospital is not far at all.

While I have given up on the other denominations, there is a local Baptist church that I will look into. Sucking on a green persimmon should help me fit right in. I'm sure the nearby Pentecostals will be more than happy to swing from the rafters for us but I've grown weary of that show. There's a UMC just down the street as well, but I've already been fired from them once.

Here's a faith tester---would His unmerited favor and lovingkindness be any less were we to have to live in one of those subsidized units? I can think of at least one Pepsodent smile wearing TV preacher that would say 'Yes" to that...and be wrong.

Looks like it's gonna be an interestin' summer...

The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam forum Engine of the Month...

...alas...my Krick Model 2 did not make the cut...

Oil can alcohol burner...

Two weeks back I bought 2 nice small oil cans for my engines. This one had a great deal of rust in it and, while cleaning it out, I managed to take the temper out of the bottom that removed the familiar dome button action that facilitated oiling. Irked at my ignorance, I nearly tossed it...until I came up with this sweet burner.

I simply removed the spout and mounted it to be used both as a handle and a vent for the reservoir. The wick comes up through the remaining spout and, because of the taper, is a natural fit and easy to install. The vent is through the end of the handle, mounted into a hole in the reservoir and sealed with JB Weld. Works like a champ...


LITIGIOUS SOCIETY DISCLAIMER: Denatured alcohol is nasty because it burns nearly invisible. Because life's lottery has unfairly distributed technical skills and knowledge among folks, leaving more than a few with the mechanical aptitude of a grape, and few with the fortitude to take responsibility for their actions, you take your life, family and house into your own hands if you follow through with this or any technical advise I offer on this blog.

Wilesco boiler sight glass bolts...

...are less than relaxing to install. I found that by placing the flat rare earth magnet from a child's toy on one side of my 4mm wrench, I could place the nut in the wrench, then line it up under the bolt and sight glass flange...












...it all buttons up in less than 20 minutes. I tightened each bolt/nut a half turn in the order shown, until all were tight and snug. Wilesco does not provide guidelines, and I am no expert so you are on your own at this point. One should take care to tighten them evenly and carefully so as not to bring undue pressure on any one point of the sight glass, flange or gasket.

Krick Model 2 two cylinder marine steam engine...Part IV, ready to fire up this weekend...

...next to an Athearn HO scale Hustler for perspective.

Soldering a Wilesco vertical boiler..the adventure begins...

Wet towels to keep from overheating other joints...check...


New pencil flame propane torch from Amazon.com that can be used in my work to justify the cost...check... Note to enterprising sprite who felt it worthy of a one star rating because of its small flame--DUDE, IT'S A PENCIL FLAME TORCH???!


LIFT OFF!!!! Check out where the leak was at the left end...either the previous owner ran it dry--yikes--or, he ran it like this for a while, the leak zone is easily almost 3/4" wide...



Clean the joints...and I mean spotless. I found my small flat and curved files, as well as my 3/4" fitting brush worked best--the Dremel was a great disappointment here.







Big, fat, blood thirsty mosquitoes drove me indoors before I could finish, so you'll have to wait 'til next time...

Krick Model 2 two cylinder marine steam engine...Part II, the buffing...

...and polishing.....and buffing....and rubbing...

They are a labor of love....

Krick Model 2 two cylinder marine steam engine...

...picked up at a local model train swap meet (isn't that where everybody goes for model steam engines?).

Krick engines were made years ago, using parts manufactured by Wilesco, and designed to go with their boat kits. This particular model engine was known in the past to come with their kit "The Patricia". The kit is still manufactured but their engines come from Regner now.

This particular engine came out of the original owner's model of "The African Queen", then spent the last few years as a flat car load in a garden railway. It was purring like a kitten when I came upon it, the owner running it off of a small air compressor. My plans are to clean it up and mount it, then pass it on to another modeler. Until then, I'll enjoy the privilege of being able to tinker with it...








Germany - Manufacture date: pre 1984
Bore = 1/4", Stroke 3/4", Flywheel diameter = 2"
Style: Double Acting, Dual Vertical Cylinder, Marine

The Greater Baton Rouge Model Railroad Club Open House, Oct. 23, 2010...

...in pictures...