I realise that this video is 5 years old but I must say I have found it very useful. I am thinking of buying a new engine rather than second hand/used because it is difficult to know what quality of tap water has been previously used. I guess the best thing is to use distilled water or ionised water to prevent scaling. The water here in this part of the UK is very hard judging by the amount of scaling I find in my domestic kettle. Over the years retailers do not seem to supply "Distilled" but "Ionised Water" for car batteries which I guess is the next best thing! Thank you for sharing your very enjoyable video. Kindest Regards. Malcolm

Thank you for sharing your experiences with others. I admire the calm and collected manner you approached the project. You have the ability to explain very clearly and precisely. Good luck in future undertakings.

I like your approach...steam engine restoration is a delicate business. Your best advice given here is "patience!!!. Thanks.

Sight glass and rivets are available through mamod. I had to do it myself. I lucked out and mine had screws. As for the scale build up use vinegar. It's nontoxic and good on fries.

10/10 for effort, great to see the young bloke has an interest too. Some tips.... Your rivet gun is fine, most rivets need at least 2 or more compressions before the stem snaps. Copper rivets are used because they make an excellent gas seal in the brass boiler, however, your leak was due to using the over compressed old gasket. If you use the new gasket you will find the pressure the rivets now need to successfully join will cause them to seal much better because of the thickness. Please stop using sealant on the boiler, that stuff is not designed for steam pressure which on these Mamods can reach up to 40PSI. The scale inside the boiler is lime deposit from tap water. Always use demineralised water when steaming up your engine. To remove the lime scale, use some citric acid powder dissolved in demineralised water in the boiler and steam up the engine as per normal. This "cleansing steam" will run all through your engine and pipework descaling all deposits effectively. Upon draining the boiler you will find the water will be green, repeat the process until it becomes clear. Flush out the boiler with straight demineralised water and you should have a clean boiler. I hope this helps, happy steaming!

I know this video is 3 years old now, but thanks for posting it. I've recently found my old Mamod engine and found a leak on the sight glass. I nearly gave up on it, but I'm going to attempt a fix now inspired by this video. Have you put it back upside down though? The little arrow indicator pointers are at the top of the glass on mine and that's also how it was on yours before you took it apart?

The inside was cleaned somewhat,,but the high pressure feed line is probably still caked up inside(or was). Miniscule inside diameter of the steam line feeding the piston and cylinder.. Next time strip down and dunk in white vinegar overnight. I use a heated ultrasonic cleaner bath with distilled white vinegar. Will leave a orange-ish coating on the brass. Grab a rag and polish away once done.. Reassemble then knowing it was thoroughly cleaned. I don't like to "steam them clean", , because then you can run that washed-off junk and scale and debris across the engine plate and thru the piston/cylinder as it "steams clean" doing untold damage. Better to disassemble and dunk overnight/24hrs , , then you know it's clean. The white vinegar will pull paint off if left to soak,,which can be a good thing ,,or bad,,depending. That engine was probably ran dry if it melted the sight glass. Running them dry can weaken and destroy the solder seal on the end caps. If those pop off at pressure,,instant scalding of skin can happen. You can't get out of the way quick enough. Ask me how I know this.

You fit the watch kevel frame upside down

Great video you have here! Do you know what the size of the safety valve lower seal is?

The guns not hit and miss you need to pump it a couple of times to pop the rivets

a very honest and helpful video. I admire your persistence. To get those sight-glass thingies watertight can be a real bitch. And this is a simple one-the real bitches are old Fleischmanns or Märklins.

I am like you....spend a dollar to save a dime ;-)