A Riveted Boiler Jensen #5 Joins the Temple of Steam

IndianaRog · A Riveted Boiler Jensen #5 Joins the Temple of Steam

I recently had the opportunity to buy this riveted boiler Jensen #5 off our own CEDGE, then in turn I sold my existing Jensen #5 via eBay to another forum member who should receive it soon.

My original Jensen 5 was in beautiful shape, but Jensen collectors have an illogical fascination with rivets...more correctly referred to as "eschucheon pins",which Mr. Jensen set into both ends of his earliest boilers for strength before the advent of silver soldering. This is my 3rd Jensen with rivets and robins egg blue color scheme used in the late '30's/early '40's

I gave this piece a full restoration...wood finish, paint, gaskets, boiler straps, cord, metal work and decal have been redone and while I had it apart I installed a new heater so I won't have to disassemble it again any time soon. I've not fired it yet, but will soon and will add a video in the next day or two. Here's are the stills.

This engine features several things that would date it to about 1938 or 1939:
- longer boiler...earlier ones were shorter
- tall/longer smooth black firebox...earlier ones were shorter and squatter
- riveted boiler (10 per end) with soldered in bushings throughout
- riveted boiler straps vs. nuts and bolts (unlike Mamods, rivets came before N&B !!!
- early design external sight glass and steam dome, with solid vs. hollow steam screws
- straight black dowel handles...bit longer than later ones
- square steam regulator valve...used for relatively short production period
- wide SV design
- cloth cord exits chimney base via flared hole (before Heyco connectors) and chimney base has a cupped chimney support screwed in the top vs. later pressed stub
- robins egg blue cast iron engine base with cast in horseshoe shape beneath flywheel...later versions squared off the recess and were painted a darker blue
- nickel plated cast iron flywheel
- solid wood base with routered edge and Jensen decal I fabricated (no model ID #'s were used on the decals of that era)

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Details, details...but that's what endears such a piece to a Jensen collector. This piece bears at least one error however...it should have a black painted brass chimney...I used a nickel plated brass chimney just because I like nickel!!! If I ever find some plain brass tube to fit, I might make a proper chimney and try black on for size.

We laugh about going "all Sandra" on a Mamod with over restoration. I must admit that more than one Jensen afficionado would castrate me for having defiled such an old engine...but I prefer to honor history by returning a piece as closely as I can to it's look leaving the factory almost 70 years ago. I do finish to a higher level than the factory did...but that's just me...I like 'em that way and they will stand up to steaming without concern for water or steam damage to wood or paint.

Hope you like it...I'm pretty fond of it myself now it's done!!

cheers,
Rog

johnreid

Truly a thing of beauty.

Mamodman123

The great thing about these Jensen models is they were made many many years ago but they don't seem to have aged in style

. The engine looks new Rog!

A real nice addition to your collection

oldstuff

Rog, those pics are breathtaking! Talk about drool-factor...wow!

SillyBilly

Cool, very nice boiler!

steamgranny

I know little if anything about the technicalities of Jensens (yet!) but I do know a masterful restoration when I see one

That is beautifully done & I really prefer those older models too.

I just hope that 'afficionado' doesn't get too close

Steve_S

That's a beautiful engine Rog, and you've worked your usual magic on it!

Sandman

Fantastic Job Rog.

Sheer class mate.

Mister Occlusion

Oh my...It's beautiful...

Love the way you got the grain showing in the wood too.

I have a question about the rivets then. Are they true pins? I could never figure out how they would "set" rivets in the manner that such things are usually done, when you've got an enclosed space with virtually no access to the interior once the caps are in place. If they were just straight pins soldered in, however, it makes more sense to me. I did notice the difference in the engine bases between the two that are up for auction now, and I wasn't sure if it was just a trick of the light or not.

IndianaRog

Thanks all for the kind words...I guess we all love to share our latest work! SteamGranny, I am keeping a close eye out for afficionados wielding burdeezo tools

!!! (farm folks are the only ones who will have a clue what a burdeezo is).

Mr. O...you ask a good question about the rivets (eschucheon pins)...I believe (and CEDGE can correct me here)...they are NOT rivets in the sense we usually think, but solid pins with a domed head. Jensen designed equipment would drill the 10 holes in a single operation via a multi head drill fixture...but I don't know how the pins went in other than pressed by hand or tapped in by hammer for a friction fit and then soldered in place at the same time as the end caps. I have never tried, but I imagine they would make boiler end cap removal somewhat difficult!!

However they were done, Mr. Jensen would probably roll his eyes to think how much those little pins increased the value of his engines 70 years later!!!

cheers,
Rog

Mister Occlusion

Single pass drilling. The man certainly was a brilliant machinist. A jig for everything, and everything ...something..jig.

At first when I first saw one I thought the rivets were what held the boiler together in total, and I couldn't figure out how they could possibly be steam tight without solder. But having them there to give strength to the join while relegating the solder mostly to the status of steamproofing, is quite the design consideration.

Did they fall out of favor when silver soldering came about, or did they hang on until Mr J decided to do away with them, presumably to streamline production?

johnreid

I still cant over how nice that one looks, I might have to make another pilgrimage come around spring.
I must say though, Rog is a perfectionist, there is not an engine in the temple that is not drool worthy.

Griffin

My Rog, you have worked your magic on this one. The attention to detail is second to none. Like Mr. O, I too think the grain effect on the wood base is just so effective.

I notice you have insulated the steam chest from the cast base to enhance performance, a good idea.

Yep, first rate job all round, and this one will look just the part in the Temple of Steam.

Great to see

IndianaRog

Thanks Griff,

Very observant...I wondered if anyone would notice the double gasket layer underneath the steam chest. When I am rebuilding or restoring and have things all apart, it is a 2 minute thing to do and I believe it keeps more heat where it's needed and less bleeding off to the engine base. It is a trick I think could be applied to many engines.

I "think" the one I just sold to a chap in the UK bears the same improvement

As for bringing out the wood grain on that piece...not sure it was me or thirsty wood! I did smooth the top a bit with a sander as it had significant ripples from a wood planer that must have had a dull blade. A fresh coat of stain and four coats of polyurethane probably helped too!!!

cheers,
Rog

IndianaRog

IndianaRog

John, you are welcome back to the Temple of Steam any time the spirit moves you. Thanks for the kind words...perfectionist sounds so much better than nit picker (which my wife will occasionally call me!!!).

cheers,
Rog

Wallace

That's Brilliant Rog.

Those rivets look the part too

Cedge

Roger
Good work as always. you're old enough that castration wouldn't change all that much beyond the octave of your voice...(evil grin) I've no beef with the school of thought that takes these old engines beyond original manufactured condition. I believe that if one owns it, one can restore it as one likes...LOL I can still enjoy your joy in the collection just as if it were my own.

Baskin and Robbins Ice cream stores offer 36 flavors for a reason. If everyone liked vanilla it'd be a truly boring experience to visit their stores. I just happen to like my Jensen's with a few battle scars from being played with. It reminds me that it's a toy and one that some child from the past loved as much or more than I do...(grin).

Jensen Rivets.... I'll try to post a photo of the raw rivets. I still have two boxes of the original Jensen stock in one of my tool boxes. The holes were indeed drilled simultaneously using a special rig that had 10 drill chucks mounted on a contracting ring. Pull a lever and all 10 were shot at once. I've never seen the second one which was designed to shoot 13 at once, but I have seen the 10 shot.

The rivets were used in the days before Silver solder was developed. The early models all used lead/tin solder and the rivets were used to add strength to the solder joint. The rivets disappeared when silver solder made them redundant. A few less steps and a few man additional hours saved.... pure economics.

Roger brings up an interesting point that sometimes gets lost in the modern day excitement of finding and buying Jensen engines. It's one I've discussed with collectors before.

He arrived in the US during the great depression and it took 4 years to find a job. That's 4 years that he had to depend totally on relatives to help feed and clothe him and his wife. That kind of poverty can't help but leave its mark on the soul. The first Jensen engines were not a plan for gaining riches, they were a desperate means of earning enough money to buy food.

Tom Sr. was a rather shy and modest man with simple tastes and a legendary frugality, probably compounded by his early circumstances. He wasted nothing, recycled his waste metals to augment income and he cut costs where possible. We still see evidence of his personality in his simple but elegant designs and in his often undocumented variations that pop up from time to time.

He would indeed be shocked at the passions that his small engines evoke in today's collectors. Today's prices and intense interests would, in all probability surprise and perhaps even embarrass him. That is not to say he would be displeased, but in his lifetime he would have never been able to comprehend, let alone predict, the popularity of his engines now. Those of us who have studied his life all agree that it would greatly amuse him to witness the debates about dates, when certain things changed and why he changed them. These things were usually simple matters of expediency or reactions to changes in his supply chain. Others, that came later, were made to simplify the manufacturing processes so that Jensen would have a shot at surviving his passing.

One thing is for sure... he never would have suspected that the choice to change something as mundane as the type of screw or rivet he used to secure a boiler strap would someday greatly effect valuations that he could never have even contemplated.

Steve

Mister Occlusion

That's a whole heap of perspective.

And it explains a lot about the nature of the company today.

flywheel61

Thank you Steve for that thought provking homily, it must of been a prevelidge to know him. I think we are indeed lucky to have a small window into the backgorund and thoughts of the founder of Jensen and to know that there is some of his knowledge in each Jensen we own.

Cheers

Chris

Cranko

Really nice engine Rog, I especially like that flywheel

IndianaRog

Steve, thanks for the additional perspective on Mr. Jensen and his outlook on life...I better understand and appreciate the man and his passion with such snapshots into the last 70+ years. I have a paper file I keep such stuff in for future reference...you're in there 3 times now with this one!

I also like your perspective on how we are each free to keep, restore or mod our engines to our hearts content. One can collect for investment, enjoyment of bringing something back from a rundown state, simple satisfaction of just looking at them or to rekindle the joy of firing up one of these little engines just for the fun of it. OR...all of the above.

I for one have pursued a number of hobbies in my life, but this one of the past 5 years seems to have really settled in nicely with me as has involvement with friends here on the forum.

We have a wonderful hobby indeed!!

Rog

MooseMan

Rog, that's a thing of great beauty! The dark base, duck egg blue, chrome, black firebox.....ooh baby that just rocks my boat! The High Priest of the Temple of Steam weaves his magic once again, and we mere mortals can but bow in awe and worship his work!

James

WOW!!

Rog, that's amazing!!

Great engine

Stilldrillin

That`s just GORGEOUS, petal!

IndianaRog

johnreid