| Archive for The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum The Original Unofficial Toy Steam Forum Established 2006 The biggest, most popular steam forum around! Accept NO imitations! We have a growing community of regular posting members who chat about all aspects of toy and model steam. |
| Mike_H |
Mamod Loco repairHi, this is my first message on this forum and I'm so excited I've got to go to the loo. Seriously, thanks for the welcome email.My problem at the moment is that a friend who is more used to Roundhouse locos tightened up the safety valve on my Mamod and overdid it in that the threaded ring on the inside of the boiler came adrift. I can't remove the safety valve or threaded ring without removing the end of the boiler. There have been discussions on the forum regarding whether the ring should be soldered on the inside or outside of the boiler. Inside is best, apparently. My query is, would it be beneficial for the ring and boiler end to be fixed with silver solder or plumbers solder? The safety valve is a replacement that blows off at 20lb/in². My second query is, has anyone fitted a wooden floor to the cab of a Mamod loco? Has it ever caught fire? Would you recommend it? I'm just trying to make the loco as realistic as possible. My third query, ( I like to get my money's worth!!) I glued a brass cap onto the chimney with Araldite many years ago, and now want to replace it with a copper cap. Anyone know a way of breaking the Araldite bond without damaging anything. Thanks for listening, Mike |
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| Chris |
Welcome to the forum!
Others will be able to help with the safety valve repair. MM probably will reply later. You could try heating the glue, in my experience araldite melts at a fairly low temperature (watch the paintwork though). The cab in my loco gets pretty hot when using a meths burner, but I would be surprised if it got hot enough to catch fire to wood. Possibly only one way to find out, and you could have a damp towel ready! |
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| Mamodman123 |
Welcome to the forums, regarding the safety valve.
Its going to be tricky The options are: Solder it on the outside, you'll ruin the paint and potentially make a mess, it can be cleaned up later but you will risk sodlering the safety valve into the thread and it being stuck in there for ever! Soldering on the inside will be tricky! As you will have to remove the end cap nearest the front. I guess you'd have to head and push it off with a wong screwdriver through the sight glass hole. If you silver solder it then it will be a lot lot stronger and probably never break again but these boilers are wafer thin! Be carefull 
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| Chris |
Another option is to give pps £20 and buy a new boiler. You will need sight glass and seals as well though...
http://www.pps-steam-models.co.uk/ Admittedly a more expensive option than repairing. |
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| James |
Welcome to the forum family 
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| steamyjim |
Welcome to the forum!
I might make a wooden floor for me mamods
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| Mike_H |
Thanks for advice. Checked out the PPS boiler...I assume it's brass, not copper...doesn't say on the website.
Problem with me is.....I'd rather try and fix something, as I've already got it, than buy new. I'd only end up eventually repairing it and then wondering what to do with it!!!! I could try repairs first, then buy new if it doesn't work out, or I do something silly. (I'm at that funny age now). Mike |
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| SillyBilly |
The cab caught fire on a mamod I was firing yesterday. (to mutch meths  !
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| 8_10 Brass Cleaner |
Have a go heating that area of the boiler up to melt the existing solder, with half a chance it may catch enough when cool and set together so you can get the safety valve out, this is assuming the joint is still pretty clean. It that works, clean the outside, dose it in flux and heat and solder from the outside. the solder should flow into the joint and fix it. It may or may not work. No harm in trying. |
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| Chris |
Yep, that is the plan. They also sell a fancy copper boiler, but that is £100 instead of £20!! The £20 one is probably made by MSS, so will be identical to the mamod boiler you are going to repair. Let us know how the repair goes, and if possible take a couple of pics that others can use as reference. |
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| Mike_H |
Thanks for that option...I'll give it a try first.
Mike |
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| Dauntless |
Hi Mike welcome to the forum!
Paul. |
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| Mike_H |
Just like to thank everyone for such a warm welcome.
Mike |
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| Cranko |
Welcome to the forum from New Zealand MIke H . I know you will enjoy it here
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| Sandman |
Another welcome from Scotland Mike.
You're in good company.
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| Steve_S |
Welcome to the forum Mike! 
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