IndianaRog
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mid '40's Era Jensen #20 "Big Power Plant"I lucked onto this engine listed on eBay several weeks ago. I was the very first looker...gave it a 20 seconds look/see and hit the BIN option as it was listed for a very attractive price.
Moments later my phone rang with Gil (Reddryder) laughing out loud on the other end. Seems Gil was number 2 looker and must have waited 25 seconds, when he hit the BIN button he was shocked to see it was sold...to me!!! Sometimes ya luck out.
Here is the eBay listing pic:
This was a model I did not have...one deemed a #20 "Big Power Plant" featuring a stand alone horseshoe generator, another first for me. There is one just like it on the Jensen website museum section, dated 1946. This one was missing the heater, chimney stand and chimney in the photo, but fortunately the chimney stand came packed separately in the shipping box.
As I have a tendancy to do...I gave this one the Concours treatment, stripping it completely and refinishing from the ground up. I installed a new blanket heater, cord and stole the stack off another engine which I will replace with an aluminum copy. UL label was lost in stripping, so I photographed it first and made a replica decal from the photo...turned out OK. I still need to find the proper plug for it as the one I had on hand is of a later era...but that's a 5 min. switchover when I find one.
Here are a few pics of the finished effort:
I learned a few things with this one:
-Horseshoe generators were absolutely beautiful pieces of craftsmanship by Jensen...precisely made and giving superior power output
-Early pieces like this sported a nickel plated machined brass pulley on the generator. I didn't even know such a thing existed, I thought they were all aluminum
-Only the Jensen 50/51 used a larger diameter chimney...this one being 3/4" OD
The 3" boiler powers the 20 sized engine and spins the chunky generator with ease. I'll post a video of it in action soon. I'm quite pleased with this overall...sorry to have scooped you Gil, but it went to a good Temple!!
Rog
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Nick
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Rog, I had seen you had won that one and it turned out very nice. 
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Kritika
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Now that is simply Beautiful….Rog 
I’ve said it before mate - YOU are the "master of restoration". 
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MamodFan
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A very nice engine
Could I ask without a backlash of criticism what was wrong with the engines condition as it was sold to you?
From the Ebay pic it just looks like a wipe off of dust was all that was required and the paint and varnish looks fine.
Was the picture hiding something?
I'm not looking to cause trouble just interested
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Nick
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I know the sticker isn't the biggest deal, but how do you protect it when re-finishing the wood?
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mc_mc
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We all know that Rog likes his engines better than new. Here's yet another example. Definately need the sun glasses for this one.
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IndianaRog
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Hey guys, thanks for the cudos...answers to a couple of questions:
1) Nick, the UL sticker was destroyed in the wood stripping process, but knowing this would occur, I photographed it well before touching it, then via Adobe Photoshop, decal paper and an inkjet printer I made what you see. Wood has five coats of polyurethane with decal applied after the third coat and two coats sealing and protecting the decal (they are very fragile without polyurethane coating). Such decals take a lot of time to fabricate and get right, but well worth in IMO.
2) Ian, you ask a fair question re: why refinish what appeared to be an acceptable looking engine. It WAS acceptable, just not good enough to an OCD type like myself. I like them as perfect as possible, a notch above factory new whenever I can pull it off. Just a personal thing. A number of folks have asked the same question on other engines I have redone...I might hold the title of Master of Over Restoration (which is fine by me!!)
I have refinished most of my engines in the same way, complete strip, restain, repaint, polyurethane, decals etc. Being electric I also take the time to ensure electric connections are safe and secure. I know the school of thought that wants to preserve the history, keep each bump and bruise and bit of rust as the product of 50-80 years of use. I understand that view and I'm happy when others are happy with their engines as is. I'm just of a different school of thought. I don't see either approach as right or wrong...it just has to please the owner and I for one have not been disappointed in a restoration yet. There is room for us all at the toy table to love and lavish our engines as we choose.
Good question, not critical in any way as far as I see it.
cheers,
Rog
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MamodFan
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I can certainly agree with you on the electrical safety side of things, you can see when meths is leaking but if their is a problem with the electrics the engine could potentially become live.
the more I see of these wooden based Jensens the more I like them
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James
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Wow Rog that is a beautiful
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johnreid
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Truly a thing of beauty, I cant get over that flywheel. Industrial Art that belongs in a museum, or a Temple 
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Minor1PJG
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A truly SUPERB piece. Fantastic.
I still salute you for your assistance with my Jensen #100 decal before I even joined this forum
One again, lovely work Rog
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Atticman
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| MamodFan wrote: | A very nice engine
Could I ask without a backlash of criticism what was wrong with the engines condition as it was sold to you?
From the Ebay pic it just looks like a wipe off of dust was all that was required and the paint and varnish looks fine.
Was the picture hiding something?
I'm not looking to cause trouble just interested |
Ian an interesting question, which I think Rog has answered well,
Personally I would have kept it as it was, but I think we are all sensible enough to see there isnt a right or wrong here, just a personality thing really.
Each to their own, and i can certainly well apprecite the work that has gone into it, which certainly raises it to being a very special machine.
The just pipping Gil to the BIN button is a nice story as well. Hope another comes along soon.
Have to agree the wood bases are very attractive in their own right.
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Les
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That has turned out to be one beautiful looking engine. Well done.
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igy569
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WOW!!
I really like Jensens. I have decided to keep looking untill I find a 75 I can afford.
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Griffin
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Rog, you certainly brought that one up to scratch, and as usual a first rate job.
The older Jensens really do have a charm of their own, great to see.
Well done, and look forward to the video.
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kusuchi
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| IndianaRog wrote: | Hey guys, thanks for the cudos...answers to a couple of questions:
1) Nick, the UL sticker was destroyed in the wood stripping process, but knowing this would occur, I photographed it well before touching it, then via Adobe Photoshop, decal paper and an inkjet printer I made what you see. Wood has five coats of polyurethane with decal applied after the third coat and two coats sealing and protecting the decal (they are very fragile without polyurethane coating). Such decals take a lot of time to fabricate and get right, but well worth in IMO.
2) Ian, you ask a fair question re: why refinish what appeared to be an acceptable looking engine. It WAS acceptable, just not good enough to an OCD type like myself. I like them as perfect as possible, a notch above factory new whenever I can pull it off. Just a personal thing. A number of folks have asked the same question on other engines I have redone...I might hold the title of Master of Over Restoration (which is fine by me!!)
I have refinished most of my engines in the same way, complete strip, restain, repaint, polyurethane, decals etc. Being electric I also take the time to ensure electric connections are safe and secure. I know the school of thought that wants to preserve the history, keep each bump and bruise and bit of rust as the product of 50-80 years of use. I understand that view and I'm happy when others are happy with their engines as is. I'm just of a different school of thought. I don't see either approach as right or wrong...it just has to please the owner and I for one have not been disappointed in a restoration yet. There is room for us all at the toy table to love and lavish our engines as we choose.
Good question, not critical in any way as far as I see it.
cheers,
Rog |
Rog,
Not sure where I stand on this issue. I like an engine, (and particularly an accessory), to reflect it's antiquity.
But when I look at what you have done to that Jensen.
That is just superb, absolutely immaculate, a restoration par excellence.
I take it all your trade secrets are revealed on your website.
I'll be checking in real soon.
Awesome. I need to learn how to do this.
I think there may be a place for this approach in my collection, decided on a case by case basis. (I already have the required OCD qualifications) 
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rangerssteamtoys
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Rog, you have outdone yourself once again.
You should open up a steam engine restoration buisness, this way you could pay for your engines by fixing others
Thats a very well done Jensen steam engine.
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johnreid
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I think Roger knows when to hold back and when not to, although I think he occasionally needs a little support to keep from refinishing the Robins egg blue one.
I seriously doubt that Tom Jensen would have been bothered at all to see what Roger has transformed those into by taking that little extra pain and attention to detail that they even missed at the Factory.
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bigal
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Shame there was not two of them to go around-I know Gil would have loved to have gotten it to add to his impressive collection. 
I'll have to start slowly to get my reconditioning skills up. Just can't see me ever getting close to the caliber that I see here. You make it tough for the rest of us.
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IndianaRog
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Thanks again guys,
Richard...many of my restoration thoughts have been captured on my website and I'm happy to share anything...no secrets.
Big Al...in this case I did scoop Gil, but not intentionally...we were both unaware the other was looking til the BIN button was pushed. There is always another down the road...thanks to eBay !
John...no promises on NOT refinishing Robins egg blue Jensens...I have done three so far and one virgin is staring me down as I type.
I do have a bit more reverence for the earliest, Robins egg color engines, but when the paint is so thin the engine is rusting, I reach for the paint stirring stick!!! I have a pretty good match for that early color, so I like to think of it as honoring Mrs. J and her kitchen table paint shop by putting the engine back to how it left her hands. BUT...I have held off for 5 months now staring at a #10 in that dang color!!!
Rog
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steamgranny
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Oh my goodness!! Another of Rog's incredible transformations Simply beautiful 
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Sandman
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What a great job Rog.
You've produced a winner once again.
As to the thorny resto subject , I fall into much the same category as yourself, only I find that lately I'm shifting my position slightly.
If the engine is really old and valuable I'm more and more simply cleaning and fixing what needs to be done.
If, however the dreaded rust is there in any quantity, I'll restore fully.
When you look at the results you achieve, I'm not surprised you think the way you do.
Your engines are awesome.
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Griffin
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Rog, looking at the photo's, I noticed the horseshoe magnet seems to be bigger than the norm. Is this just a deception of the image, or is it indeed the same size magnet as used on your #10?
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IndianaRog
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Thanks Sandy and SG...two master restorers in your own right!!!
Griffin...the horseshoe magnet part of the generator is exactly the same height on this engine and a #10 I have with generator in line with the engine. Both measure 2 5/8 inches tall.
It might be that I polished up the brass blocks the magnet sits on, so it may appear taller...but not so.
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Kritika
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| Sandman wrote: | What a great job Rog.
You've produced a winner once again.
As to the thorny resto subject , I fall into much the same category as yourself, only I find that lately I'm shifting my position slightly.
If the engine is really old and valuable I'm more and more simply cleaning and fixing what needs to be done.
If, however the dreaded rust is there in any quantity, I'll restore fully.
When you look at the results you achieve, I'm not surprised you think the way you do.
Your engines are awesome. |
Well put Sandy .... You read my mind.
For me it’s all down to the condition of the individual engine.
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johnreid
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I must add that Rogers Restorations are truly that a Restoration, they are transformed to the Condition that they were when they left the factory and in some cases the Condition they SHOULD HAVE BEEN when they left the factory.
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Atticman
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| johnreid wrote: | | I must add that Rogers Restorations are truly that a Restoration, they are transformed to the Condition that they were when they left the factory and in some cases the Condition they SHOULD HAVE BEEN when they left the factory. |
AGree entirely John, i think we are all in awe at Rogs work.
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IndianaRog
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Gee guys, you are making me blush 
Just some elbow grease, stripper, polyurethane, a cheap sponge brush and a couple of colors of spray paint. Nothing out of the reach of anyone. Biggest thing is it takes a fair bit of time, especially getting the wood right. But I steam everything I have on a regular basis and wood and water don't like each other much!
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Wallace
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I totally missed this thread.
All I can say is wow. Top job.
It certainly is a credit to your dedication to steam 
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steamyman
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very nice , Roger. A fine Jensen that is.
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tmuir
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Just found this post Rog, don't know how I missed it but I do love those early cast iron Jensens.
If I do get another Jensen it will has to be of the cast iron type and that's a great restoration.
AS you say it may be over the top but you have also guaranteed that engine will now last another eighty years.
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MooseMan
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Missed it as well....wow Rog, every time you surpass yourself. Absolutely stunning....I'm off to sit in a darkened room for a bit to let my retinas recover. How does it run?
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Steve_S
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That's a beautiful restoration Rog. It looked pretty good to start with, but now it's just gorgeous!
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IndianaRog
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I sense the presence of more shineaholics
Thanks guys, the old Jensens just lend themselves to nice restorations having natural wood bases and all that cast iron...I love 'em and have another similar piece staring at me from the shelf over my bench. I can hear it begging "make me look like I did when I was young"...what can I do under such relentless pressure!
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Mamodman123
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Another guilty of missing it
Wonderful work Rog as usual. It's your engine and you can do whatever you want with it! Either way it looks fantastic now
Mr Jensen would be proud
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