The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum

kusuchi · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:08 am Post subject: USVI SELs- Handrail Pics

Arrived today from yellow_jr. Four SELs Exactly as described. Thanks.

SEL 1520 "Minor"
SEL 1530 “Junior"
SEL 1540 "Standard"
SEL 1550 "Major"

Too late tonight, so handrail pics tomorrow.

US Forum members where do you buy your denatured alcohol, (Meths)?

I am going to need this to run the Minor, Junior and Standard. I'm looking for locations like K Mart, Home Depot etc. I've never seen it here.

The Major has a non original solid tablet burner so Andrew has been running this all evening. Unfortunately the missing top half of the whistle was allowing significant steam loss.

When we swapped it out for an overflow plug from another engine he had it running like a sewing machine in no time.

Anybody have a source for the SEL major Whistle?, or anoriginal burner?
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Richard

johnreid · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:15 am Post subject:

Try your Paint supplier for Denatured Alcohol.
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kusuchi · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:11 am Post subject:

Thanks John,

I'll check them out in the morning.

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Richard

IndianaRog · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:45 am Post subject:

Richard, don't know if these brand stores are available in the VI...but here you can buy denatured alcohol at:
- ACE hardware
- Home Depot
- Lowes Home Improvement
- Walmart

Sold in paints area as John noted.

Rog
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Nick · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:55 am Post subject:

Make sure you buy the gallon, much more for your money and it will last a little longer.

Les · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 7:31 am Post subject: Re: USVI SELs

Les · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 7:32 am Post subject:

Now you have the engines, are you going to be collecting the accessories?

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CCairns · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:15 am Post subject:

Hi Richard & Andrew, and Welcome to the S.E.L. Owners Club. These are becoming very popular with Forum members at present, which of course only puts the prices up!

Spares for these engines are scarce, and attract very high prices on ebay. Burners do come up occasionally, but like the old Meths burners for Mamod engines, it is sometimes wise & cheaper to buy a scrap engine which comes with one. Whistles are very rare. Try asking barry1946 as he does do some S.E.L. replica spare parts.

Make sure you have a washer fitted on the bottom of that whistle body, as these go missing. The lever should be at 90 degrees (parallel with the boiler top) for the off position (at least both of mine are). The lever can work loose, and can be tightened by some careful punching.

There are some nice accessories made by S.E.L., but again as other members are trying to collect these as well then prices can go high. A lot of the grinding machineS have broken or missing grinding wheels. They need to be well packed for their travels, as being made of bakelite they can be fragile (I got a lineshaft which arrived broken, but could not confirm with the seller if it was like that already, or had been subjected to the Royal Mail treatment).

Look forward to some great videos, with your beautiful backdrop.

Wallace · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:38 am Post subject:

Great SEL collection there

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Lewis · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:35 pm Post subject:

some nice stuff there mate

taken me a year and a bit just to get 2 sels where as you have just bought the whole lot in one

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Mamodman123 · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:38 pm Post subject:

I like the tools and everything, but they can go too expensive

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Solid Fuel tablets explode

You could get a nice flatbase for that

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CCairns · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:46 pm Post subject:

kusuchi · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:56 pm Post subject:

Thanks Rog,

We have ACE and Home depot.

Chris,

We have the washer for the whistle but steam is leaking from the top.

We had the lever at 90 degrees. It is loose, what do you mean by "careful punching"? I noticed on the other side of the arm there is a recess which I was hoping would take a allen key to tighten the lever.

Is this where you would do the punching? Will tightening the lever stop the steam escaping from the top?

Thanks,
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Richard

CCairns · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:26 pm Post subject:

Hi Richard,

I knew I'd posted this before but it was hidden in a posting which was not titled SEL. See here - http://modelsteam.myfreeforum.org/about8427.html&highlight=

Like yourself I thought that the marking on the other side of the whistle lever was something that could be tightened up, but it is just formed from the punch that SEL used.

If you are looking for SEL accessories on ebay then try searching for all the combinations of SEL (i.e. SEL, S.E.L., ESL & E.S.L.), and the later Merit accessories also made by SEL.

johnreid · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:31 pm Post subject:

I see them listed as ESL a lot.
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