Glad it was of use to you! Enjoy the engine - just remember, always oil everything, always run more water than fuel, and if something doesn’t seem right, it isn’t.
@@F-Man I am really going to enjoy this as it is an 'indoor' engine. I have a Stuart beam engine which I run regularly, but with its comparatively huge boiler it is definitely one not to use in a house with smoke alarms!
It is good to build steam fast. And you have the security valve to let the steam out before something bad happens. So as with steam locomotives, you actually doesn't run it until the security valve pops open. :-) And about the heaters, you can close the openings in it by slide it out some mm. You can use a small tube of silicone on the drain so you can get the water in the right cup.
I noted the defects you mentioned with your D22. My D22 has the same issue with the steam pipe not matching up with the slot beside the boiler. Also I noticed your flywheel has a slight wobble, mine as well. Nevertheless a great little engine with a lot of power, excellent control and ideal for driving accessories.
Lubricants for these model engines is very important. Steam Oil is most important. Shell Valvata 460 is the critical lubricant where high temp and moisture come together. Use it no where else as it only lubricates well for this purpose. Mini-Steam sells this oil in small 1 & 8 oz bottles and should be used every 20 to 30 minutes depending on engine speed. For the metal on metal surfaces like push rods and bushings I used to use the lightest differential oil I could find. It wets metal parts very well. I now use Dial Zoom Spout multi purpose oil. Home Depot sells this lubricant for use in bearings for motor and fan of evaporative coolers or "swamp coolers" as they are known. This is a high moisture environment to say the least and this 15 weight oil works perfectly to penetrate and lubricate friction surfaces. Do not use this for cylinder oiling. My new Wilesco D22 has had 2 gallons of water steamed through it and it is now perfectly broken in. Lubricant weepage now runs clear with only the slightest hint of grey from metal to metal wear. Engine ticks over beautifully. Hope this helps all you steam heads. Keep chuffing along!
Had the same problem with the boiler steam pipe on my D22. Like you I was surprised that it got past quality control. Great fun though and a welcome addition to my small collection.
I am a Wilesco D20 owner and made a huge error. I left the engine running unattended and boiler ran dry. Solder melted and numerous attempts to resolder the boiler have not succeeded. Gave in and ordered the D22 today. After it is here I will order a new boiler for the D20 and get it running again. These are great steam engines which deserve care and respect. The D20 was a beautiful running steam engine. I hate the whistle on these things and will work to design my own. Looking forward to running in the D22 without leaving it.
To the above comment: I have done 2 thing to improve the operation of the engine. Bix ceramic burner was added to increase boiler control and the return exhaust steam line has a silicone tube attached and run to a 1 cup Tupperware style container with lid. The exhaust enters 2/3's up the side of the container and the lid exits the steam to the smoke stack. This keeps operation much cleaner and should you wish to recycle the water, oil is on top and water below.
Your boiler issue is how the gel fuel is burning. There is nothing wrong with the engine boiler. A propane fuel source will end this problem and give you significantly more temp control. No, the cylinder oiler caps do not seize, they just get harder to remove. Your tip on loosening them is valid. I lubricate the cylinders every 20 minutes with Valvata oil and bearing surfaces every other cylinder oiling. Bearing surfaces get light differential gear oil. Works great.
Thanks for these videos. Very informative. I just decided to get into this hobby, and have been trying to decide what model to start with, and this video has made me decide to start with this one. I've found cheaper/smaller versions, but there's something about the twin cylinders that really grabs me, and I have to have one lol. I do have a question though, since you seem very experienced with these. Have you ever cleaned/descaled the inside of one of these boilers? Is it necessary, and if so, how's the best way to go about it? Thanks!
It's not going to blow up as long as you have a good safety valve and water in the glass! I have a Wilesco D222 that I use to run a Wilesco workshop and a few other things. I'm strongly considering replacing it with a Jensen 55 and a pressure gauge attachment. They run allot smoother and allot quieter and are just overall built better. The D22's are just built cheap for the price and it shows.
Abner Doble built the best and most practical steam car . Does any one build a model Doble car ? J Leno has a couple original Doble cars in his collection , they came close to compeating with the internal combustion engine . They were probably more efficient then the gas cars of that time ,1920 .
I don’t think anybody is actively pursuing a steam car today, nor are there too many running Dobles left. Jay Leno may have the best surviving examples left in the world.
I am about to purchase a D22 wilesco however after watching im hesitant. I bought a D455 verticle steam engine and it came broken in the box with factory faults. In south africa if we have a defective engine we are stuck with it because its a mission to return it to the factory. My 50's and 60's wilesco engines are lovely with no issues. I wonder what happened to the love and quality that use to be put into toy making.
Wessel van der Berg My D22 came with a wobbly flywheel, one of the wheels on the power transfer rack buckled and the whistle damaged. Poor manufacturing and quality control. I think it is just luck that determines what you get. I love it but for what you pay the quality is pretty poor but if you buy I hope you get a good one!
No, expansion tends to seal leaks on boilers not create them as said expansion of the surrounding metals closes the gaps, not make them bigger. Thats how minor leaks sealed up on boiler tubes and riveted joints on old full sized firetube boilers, with a tiny bit of rust helping too. This here is a common problem with Newer Wilesco Engines, the boiler assembly and soldering process has gotten very shoddy and the solder does not penetrate and fill every gap as it should because they're not hand soldered like they used to be. Nowadays, rings of solder are inserted between the gaps with flux and the end caps, bushings, and fittings are all applied. Then several boilers assembled in this way are heated all together at once so the solder melts and flows to it's respective joints completing several boilers in one sitting. This is their mass production process. I had the same problem with my D-21(the red and brass single cylinder plant with the feed pump) around the sight glass flange and wound up resoldering the boiler myself because it's senseless to send the damn thing back to Germany for something you can fix yourself with the right tools. This leak he has is a classic example of a bad joint. It leaks sometimes and not others because the expansion of the metal when warmed seals it, helped by whatever little globs of flux and junk from the assembly process are still hanging out in the boiler find the leak and plug it temporarily until that specific area cools down and contracts ever so slightly and it starts to piss again. Usually it will tend to happen when new fuel tablets are loaded, as the heat will not be consistent during those times. How hard it's being fired, how the water is circulating in the boiler due to the location of the fuel tabs in the tray, and how high of pressure is in the boiler also has a lot to do with it. All of my engines, Wilesco or otherwise, have boiler blow down valves, so I don't bother with distilled water. I use ordinary tap water as it doesn't tend to leech metals out of the solder like distilled and deionized waters do, and whatever scale is in the water will plug little leaks on its own. And when you're done running, most of the disolved solids come out when the boiler is blown down. If it starts to develop too much cheese inside, then you've really got crappy water or you never blow it down. I wash out my boilers once a year with vineagar just to keep too much gunk from forming inside.
SteamAndSmoke97 Right you are! I find that this boiler leaks as you see here when it is cold, but once it’s come up to running temperature and it’s started to build about .2, .3 bar of head pressure, the leak seals up. 🤷♂️
Thank you for this insight! I want to get one of these to have as a Back-up power source to run a 60 Amp Automotive style generator so I can keep my Solar Battery bank up to snuff in a pinch. Will this work as such?
Well, you are not sure why the fire gets out of control? It is NOT designed to use the kind of fuel that you burn! Wilescos are built to burn solid fuel tablets (e.g. Esbit). I am running two Wilescos for many years and NEVER had any problems! Also I need to mention that a Wilesco boiler can’t explode: There is your spring operated safety valve which will bleed off extensive pressure. So you don’t need to fear an explosion IF you run the right fuel type and keep the water level high enough. Besides that: D22 is a dream engine!
Yes yes, I know they’re designed to run the Esbit tablets - I just would rather get about 10 hours of running from an $8 box of Sterno than get 1 hour of running from an $8 box of Esbit. Also, you can tone down the condescension.
I was impressed by your D455 engine video, that engine seems like a real gem, even though I was averse to it for many years because it didn't look like a traditional Wilesco engine. I guess I should post this comment on THAT video but forgive me. The green sort of "engine block" on the D455, how is the axle going through lubricated? Overall, which is your favorite Wilesco steam engine? I'm sad to hear about your issues with this D22, indeed I only own one steam engine, the Wilesco D6 and although it is the cheapest model, I get the feeling Wilesco's build quality isn't stellar. The support for the whole flywheel assembly is a thin piece of stamped metal, the flywheel itself wobbles, coupled with the fact there's no way to control the power to the piston equals plenty of noise and a runaway assembly! The chimney falls off and it came with no silver ring on top either.
joao villa They are very interesting concepts, but they're not practical for large-scale applications. Now, that being said, I do think that it's a technology that hasn't gotten enough attention. With current advancements in materials, Stirling engines could be a more tenable idea if the development investment were made.
For I had 1 of these & I had the Wilesco 6620 Lantern with Dynamo & I found that the Dynamo was just not that good of a Generator. As to the Wilesco Steam Engine With Generator for I got 1 on order from my EBay Account for much less then a New 1 Sells for & when I get it I will do a Video of it Running here on my youtube account.
Have you looked at any of the mobile engines? Being into engines that power race cars I think you could draw slightly more enjoyment from an RC steam tractor or car. Check them out, I myself am hoping to receive a Wilesco D416 this Christmas :) Regards from Texas, Where there's no point in watching the weather channel. Ryan
Yeah; in hindsight, I probably should have done, but it runs well. That boiler leak, weirdly, never came back. I think one of the washers around the drain valve just hadn’t seated properly and the heat and pressure finally got it into place.
Probably this one. Low reciprocating mass, but a power stroke every 90 degrees. Runs very evenly at low speed, high speed, and any speed in between 🤷🏼♂️
They are! The engine doesn’t really generate much torque, so they’re sufficient. Under a lot of load, through, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could bend.
I have a D22, my first Wilesco. I was so disappointed in the build quality. Very cheap construction for the price. Every wheel/shaft has a wobble including the flywheel. Unfortunately it is the wobbles that catch your eye and deflect from the general operation. I would not buy another Wilesco.
My D22 is being delivered tomorrow and this has been a very useful primer for me here in the UK. Thanks for putting this on line.
Glad it was of use to you! Enjoy the engine - just remember, always oil everything, always run more water than fuel, and if something doesn’t seem right, it isn’t.
@@F-Man I am really going to enjoy this as it is an 'indoor' engine. I have a Stuart beam engine which I run regularly, but with its comparatively huge boiler it is definitely one not to use in a house with smoke alarms!
By the way, I have found if you use de-ionised water there is no residue in the condenser, only water.
Indeed. I run distilled water and have very little, if any residue.
It is good to build steam fast. And you have the security valve to let the steam out before something bad happens.
So as with steam locomotives, you actually doesn't run it until the security valve pops open. :-)
And about the heaters, you can close the openings in it by slide it out some mm.
You can use a small tube of silicone on the drain so you can get the water in the right cup.
This is one of the best reviews I have ever seen, congratulations and many thanks.
I noted the defects you mentioned with your D22. My D22 has the same issue with the steam pipe not matching up with the slot beside the boiler. Also I noticed your flywheel has a slight wobble, mine as well. Nevertheless a great little engine with a lot of power, excellent control and ideal for driving accessories.
Lubricants for these model engines is very important. Steam Oil is most important. Shell Valvata 460 is the critical lubricant where high temp and moisture come together. Use it no where else as it only lubricates well for this purpose. Mini-Steam sells this oil in small 1 & 8 oz bottles and should be used every 20 to 30 minutes depending on engine speed.
For the metal on metal surfaces like push rods and bushings I used to use the lightest differential oil I could find. It wets metal parts very well. I now use Dial Zoom Spout multi purpose oil. Home Depot sells this lubricant for use in bearings for motor and fan of evaporative coolers or "swamp coolers" as they are known. This is a high moisture environment to say the least and this 15 weight oil works perfectly to penetrate and lubricate friction surfaces. Do not use this for cylinder oiling.
My new Wilesco D22 has had 2 gallons of water steamed through it and it is now perfectly broken in. Lubricant weepage now runs clear with only the slightest hint of grey from metal to metal wear. Engine ticks over beautifully.
Hope this helps all you steam heads. Keep chuffing along!
Had the same problem with the boiler steam pipe on my D22. Like you I was surprised that it got past quality control. Great fun though and a welcome addition to my small collection.
I am a Wilesco D20 owner and made a huge error. I left the engine running unattended and boiler ran dry. Solder melted and numerous attempts to resolder the boiler have not succeeded. Gave in and ordered the D22 today. After it is here I will order a new boiler for the D20 and get it running again. These are great steam engines which deserve care and respect. The D20 was a beautiful running steam engine. I hate the whistle on these things and will work to design my own.
Looking forward to running in the D22 without leaving it.
To the above comment: I have done 2 thing to improve the operation of the engine. Bix ceramic burner was added to increase boiler control and the return exhaust steam line has a silicone tube attached and run to a 1 cup Tupperware style container with lid. The exhaust enters 2/3's up the side of the container and the lid exits the steam to the smoke stack. This keeps operation much cleaner and should you wish to recycle the water, oil is on top and water below.
Your boiler issue is how the gel fuel is burning. There is nothing wrong with the engine boiler. A propane fuel source will end this problem and give you significantly more temp control.
No, the cylinder oiler caps do not seize, they just get harder to remove. Your tip on loosening them is valid.
I lubricate the cylinders every 20 minutes with Valvata oil and bearing surfaces every other cylinder oiling. Bearing surfaces get light differential gear oil. Works great.
Nice engine
Thanks for sharing
I’m about to invest in my first engine and this company seems like it ticks all the boxes
Thanks for these videos. Very informative. I just decided to get into this hobby, and have been trying to decide what model to start with, and this video has made me decide to start with this one. I've found cheaper/smaller versions, but there's something about the twin cylinders that really grabs me, and I have to have one lol. I do have a question though, since you seem very experienced with these. Have you ever cleaned/descaled the inside of one of these boilers? Is it necessary, and if so, how's the best way to go about it? Thanks!
It's not going to blow up as long as you have a good safety valve and water in the glass! I have a Wilesco D222 that I use to run a Wilesco workshop and a few other things. I'm strongly considering replacing it with a Jensen 55 and a pressure gauge attachment. They run allot smoother and allot quieter and are just overall built better. The D22's are just built cheap for the price and it shows.
@David Wanklyn I know. Back in Pennsylvania. Their workshop tour is pretty neat!
Actually, the 1.5 Bar line marks the working pressure and the safety valve goes off at 1.8 Bar, even though every boiler is rated 2 Bar.
Abner Doble built the best and most practical steam car . Does any one build a model Doble car ? J Leno has a couple original Doble cars in his collection , they came close to compeating with the internal combustion engine . They were probably more efficient then the gas cars of that time ,1920 .
I don’t think anybody is actively pursuing a steam car today, nor are there too many running Dobles left. Jay Leno may have the best surviving examples left in the world.
I am falling in love withis these engine
Beautiful Engine.
I am about to purchase a D22 wilesco however after watching im hesitant. I bought a D455 verticle steam engine and it came broken in the box with factory faults. In south africa if we have a defective engine we are stuck with it because its a mission to return it to the factory. My 50's and 60's wilesco engines are lovely with no issues. I wonder what happened to the love and quality that use to be put into toy making.
Wessel van der Berg My D22 came with a wobbly flywheel, one of the wheels on the power transfer rack buckled and the whistle damaged. Poor manufacturing and quality control. I think it is just luck that determines what you get. I love it but for what you pay the quality is pretty poor but if you buy I hope you get a good one!
32:50 maybe because of the heat the metal expands, creating a Space where water can leak.
No, expansion tends to seal leaks on boilers not create them as said expansion of the surrounding metals closes the gaps, not make them bigger. Thats how minor leaks sealed up on boiler tubes and riveted joints on old full sized firetube boilers, with a tiny bit of rust helping too. This here is a common problem with Newer Wilesco Engines, the boiler assembly and soldering process has gotten very shoddy and the solder does not penetrate and fill every gap as it should because they're not hand soldered like they used to be. Nowadays, rings of solder are inserted between the gaps with flux and the end caps, bushings, and fittings are all applied. Then several boilers assembled in this way are heated all together at once so the solder melts and flows to it's respective joints completing several boilers in one sitting. This is their mass production process. I had the same problem with my D-21(the red and brass single cylinder plant with the feed pump) around the sight glass flange and wound up resoldering the boiler myself because it's senseless to send the damn thing back to Germany for something you can fix yourself with the right tools. This leak he has is a classic example of a bad joint. It leaks sometimes and not others because the expansion of the metal when warmed seals it, helped by whatever little globs of flux and junk from the assembly process are still hanging out in the boiler find the leak and plug it temporarily until that specific area cools down and contracts ever so slightly and it starts to piss again. Usually it will tend to happen when new fuel tablets are loaded, as the heat will not be consistent during those times. How hard it's being fired, how the water is circulating in the boiler due to the location of the fuel tabs in the tray, and how high of pressure is in the boiler also has a lot to do with it. All of my engines, Wilesco or otherwise, have boiler blow down valves, so I don't bother with distilled water. I use ordinary tap water as it doesn't tend to leech metals out of the solder like distilled and deionized waters do, and whatever scale is in the water will plug little leaks on its own. And when you're done running, most of the disolved solids come out when the boiler is blown down. If it starts to develop too much cheese inside, then you've really got crappy water or you never blow it down. I wash out my boilers once a year with vineagar just to keep too much gunk from forming inside.
SteamAndSmoke97 Right you are! I find that this boiler leaks as you see here when it is cold, but once it’s come up to running temperature and it’s started to build about .2, .3 bar of head pressure, the leak seals up. 🤷♂️
Thank you for this insight!
I want to get one of these to have as a Back-up power source to run a 60 Amp Automotive style generator so I can keep my Solar Battery bank up to snuff in a pinch.
Will this work as such?
The Boiler can't Build to much pressure because at 1.8 bar the savety valve opens up and let out the pressure.
Very informative, thank you !
Well, you are not sure why the fire gets out of control? It is NOT designed to use the kind of fuel that you burn! Wilescos are built to burn solid fuel tablets (e.g. Esbit). I am running two Wilescos for many years and NEVER had any problems!
Also I need to mention that a Wilesco boiler can’t explode: There is your spring operated safety valve which will bleed off extensive pressure. So you don’t need to fear an explosion IF you run the right fuel type and keep the water level high enough.
Besides that: D22 is a dream engine!
Yes yes, I know they’re designed to run the Esbit tablets - I just would rather get about 10 hours of running from an $8 box of Sterno than get 1 hour of running from an $8 box of Esbit. Also, you can tone down the condescension.
I was impressed by your D455 engine video, that engine seems like a real gem, even though I was averse to it for many years because it didn't look like a traditional Wilesco engine. I guess I should post this comment on THAT video but forgive me. The green sort of "engine block" on the D455, how is the axle going through lubricated? Overall, which is your favorite Wilesco steam engine?
I'm sad to hear about your issues with this D22, indeed I only own one steam engine, the Wilesco D6 and although it is the cheapest model, I get the feeling Wilesco's build quality isn't stellar. The support for the whole flywheel assembly is a thin piece of stamped metal, the flywheel itself wobbles, coupled with the fact there's no way to control the power to the piston equals plenty of noise and a runaway assembly! The chimney falls off and it came with no silver ring on top either.
Since you like steam engines, what do you think of stirling engines?
joao villa They are very interesting concepts, but they're not practical for large-scale applications. Now, that being said, I do think that it's a technology that hasn't gotten enough attention. With current advancements in materials, Stirling engines could be a more tenable idea if the development investment were made.
Ferrariman601 especialy when you consider their efficience, it could be a good replacement for steam engines in powerplants
For I had 1 of these & I had the Wilesco 6620 Lantern with Dynamo & I found that the Dynamo was just not that good of a Generator. As to the Wilesco Steam Engine With Generator for I got 1 on order from my EBay Account for much less then a New 1 Sells for & when I get it I will do a Video of it Running here on my youtube account.
ACFL has released the FW15C
cj386 did that have the active suspension
Still more power and reliability than the Honda in the back of the McLaren.
Cameron Rich I'm about to sign a supply deal with McLaren for 2018.
what metal is the flywheel made of and is is machined. some of them seem to wobble
so do you have a model steam locomotive
Zachary Minotti I do not have any model locomotives, nor do I have any space, or track with which to run one.
Have you looked at any of the mobile engines? Being into engines that power race cars I think you could draw slightly more enjoyment from an RC steam tractor or car. Check them out, I myself am hoping to receive a Wilesco D416 this Christmas :)
Regards from Texas,
Where there's no point in watching the weather channel.
Ryan
Would you be willing to have a running video as like a screen saver for as long as it runs
It's out of my price range and it so wonderful to watch
After spending that much money I'm honestly shocked you didn't return it or exchange it
Yeah; in hindsight, I probably should have done, but it runs well. That boiler leak, weirdly, never came back. I think one of the washers around the drain valve just hadn’t seated properly and the heat and pressure finally got it into place.
Which is the smoothest running of you engines? This or the D455?
Probably this one. Low reciprocating mass, but a power stroke every 90 degrees. Runs very evenly at low speed, high speed, and any speed in between 🤷🏼♂️
I don't care,it's still a review.
Buy and review a wilesco d21 steam engine!
I’ve been considering one - the feed pump is intriguing!
No idea what this is about but Qualifying is still far off and I like your voice, so I'll watch the whole thing lol
Those connecting rods look so thin !!!
They are!
The engine doesn’t really generate much torque, so they’re sufficient. Under a lot of load, through, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could bend.
its a toy ive got four of them,every1of them has 1 problem or another,cheeply made parts,yours has alot of problems i see.
I have a D22, my first Wilesco. I was so disappointed in the build quality. Very cheap construction for the price. Every wheel/shaft has a wobble including the flywheel. Unfortunately it is the wobbles that catch your eye and deflect from the general operation. I would not buy another Wilesco.