# Bassett Lowke steam oil in boiler problem...



## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

She runs well, (see video below), but probably could do better if not for somehow sucking steam oil into the boiler. I've cleaned it out with white vinegar, but it still seems to happen.

Any ideas?


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Tom, 

Previous threads have discussed the problems of the boiler cooling down, shrinking the steam/air mix and pulling steam oil back into the boiler. I always open the blowdown after a run, so it can pull in air through a different path. Not sure how you do that on a B-L loco though.


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

Tom,
vinegar dissolves scale, but not oily residues. Something like simple green would be better.
Regards


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

Take the cap off the lubricator?


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

Oil in the boiler. What will this cause? I could see it messing with the sight glass clarity, but other that that, would it increase the boiling point of the water and thus cause poor fuel efficiency? 

As I have not steamed my Aster Mike yet, Would opening the blower at the end of a run be sufficient to allow for the cooling effects to not draw in oil from the lubricator?


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By iceclimber on 21 Aug 2011 06:18 PM 
Oil in the boiler. What will this cause? I could see it messing with the sight glass clarity, but other that that, would it increase the boiling point of the water and thus cause poor fuel efficiency? 

As I have not steamed my Aster Mike yet, Would opening the blower at the end of a run be sufficient to allow for the cooling effects to not draw in oil from the lubricator? Jeremiah
Aster is a different setup. But if it was the same the blower would not have any effect on the circumstances.

Related past topic

Oil in boiler


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, opening the blower will relieve the vacuum that forms when the boiler cools, and with the throttle closed, oil will not be drawn into the boiler. The Baset Lowke may not have a blower or other boiler opening that can be opened to relieve the vacuum and the only recourse is to periodically clean the inside of the boiler.

Beside clouding the sight glass, oil in the boiler will tend to coat the inside of the boiler shell and act as an insulator, reducing the efficiency of the boiler... but it would take a LOT of oil before a measurable amount would have a noticeable effect.

When cleaning the boiler, use a dish soap that contains no perfumes, dyes or hand lotions (the boiler really does not need to smell sweet or be soft and supple, as it will probably not be handling nylons that might snag and run). Fill the boiler about 2/3rd full of water and add just a few drops of soap. Shake it gently (no need to break stuff!) to stir the mixture and turn it over a few times to get the soap suds in contact with all the surface. Then pump more water in (don't dribble it in, but use a hose to keep from introducing bubbles) and allow the water to overflow out the top/highest point until long after it runs clear and with no more suds. Then empty the boiler and do it all again. After emptying it the last time, do the overflow rinse again for several minutes to be sure all the soap and oil has been flushed out.


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

I see. Thanks guys.


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## HeliconSteamer (Jan 2, 2008)

Tom, 
Welcome to the world of Bassett Lowke products... They all do it. I've got three (two moguls and a Super Enterprise), and they're all really sloppy locos. The Super Enterprise is the messiest of all and it blows oil all over the place. 

The best way to try and relieve the problem is to leave the whistle valve open. It will not cure the problem totally, but it will slow the process down to a crawl. My rule of thumb is to begin and end the run with the whistle open. When firing up, leave the whistle open until you get nothing but steam. This will keep the cylinders from pulling water and delaying the start of the run. The other real threat with a B-L is blowing a cylinder head out when working water since they are a press fit. 

One of my locos is from the late 20s and has been run a lot, yet it does not seem to be adversely affected by the oil sucking problem. 

Cheers, 
Paul

**********EDIT**********
I did not initially see that this is a Corgi mogul and not a Bassett Lowke Northampton product. The Corgi is supposedly a copy of the B-L product, but I know at least the reversing lever has been redesigned on the Corgi version. However, I have no firsthand knowledge of the Corgi product.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Paul, 
I do not know very much about Bassett Lowke 'O' gauge, BUT what do you see that points to this being a Corgi version? 
Is it just that the controls do not stick up through the cab roof? 
Just curious. 
All the best, 
David Leech 
p.s. See you in 4 weeks at Stavers?


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## HeliconSteamer (Jan 2, 2008)

David, 
Yes, the different reverser is the most obvious clue. However, the lined crimson frames on the tender are another hint to the loco's more recent production. I think they offered panelled tender frames in the Northampton production, but the photos I've seen of that are of the Hughes 'Crab' version of the loco and not the Stanier version which is illustrated in Tom's video. 

And yes, I plan to be at Staver with at least one Bassett Lowke product in hand. 

Paul


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Gentlemen, 


Thank you for the responses. 


I flushed out the boiler a couple times with Simple Green, sucking the residue out with a syringe. It seemed to do the trick. 

I will heed the advice to begin and end the session with the whistle valve open.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Tom- that there is a serious steam-maker - I'm VERY impressed! I live here in the yUK most of the time, but I've never seen any 0 gauge steamers running - nobody I know has a 32mm track.

Best

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/
Supporter of the PNW


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## HeliconSteamer (Jan 2, 2008)

Tac, 
I would have thought that the Bassett Lowke Society or another 7mm scale course scale group would have made an appearance at a show or meet you've attended. 

I do know that there is a quite active 7mm scale steam group in the south west somewhere, but I also know that East Anglia is a distance from Dorset. A pen pal is part of that group and has sent me some lovely pics of a wide variety of locos. There are some truly fantastic locos both externally and internally fired. One that some of us Colonials have seen is John Shawe's coal fired 7mm scale Ivatt Atlantic. 

Paul


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Tac,

At Diamondhead the Brits and the Canadians always bring a plethora of O Gauge steamers...













With the addition of the Bassett Lowke, I now have two in my collection. Here is the other...


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By HeliconSteamer on 24 Aug 2011 11:20 AM 
Tac, 
I would have thought that the Bassett Lowke Society or another 7mm scale course scale group would have made an appearance at a show or meet you've attended. 

I do know that there is a quite active 7mm scale steam group in the south west somewhere, but I also know that East Anglia is a distance from Dorset. A pen pal is part of that group and has sent me some lovely pics of a wide variety of locos. There are some truly fantastic locos both externally and internally fired. One that some of us Colonials have seen is John Shawe's coal fired 7mm scale Ivatt Atlantic. 

Paul 
Ah, there's the rub. I rarely attend big shows these days. Come to think of it, I never did anyhow. The odd Gauge 1 exhibition or 16mm/large-scale show is about all I can take these days. I'm not really a mass-gathering type of person, I guess.

I know I'm missing out, but I have too much else to do to worry about it.

Best

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/


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