William's Wilesco D21 Steam Engine

A few tips so your kid doesn't blow his eyebrows off or wear out the engine prematurely: When lighting that burner, the lighter (or match) has to be ignited first before turning on the gas otherwise it's going to go POOOF like in the video, and if the lighter gives him trouble and the gas is still on, and it finally lights, the Poof will be closer to a BANG and he could very badly burn himself. Secondly, as Scot said in a previous comment, hot water will shorten steam up time and safe fuel to lengthen the run time. Third, that hand pump is not for pushing out water and steam at the end of the run. The boiler is under pressure, it will do that on its own as energy and fluids always follow the path of least resistance. The Pump is for adding water to the boiler while under steam. There's a slot in the base next to the pump where a small water tank is mounted under the engine. Fill the tank, and while the boiler is under steam you can pump water in while the engine is running so the engine can run as long as the fuel holds out. Lastly, 3 in 1 oil is useless for these engines. Its better to use Steam Oil because it's much more tenacious and is a better lubricant. It doesn't sling off and stays where it's wanted even under high heat. But to conserve steam oil, an equally good solution would be to get yourself a good Pump Oil Can, you can pick one up at an auto parts store, and get some 140 weight gear oil. It does just as good a job and saves your steam oil for where it's really needed, in the valve chest and cylinder. Its better to run the engine slowly too, it will last alot longer.

Very nice to see a young kid interested in engines and the like. We've got ourselves too many children who don't know anything outside of an iPhone. Good on him and good on his parents!

Brings back sooo many memories. My dad used to build these by himself.

great to watch the young ones having immense fun on these awesome machines and appreciating the concept. Good to see he's diligent in the maintenance of his engine too. More fun than a plastic video game.

tip: add hot water for faster start up time

Absolutely superb, William will remember this experience for the rest of his life and will probably pass this excellent engine and workshop on to his own sons. Thank you for uploading this video.

i'm glad he likes to care for that machine! It's an expensive one alright!

That's a nice engine.  Thanks for uploading

Nice engine William. Have you thought of joining the Unofficial Mamod Steam Forum? Since you have a steam engine you qualify. Actually one does not actually have to have a steam engine, I just threw that in, but it helps to relate to the others in the forum!

Very nice steam engine William.

Top job William!

I could see me running that 2 times and get bored 😂

He is good at what he is doing in operating that D21 very good and I own a D20 myself

i kinds wanna buy one as a desk piece and use it when I crave some tea

Very good video.  I have the D21 myself which I got as a Christmas present but not got around to using it yet.  I have the same burner which I have tested.

Nice video.. Thank you.

Very cool! We need to 3D print him an appropriately sized funnel so he can dump once and go. I imagine William inventing some new milk steaming equipment that will make him millions from Starbucks alone using his steam knowledge.  Also, I want one to play with my kids. My son would love it!

What's not to like? Brilliant--well played lad. Just needs a Tetley tea bag at the end for a nice cuppa for mum or dad.

When you first got the engine washed the boiler out? The fist shot on the gauge shows residue probably of that so clean it up touroughly. I don’t know what kind of water is used but it is better to use demineralised water.

Hello I have a d20 I would like to run it on gas too but where can I get such a nice burner. Can’t really find one! Nice engine