I still have the little oscillating cylinder steam engine I got for christmas nearly 60 years ago - one of these days I will replace the broken zinc flywheel and get it running again even if I can't find sterno to substitute for the discarded, leaky alcohol burner. Gerry :-)} London, Canada
According to Gerald Miller :
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Hmm ... mine was from about 50 years ago, and the fuel was bricks of some white substance. Could that have been champhor?
It is long gone -- too many moves between then and now.
Enjoy, DoN.
Now you've done it - finally a use for the Hexamine fuel tablets our "step daughter" left with me some time ago. Gotta go make a new fly wheel. Gerry :-)} London, Canada
Thanks, Jim. I'd never visited that particular page. Sure brought back memories to see the feed reverse mechanism on the headstock. I'd completely forgotten about it.
Now that my eyes aren't so misty, I think I'd rather have my Graziano! :-)
Harold
I have one of these. It is not set up right now, as I have 2 other larger more substantial machines (a Jet1024 and a 10" Sheldon) that I use. I keep this 109 only because it belonged to a great old friend of mine who is a gunsmith, and used it for years to make firing pins and such. One of my best friends in the world, in spite of the fact that he has kids almost my age. One day I'll set it up just to mess around with.
He got a bit in a hurry one day, got the cutting tool to dig in trying to take a bit too deep a cut, and guess what, bent the spindle. I got him a repalcement spindle, helped him install it, and then he gave me the lathe. He is slowing down a bit, and figures that if he needs a lathe, he'll come over here and use mine.
I can't get rid of it, just because it was his.
-AL A.
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