I have owned a Wilesco D10 model steam engine since many years. Last days I gave it a few runs and I will write a few words about it.

In short conclusion I think it is great. It has a nicer cylinder than the budget D5/D6 models, and it is the real deal. I have never had any issues with my D10. However, there are some things that other more advanced models might have, that I actually miss.

Water Tray

This is actually my biggest complain or concern with the D10. There is a small red water tray around the cylinder. It gets full. Water ends up everywhere. The D24 has a removable tray to the side. The D20 has some solution. I believe perhaps a newer D10 also has some condense water tray. I like to run gentle and slowly and then the steam is probably less hot when it comes out, giving more condensed water than if running more aggressively.

Manometer

I am pretty careful and I find the idea that the boiler should explode quite creepy. Some models have a manometer so you can follow the pressure in the boiler. That is nice.

Steam Regulator

Some models come with a Steam Regulator so you can adjust the speed of the engine. That is nice – especially together with a manometer. What does work on the D10 is to move the burner slides slightly in and out, which changes the amount of oxygen for the fuel, and this quite quickly regulates the steam pressure.

Water Drain Valve

It is quite nice and civilized to have a water drain valve. My D10 does not. I either need to turn the machine upside down to empty it, or use a little hose to suck out the remaining water.

Reqired water level

This is with 4g Esbit fuel tablets.

Four fuel tablets: I would fill up the boiler to the top of the glass. However, I think operation is a bit to aggressive with 4 tablets and I avoid it.

Three fuel tablets: I have found that with three tablets, about half of the water in the boiler can boil away, so you should fill above half full. If you start with more water more fuel with will be wasted to just start up.

Two fuel tablets: For a gentle run two fuel tablets placed on top of each other in the middle, and slightly less than half full boiler, seems to be a good start. To me, this is the preferred mode of operation. The condense water is mostly contained in my little red tray.

One fuel tablet: For a very gentle run a single fuel tablet placed in the middle, and somewhat less than half full boiler works fine.

Starting up

When starting up it is easy to get a high pressure, and at first the steam pipes are cold and gets full of condensed water. So I start with the whistle open, and when steam starts coming out of it I close it and run the wheel manually until the engine starts.

Adjusting Speed

Despite there is not steam valve, moving the burner slider slightly changes the amount of oxygen available and you can quite control the power and speed of the engine.

I got myself a Wilesco D2 steam engine. It is a nice little steam engine that is a little more civilized to casually run compared to my Wilesco D10. What I mean is that it is less noisy, it smells less, it takes less space and you run it until it has no water left and then just blows out the candle.

A few findings…

Oil
The Wilesco D2 is all about lubricant. I ran my brand new engine once. Quite (relatively) much grease came out of it. I filled up again, it ran worse, and after a while I couldn’t get it to run at all. If the machine vibrates to the point that it does not stand still it needs more oil. The package comes with oil, the instructions tell you to use oil, but the D10 is less sensitive. I can conclude after a few runs that the original Wilesco Z83 oil is better than ordinary sewing machine oil. I can see the difference that the sewing machine oil works for a while but its effect disappears, while the Z83 lasts longer.

Fuel
The machine comes with one beeswax candle. I love bees, and the candle works fine. An ordinary teapot candle does not produce enough heat. It is not hard to find beeswax candles where I live, but I dont know if they are comparable to the Wilesco candles.

I find that a better option is to use the Ethanol burner from my Stirling engine. The price and convenience of ethanol (red spirit, or Meth?) is better than the candle, I think. Perhaps the ethanol runs warmer than the candle and you need to be more careful to remember to blow it out, but on the other hand the ethanol burner only lasts for 30 minutes – the time the engine is designed to run.

Conclusion
Get the Z 83 oil when you get the machine. The included oil is small and quite greasy to deal with (it is not a bottle). And consider getting an ethanol burner. Check this video.