The Medway Handyman wrote:


The myth started years ago with the original steam cleaning machine
like the Wickham Handy Dandy. These things had no pressure pump as
such, just a pump that took water from a tank into a diesel/paraffin
fired coil type heat exchanger. The pressure was developed by the
water turning into steam & leaving through a nozzle.

These things had no trigger guns to shut them off and no auto
ignition - a paraffin soaked rag on a stick lit the boiler.

The enourmous temperatures generated would melt grease out of bearing
quite easily and could strip/flatten paint.

Great pictures of a 'Handy Dandy' here
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-CIRCA-...QQcmdZViewItem

This is how presure washers started folks :-)


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk