Dang Randy, if that last pic isnt art, I dont know what is....

AJC

Randy STOP now mount it on a pedestal title it "cincture in 2 planes of space" send it
to the museum of modern art in new york
No on second thought just make a 2nd head and cylinder mount it send it to the the museum
title "cincture in one plane of space" that way you still have the engine martin

Garsh!! Guess I'll have to get a beret now that I'm and "Arteest". Odd, I never thought of it quite like that. When I built models I see them as artistic expressions as well as sheet metal forming, but engines and machine work I've always approached as things to be done with the highest quality being the beauty of it, notthe poece itself. Thanks guys, I'll accept your insistance that this is art.

First shot, art by me in silkspan and dope.

Second shot, art by Hendee Company in steel.

Third shot, art by Tom McCoy, Randy Ryan and Dick Thompson in tissue and sticks.

Tonight I got the con rod made (I dislike making con rods), and nearly finished the crank.

Crankshaft

More progress, getting down to the fiddly bits.

Nothing does it for me like cutting head fins.... know what I mean??

I almost asked a real stupid question. Very nice Randy

Yeah Andrew, I know what you mean. I always try so hard to make sure their consistant and centered and always find some little error somewhere. But cutting the head fins is like the finish coat of clear, its where the character is. I always love the look of the counterbored screw holes intersecting the fins. WOW listen to me talking like an artist! I wonder if I could do abstract fins on the AJC .65, or maybe impressionist fins. Monet in metal, fins like stylised flower pedals. The refraction of light in the tool marks left by the slitting saw, magic an sparkling. LOLSHICFD

Later Rembrandt

By the way, have you recieved my emails and or check?

Randy, the check came today... thank you DOnt worry, you didnt "insult me" with trying to get a deal on the castings, thats what friends are for, but thanks for the extra $10 Just glad I could help with the other stuff.

Since I got my sherline rotary table and angle plate last year, doing the heads (boring , fin slitting,etc) has become enjoyable. It IS where the head takes shape and really gives a lot of character to the engine.

I like the difference in appearance between some surfaces left withg machine marks, some with bead blasting, some sanded and polished... it all adds to the look and character of the engine, like you say the different ways the light shines off various portions.

Oh yeah, my ISP has been doing some maintenance and some emails are not getting through for some reason.... I did get the anodising one, I referred you to Tim Wiltse... did you get that one?

Andrew

Randy the head is a beauty "shimmers in the light" art and function combined,Whats next you and AJ open an Art Cafe in paris?? I don't know if the world ready for Expresso Diesel yet
however kidding aside looks like breathing into life not too far away. Martin

Martin (Dan?)

Four major fiddlies to go. Porting the cylinder, lapping the cylinder, making and lapping the piston and making and lapping the contra-piston. Then needle, spraybar and spinnernut, but htose are quick parts. In order to do the others I have to make tools, laps, I'll be showing those pretty detailed because this is one area most people are nut aware of.

Andrew,

No, I haven't recieved any Emails. I has been in touch with Tim though, I think I'll wait and get myown anodizing setup.

Thanks,

Disaster strikes!!!!!!!!!! The following shots are of my scrapped cylinder, I have to start all over. I don't know how I did it, but I cut the bypass ports .05 too high. So, enjoy these shots of a strictly "art" piece.

Thats too bad on the mis-cut Now a stupid question how bout a new rod longer to
compansate? or is that a problem at the top of the cylinder?with the head martin

an other thought here after a sucessful art in metal career .If Randy and AJ lived near each
other and with their skills would be a serious threat to the auto industry they would whip out a car in about a month diesel of course the " AndyRand " 150miles/gallon Randys bike looks
pretty good

Martin,

In some cases that may be an alternative, but the bypass ports are now above the exhaust ports, so even the rod lengthened would not make this one run. There is also the compact nature of this engine that wouldn't give me the room I'd need. No, I'll have to belly up to the lather again and start all over. Maybe I should take a picture of my scrap parts box an post it.

I'm trying to threaten the auto industry, but I work with and for some of the finest engine designers in the world at Ricardo. Maybe Andrew and I should give it a shot. Actually I like tha cafe idea better, diesel progresso maybe.

Randy, I was talking to Don Belote the other day. He asked me to come down a few days earlier this year for the Toledo show, and maybe we three can get together over at his shop and talk engines for a while....

Speaking of scrap boxes.... man, thats one of the biggest boxes I have!!

Andrew,

That's a possibility, I live only 55 miles from Toledo so I could even make evening trips after work. I think that would be a ball, keep me posted and I'll make some plans.

Well, tonight I succeeded in making a new cylinder without the scrap. The following shots show it in different steps along the way and the last shot shows it in living color and ready to lap!

The rest.

Randy, are you using leaded steel for the cylinder and cast iron for the piston?

What kind of paint do you use for the cylinder? ANything I use so far cant take the heat.

AJC

Andrew,


I'm using 1018 for the cylinder, leaded stock is nice but I'm not crazy about its unheatreated wear characteristics. To be fair I've never used it for a model engine cylinder, but we used to use allot of it at work and it needed some heat treatment to wear well. Cast iron for the piston, Durabar by trade name, its centrifically cast and lathe roughed to size tight grain grey iron, really nice stuff. I've been working off the same 1" bar for 25 years. I had to buy 20 feet of it so Dad got a 6 footer too. 14 feet of cast iron will make allot of pistons.

The finish is liquid Birchwood Casey gun blue. I get everthing polished and bright, do a naptha rinse, blow it off dry and dip. This one took 2 applications to get the darkness I wanted. I also use a gun care product called Sheath, its a liquid preservative that dries to a gooy grease to seal out moisture. I apply it by dipping if the part will be setting a long time. Otherwise I wipe it down with a Sheath soaked rag. It rinses riight off with thinner or naptha. I like it because it dosen't migrate with gravity like oil does, it stays where you put it.

Try to email me and lets see if your ISP is done with there maintenance.

Randy,
I am certain many manufacturers used leaded steel for cylinders, and I like it a lot. It lasts a long time with a cast piston.

I would be interested in buying a foot of that cast bar if possible (all I can source here in Canada is 1 1/2" diameter) which is a lot of waste for me. I understand if you dont want to though, no problem. If you do, I can grabb it in Toledo.

That cylinder sure looks pretty. I sometimes blue mine by heating to a dull red, quenching in oil and repeat. You get a nice deep black.blue and it really inhibits rust. But it has to be done before any honing, and you have to watch the surface afterwards since the finish is very thin and easy to nick. I never fooled with any of the commercial blues like you, since there isnt any place to get that stuff in my town.

Oh yes, I have a present for you, will bring it to Toledo.... you gonna' like this one my friend!! (its a casting and plans for a diesel of course, and only a few in the world have this one. I bet I have the only wooden patterns (my own) for this particular engine!)

AJC

Andrew,

You can have some of the Durabar, not problem, I'll bring it to Toledo.

Leaded steel was developed to reduce machining and tooling costs, that why manufacturers use it. They usually put it through a burnout heat treatment at minimum. However since you've had success with it maybe I'll give it another shot. The thing is that for the most part I raid the scrap bin at work for drops, soI take what I get. Every now and then I get some 4140, or 8620, good for shafts, and have even scored a bit of 7075-T6. tough alloy that I may play with for ABC or ABN pistons.

The gun bluing isn't a commercial formula, you can buy it at any gun shop or sporting goods stores that handle guns, fairy cheap too, I think I paid 5$ US for 4 OZ an that will treat allot of parts. Any chemical coating on soft steel is easy to nick, but with the liquid bluing its easy to touch up. Don't know what it would do on leaded steel.

Oy, another diesel, man you really know how to get my attention. I am already excited, can't wait.

Next project, Skyburner! I really want to get that done to do some flight testing this summer. If it works out I may need some more castings.