Club Mills!
 

Welcome to CLUB MILLS!

... it's time to show your examples of this most loved diesel engine.

Membership is open to those with genuine Mills engines, Doonside Mills, Irvine Mills, Russian Mills, CS/Boddo Mills, Aurora K-Mills and all other home built and limited run engines inspired by the classic Mills design.

To start proceedings, Here is my "Millski", giving a sparkling performance on a classic white nylon Tornado 7x4.

RE: Club Mills!
 

My P-Line Mills .075 engine
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_02.jpg

Here is a video of me running the engine too:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2O203Z580k[/youtube]


Here is my K-Mills example:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_01.jpg

This is a old Indian Aurora made Mills engine I bought back in 1977. It didn't run right out of the box and when I opened it up I found it had a bad rod. Apparently they made them as collector engines and didn't expect anyone to try to actually use them.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...elengine02.jpg

RE: Club Mills!
 

I rather like Mills too!
A couple oforiginal 75 MkII's.
Original 1.3 MkI, 2xMkII (one with a Banks throttel/tank).
Original 2.4.
Indian 3.46 with throttle.
Indian 5cc with throttle.
Missing are an Irvine 75 and a Boddo twin (in planes in the shed).

I've flown them all and they will fly again.</p>

RE: Club Mills!
 

These following mills engines are not mine they are all owned and made by Derek GIles in England and are lovely the smalest is 0.07cc
<a>http://www.rctalk.co.uk/forum/mainup...lsReplica1.jpg
mills .0.07cc
</a><a>http://www.rctalk.co.uk/forum/mainup...fy/dadeng2.jpg</a><a>
assorted mills powered models
</a><a>http://www.rctalk.co.uk/forum/mainup...fy/dadeng3.jpg
spark ignition mills
</a><a>http://www.rctalk.co.uk/forum/mainup...fy/dadeng6.jpg</a><a>
mills 0.07cc powered tom thumb
</a><a>http://www.rctalk.co.uk/forum/mainup...fy/dadeng8.jpg
mills 0.07cc,0.13cc and 0.3cc
</a><a>http://www.rctalk.co.uk/forum/mainup...illstwins1.jpg
mills 0.6cc twin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2th-VsuElU
that is video of a Vic Smeed Tom Thumb powered by a mills 0.07cc.</a><a>
</a><a>
</a>

RE: Club Mills!
 

Derek Giles Mills Twin (Bench Running). Love the staccato low RPM burble

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkjPH...layer_embedded

RE: Club Mills!
 

Yeah i was looking for that video to post but atually i found out when doing some research into Derek Giles' mills engines and i found out that the person who posted the "jiffyarse" is the son of Derek Giles i think he may be called Jiffy Giles mayde Jiffy is his nickname because from what i have read that is what everyone calls him.

RE: Club Mills!
 

Sure is a neat engine. I'm curious as to how the crankshaft is configured?

RE: Club Mills!
 

I'd like to join this prestigious group!  I have two Mills "more or less" replicas.  One is a MP Jet 040PB, and the other is a VA 0.4cc Mills.  Sadly, I can't run the little VA 0.4 because it's missing its thrust bearing (between rear face of prop and front face of crankcase).  The VA's crankshaft is tapered down, starting at the face of the crankcase, down to the +/- 2mm threaded crankshaft.   If any of you has such a part, I'd really appreciate buying it so I can use my little jewel.  Or maybe someone knows of another engine that has a similar thrust washer setup I could modify and use.

Also, I'd like to get some good ideas on the best pre-mixed fuel to use with both of these engines.  I have some Aerodyne and Davis 1/2A diesel fuels to start with.  My diesel experience goes back to 1954 when I flew u/c and single-channel rc using a McCoy .049 diesel; I still have it and it runs beautifully!

Looking forward to getting dizzy again with diesel fuel! 

Bill Hanshaw, Fort Worth TX    [email protected]</p>

RE: Club Mills!
 

Bill,

I have used both of those fuels and they work fine. I must admit however, that I do not have extensive running time on any of my Mills replicas.

Here are mine. Note one of the .75's has the tank removed for CL use. Next is a 100 (never produced by Mills), and a 1.3.

George

RE: Club Mills!
 

My Mills 1.3cc engine example:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_01.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_02.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_03.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_04.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_05.jpg

RE: Club Mills!
 

I was running my MP-Jet PB-040 Mills like engine a while back.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...est_Run_02.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...e_test_Run.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...e_test_Run.jpg

RE: Club Mills!
 

Guys,   Thanks for the nice responses.   I sent my new MP Jet 040PB back to Ed Carlson because we couldn't get it running well, only turned up about 2000 rpm.   Ed checked it over, found it was assembled correctly,  and got it running well.  He certainly provided good service to me, and it's still a mystery as to why we couldn't get it going well, even after swapping another MP Jet's working carburetor with it.   It starts well now.

It turns out that what I called my "VA" 0.4 Mills replica was not a VA, but a CS.  Eric Clutton is working to order from CS a new cylinder, piston/con rod and contra-piston for it.  The little jewel is just too cute not to be in running order!

Does anyone know anything about the "DC Ltd" diesel?  I just acquired one, and don't know anything about it.  It appears to be approximately .09ci, in excellent condition.  I suppose I'll test-run it on DDD with an 8-5 or 8-6, with added castor as Earl suggested.  Any comments on this engine?

RE: Club Mills!
 

Your DC if it has a red head is more than likely a 1.5cc/09 Sabre. If it's blue it's a 1cc Spitfire. The baby of them is a .75cc Merlin.....can be plain alloy, red or green heads. All are "sports"type motors but in good condition run well.
I have a 2 Sabres and one is in a 64in span Mercury Aeronca that's flies freefight. 8x4 prop., 1/3 of each fuel and it pulls it up high.
1cc Spitfire is in a Smeed Madcap with single channel rudder to keep it close in the park...........also goes well.

Back to Mills, I have 4 original .75s all in FF models, plus a real 1.3 with the original RC carb on it in a FF biplane......it's still tight and needs more running. An Indian 1.3 in a FF Little Vagabond that is a beauty......first flick starts and runs hard. Has no tank though.....any body got one please????

RE: Club Mills!
 

Hi Earl

MP Jet Classic 040's and Letmo replica's are most welcome in this club!

Can you post your prop specs and top RPM please?

Co-incidentally I just found my MP Jet Classic 040 in a box of goodies. I have never run it, but will do so soon. I am told they are superb. It will be interesting to compare performance with my Russian Doonside "Millski".

RE: Club Mills!
 

When I was running the MP-Jet PB-040 engine, I got about 8,900 running a Russian 7.5x4 prop (maybe a 7.5x3 though).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCzu8-25V-c[/youtube]

My MP-Jet 2.5cc Letmo turned a MA 11x6 prop at 5,250 rpms
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3HqorAmuQM[/youtube]


As the Letmo engine loosened up from a few tanks of fuel it peaked at about 6,900 rpms with the same prop. But that could be a spurious result though.
I think it ran in the 5,000 to 6,000 RPM range quite well though.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_06.jpg


MP-Jet Atom 1.8cc engine compared to the MP-Jet Letmo 2.5cc engine. The Atom engine turned a 11x5 prop at a slightly faster RPM than the Letmo turned a 11x6 prop.
The only issue I had with these engines is you have to fabricate a motor mount backplate to mount the engines to something. They use a radial back crankcase mount instead of mounting rails. But yoiu can't just use a flat piece of wood. You have to relieve or cut out the wood to clear the crankcase and fuel tank. other than that the engines run really nice and are fairly easy to hand start, plus you can set the compression screw one time and you don't have to change the setting from run to run or when starting.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_04.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._engine_03.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g..._8_Atom_07.jpg

RE: Club Mills!
 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlWo6zNaRRI[/youtube]<div>
</div><div>not really a mills but the closest i have got to one.</div>

RE: Club Mills!
 

Gossie.

Thanks for the info. The DC does indeed have a red-anodized head, so I'll assume it's a Sabre 1.5cc as you say. However, its head has the wrench-recess at its top like the picture of the Spitfire in the DC ad I printed from the site...and the Sabre's picture in the same ad doesn't appear to have such a recessed head for wrench removal. Is that a factor, I wonder, about what model the engine is?

Or, perhaps I can measure the diameter of the piston after removing the engine's head, and let you know what it is, to compare it with your Spitfire or Sabre's piston diameter.

Thanks for your input, sir.

Bill

RE: Club Mills!
 

The DC engines used color coded anodized cylinder tops or heads, so one can reasonably put faith into the colors to determine which engine one has.
I am sure there are some few exceptions, but those are all in the hands of collectors and would rarely come on the market.

RE: Club Mills!
 

Bill,

I have just this moment taken a quick look at both Sabre and Spitfire, and both have the wrench recess on them.

I prefer not to take engines apart unless something is broken or they get crashed into the earth and need a proper clean up. I feel when you pull them apart if they are running fine then the cylinder will not go back into the position it was in promoting wear. You could with care run a piece of balsa across in the exhaust ports to see if you can get a measurement.

These engines are often on world wide eBay and unless brand new in the box having never seen fuel with the DC instructions in the box, do not make a huge amount of dollars. They are quite a good sports fly for fun engine though in good condition.

Cheers, gossie in OZ.

RE: Club Mills!
 

Aurora have definitely ceased production on the .75 and 1.3 Mills diesels.

While often of questionable quality,Aurora Mills engines represent a direct link to the engines first manufactured in the late 1940's. As such, it is the end of an era. Fortunately they and the many replica's are still plentiful.

Copy email received from Peter Rose, who has been importing these engines into the UK, follows.

[

Hi Derek,
Its very sad ,the only glimmer of light is that the name MILLS is up for sale. Had I been 30 years younger I would be manufacturing them myself.

All the best,

Pete


>Original Message

>Date: 27/11/2011 22:28

>To: <[email protected]>

>Subj: RE: Aurora Engines

>Hi Pete

>Sad to hear that there will be no more though. Looks like an era that
started in the late 40's has come to an end.

>Derek


>-Original Message-

>From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]

>Sent: Saturday, 26 November 2011 12:39 AM

>Subject: Re: Aurora Engines

>Hi Derek,

> No sorry only Mills .75 and 1.3s and I am about to take
delivery of the last batch of those.

> All the best,

> Pete.

>Original Message

>Date: 25/11/2011 4:19

>To: <[email protected]>

>Subj: Aurora Engines

>Dear Mr Rose

>Do you stock any Aurora diesels other than the "Mills" type?

>Please advise.

>Derek
]

RE: Club Mills!
 

Dear WarrenB: I noticed that you own some original 0.75English Mills. I'm wondering if you might be willing to part with one of them, or maybe let me know of another original mills that I might be able to purchase. I would certainly appreciate your response. I'm an old-timer that's getting back into diesels after some 60 years! Bill Hanshaw [email protected]

RE: Club Mills!
 

Mills diesels from the golden age of small diesel powered free-flight.





http://images.rcuniverse.com/gallery.../lg-230814.jpg

Ah!

RE: Club Mills!
 

Dear Avalonnovi....Thanks for the Mills diesel pics. You have a nice collection, as it seems. Would you by chance know of an original, running, English Mills that I might purchase? I'd be very interested. They occasionally sell on EBay for an ungodly price, but I'm hoping I can buy a reasonably priced engine if possible. Thanks for your consideration. Bill Hanshaw

RE: Club Mills!
 

Hi Bill, I bought the .75cc new in 1955 so it has sentimental value. The 1.3cc and the 2.4cc were bought on ebay last year ( after bidding on on lots of them).
The 1.3cc has lost a lot of the black crankcase coating and the 2.4cc lacked the needle valve and spinner which may be why it went cheaper. Both still have very good bearing fits (no conrod big-end slack).
Winston.


The K-Mills .75cc was bought newc. 1980, theMPJet .6cc is fromDavid Owen and theRussian Mills .75cc replica from Ed Carlson.


http://images.rcuniverse.com/gallery.../lg-230730.jpg

RE: Club Mills!
 

http://images.rcuniverse.com/gallery.../lg-230771.jpg


Has anyone experience with this CS .75cc currently be offered by Mr Ed Carlson?