I found the ring replacement thread interesting. Are you guys using a hone on the bore when replacing the ring? What type of hone are you buying, is it one for auto brake cylinders? Perhaps a smaller hone for the 40 size engines and a larger one for the 90 size?

Also, is anyone using diamond paste when honing the bore? I saw this trick in RC Report magazine a while back..... said the cylinders were very hard material and difficult to get a good cross hatch hone job without the paste.

Thanks,

Ernie

I think it easy to over hone with a brake cylinder hone. Last time I replaced rings I didn't bother, it worked well. Have heard some honing instructions, I'll let those who have done this comment.

The hone operation is used to break the cylinder wall glazing. This glazing only is present in steel cylinders, so in our model engines does not apply, except some seldom products that still use steel instead of aluminum..
For a hone, any three stone break cylinder hone woll do.

There are a problem, you can hit the ports (two stroke engine) with a brake cylinder hone and damage the abrasive stone. Use 400-600 wet/dry sandpaper to deglaze the cylinder.

I use a brake cyclinder hone with ATF as a lube. Just break the glase and make sure it has good cross-hatching.

I used to use a Delapena basic bench hone with diamond dust lap goop to get a nice cross hatch. The local brake guy let me have access to it. 2 to 3 seconds and job done.

Ernie, I just put a Frank Bowman ring in a SuperTigre 3000, I considered a hone then thought it would be too easy to over do it. So excersized my not too genius mind and had a brainstorm. I took a 6" piece of 1/4" dowell and split it about 4" with my smaller band saw. I then inserted a 6" piece of fine black sandpaper in the slot and curved the sandpaper about like an infinity symbol. I then put the end of the dowell in my big yeller drill on slow speed and honed the cylinder. In short order it busted the shiny out of the cylinder with no danger of overdoing it. On installing the ring the compression was awsome before even running the engine.

<u>If in Doubt do not hone it at all!</u>

I use the 400-600 wet or dry on a dowel

I have the brake hones but they seem to harsh

I wrap a piece of 400-600 wet/dry around my finger...a little 3-in-1 oil...

JMO but the reason I don't use a wheel cylinder or lifter bore hone is that they can be too coarse, and awkward to handle with such small cylinders. (talking of .40 to .90 size in general )

A light scuff with 400-600 grit wet&dry and oil.

EDIT: Proptop types fast than I....

A heli guy I know swears by 400 grit wet or dry, some oil and rap it around a little finger and do a quick 45 degree cross hatch to shine.....done.

I didn't use any oil, but then I had the drill in low gear.

Perhaps with the ones that look like bottle brush's. The one I last used was three straight blades with grinding stones on their face, I doubt that would hurt the ports. But I think it was too course for a model engine.

Those Dingle Berry bottle brush type sanders shouldn't be used on a two stroke with ports in the sleeve. You will ruin the sleeve.

http://www.flexiblehone.com/

This is a "Flexihone".

Same here i will say a bad idea in model engine when you are using flexihone or brake cylinder hone. As all here wrote as i did: use 400-600 wet/dry sandpaper do deglaze the cylinderwall.

The Flex Hone will destroy the sleeve around the port area