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Hi Johan, A switchboard and tile floor will be part of the my current project. It is progressing now. The Bruce-MacBeth usually starts easily with a few turns by hand. It runs on propane, which helps. Jeff

I have a unheated garage out back that I use mostly in summer for antique engine work, and a small home machine shop in the basement. Neither of my shops it that well equipped but I consider an air compressor essential in both shops. Winters are long and cold here in central NY so I usually...

Your Bill runs pretty well actually. I was puzzled by the apparent change in engine speed I detected. I use the timing lever to regulate engine speed as Jerry recommended. Using the carb throttle will not work on gaseous fuel. I run my Bill on propane using a Weber gas grill regulator and...

Brian, If you want to make a gear pump you might want to look at Jerry Howell's design for ideas. He had a cleaver way of supporting the drive shaft in belt drive side loaded applications. He used them for oil and coolant. I use his design for coolant pumps and they have been very reliable at...

Chicken, The Lanz tractor is a 2 stroke engine with compression at about 5:1. That is similar to the M&W engines which used early injection. The 2 stroke FM Y engines used a 10:1C/R and used timed injection near TDC. I am not sure what other differences there might be between those two designs...

Chicken, Very ambitious project. I have an old M&W 2 stroke hot bulb engine. It is low compression (~65 psi) and uses injection very early in the compression stroke. It however, injects a solid stream of fuel directed against a splatter plate adjacent to hot bulb port to atomize the fuel. The...

Brian, The silicone fuel line is your problem, as others have suggested. It isn't compatible with petro based fuels. The yellow Tygon fuel line you picked up at the hobby store is the correct hose for gasoline. I would also suggest that you try a much lighter weight oil in your fuel mix. Most 2...

John, I, and a few other builders, have become fans of a very small (and I do mean tiny) RC type carburetor that Roy Sholl of S/S Engineering is currently marketing. They don't show on his website (that least that I can find), but I think it is the only carb he currently sells. So far, I have it...

Brian, An engine builder friend of mine has built a couple multi-cylinder 4 stroke engines using only dry sumps and a 60:1 mix of camp fuel and Marvel Mystery oil. His engines have great compression yet blow by enough of the unburnt MMO to keep the entire lower end lubricated. He uses bronze...

The Canandaigua Pageant of Steam is a HUGE show for anyone that likes old gas and steam engines, tractors, antque tractor pulls, flea market, and this year the Historical Construction Equipment Association will hold its 29th Annual International Convention and Old Equipment Exposition at the...

Hi Chuck, You have come up with another interesting thread. My guess is that propane isn’t going to cure the slow speed operation 8 cycling effect you are seeing. From my experience, this is a common malady of slow running (300-600 RPM) carbureted model engines. I think what you are experiencing...

Brian, I can tell you that most model engines require much less lubrication than we usually give them, but it does depend on how fast we run them. Slow to medium speed engines don't need much oil. As has been said a little thin oil in the fuel is usually adequate for the top end. Much of this...

Brian, I forgot to add that I have used mason's soapstone markers for containing silver braze and it works similarly to your white out. I haven't noticed any residual after brazing. Jeff

Brian, Acids do a good job of removing oxidation products. After silver brazing I usually soak the ugly mess in a pickle solution of citric acid (canning section of grocery store). It is a mild acid that generally either removes or softens any oxidized materials including fluxes and ceramic...

Gus, Those features I mentioned are primarily for slow speed engines. That's what I like to build. The exhaust valve crankshaft duration is about 215 degrees closing at TDC or a few degrees after. Intake duration should be about 170-180 degrees duration opening about 10+ degrees ATDC. Not much...

Gus, The Wyvern is a slow speed engine, and assuming a smooth running engine is your goal, then reducing the C/R to about 3.5-4.0:1 is in order. Shaving the piston crown is the easiest way to get there. It is not the most important design factor, however, in getting a slow speed smooth running...

Chuck, Put your rings squarely in the cylinder and hold the cylinder up to a bright light. Look for any areas of the ring that are not contacting the cylinders squarely. .006" ring side clearance is too much on a new ring. It has to be tighter. When you redo your ring groove, lap the top and...

Hi Chuck, You may have seen the Maier butane fueled model engines at shows. They have a combination fuel metering/air mixing valve on the engine similar to that used on a propane torch. They use fuel pressure to regulate engine speed, and no demand regulator is needed. I have been looking for...

Brian, Slow speed engines are very forgiving on valve timing. The literature says an atmospheric intake valve opens 20 degrees ATDC and closes 20 degrees BBDC. Assuming this, the exhaust valve could stay open from 30 degrees BBDC to 15-20 degrees after TDC without influencing the inlet air...

Johan, I would start with an RC single jet carb. The Enya and OS carbs seem to work the best for me. Something with a .140" to .180" dia or smaller throat should work with propane. You can get reasonable throttle response with a little fine tuning of the orifice plate. If you want a wide range...