Search results

Great to hear from you Gerard … … don't throw out the old piston, if it is cast iron most will respond to heating to just above cherry red and dropping in oil - they usually grow 1.5 to 2 thou. If it doesn't go first time try again a bit hotter but not too much hotter. The process l then use to...

It is now running. The central bobbin around a split and screwed together central bearing which is both Loctited and grub-screwed in place works well. The thinner than normal Holly Buddy conrods also seem to cope ok although the engine has only had about 5 minutes running. It starts easily...

Now about 24 hours in, have made the main crankcase, the front housing, the front and rear crankshafts although the front one needs to be made pretty with a front taper and overhangs removed. Next job is the rear housing and the interlink disc and trial assemble and see if the theory works...

About 6 hours work here to create the crankcase outer and the crankshaft tunnel. Off-set of the cylinders is 10 mm centre of conrod to centre of conrod = 2+2+6 the 2's are 1/2 rod thickness and the 6 is the interlink disc. Next step is to bore the cylinder holes and tap the hold down threads...

I have been thinking for a long time about building a flat twin engine - but always got hung up on the need to use either spit big-ends or use a built up crankshaft. Well I have finally bit the bullet and decided to make a twin using a "sort of" built up crankshaft. It might not work, but I...

Ok guys - here we go again on the Holly Buddy train. This time it will be a Flat Twin (hopefully). Hopefully as it does have an arrangement that may not work. I want to make it with solid conrods, and therefor need to have a made-up crankshaft. To this end I have made the front and rear...

I use my father in law's Starrett micrometer, can read it to 1/10th of a thou and that's what I need to do when making pistons for little diesels. Smallest diesel made so far .020ci and it runs really sweet.

Hi Andrew, When I design something I use metric, when I build it I use Imperial as my lathe and mill are set up that way. I've never had a problem ... but ... I was told once that the Fokker F27 which was Dutch when it was built under licence by Fairchild, something got lost in the conversion of...

The current AeroModeller January 2019 magazine has a 4 page feature on the Holly Buddy written by Maris Dislers.

. Here's a couple of 60 degree Vee Twins I made a few years ago - the ML Midge based one uses a blade and fork conrod with opposed cylinders and Owen Mate one uses offst cylinders. Both have a common crankpin. The larger one is very powerful, seems there isn't the power loss expected as the down...

Bushed the nose this morning with some bronze that used to live inside a tap in the bathroom under the handle. Put it in with a bit of Loctite and the Loctite went off within a few minutes. Assembled the engine and now all the rock had gone from the shaft. I mixed some fresh fuel about 40% ether...

Yesterday rode my push bike the 3 km and 400 foot rise to my mate Warren the welder. The first photos are the great job he did of joining the two halves. Using JB Weld put the venturi back on and waited the 24 hours for it to set 100% This afternoon back into the test rig and it was firing...

31/1/18 Yesterday the 680 finally arrived and after scrupulously cleaning the mating surfaces the two crankcase halves were joined. 24 hours later, about 1/2 hour ago the engine was mounted and fueled and starting operations commenced. It popped many times, ran for a few seconds, bounced...

Love those Nano 010's ... thanks for sharing rklopp. Was hoping that the postman would bring the 680 Loctite today, but it didn't arrive which means it won't be here now till Monday at least as it is our Australia Day tomorrow the day Australia was settled in Sydney between where our famous...

Got it trial assembled yesterday,after muff and backplate made - just the venturi needle valve and compression screw to go. Couldn't resist a bit of fuel in the exhaust port, had a few pops, but realised the Loctite was failing. So will get some 680 as Gogsy advised and try again. The piston to...

Managed to hold the contra between a bit of stock and an arbor attached to the live centre and got 2/10ths off the contra, Made the piston with all of a 1/16th gudgeon then made the rod. Made that out of steel as there was no way alloy would stand up to the thinness of the extremities. To make...

Been fixing a number of ED Bees and a very nice Taifun Tornado then a couple of Taipans and a Fuji glow so haven't had much time to work on this project till this afternoon. Here is the next installment .. done the drawings for the piston, the conrod and the contra now and as I usually do I...

A bit more progress - yesterday our western suburb in Sydney, Penrith was the hottest place on the planet 47.3 - thankfully my workshop is under the house and it rarely gets about about 27 degrees. Sylvania where I live is more towards the coast and yesterday only got to 42 outside. The...

Crankshaft finished - prop driver and washer made, thread on crank end is 3 mm. Spins nice and free with the 5.5 x 4 Tornado prop attached. Next to make will be the cylinder, all 9/32" of it .... not 9/16ths as I said above ... !! Note the tiny Bokum boring tool to make the 4 mm to 3 mm 10...

Don't want to make anyone jealous - but this is my tin of Bokum tools and you can just see the end of the tool holder I made for them. I came by them purely by a fluke, a mate was given them, and realized he would never use them and knowing my passion for machining small things asked me if they...