Attempting Gordon Nano

[creast]

When you say the thread is only 1.5mm deep, are you talking about the thread that is showing at the top in the last picture above? I'm thinking this is where the cylinder threads in - ?

In any case, continuing to enjoy this thread, and marveling at the teeny tiny work involved!

Hi Andy,
The thread you mention is deeper and the one I referred to was for the rear crankcase plug.
The attached image shows what I mean.
Glad you are enjoying my torture .... LOL.
Rich

 

[creast]

I have gone as far as I can with the crankcase which involved some rotary table work and milling the mountings plus pre-drill/slot drill of the mounting hole for the carburettor which has to be Loctited in place before the crankshaft bore can be machined through.
I did a trial assembly of parts so far.
I have read that some members here have had to pin the carb as it can work loose so I am prepared to do this later if required.
The carb body was machined from some alloy plate I had in my scrap box . The threads are 8 & 10BA so I had to order taps and dies in readiness.
BA threads are a real pain as they have extremely odd pitches so I can't see me single point turning the needle and jet!!

 

[stevehuckss396]

Holy smokes that's small.

 

[rklopp]

Rich
How are you getting such a nice edge break on your parts? You do nice work!
Best regards,
(another)Rich

 

[creast]

Rich
How are you getting such a nice edge break on your parts? You do nice work!
Best regards,
(another)Rich

Hi Rich,
That is indeed a compliment as I have always been in awe of your work! I saw you made three of these little demons and noted all your comments. Superb workmanship!
My Mill is an old Dore Westbury which isn't very rigid and has backlash in the table screws so getting a decent finish is difficult.
The fact is I cheat . That is I dress my parts with 1000 grit wet and dry on a rigid rule and also brass wire brush using a 6" wheel on my bench grinder which does give just a subtle finish.
I just hope I manage to get this to run as I know they can be tricky and I do find lapping of these small cylinders a real trial.

 

[rklopp]

Interesting - I was not aware there was such a thing as a brass ire wheel. Does it transfer brass to the aluminum? Your edge breaks look like what can be gotten with a fine Scotchbrite wheel, but on a micro scale. If I tried it, the crankcase would either be gouged or thrown across the room.

 

[creast]

The wheel is very soft and gives less grab than a polisher mop/wheel which would have more chance flinging across the room.
There is only very slight transfer on aluminium but does give a slight brass sheen to steel, especially if its hot like on a fresh weld.
It's important to ensure pure brass bristles as a lot are steel with brass plating and are too rough. It does tend to shed wires as you use it so eye protection is a must.
I was recommended to try these wheels by a clock repairer.
Mine was from
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brass-Wi...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

[Bazzer]

So , I have started to tackle the Nano 0.1 cc engine by Richard Gordon.
I am gobsmacked by the quality and intricacy of design produced by such a young enthusiast at the time.

Creast

I was lucky enough to work on a project professionally with Richard Gordon, he is a very clever chap, he works for Ricardo in Shoreham and setup Ricardo's Tokyo office, he is no mug.

We spoke about the Nano during some car journeys, but idle conversations tended to drift towards F1 hybrid power systems and VW emissions scandal as it was taking place at the same time as I was working with him.

Regards

Barrie

 

[creast]

Creast

I was lucky enough to work on a project professionally with Richard Gordon, he is a very clever chap, he works for Ricardo in Shoreham and setup Ricardo's Tokyo office, he is no mug.

We spoke about the Nano during some car journeys, but idle conversations tended to drift towards F1 hybrid power systems and VW emissions scandal as it was taking place at the same time as I was working with him.

Regards

Barrie

Thanks Barrie,
It's great to get some background info on an author as there seems to be little information on the internet about this talented guy.
I guess his early years of model engineering have lead him to a prestigious career in Engineering with him working for Ricardo.
Nice one!
Rich

 

[creast]

I am still waiting for a 8 BA die for the jet so have concentrated on the con-rod.
I hate making these this small as I hardly ever do a good job of them and really need to get my act together to improve my techniques.
The basic form was hacked from 7075 alum alloy which is pretty tough stuff compared to 2014.
I resorted to free milling the ends by rotating the part on its bearing eyes against a cutter manually which is always nerve shredding (if not the fingers!). Need CNC!!
A simple fixture was used in the lathe to reduce the centre web.
Not the neatest of con-rods but I will run with it.
Now the next dilemma. The wrist pin should be free fit in the rod and a light press fit in the piston. Mine isn't!
So, since the pin has a hole through it (0.6mm) I have resorted to trying to expand the ends in-situ using two fine centre punches, one each side.
I am not sure how secure this is now.
A better way would be to make fine taper reamer (1.6mm dia)

 

[creast]

The carb body is complete and Loctited into the crankcase which enabled me to drill and ream the 4mm through hole for the crankshaft and drill through the carb throat into the crankshaft to create the inlet port.
The latter concerned me as the drill burr can prevent the crankshaft from being removed or else scoring the bore, but the author didn't mention this.
Sure enough, a small scuff was made removing the crankshaft and I just hope this is not detrimental.
The needle valve was yet another tiny part to machine and on second attempt I managed to get a reasonable result.

 

[rklopp]

The scuff is probably not an issue. I found that my Nano would run with the carb loose and wiggly, so any issues with the crankshaft being a close fit to its area around the inlet port seem not to be issues after all.

 

[awake]

What is the material for the needle? Was the shaping entirely by cutting, or any filing / grinding involved? (I'm thinking I'd have to resort to the latter ...)

 

[creast]

The scuff is probably not an issue. I found that my Nano would run with the carb loose and wiggly, so any issues with the crankshaft being a close fit to its area around the inlet port seem not to be issues after all.

Hi Rich,
Thanks for that. Less for me to worry about

 

[creast]

What is the material for the needle? Was the shaping entirely by cutting, or any filing / grinding involved? (I'm thinking I'd have to resort to the latter ...)

Andy,
It was just from mild steel. I did consider something stronger/harder like silver steel as we call it in UK but tried the mild steel first and am happy with it.
The whole thing was single point turned and then die threaded using the tailstock to keep the die true. Its a very tiny thread (10 BA) and only 0.067" diameter.
The part was held in a threaded bush near the nose of the thread to allow turning the 11 deg taper needle. The needle point was finally finished using wet and dry abrasive paper (600 grit then 1000 grit) which is glued to a steel rule.
You do need a very very strong magnifier to check!

 

[Brian-in-Oz]

Hi Creast,
I have been following your build with great interest as I am attempting the same build for the same reason. Codiv 19 therapy.
My last engine build was a Forest Edwards Radial and the scale of the Gordon Nano is driving me nuts compared to the Edwards.Your build is looking great and you are a bit ahead of me but if I may I would like to pose a couple of questions you may be able to answer.
I am completely ignorant of two stroke porting theory and have avoided two strokes like a plague for the best part of my 75 years but to me filing and extending the transfer port up to and through the cylinder flange could lead to a loss of sealing in relation to the cylinder. Obviously the plans are correct but an explanation would be a revelation for these ageing brain cells.
Also I notice from your photo of the crankcase that it appears thicker than the 10mm the plans show. If this is the (no pun intended) case is there a reason?
Cheers - stay safe and keep up the good work.
Regards Brian

 

[creast]

Hi Creast,
I have been following your build with great interest as I am attempting the same build for the same reason. Codiv 19 therapy.
My last engine build was a Forest Edwards Radial and the scale of the Gordon Nano is driving me nuts compared to the Edwards.Your build is looking great and you are a bit ahead.....................

Hi Brian,
Nice to meet you
This is my second 2-stroke and my first was the Clanford Clan 0.26cc which was a challenge in it's own right but this is leagues ahead in frustration levels!
I have pondered over building the Edwards radial and admire anyone who has the patience to build one!
Personally I haven't bothered trying to file the transfer ports as I believe this is a bit extreme and I do not possess any needle files that small.
Many other models don't even bother with angled drillings but hey.. this is the design given.
Rklopp may have better input on this if he is reading this?
I measured the crankcase and it is indeed oversize reading 10.6mm which may explain the rather snug fit of the carburettor to the case.
Not sure how I managed that but all things being equal it shouldn't affect the end result so I won't be re-making it (grin).
Are you doing a build log?
Best regards and good luck with the build
Rich

 

[Brian-in-Oz]

Hi Brian,
Nice to meet you
This is my second 2-stroke and my first was the Clanford Clan 0.26cc which was a challenge in it's own right but this is leagues ahead in frustration levels!
I have pondered over building the Edwards radial and admire anyone who has the patience to build one!
Personally I haven't bothered trying to file the transfer ports as I believe this is a bit extreme and I do not possess any needle files that small.
Many other models don't even bother with angled drillings but hey.. this is the design given.
Rklopp may have better input on this if he is reading this?
I measured the crankcase and it is indeed oversize reading 10.6mm which may explain the rather snug fit of the carburettor to the case.
Not sure how I managed that but all things being equal it shouldn't affect the end result so I won't be re-making it (grin).
Are you doing a build log?
Best regards and good luck with the build
Rich

 

[Brian-in-Oz]

Hi Rich,
thank you for your reply. I have taken some photo's of my build but did not want to post here and hi-jack your forum.
I think I might give a miss to filing the transfer ports as I am worried I might do more harm than good. I was into my build before you started your forum and interestingly used the same approach as you did to perform some functions. e.g. making a tool from a hacksaw blade to cut the barrel fins but used a different approach on the conrod. I cut the relief on the mill and made made mandrels from silver steel the size of the big and little end with spigots to neatly fit in the bearing holes and hardened the silver steel. This formed a hardened guide to carefully file around and form the outer diameter of the big and little end. The end result turned out fine. I am not a quick worker and seem to spend more time thinking and fiddling than machining but hey, it keeps me off the streets.
I hope to get a bit more done over the weekend.

Cheers Brian

 

[creast]

Hi Rich,
thank you for your reply. I have taken some photo's of my build but did not want to post here and hi-jack your forum.
I think I might give a miss to filing the transfer ports as I am worried I might do more harm than good. I was into my build before you started your forum and interestingly used the same approach as you did to perform some functions. e.g. making a tool from a hacksaw blade to cut the barrel fins but used a different approach on the conrod. I cut the relief on the mill and made made mandrels from silver steel the size of the big and little end with spigots to neatly fit in the bearing holes and hardened the silver steel. This formed a hardened guide to carefully file around and form the outer diameter of the big and little end. The end result turned out fine. I am not a quick worker and seem to spend more time thinking and fiddling than machining but hey, it keeps me off the streets.
I hope to get a bit more done over the weekend.

Cheers Brian

Hi Brian,
Please don't let my post put you off doing one too. In fact it think it would be beneficial to everyone considering building a Nano including me too!
I seem to have spent a lot of time making jigs, fixtures etc just to try to achieve the actual machining of these tiny parts and the times I have dropped a part and spent an age trying to find it has been endless!
Please post, I would be most intrigued to see
Cheers
Rich