Briggs & Stratton 6S - A Beginnig

[b.lindsey]

Tel, thanks for the kind words. If the project turns out well, as I hope and expect it to, I have wondered what their reaction might be...not from a job standpoint (after all this is a 60 year old engine)...but if it were to become a published project or the plans offered, it obviously contains their trademarked name. Something to ponder at least. I can't imagine B&S being upset but I would much rather have their approval or support or even endorsement if it were to get to that point. For now I'll just keep plodding along.

Bill

 

[Deanofid]

...its more for appearance (which noone will ever see)..

That says a good deal about you as a workman, Bill! Details make a difference.

About being slow, or the time it takes between posts, it just seems to make every new post all the more welcome, to me. I watch for this build.
Thanks for updating the thread, and for the good pics.

Dean

 

[steamer]

Bill,

We all do this as a hobby, a labor of love. Take your time....Don't look back on your finished engine and say...gee I wish I took the time to do......

Dave

 

[b.lindsey]

Thanks Dean and Steamer...wise words too. I think for all of us this is a labor of love, whatever our skill levels are. Whether I am looking at the work of an accomplished craftsman and sharing in the complexity of a design or execution of it, or sharing in the pride of a newcomer (I hate the word newbie) completing a first runner, the sharing is always real and that is at the core of this community. For that I am greatful to all of you!!

I tried the little keeper this evening and it fit perfectly (rather be lucky than good)!!

Here are a couple of pics of where and how it attaches to the con rod. The SHCS will be replaced as soon as i shorten a cap screw to fit in that blind hole.

Thanks to all who are following along!!

Edit: Obviously I didn't bend the tabs up to engage the hex head. This is kind of a one use part so that will wait until the FINAL final assembly stage.

 

[swilliams]

Looks great Bill. Reminds me of a big end coming undone in my dads outboard when I was fishing with him and in my teens. Engine went from flat out to a dead stop real quick.

 

[b.lindsey]

Here's to hoping that won't happen here. Talk about a long face....lol

 

[ozzie46]

I'll second what Dean and Steamer have already said. I really look forward to your updates. Take all the time you need it just makes it better.

Ron

 

[steamer]

Boy I'll tell ya..that sure looks like a bunch of Briggs I tore apart as a kid.... ;D

Dave

 

[b.lindsey]

Thanks guys, and I mean that sincerely. The fact that it reminds you of the real thing makes all the attention to the details worth every bit of the extra time it takes.

 

[arnoldb]

Bill, :bow: :bow: - and What the others said!

Kind regards, Arnold

 

[Deanofid]

Looks line new old stock, Bill. Fantastic!

 

[b.lindsey]

Thanks Dean and Arnold. One of the other things I played around with last week was trying to photoetch the nameplate/oiling instructions on a piece of brass rather than using the laminated printed version shown much earlier in this thread. Special thanks to James Peach who was kind enough to steer me in the direction of some supplies and techniques and has also followed the build thread. There is definitely a learning curve, at least at this small scale and there were many frustrating attempts that failed miserably but the result shown below is reasonably acceptable. I truly doubt that anyone will read the nameplate anyway so from a foot or so away it looks pretty good. Just a quick walkthrough...the image is first laser copied onto the photoresist film in reverse...and yes even knowing better, I managed to forget that step once or twice. That is shown in photo 1. Then the image side of the film is placed on the brass (in this case) plate and literally ironed onto it. This is where the frustration comes in...finding just the right temperature and time to get the image to transfer completely. Some kind of commercial hot press would be ideal but a bit pricey for a one off project. Anyway photo 2 shows one of the better transfers. I also found out that the surface preparation of the brass is very critical as well... steel wool or a brillo pad with soap worked even better...to get any oil or oxidation off of the surface of the metal. Then into the ferric chloride for about 15-20 minutes, scrub off the photoresist image, and what i ended up with is shown in photo 3. After squaring things up, and getting the overall size down to what I wanted, I masked the etched part and bead blasted a 1/8" border all around to end up with what is shown in photo 4. Sorry the photos aren't better but the actual size of the printed part is 1.15" wide x 1.375" tall. With an eye loupe, a surprising amount of it can be read, particularly the Briggs name and address, the model #, type, and serial number. After that the oiling instructions are somewhat iffy...some of the words can be made out but others not. Those smaller letters are only about .015-.-20 tall. It has been a fun learning experience and though not perfected totally, I still think it will look better than the laminated printed version.

Thanks again for all the help James!!

 

[swilliams]

That looks great Bill. In some ways the imperfections make it seem a little more realistic, kinda like it's been cast. This is going to be really something when you finish :bow: :bow:

 

[Noitoen]

The most important is the "cleanliness" of the brass. When you clean the plate scrub it with a kitchen scrubber using hot water and soap and gloves. Do not touch it with your fingers. I use a laser printer and transparency film and iron it on covered with a couple of layers of cloth not to melt the film. Let it cool completely an the film will peel off nicely. Don't forget to cover the back of the plate with some regular spray paint to insulate it.

 

[b.lindsey]

Thanks Noitoen. Most of those tips were included in the film manufacturer's "how to" instructions but it still took a little practice to see just how critical they were. I also found the correct iron temp was critical and some of the early efforts just didn't have enough heat to transfer to the brass. One other thing I found was that the ironing needs to be done on a hard surface, not on the soft top ironing board itself. I ended up using a piece of 1/2" thick board ... this seems to give much better and more even contact during the ironing process.

I found a good clear black and white image of the B&S diamond logo yesterday which I want to try also for possible addition to the main shroud where B&S used a decal. Unfortunately as I'm sure rake60 and other Briggs collectors will note, this logo is the one Briggs used up until 1945 or so, prior to the 1950's but the differences are pretty small...the main one being the use of the word "Motors" rather than the later "Engines." As shown below I want to try it in the original form and in "reverse" to see which will come out better. In these images, the black postions will NOT be etched and the white portions will be. More to come...

Steve, thanks for your comments too. The original nameplate seems to be screen printed onto an aluminum plate with the model #, type#, and serial # later stamped into the appropriate places. Though with age it still is pretty rough looking so maybe I can claim that my imperfections were done on purpose to simulate 60 years of aging :big:

 

[steamer]

Hi Bill,

I don't want to go OT, but do you have a commercial "Kit" to do that photoetching?

I can think of severel places where I would like to do that.

Dave

 

[b.lindsey]

Dave, I will pass on the information that was given to me. The etching film (actually intended for making printed circuit boards) came from http://www.techniks.com/. It is their PnP Blue. They also show how to instructions on their site. I got the ferric chloride from www.micromark.com though I was told the electronic places like Radio Shack may have it too. Altogether I innvested like $50 in the film and chemicals and have plenty to play around with. The trick with the film (learned this the hard way too) is to put as many images on it as you can since you can't rerun it through the laser printed more than once and expect good results. So I learned to do that then cut the images apart in case repeated attempts were needed...which in my case they were... ;D. I does require a laser printer...ink jet won't do it.

It sounds like Noitoen may have used overhead projector transparency film instead which might be cheaper but haven't tried that.

As for something to do the etching in, I picked up a cheapy food storage container with a good locking lid at the grocery store. Same for brillo pads, rubber kitchen gloves, etc.

Bill

 

[b.lindsey]

Well it is snowing here in NC which means that virtually EVERYTHING is shut down including the university (nice way to start the first day of the Spring semester...ugh!). Got a little done over the weekend on the B&S diamond logo nameplate shown below and as a diversion a little woodwork done on the base for the engine also shown below. So....since i will have a little extra time on my hands today I may work on the base a little more...sanding, glueing, drilling the mounting holes, etc. Other than that, plan on staying warm inside and working on the drawings some. The nameplate actually looks better than in the picture due to lighting and shadows. It will be cut, and filed right down to the outer border of the diamond for later attachment to whatever I decide to use for the shroud...still pondering on that.

 

[b.lindsey]

More work on the base on this leisurely snow day...got a big pot of 15 bean soup with country ham chunks simmering on the stove...life is good !!

I did get the radii on the underside of both runners sanded as well as the flat surfaces. Before glueing the cross pieces to the runners, I chamfered the bottom edges inside and out just slightly to soften the lines just a little, then glued it together, clamped it all up and waited. Once unclamped, more sanding, especially the joint areas, and chamfered all the top edges as well, including the cross pieces which form the "U" on each end and between them where they form the boxed in area in the middle. I think it looks better with the beveled edges than in the last pic in the previous post. The last picture shows the engine oil pan/base where it will fit on the wooden base. Two of the mounting holes (in one cross piece) were already drilled before assembly. The holes in the other cross piece will be added later in case the thing swells some from staining and polyurethane finish. The base is red oak which I use for all my engine bases along with a golden pecan stain just for consistency. Guess I am too much a creature of habit, at least in these things. On to the staining now...and the soup too

Thanks for checking in.

 

[steamer]

Thanks Bill!

I am thinking of redoing my gage dials, that should work


You continue to amaze me with your craftsmanship...Well Done!

Dave