Member postings for Jim Greethead

That was worth waiting for Norman, it looks great and sounds good as well. I do like the placement of the fuel tank and the neatly formed fuel line to the carby.

Congratulations. It has given we lesser mortals something to aim for.

Jim

That's great news Norman and, like Jason, I am hanging out for the video. You don't need to wait until it is all tidied up and beautiful you know.

In fact, I would video it now if I were you. I have had the experience of something working in "lash up" form and then behaving badly when made to look good.

I am still fiddling around with the PutPutMan Tiny four strokes that I started early last year. It has been too cold in the workshop to do much until the last couple of days. And the cold weather is not finished yet.

Jim

Hi Norman,

It is good to see you back again and to know that you are close to having a working engine.

I agree with the other posts: the wires from the battery box look a bit skinny for the current required and you do need an earth return from the plug to the earth on the coil.

The coil is probably designed to work off 12 volts so connecting the setup to your car battery should produce a healthy spark. Then you could compare that spark with the one from the 6 volt battery box.

The weather in May? Glasgow and Edinburgh were freezing, as was our visit to The Shuttleworth Collection. But the last few days in London were 27 degrees; wonderful and a nice memory to speed us on our way.

Harrogate was a revelation. Bigger, better and brighter than anything I have seen before. And I met some of the Madmodders as well. It was a good day. Pity is is so far away.

Jim

PS I am hanging out for photos of the finished article

... when the best part of the cruise was the tour of the engine room

Jim

Best thing about golf is that if you tee off at 0630 on a Sunday morning, you are finished by 1030 and don't feel guilty about having a beer in the clubhouse.

Jim

Thanks Dick, that looks like a good little heater. And I admire your innovative industrial version. I reckon it was worth more than a dead pig (depending on how long it had been dead of course).

Cheers

Jim

Ok Dick, I'll be the mug; what's a Kandelo?

I looked on Google and all the hits were from music groups and such like that would not keep me warm (I'll have to think about that).

My workshop only gets down to about -5C. At least I think that is as low as it gets, I bail out at +10C coz I'm a wimp.

You certainly have a range of temperatures in the middle of the country where you are. +30C sounds pretty good if it lasts long enough.

Jim

I use Blackfast. Don't know where you buy it elsewhere but there is a place in Queensland (Australia).

It is easy to use, comes with all the containers already labelled and lasts for a long time. The bloke who recommended it to me had had his so long the the suppliers had moved twice in the meantime.

And it is water based and cold. And idiot-proof - I get results every time.

Jim

Chin up Dick, you just need more of that anti-freeze.

Jim

In the old days, we would sit back and roll a smoke or fill the pipe and think about it. Can't do that these days and there really doesn't seem to be any good substitute.

Ah well ...

Jim

They have lasted well. Some of the things we make age better then we do.

Jim

Yes, we are going to try for Friday as well but we only have two days in the area, need to catch up with 4beeches and visit the National Rail Museum so we will be emulating the one-armed paperhanger.

But I hope see you

Jim

And since you mention Harrogate: I am coming over to visit friends and take in Harrogate (and the National Vintage Communications Fair on the same weekend).

Anyone else going? It would be great to put faces to some of the names that I see here.

Of course, I will only be there on Saturday because I have to get to Leamington Spa for the Sunday (dashed inconvenient).

Jim

I used a Ridders Vaporiser on my Bonza engine and it worked fine - and dead simple to make.

And then it stopped working for reasons not known to this officer.

So I built the carb that was specified in the magazine - just a simple venturi with needle valve. But it had an unsprung ball valve to prevent fuel running back to the tank (which is mounted below carb level) and that worked fine.

My intention is to use a Vaporiser on my Rina when I get back to it despite having made the gas carby because I still can't figure out how to connect the gas carby to a gas source ( but that's another story).

In short, I have tried both, and both work. Take your pick. And let us know the outcome.

Jim

I agree that they look slightly too large for Rina. I have obtained some glass insulin containers from a diabetic friend and they are 10.89 diameter which (at least in the simple form of oiler) look about right on the GA. I can send some to you if you would like and if you send me a PM with your address. It is a pity you live so far off the beaten track or I could drop them around when I am in London in May.

I will upload an Alibre GA (with a bit of luck) showing the simple oiler and the grease caps that I intend to use on the main bearings.

BTW I like the look of that sunshine in the background to your photo. Keep up the good work. It is slowly getting colder here in the mornings (8-22 today) and it will only get worse.

Jim

That engine looks really great Norman, and you have done a superb job on the little oilers.

And thanks for the oiler GA - I have made some simple ones before but now I might have a crack at the "full Monty".

Jim

Hi Norman,

I had a look on HMEM for Brian's RINA and now you have explained why I could not find it. I have followed a couple of Brian's builds on HMEM and I agree that he has an incredible work rate, particularly for someone who still does design work for others. And the quality is superb as well.

He posted a video of his workshop on Chuck Fellows' thread on HMEM and it is a poky little cupboard about 6' wide and 10' long attached to his design office. Amazing.

About the photo: it can't be all that hard for a man as talented as you, come on, get with it.

Dick: Thanks for the explanation. I was told once that the monkey was the brass triangle on which the canon balls were piled and that in the cold weather, the brass contracted and the balls fell off. But when I looked at the relative temperature coefficients and the physics of the arrangement, that did not make sense. Your explanation does.

I thought it was cold here (-7C minimum Norman) but the Hungarian temperatures are quite outside my comprehension. Perhaps that explains the flasks of anti-freeze that your dancing friends carry.

Cheers

Jim

Hi Norman, good to see you back again.

Those oilers do look the goods. Did you take some photos of the building process?

And you mentioned that Brian Rupnow has built one. Must have a look on HMEM. He does exceptionally good work.

Mine is on hold while I do some other jobs and play with a laminar flow engine that I am still trying to understand. With the cold weather coming on, it might stay in its current state for a while yet.

Meanwhile, how about some photos?

Jim