L H Spareys 0.63 Aero Diesel engine

Have just completed and run this engine. Casting and drawings from Hemingway Kits. It started easily ,once I had the settings correct and has had four runs of three minutes each, so far at 5600 RPM with an 8x6 inch nylon prop. I have differed from original design with the cooling fins and made a collet type prop driver. The original had a steel driver locating on an 0.020"step in the crankshaft. Crankcase has been bead blasted plus red anodising for the other external aluminium parts . Working this small has been quite interesting.

Keith

Lovely. Perhaps I'll revisit the one I started about 16 years ago...

Neil

I see that Hemingway Kits have "L W Sparey"; L H is, of course, the author of the excellent "The Amateur's Lathe". Were there two and, if so, were they related?

Thanks Neil. That sounds like a good idea while we can still buy fuel.

ega, they are one and the same. My Hemingway catalogue quotes LH Sparey.

Keith

Thanks. I was looking at the interesting website entry.

Hi Keith

Nice looking work, the anodising certainly brightens the engine up.

Is the piston the wrong way around in the picture, if not there's a lot above the pin.
Did you leave the back of the crankcase out, I see a retaining ring.

Emgee

Hi Emgee,

The piston is the correct way up. This is typical Sparey.

The matt surface of the backplate makes it look like a ring in the photo.

Keith