Geometer

The more I read the Beginner’s Workshop articles by Geometer, the more I feel that they were written more than half a century ago. I would say they were written in the sixties, or even earlier. For example, this month’s shows a side valve engine, which would have been an anachronism in 1973. The drawings have a very old-fashioned feel to them.

Yes, they're classic reprints, not modern.

Model Engineer went through a golden patch in the 50's and early 60's. I think it was because a lot of very experienced men trained on manual workshop methods, who had applied them professionally throughout their long careers, were writing in their prime. They came from an era when many machinists were hands-on, using equipment and techniques similar to hobby workshop practice today. LBSC transported from 1948 would have very little trouble using the tools in my workshop.

Anyway, for whatever reason, the Geometer articles are well worth reading. Although the style and drawings are old-fashioned, it's still good stuff. Sparey's "The Amateur's Lathe" was written about the same time, and I think it's brilliant. The main problem with older advice is they don't anything not invented when the went to press.

I'm an unapologetic reformer keen to dump anything in the hobby that's beyond it's use-by date. But the writings of geometer and his contemporaries are as good today as they were when I was a tiny tot. Mostly!

I like old drawings too!

Dave

The Suffolk Punch engine that powered so many lawnmowers, (And a few small scale locos ) was a side valve and lasted beyond the 50s

The valve clearances were adjusted inn the same way the old Ford E93 engines;by grinding the end of the valve, or to decrease the clearance there were tools to lengthen the valve stem by pressing a radius into it whilst it was rotated by hand.,

Henry Ford believed that if you had an adjuster, it would probably get out of adjustment, so didn't have one

Things weren't so sophisticated in those days!

Howard

Edited By Howard Lewis on 16/03/2023 21:30:38

I believe Geometer was one of the pen names used by Edgar T Westbury, another was Artificer, quite a remarkable man was ETW.

The valve one is from '56

I have heard it suggested it was ETW or alternatively that it was a pen name of Ian Bradley - half of the Duplex author with Dr Norman Hallows.

The Geometer articles began to be published in 1955, but whichever author it is, they both began writing well pre-war so the experience they were based on will date from then.

Nothing anachronistic about side valve engines. Still commonly used in motor mowers, other small agricultural implements and generators. While not the most efficient or powerful of formats, they have the advantage of simplicity and being compact.

Rod

Many of the 'No such thing as a stupid question' questions would be answered by a quick perusal of the old school texts.

Regards Ian.

Briggs and Stratton for one example. Nonetheless, you don't see the old sidevalve design referred to much in modern DIY literature. More likely to see reference to double overhead cam, which was the province of racing engines only in Geometer's day, ie post-WW2 but written by experts trained pre-WW2.

Those were the days, as they say, when the Owners Manual for a new motorbike came with instructions on how to while away an idyllic Sunday afternoon grinding the valves and decoking the piston top on one's new machine. These days, the owner's manual tells you not to drink the contents of the battery and to take it to a dealership for all service work.

Some of the old tools are still around.

A couple of days ago in charity shop I saw a device that few would recognise. It wa a tool, to screw inro a 14 x 1 soark mplug hole to find TDC.

Wonder how long before it sells?

On OHV engines, we used to compress the valve spring at or near TDC and remove it before wrapping wire into the collet grooves. A DTI was then rested on the end of the stem, and the piston lowere a set distance. The flywheel was marked and the piston moved to the other side of TDC by the same distance., and the flywheel marked again.

Halfway between the marks was TDC.

This would be mor difficult with inclined valves, as on twin OHC engines, so maybe the old tool would still have ause?

Howard