Asciidv

Steve, you were obviously happy with the press fit of the new seat. However, knowing your liking for silver solder, I was surprised that you didn't run a bit around just to be sure!

So I think the first question is whether you do really need to remove the valve, could it just not stay in place? If you really do need to remove the valve and sort out the bulge, do you think 'blowing it out' with a grease gun and a blanking plate might work or do you think something else might 'pop' rather than the bulge? A tricky one! 

7VHU your links are really interesting! It would never have crossed my mind the knurl the inside of the rings to expand them. Your first link then expands into knurling pistons to take up piston slap, with stories from old engine men. All techniques which need to be kept alive.

Steve, what is the spare hole in the cover disk? I don't believe you will be able to look at it like that for the rest of your days!

Ben, is the corrosion/damage just in the dark area shown in the picture? There is probably quite a lot of undamaged shaft area. For the number of miles it might do in the future, there must be a temptation to put it back the way it was and let someone in 50 years time do the regrind!

I always like Tufnol sheet, just like what Andy selected but in sheet form rather than rod. It also machines lovely with a nice smell too!

What was the purpose of the little triangular plates knocked into the felloes which came out as the hoop was fitted?

Of all the things that I saw in this last post, what I liked most of all was the use of a proper old fashioned flat bladed screwdriver with a wooden handle. A period tool matching the vintage of the machine being worked on.

Rambowot's model is absolutely superb! What material has it been made from and how exactly has it been made? On a different note this advertisement has just appeared for sale on the Australian Vintage Commercial Vehicle facebook pages for AUS$20.

Incorrect topic. post withdrawn.

For a tap eroder to work the target metal has to be submerged in water which in this case is not quite so easy to do! ( Although a hosepipe is suggested as a possible solution by one manufacturer ). Anyway I am sure that Steve will have sorted it now, either with his favourite tool - a little Dremel, or by brute force with a hammer and chisel. My solution to applying localised heat and the removal of the bearing metal would have been to use a TIG welder. Of all the welding solutions available TIG sets are the most flexible.

An induction heater is a magic tool to have in your armoury but in this case it would not function as the item has to be inside the induction coil. Motleyholt suggested using a plasma torch to cut the bearing out and this would get my vote. A plasma cutter is easily controllable with instant on/off and with a precise cutting line. Many garages/bodyshops will have one too and I have one sitting on my bench which unfortunately is a little too far away from Steve.

More important than gaskets, I would have thought the Gosling family would be intent on preserving their mechanical heritage. So what was wrong with the old ride on lawnmower?!

Ben, are you using tin plated steel sheet or tinned brass sheet? I think all the 'lead free' solders are not a patch on 'proper' solder.

Steve, does this mean that you have your big mill back under power? What was the problem?

I suppose you should see how well it sits in the cone of the flywheel. If it is proud by a long way then 'thinning down' on a lathe is an option, but I doubt if any of us have turned leather before. Be the first and tell us all how easy/difficult/impossible it was!

For a moment looking at the machined part photo I wondered whether the cracks were self inflicted by the way the part was held in the lathe chuck with expansion forces coming into play. However you can see the old cracks quite clearly in the pre-machining picture!

I had the pleasure of seeing and handling these tanks in real life yesterday ( and stopping Steve from making further progress ). They are beautifully made, very light, without an ounce of aluminium anywhere in excess. They reproduce the originals to the last detail, even though it would have been a lot easier to cut a few corners and miss off some of the more trickier features. All from wooden patterns made in the traditional way. Just superb!

Steve, if you have access to a buffing wheel, then these buffing compounds with grit makes short work of turning a rough casting into a smooth finish. I normally use the 80 grit followed by the 120 grit.

I might be inclined to put a blow torch  on them, melt the solder and then just tap the remains of the tubes out. A job for your under cover black smithing facility, where there is plenty of fresh air as we wouldn’t like you to catch ‘fume fever’.!

"One concern though, was that several of the big-end bolts look a bit iffy. I think we shall have to make some replacements but what sort of steel should we use?"

EN24T

Disappointed that you are not going to punch out the gills yourself!

Why is it not possible to re-use the existing tube plates?

Frank's Dennis was actually built in 1916, but that is splitting hairs. Well done Brian for setting the record straight!

Unless you have tried to make something like these you cannot appreciate how beautifully made they are. You can see how the thread stops in exactly the same place on each one before it flares into the hex head. The flare is just perfect too.

I love the bit of old blue rope! I am sure all of us have a bit just the same that has done similar duty, either lifting or holding down precious parts. The milling machine looks just the job, something that you needed years ago.

The Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride (Bakelite to you and me) knob terminals on the magneto have a melting point of 150C. Not particularly high when in close proximity to the exhaust.