It's all gone quiet? I'm up to stuff but won't be posting until I get some real results worth displaying here. I'm trying to tidy up some unfinished projects. Anyone else care to show off some foundry stuff?
It's all gone quiet? I'm up to stuff but won't be posting until I get some real results worth displaying here. I'm trying to tidy up some unfinished projects. Anyone else care to show off some foundry stuff?
I would like to, I haven't yet got much to offer but I hope to get some basic stuff done before (long before) the bad weather sets in. Michael Moore seems to have been busy machining and fitting all the heads etc which he cast last year, Ken in Aus is busy with his "slider" project, and all those European guys who started off well, seem to have disappeared! - guess I'll just have to kick myself into life and come up with something which works!
Strokers Galore!
No, I have been busy making some brake levers and stay arms for a friend's 210mm Fontana 4LS brake. Jeff's got my head patterns to make the mold boxes for them. But our race season starts in a couple of months so if he wants a head for his F37 Kawasaki he'll need to get cracking! That presumes the heads will cast successfully.
cheers,
Michael
Well not really anything to do with engines, but we had to do some lead casting. No moulds, but had to fill the six pockets in these counterweight wheels. These were plasma cut from 90 mm steel and had an outside radius of 300. The bare item weighed around 60 kg and each lead filled pocket weighed around 9 kg.
Someone had previously done them, but in one instance, they must have cast one pocket in 2 stages. The lead seems to immediately form an oxide skin. Presumably the second stage it didn’t stick and this came loose and was thrown out. No-one was happy.
So we filled in one continuous process, not using a ladle
We played an LPG flame over the top surface to ensure a molten pool was always present to feed the shrinkage. Even so, we also had to create a dam around the pocket to create an extra thickness to ensure a complete fill after being machined flat.
Pouring temp around 420 C. Had some reasonably interesting moments getting it sorted though.
Nice, did you preheat the steel complete or just preheat one and let the poured lead warm the next ?
Back in the day that would probably have been finished by hand with a small adze and scraper. I've faired lead keels like that when no power tools were available...
[QUOTE=ken seeber;1131030851]Well not really anything to do with engines, but we had to do some lead casting. No moulds,QUOTE]
Ken, I thought for a moment you were building a "super slider"
Strokers Galore!
Greg, we preheated one end first to around 80 to ensure no moisture was present. We filled this and when frozen we progressed to the next cavity, this being well warmed from both the lead and the post pouring flame.
Will, nah, can't really see many/any areas for lead in a bike/engine other than battery terminals and wheel balance weights.
Over here in central Sydney for family get together stuff. No foundries, TIGs. mills, lathes and now, the fingernails are clean. Few bikes around, one dude had an interesting bike, an RZ400 in a TZ250 frame, smoked nicely and sounded sweet.
That just makes me want to ride it.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
Dangerous, a clear pattern bench.
What were we looking at? Next project, a twin rotary valve bottom end? Patterns on the bench at the momemt are a three gear reduction drive to suit V8 , 600HP aviation use.
Yes it does look a little forlorn but at least it's going to see some action again - we all know that development work never pays the bills till it produces something which can be sold, but I imagine the experimental stuff could soak up time and money, if not kept in control!
My play bench is still packed full of crap and is producing nothing, but hopefully things will be in motion soon seeing it's moved into Autumn already - more rain coming I'm told.
I modified the burner on my furnace and all seems well, it doesn't look very good (but performance is more important than looks to me) - I will make a new tidier one when I've got it all sussed and have done a melt - I'm a great fan of trial and error and not looking for perfection - just enough to do a good job!
I now need to brush up on the pattern/moulding technique (again) and need to get the safety thing right as I may be working on my own the odd time!
D'y reckon it's time to move away from crankcase pumping altogether??
Strokers Galore!
Yes I guess you could call it that, just so long as the crankcase itself isn't involved and forgetting (in the meantime) going "oilless" which could easily become a priority, it could hold up a lot of other good development - I feel that might just be a "bridge too far"!
Strokers Galore!
Or a single crank V4 500cc 2 stroke for the masses.
Something like a GSXR750/1000 gearbox
https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/a...1&d=1438074377
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