The Bucket Foundry

[Flettner]

Glen, I guess so.
These crucibles aren't too expensive as such but I've had to buy a few of them. I think Im too eager on start up and unevenly heat them in my shit little foundry. I've used this cracked one a few times as I was pissed at only getting one pour in before it failed (a piece broke off the top so can only 2/3 fill it now) but wife saw it and shut us down after a couple of partial pours. It does have a crack running all the way to the bottom BUT not up the other side so I thought all good! Apparently not.

[Flettner]

but wife saw it and shut us down after a couple of pours.

Don't you hate it when the grown ups get involved.

[speedpro]

Don't you hate it when the grown ups get involved.

firing it up in the lounge didn't help

[WilDun]

firing it up in the lounge didn't help

You really are brave!

We're staying down near Tauranga (near Okomoroa Beach) at my son's place and it's ideal for foundry work, but my foundry stuff is still at Pukekohe! - I daren't bring it down here or I won't be having any more holidays here again! but I have donated a bench and installed it in his shed (thin end of the wedge?).

I have been expressly forbidden to do any casting at my other son's bach at Raglan as well! - hopefully they are worried about me and not the premises!

The need to do some casting sometime, somewhere, is still strong for me, but it'll have to be easily portable (and easily disguised) hence trying to find out more about the microwave.

I got my main crucible (6" dia I think) from CERTEC in Avondale (Auckland) and I think it cost around the $40 mark. (thought that was quite cheap) - I don't know about using ceramic for a crucible but I know the clay graphite one is fine for ally and leaves no trace of it after pouring.

Yes, need be careful with initial heating I guess, but also if you put in a piece of scrap or an ingot, you have to be careful that it's not a slightly tight fit, otherwise when it expands before melting, it will crack the crucible! (says the swarfie to the foundry manager! ).

[Flettner]

https://youtu.be/cNZPRsrwumQ

Pretty bloody good

[guyhockley]

This could have gone in several different threads but it has moulds and casting in it and as this has sort of become the Neil/Flettner/Fletto(?!) show I'll stick it here.
It's from Moto Technica, an italian magazine, which at the time would provide an english translation but you have to wade through the italian bit for the bilingually captioned pictures.

[guyhockley]

Ooops, bit out of order...

[guyhockley]

Last page.

[WilDun]

https://youtu.be/cNZPRsrwumQ

Pretty bloody good

It is nothing short of amazing, - but I wonder where we're going? - I mean, no wheels! and no doubt later, all electric motors/actuators leaving us die hards to become the grumpy old guys reminiscing about the old days when the two stroke motorcycle was supreme!
That hasn't happened yet of course, but it does remind me of when I was young, with the old guys always talking about the good old days of steam!

Guy, your archives are second only to Husa's!
I didn't know that the V-Due was once considered a candidate for an aircraft engine. - the Norton Rotary was as well, but that didn't seem to happen.
They probably had something in common - high fuel consumption!

[Michael Moore]

Guzzi also had an aero engine based on the small-block twin

[WilDun]

Guzzi also had an aero engine based on the small-block twin

Haven't got time to look right now but I believe that BMW also did a boxer for aircraft - guess the market for these wasn't big enough.
I bet Neil checked them all out before he started his project though! The Guzzi looks a natural, but I think their "W" triple would have suited that role very well!

[husaberg]

Racing beat converted 13B Mazda engines into drone aircraft engines. As did Vincent with the V twin.
If I remember correctly the Mazda were turned into single rotors.

[guyhockley]

The ex-Norton rotary is still being produced as a drone/UAV engine. There is an argument used by both 4 and 2 stroke fans in the microlight world that their engines are a better overall package when you combine the engine and fuel weight for a specific "mission".
Don't know if I mentioned it on Kiwibiker, but Brian Crichton lives just down the road from me and last year he was the victim of an assumed targetted burglary, losing the rotary racer and laptops and paperwork pertaining to it.
BMW twins get used a lot for Microlights and various companies make all sorts for them but BMW aren't keen, I believe.
There was a company converting HD big twins for aviation...

[WilDun]

There was a company converting HD big twins for aviation...

..........There was a guy in USA building an ultralight (a few years back) for a big Harley V2 but he had to abandon it because it nearly shook his little plane to bits - he decided to put in a Suzuki Jimny 4X4 instead!

[Flettner]

I've been holding out, but ok I reply, yes I've seen all these engines for microlight / autogyro flight. Often getting requested to build gearboxes for these fourstroke twins. Not interested as there is too much trouble with heavy tortional cyclic loads, I run a Centerflex coupleing on my Subaru gear reductions, works well but when you get down to large displacement high compression twin fourstroke you need more than a centerflex coupling. Usually centrifugal clutches or peak load slipping clutches or fluid couplings, all very complicated. ( read expensive)
I put a lot of research into drives for aviation applications ( because thats my business), four cylinders and up are much easier.
On the other hand twostrokes are torsional easy, light, smooth and now with TPI relatively fuel efficent. Add to that an internal reduction, balance shaft, electric start and an output set up for a pre rotator (gyro), the future of gyro / microlight propulsion. The Autoflight engine, dunmmy.