The Bucket Foundry

[Flettner]

Good idea. Idle hands and all that.

I've met one of you, just how many are there?

We had a bit of an "incident" with the propellor. Much better to use the water dyno, if I can remember how it pipes up?

[husaberg]

I'd answer No because for me 'bolt-on' means something that can be fitted without altering anything to the base engine.
But the necessary adaptions are fairly simple so you need not throw away your present engines.

Frits at home what do they call it when someone who speaks in riddles?

[Frits Overmars]

Frits at home what do they call it when someone who speaks in riddles?

Oh, we have lots of names for that. Politicians, preachers, tax inspectors, bank managers, insurance folks, people bound by a non-disclosure agreement who try to answer all kinds of questions anyway, you name it .

[seattle smitty]

Hydrazine is carcinogenic and toxic as hell so you'd better not fool around with it.

Oh man, everything we shade-tree mechanics deal with is carcinogenic, mind-altering, fattening, or felonious. We have so many industrial solvents circulating in our bloodstreams that they don't have to embalm us when we finally croak. All we care about is: will it get me to the first turn first!!

No, I'm not seriously arguing with you about hydrazine, Frits. However, as a general observation about racing fuels and chemicals, I offered a comment on an outboard racing discussion recently. The topic started among some stock class gas-and-oil racers who believed one of their number was doing some cheating with fuel additives. From there, some of these Stock guys began expressing dismay about how dangerous and toxic these non-gasoline substances are. My reaction was this:

"Well, I have to say that there are a lot of "nasty" fuel additives, starting with straight methanol. Yet some of the old PRO (these are what we call our anything-goes, fuel-burning classes) racers here, as well as many old Inboard racers, spent most of their lives being exposed to these things, yet they seem to be about as healthy as the rest of the population of their age, and have about as much brains as they ever did. I remember standing about ten feet from a methanol-powered 266 Hydro at a Greenlake Inboard race long, long ago, while they adjusted valve-lash with the engine idling. The thing was running so rich that the unburned fuel burned my eyes and nose, and I and everybody by me backed away quickly. But none of us went blind or crazy, as you'd expect when you read the MSDS sheets. Back in the Twenties and Thirties, board-track auto racing was a big sport, with grandstands next to the oval tracks where alky-burning roadsters roared by. Yet I have never seen any media expose of later health problems for this group of racing fans. For that matter, look at Garlits and Prudhomme and Tommy Ivo, guys who drove Top Fuel dragsters and funny cars for decades, burning very rich mixtures of 85% nitro; they are now in their seventies and eighties, and still come to the old-timers get-togethers. Come to think of it, don't the Speedway bikes burn methanol . . . in indoor arenas? Are their fans dying early? So while care should certainly be taken, and perhaps our clubs should consider offering a once-a-year class on fuel handling safety for alky drivers (which would have an additional advantage in demonstrating responsibility on our part in the event of a court case), I'm not convinced that these fuels are so "nasty" as to need to be disallowed . . . except for that Stock guy."

[speedpro]

I have similar doubts about the seriousness of the effects these substances have. I used to run my old race bike on a bit of a brew. The same ingredients I used are also used in the manufacture of "P". The minute levels that are needed to be detected of some of the V.O.C.s before a property needs to be stripped inside and rebuilt is ridiculous. Same with the "P" levels. This in houses that people are happily living in. "P" is a curse but I think there is a effort being made to overly demonise the effects it may have at very low levels. After all it is essentially in cold medicines, in China at least.

[Flettner]

Industrial Sands have an interesting pricing system. Up to 39 bags @ $15 each, 40 or over, $8.10 each. I was looking at 20 bags but for $24 extra I can have 40 bags, 1 ton. Guess I'll have to find space for 1 ton of casting sand, it will get used. I too will have trouble getting rid of the used sand. I'll just take it to the sea from where it came and release it back to the wild.

[Grumph]

Oh man, everything we shade-tree mechanics deal with is carcinogenic, mind-altering, fattening, or felonious. We have so many industrial solvents circulating in our bloodstreams that they don't have to embalm us when we finally croak. All we care about is: will it get me to the first turn first!!

No, I'm not seriously arguing with you about hydrazine, Frits. However, as a general observation about racing fuels and chemicals, I offered a comment on an outboard racing discussion recently. The topic started among some stock class gas-and-oil racers who believed one of their number was doing some cheating with fuel additives. From there, some of these Stock guys began expressing dismay about how dangerous and toxic these non-gasoline substances are. My reaction was this:

Agree completely smitty. Here in NZ bike racing, we could use open fuel (yes, incl nitro) up to around 1989. At the MNZ conference where the remit banning open fuel was discussed i was heatedly involved trying to stop the ban...Stabbed in the back by my own club who voted for the ban. Basically, a couple of us had it worked out just how to use the fuels and we were doing a little too well so using the health and safety bull, it was banned.
A good friend is still involved in karts where i'm not sure if it's still legal. I know one official was lecturing him about safety and how bad Meth is...My friend just said, you put a puddle of petrol on the ground, I'll put a puddle of Meth on the ground, we'll both throw a lighted match at our puddle and we'll see whose eyebrows are still there...

[WilDun]

I too will have trouble getting rid of the used sand. I'll just take it to the sea from where it came and release it back to the wild.

Not a bad idea but remember it's been "genetically" modified now - I would be glad to help using somebody's? idea of a modified mobility scooter but...........
Really if you want to remove it whence it came, it would have to be way up around the Woodhill area, however I somehow have the feeling they won't want it back!
Maybe they could use it in the proposed new wharf in the Waitemata harbour?

[WilDun]

I went down to Raglan by myself on the weekend (to tidy up around my son's bach) and took all my foundry gear etc with me!. By the time I had finished tidying up, the rains came and put paid to any thoughts of doing a pour and I drove up here again on Sunday.
However, I took advantage of the nice day today and did a sizable melt here at home. I had hoped to get a pattern made while it melted, not enough time to do that as it was almost melted in 15 mins so I just poured a "big blob" into the greensand.
My tongs (since modified) worked a treat, I did it all successfully and again with no mess or smoke!

Tomorrow I intend to make a pattern first, then light the thing up. - all looking good but very much a daytime type of thing!

Unfortunately I used a small garden trowel to skim the "dross" off the top but it quickly became part of the melt, - what I had thought was stainless turned out to be ally! - cheap Ba*****s!

[TZ350]

Looking good ....

[Muciek]

http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forum...A-looper-Beast Very interesting thread with tons of pictures from machining parts seattle smitty could shed some light on this propably.

[seattle smitty]

Yes, but do you want it here, as a continuation of a digression-from-topic which might by now have become annoying to others, or elsewhere, or as a PM, . . .??

[Yow Ling]

You may as well post it here, the ESE thread has long since forgotten about buckets, as long as its interesting Ill read it

[husaberg]

You may as well post it here, the ESE thread has long since forgotten about buckets

Someone never got a hug this morning

[Flettner]

I went down to Raglan by myself on the weekend (to tidy up around my son's bach) and took all my foundry gear etc with me!. By the time I had finished tidying up, the rains came and put paid to any thoughts of doing a pour and I drove up here again on Sunday.
However, I took advantage of the nice day today and did a sizable melt here at home. I had hoped to get a pattern made while it melted, not enough time to do that as it was almost melted in 15 mins so I just poured a "big blob" into the greensand.
My tongs (since modified) worked a treat, I did it all successfully and again with no mess or smoke!

Tomorrow I intend to make a pattern first, then light the thing up. - all looking good but very much a daytime type of thing!

Unfortunately I used a small garden trowel to skim the "dross" off the top but it quickly became part of the melt, - what I had thought was stainless turned out to be ally! - cheap Ba*****s!

Good to see it working out