The Bucket Foundry

[Flettner]

There you go, there's hope for me yet ....... but I've got to start making plans for a workshop when I move into the rest home! - some people can demand prayer rooms (and get them), so why not a workshop? - uh yeah, that's right ........OSH!

Fuck OSH, Will !!
Tell them it's a pleasure room

[WilDun]

I like to know what I'm dealing with

I haven't had a report back as yet! but I'll call in and you can interview me (some of these days, but God knows when I'll make it!)
Most people who know me from way back still don't understand what they've struck!
As for Frits, well he'll just have to wait his turn!

[Frits Overmars]

That Neil gets around doesn't he - likes to put a face to the name. Watch out Frits.

Looking forward to it

[Grumph]

There you go, there's hope for me yet ....... but I've got to start making plans for a workshop when I move into the rest home! - how about the excuse of mobility scooter repairs? - some people can demand prayer rooms (and get them), so why not a workshop? - uh yeah, that's right ........OSH!

An ex racer of my father's generation here in Chch, arranged for the use of a garage space when he moved into a retirement home. Restored two bikes that I know of while living there. I understand that he occasionally took the female home manager out for a ride on one of them, much to the amusement of her staff.
Done properly Will, you may finish up with more space than you have now.

[WilDun]

I understand that he occasionally took the female home manager out for a ride on one of them, much to the amusement of her staff.
Done properly Will, you may finish up with more space than you have now.

Yes plenty of girlfriends too I imagine! - my hopes (if nothing else) have been raised - Problem is, I'm not really supposed to get on a motorcycle anymore - not only because it might be unsafe but because I find it hard to get a leg over (ie the bike) these days.

[F5 Dave]

Italjet Dragster scooter for you then. 180cc 2 stroke from memory. Not that I've ever seen one ( or probably noticed if I did- bloody snob that I am)

[WilDun]

Italjet Dragster scooter for you then. 180cc 2 stroke from memory. Not that I've ever seen one ( or probably noticed if I did- bloody snob that I am)

Is it a three wheeler? two wheels are dangerous (that's what I was always told, not that I paid much attention!) and dragsters are no good, you don't get that centrifugal force on corners - so probably I could sneak an engine (two stroke of course!) into a mobility scooter.......foundry at the rest home? ....... Someone said dreaming's free, can't remember who!

[ken seeber]

Slider update.
Every time I look at it, I find more things to do. Anyways, at the moment, it is a Sat morning only exercise. All hosed up, made an adapter for the pulse generator (cheap as chups from you know where) for the dyno shaft, lever arm for the cylinder height actuation arm and lockable throttle cable arm lever in place. Concept is that it will be a low pressure cooling system (want to minimise any possibility of internal coolant leaks) and long term, with the temp being controlled by cooling fan (not there as yet) which will be speed controlled, probably via an Arduino using coolant out temp as the controlling input. The red bin might be possibly used as a wet sump for the dyno cooling system.

So, all going well, should be able to give it a crack pretty soon under no load conditions, and if all good, then get the dyno & its software sorted and go for it baby.

[F5 Dave]

Here you go Will, sort of looks a bit mobility scooter

https://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=e...85v1QFw0xy7dM:

[WilDun]

Here you go Will, sort of looks a bit mobility scooter

Riding on two wheels? no way, too dangerous for me, I'm on borrowed time already - twice over, one more fall and it would be curtains for me I'm afraid! I bought a push bike a couple of years ago but didn't feel secure on it at all! - I sold it at the end of last year.

One Chinese guy was offering free trials on his little scooters so as I hadn't ridden for years I presented myself for a ride on one of his machines.
He took one look at me and must've decided I had escaped from somewhere and insisted on the phone# for someone to vouch for me. So I rang my wife and she ok'ed it and he reluctantly allowed me to ride the thing - but I decided it was not for me, as I found (and I hadn't realized before) that in order to lean into a corner you had to be able to look into the corner and I couldn't do that because my neck is fully frozen! ....... you sure take all these things for granted without even thinking when you're healthy..... In saying that, I did enjoy the fact that I had ridden a motorcycle again (albeit briefly but without having to throw my leg over!).
Anyway, I didn't really care what he thought because I'm used to that sort of treatment - some (nice) people have even offered to help me across the road and called me "dear" .......gerrrroff!

........but seriously, y'know it's actually quite interesting the innovative thinking that goes into these little machines, some of them are quite sophisticated in the ingenious ways they have found to pack things into such a small space - the Space Frames, one sided suspension, exhaust pipe routing, etc. etc. all add up to a quite a neat little package with quite a punch as well no doubt.

BTW, KEN Looks like it's all coming along fine!

[ken seeber]

Thinking of you this arvo Willy when we had a bit of a family do and the son-in-law came around with his latest mobility scooter. He chose it because you can (eventually) stick it in the boot of a mid size car. Obviously it needed to be road tested. Power level is fit for purpose and all generally ok other than the fact that the “throttle” twistgrip works in reverse.

Leads to interesting events until one re-programmes the mind. However there is some logic to it, particularly when one watches some epic fails of dudes on bikes which wheelie back too far. Their instinctive reaction is to just hang on, inevitably opening the throttle further, bringing forward the failure mode. I guess this is why some quads us thumb actuated throttles.

[Grumph]

Seat attatchment looks a tad flimsy for us larger pensioners...Will it wheelie ?

[WilDun]

........ He chose it because you can (eventually) stick it in the boot of a mid size car. Obviously it needed to be road tested.

Well Ken it's good to see you in training for the future, (It's ok, we understand) - how about a "slider" in that cavernous battery space? beats sitting on a dynamometer, makes testing a pleasure! - just be careful braking hard into a corner - use plenty of body lean!

I bought an old scooter a couple of months ago - it had big time "toe out" and one of the front tyres was almost scrubbed to death, (some well meaning "would be" scooter mechanic had tried to "adjust" the steering! but I eventually got it all fairly well sorted.
Reason I bought it was because the whole body was a plastic moulding and so was good down around the beach and another plus was that the whole thing twisted and conformed to the terrain, acting as suspension (like a kart really but higher) and was a very smooth ride over the bumps - a freaky feeling at first, sort of like a wet sausage really - (or a Mk 4 Zephyr!) but once it became familiar it was great, it could even run off a kerb without too much drama!
However, that freaky feeling was probably what put a lot of old people off and contributed to its lack of popularity!

Now what has all this got to do with foundry work? - I dunno really, except that I was wanting to check out my son's little old place at the beach as a possible future setting for some serious (and peaceful) foundry work ....... but I don't know how to approach him about it!

[Grumph]

Just ask for the key - and tell him you want to take a girlfriend there. He won't want any more information.....

[WilDun]

Just ask for the key - and tell him you want to take a girlfriend there. He won't want any more information.....

Yes, these things pass through your mind of course, - you could get yourself into a lot of trouble with a furnace but that problem could be dealt with, a girlfriend on the other hand might be a little more difficult!
Anyway, he'd think that was the joke of the century!

Just saw on the "race chassis" thread - Neil (Flettner) reckons it would be quite feasible to do a cast ally bucket frame.