The Bucket Foundry

[seattle smitty]

Okay, here's the back-story on Dick Austin's homemade six-cylinder outboard (the video motor).

O.F. Christner, owner of Quincy Welding in Quincy, Illinois, was a former outboard racer and a tech-savvy and very imaginative man. During the Fifties, Quincy-modified Mercury cross-flow open-pipe racemotors of two, four, and six cylinders were the mainstay of "alky" (few restrictions other than displacement) outboard racing in the USA and Canada. But by the early-'60s the Mercs faced serious competition from the loop-scavenged engines primarily from Dieter Konig in Berlin, as well as a couple of other makes. Christner could see he needed a "looper" to stay in the game.

But rather than manufacture the entire engine, Christner made an arrangement with Carl Kiekhaefer (Mercury) to buy Mercury crankshafts, reedblocks, main-bearing housings, and some other parts, while designing new castings for loop-scavenged blocks, cases, and flat-top pistons. This use of Mercury parts was a great thing for the owners of alky-Mercury engines, because they already had lots of parts for the new engines, which could be bought in pieces or complete. The engines were also easy for the amateur racer to deal with because the one-piece crankshafts and bolt-on rods were a lot less hassle than the pressed-together cranks and one-piece rods of other racemotors. Even now, forty and fifty years later, many long-time outboard racers regret and even resent the passing of these very user-friendly Quincy flathead "loopers." I was racing a Konig 250cc at the time and never owned a Quincy, but now have parts to build two two-cylinder and one four-cylinder "Looper."

Dick Austin's project was/is to hand-build a bigger version of Quincy's original 1000cc Class F inline six, using a newer Mercury crankshaft, et al, from a larger displacement crossflow inline-six production motor. To my knowledge, there's no racing class this motor fits; it's just a fun project that will give him a fast ride around the lake. Austin is an old-timer with a collection of big old Jones cabover hydros, long-since obsolete as serious raceboats, but a good safe ride.

You can Google "Quincy looper" to get to Christner's son's website, with lots of pix. The cleverness of how Christner, Sr. and the crew at Quincy Welding was able to arrange loop-scavenged porting in an engine with bore spacing severly limited by Mercury crankshafts originally designed to accommodate crossflow porting is something many here might appreciate. (EDIT) try www.quincylooperracing.us/

[Flettner]

Okay, here's the back-story on Dick Austin's homemade six-cylinder outboard (the video motor).

O.F. Christner, owner of Quincy Welding in Quincy, Illinois, was a former outboard racer and a tech-savvy and very imaginative man. During the Fifties, Quincy-modified Mercury cross-flow open-pipe racemotors of two, four, and six cylinders were the mainstay of "alky" (few restrictions other than displacement) outboard racing in the USA and Canada. But by the early-'60s the Mercs faced serious competition from the loop-scavenged engines primarily from Dieter Konig in Berlin, as well as a couple of other makes. Christner could see he needed a "looper" to stay in the game.

But rather than manufacture the entire engine, Christner made an arrangement with Carl Kiekhaefer (Mercury) to buy Mercury crankshafts, reedblocks, main-bearing housings, and some other parts, while designing new castings for loop-scavenged blocks, cases, and flat-top pistons. This use of Mercury parts was a great thing for the owners of alky-Mercury engines, because they already had lots of parts for the new engines, which could be bought in pieces or complete. The engines were also easy for the amateur racer to deal with because the one-piece crankshafts and bolt-on rods were a lot less hassle than the pressed-together cranks and one-piece rods of other racemotors. Even now, forty and fifty years later, many long-time outboard racers regret and even resent the passing of these very user-friendly Quincy flathead "loopers." I was racing a Konig 250cc at the time and never owned a Quincy, but now have parts to build two two-cylinder and one four-cylinder "Looper."

Dick Austin's project was/is to hand-build a bigger version of Quincy's original 1000cc Class F inline six, using a newer Mercury crankshaft, et al, from a larger displacement crossflow inline-six production motor. To my knowledge, there's no racing class this motor fits; it's just a fun project that will give him a fast ride around the lake. Austin is an old-timer with a collection of big old Jones cabover hydros, long-since obsolete as serious raceboats, but a good safe ride.

You can Google "Quincy looper" to get to Christner's son's website, with lots of pix. The cleverness of how Christner, Sr. and the crew at Quincy Welding was able to arrange loop-scavenged porting in an engine with bore spacing severly limited by Mercury crankshafts originally designed to accommodate crossflow porting is something many here might appreciate.

Thank you, this is all interesting stuff, we appreciate it.

[MikeT1]

Well, managed to pour some castings last weekend, all had a degree of shrinkage, fortunately one was salvageable as the shrinkage was in an area that was to be machined off. I think the sprue was too long and thin to feed the casting from the riser. Solved the problem of sand sticking to the pattern, seems the two pack paint I used on the patterns was at fault, it was hard, but the sand would cling to it. A quick squirt with some rattle can silver and all sweet. Have got some supplies from the pottery outfit in Hamilton so I can try CO2 hardened cores. Have modified the patterns to allow better feed into the moulds. Also last weekend I made a bigger furnace so I can melt up to 20 kg of ally if i ever need to pour something that big.

[MikeT1]

Here is my dyno, good for just over 1 HP.
Hope the pic uploads this time.

[WilDun]

Well, managed to pour some castings last weekend, Solved the problem of sand sticking to the pattern, A quick squirt with some rattle can silver and all sweet. Also last weekend I made a bigger furnace so I can melt up to 20 kg of ally if i ever need to pour something that big.

Big furnace! - What size (dia) crucible do you use? what are you using for fuel?
My crucible is 6" dia. and can only melt two and a half kg. of ally! but then I'm just a beginner.

Where did you get the idea of using spray on silver?
I tried rubbing talc into the pattern with my fingers and it seems to work well (so far), - too well really as the pattern tends to come out as I split the flask in order to remove it - still using glad wrap between the two halves of the flask as well, but thats not really conclusive as yet.

[speedpro]

Hasn't Neil said something about using the soot from a sooty flame oxy-acetylene torch. He just coats everything by playing the flame briefly over the part you don't want anything sticking to.

[speedpro]

Here is my dyno, good for just over 1 HP.
Hope the pic uploads this time.

I thought about using an electrical generator for a load in a dyno but have now gone for a standard disc brake(initially) in combination with a flywheel for a bit of inertia to slow down the changes. The electrical load for smaller outputs could just be some sort of heating elements.
Cool little dyno.

[Flettner]

Here is my dyno, good for just over 1 HP.
Hope the pic uploads this time.

What is the engine?

[Flettner]

Hasn't Neil said something about using the soot from a sooty flame oxy-acetylene torch. He just coats everything by playing the flame briefly over the part you don't want anything sticking to.

The soot is used on metal dies, on wood patterns I use graphite powder and rub it in with my fingers. Bit of a dirty old job but makes the pattern real slippery. I have enough graphite powder to last 1000 years so if anyone wants some just let me know.

[FastFred]

Here is my dyno, good for just over 1 HP.
Hope the pic uploads this time.

Does the dyno work for the plane in the background??? .... .. dyno (and plane) look real interesting.

[MikeT1]

There is a link between the dyno and the plane, and the engine on test is an experimental single cylinder steam engine on which I can exchange the head - there are 4 variations of heads with different valve configurations, the cams are keyed to the crank and the timing can be altered relatively easily, there is a flow meter in the inlet pipe so I can determine the most efficient engine configuration. The engine arrangement that makes the most power from the least amount of steam will require a smaller boiler, less water and less fuel. The boiler is already constructed and is good for 60 hp, at a weight of 70 pounds. A previously constructed 3 cylinder radial engine that is good for 60 hp and weighs 75 pounds but I have decided not to use it as it will only develop that power at higher rpm than it was engineered to run at reliably. The test engine will determine the valve configuration and timings, compression ratio etc for a V 4 engine that is in the works. The most recent steam powered aircraft was the Bessler in 1933, you can see it on you tube.

[TZ350]

Steam powered airplane, I am impressed, I would love to see more.

[Flettner]

The beginnings of the "beam" engine. 54mm (twostroke) down to 34mm all fourstroke bottom end.

[MikeT1]

Hi Flettner, I continue to be blown away by the challenges you set yourself, are you using the beam simply to reduce the stroke or as a means of varying the stroke whilst the engine is running? I also haven't quite got my head around the sleeve valve uniflow 2 stroke, I guess you are trying to stratify the inlet charge and reduce contamination and loss out the exhaust port.

[Frits Overmars]

The beginnings of the "beam" engine. 54mm (twostroke) down to 34mm all fourstroke bottom end.

Neil, as always, I'm most interested in your enterprises. But I wonder: if your beam multiplies the stroke of the crankshaft to the stroke of the piston, then it will also multiply the virtual inertia of the piston. So what's the gain?
If you plan to hinge the 'fixed' end of the beam via a separate rod in order to permit a linear movement of the piston side of your beam, all sideways forces will still act upon the piston or on its linear guidance further down.
Remember KISS?