meanderings of thought on scrap and creative impulses.

As you have seen, I have that little project in mind, on paper, and slowly but surely, in three dimensions.

Here is most of the blank I need for casting the pistons. There is still some work to go but it is getting closer.



Here is the future blank for the connecting rods.


And here are the parts as shown on my drawing. Still have a lot of work to do before I can cast them. I am only making the one as I want all of my casts the same whether its one part or a dozen.



Since I don't always trust the maths, I even made a cardboard cut out engine (2 dimensions) and using push pins and a couple of letter tabs, checked to see that my measurements would be true and not have any interference of Crank and piston skirts or Connecting rods and Cylinder walls. At the highest points in the cycle, there is still 1/16" clearance to the skirts and walls: I'm good. Of course, this also is dependent upon good castings coming out of my 'foundry'. I think I may even splurge and get the degas tablets as a little insurance policy for that. If I do, that will be the only thing that I will have purchased in this whole escapade. Seriously, literally every piece is either scrap metal, or a tidbit I have laying around. I seem to remember reading that a pair of inventors back in the early 1900's , created a carburetor for their little machine out of a tomato soup can. I used to wonder how in the hell they could have done that. Now, I know. While I may not know all of the details of that, or if its even true (though I don't doubt it any longer) I do know this: If a person is determined enough, there is nothing beyond their own imagination.(short of the laws of physics) Tools aren't even all that much in the way of that, as a person can make whatever they can imagine if given time and bullheaded determination (as David Gingery has shown many a person) Hell, I rig up at least one tool for every project I do. Just something to 'get the job done'. Sometimes its a copy of something that has already been invented (like the tool for tightening the bands on CV axles. Made one when I needed one) or scrapping together a new cutter because the ones I have aren't 'cutting it'. *pun intended* Like the saying goes, if in doubt, get a bigger hammer. In this case, the hammer is my imagination.


Now, off topic. I am not going to bring up the mess in Japan, I figure there are more than enough others doing just that. Maybe later in the week, I will put in my two cents on how I think it is going to effect the future here, but, to be honest, there ain't shit I can do about it. I feel for those that are suffering for it. Then again, I feel for those of us here suffering through a Societal decline too. Matters not if its a Tsunami, flood, terrorist attack, Hurricane, or Tornado; Shit happens, you survive (or not) and move on. Never forget, but don't let it control you anymore than possible. More on that later though.