Complete novice from Wellington, New Zealand

Hi all,

I've spent the last couple of months reading through many of the build threads on this forum and getting psyched up to dive into my first engine project. I only have minimal equipment so will be starting out with one of the simplest projects I can - the Boll Aero 18. A 1.8cc diesel aero engine.

I have a Myford Super 7 lathe with a decent number of accessories, and a budget drilling machine. The plan is to get a milling machine eventually, but for the first couple of builds I am going to try and get by with the vertical slide on the lathe for any milling required. I am also planning to build a milling spindle to use on the lathe so I can use the main spindle as an indexing head.

I'll be starting my build thread for the Boll Aero shortly. I'm just finishing off a couple of tools before I get up the courage to dive in.

Cheers,
James Fitzsimons

Welcome to the nuthouse!! A lot of engines have been built with just the
equipment you have and some even less.

We do indeed want to see your efforts, so lots of pics!!

wEc1

Pete

And please put your location, and any other info you might want to share, in your
profile so it will be seen every time you post.

Looking forward to this build. You have the tools and lots of great advice from HMEM so should be a great build.

Hi James, are you aware that we have a Model Engineering Society in Wellington? (http://hvmes.com/)
Hutt Valley Model Engineering Society meets every Month in Petone and is full of like-minded people with interests ranging from Clocks, CNC, Electronics, Live Steam and more. Get in touch with me via imagineeringnz at gmail.com. I'm on the Committee of the Society.

Murray.

Hi James,

BollAero Diesel Engine has got some very unforgiving fits. Cylinder bore was be precision bored, honed, and lapped and the piston too.The contra piston is another unforgiving part. Engine runs on the high compression ratio. The inlet and exhaust port position must be marked and cut as per drawing. Any deviation means inlet and exhaust timing goes out.You may have to use a Digital Height Gage to mark same ports. The crankshaft must honed/lapped. The crankshaft bearing bush must hone to fit crankshaft to give good running seal. I compromised with all these unforgiving fits. I did better with the FireFly but only got some false starts but engine won't run. May have compromised the inlet and exhaust port timing .Some time later I plan to redo the BollAero and Firefly. The Webster, Rupnow Hit&Miss and the Nemett-Lynx were the first three----4 stroke engines that I successfully built and run.My latest build is the Howell V-2 which is very challenging with too many parts and not meant for a beginner. Paul Swift is building the Howell V-4 and Gus the Howell V-2.
No worry. The HMEM Folks will help.

Hi Murray,

Sent you a PM.

Cheers,
James

Hi Gus,

Thanks for your reply - I've literally just finished reading Swiftys Howell V4 and Nemett-Lynx threads, and I'm half way through your V2 thread

Thanks for the warning about the challenges with the Boll Aero. I plan to take my time and if nothing else I will learn a bunch of new skills! The thing that appeals about this engine is the low part count. I'm keen to start with something that I stand a chance of finishing as I don't have a huge amount of spare time (young family, job etc...).

The Nemett-Lynx looks like a great engine, and I actually brought the Best of Model Engineer Volume 3 to get the drawings and build article, but it looks way to advanced for me just yet.

Cheers,
James

Hi James,

Every failure/goof/obstacle means experience gained. Doing a rework or a replacement part would be having gained experience from the scrap parts and would make a good part. I did have quite a few goofs on the Nemett-Lynx. Making our own piston rings was fun. Boring bearing cover to fit ball bearing is another challenge. Beware of the last cut.
Take frequent tea and pee breaks.
Take Care to enjoy engine building.

James -

Welcome to HMEM!

I was visiting the site this evening to add to my thread about building the Silver Bullet when I saw your posting, which lead me into a pleasant diversion about diesels and NZ.

I've built two model airplane diesel engines, and I agree with the comments that others have posted. I am an intermediate amateur machinist, and I find diesels are challenging. I don't have any experience with the Boll Aero engine, but I have glanced at the drawings. I now know I couldn't have successfully completed it when I was a beginner, but with two others under my belt I'd now give it a try. My first attempt at a diesel was about fifteen years ago with the Mate Diesel, which had good step-by-step instructions. Despite that, I was unable to hone the piston and cylinder sufficiently well to get it to run. I set it aside. About 5 years ago, I began the MLA Diesel engine. This, too, has step-by-step instructions. It has different lapping technique, which worked much better for me. This engine was designed for machining with a lathe, and that's how the instructions are written. The contrapiston is much simpler since it uses a viton o-ring. You can follow my construction thread to see photos of my process and videos of it running.
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/showthread.php?t=10160

After learning how to lap the piston and cylinder, I went back and corrected my mistakes on the Mate Diesel. It runs now, too.

Here's the link for the MLA Diesel and other accessories.
http://www.statecollegecentral.com/metallathe/MLA-17.html

I have no ties with the designer, Andy Lofquist, but after swapping emails with him, and one phone call, I do consider him a friend. He has been very helpful, and I feel he will also provide help to others.

As it turns out, I will be vacationing in NZ in December, renting a sleeping van to explore the North Island for 3 weeks. My itinerary will be flexible with an eye toward the weather and a hunch to visit the Northland first, so I don't know yet when I will be in the Wellington area, but if you think it would be fun to get together, send me a personal message. If you decide to buy the MLA Diesel kit, but encounter any shipping problems, maybe I can help.

Murray's post about the Hutt Valley Model Engineering Society gives me an interest in heading south first to make it to their meeting on 2 December. Maybe we could meet there. Their website led to a number of technical museums that I had not been aware of, and have now added to my list of attractions in NZ. Thanks, Murrary!

Bob
Salt Lake City

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your reply - i've added your MLA build thread to my reading list!

I have read a bit about lapping and honing the pistons and cylinders. This thread on buildng a 5cc Super Tigre covers it pretty well including how to make the lapping tool.

I'll just take my time, probably make everything three times and hopefully learn something along the way

I'm planning to go to the Hutt Valley Model Engineering Society meeting on the 2nd of December as I can't make the November meeting, so I may well see you there if you do make it along.

Cheers,
James

Well, the adventure begins!

I wonder how many times I'm going to have to remake each part