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I enjoyed reading your thread, it's interesting to see the hidden workings of these Far Eastern machines. I purchased this Chinese made 13x30 geared head lathe new in 2004, not quite the same as yours and Kieth Fenners machines. This type of lathe was also produced in Taiwan, but they were a...

Here is the ignition kit I bought with the intention of using it on the Red Wing engine. The supplier that produced it claims it will run the engine for at least a couple of hours before the batteries need replacing. I thought I would try this type as it is much smaller than the available...

Here is the Red Wing engine kit I bought a few years ago. I am still working on it every now and then and I really should get a move on and get it finished. While I was at the recent Model Engineering Show at Harrogate I purchased a relatively compact Ignition Kit. It is powered by two AAA...

Hi Paul. Looking back all those years ago when that first engine was made, I did manage to get some things right first time. Even with the inlet port already cut into one side of the hollow shaft it remained straight after hardening, I hadn't thought much of it until ixb1 asked about it, a...

Hello ixb1. The 1/2 inch diameter silver steel bar I used for the crank main shaft was the oil hardening type, if I remember correctly. It is produced with a good precision ground finish, so was fully machined and threaded first, but with the outer bearing surface left as supplied except for...

I assumed the crank was from a casting, maybe it was made from steel flat bar and that's the surface finish that remains on the webs. I reread the posts more carefully and it does actually say "cut from the solid" although the surface finish left is a little unusual for steel flat bar.

That's a very nicely made crankshaft, I like the way the webs have been left as cast, just as on full size engines. I also recently machined a crank from a solid casting for the first time, it's for the 1/4 scale Red Wing engine, and thankfully it turned out ok at the first attempt. I...

Hello. A miniature two stroke triple! A great idea, and one of the many projects I have planned to do but still haven't managed to make a start on. During my motorcycling years throughout the 1980's I used to ride a Kawasaki KH 250 triple. A wonderful bike with an engine that is a work of art...

Hello Brian. A very interesting thread. I have long been fascinated with gear pumps, and it's been one of those projects I planned to have a go at one day. So this may spur me on to finally have a go, just as your bicycle dynamo project did. I wonder, can you feel even the slightest pressure...

A few views of the loosely assembled engine, with a 50p coin to give an idea of its size, though that might not mean much to everybody. It is a heavy lump, and so it is a good job it was not made with the intention of flying, as I am sure it would drop like a brick. The Carb and silencer I...

The crank case was machined from solid and uses long through studs to secure the head and barrel. The long crank bush can just be seen sticking out slightly. The simple cylinder head is spigotted into the cylinder.

The top of the cast iron liner has a wide lip. The long studs that secure the head and barrel pass through the lip of the liner slightly to ensure it does not rotate. The barrel is a shrink fit on the liner which also ensures a good heat path for cooling. There is a single exhaust port and two...

The 1/4 diameter floating gudgeon pin is retained by two bronze plugs. An unbushed aluminium alloy rod was made from flat bar. The built up crank uses a 1/2 diameter hardened silver steel shaft. the crankpin is a shortened 1/4 diameter needle roller. The heafty crank web is mild steel.

Around 25 years ago I designed and built this rotary induction valve engine. it is loosely based on the common small engines used in R.C. aircraft and other models. The carb and silencer are O.S. and Ervine items, but I made everything else. It has a one inch bore and stroke using an aluminium...

Hello. Your saw gearbox seems quite clean. Mine contained a foul thick paste like goo with traces of sand. Mine also had a badly formed washer with an oversize centre hole fitted under the bolt that holds on the bronze worm wheel. The reason I extended the adjusting slot in the blade guide...

Hello Hacklordsniper. Thanks for the photos, the lathe looks great and I am oozing with envy. A nice sturdy, heavily built and well made machine. Its Colchester heritage is obvious. It's also good to see the proper efforts some Chinese manufacturers make to clean out gearbox castings before...

It's home at last! Very nice and I'm very envious. I see it has a guard to stop lubricant from being flung off the geartrain onto the drive belts, a neat touch. Does it have an adjustable counter weight at the rear of the headstock spindle to balance it, as some versions do, or is that a...

Hello Dennis and all. I have also recently been thinking of buying a new micro lathe to use in the comfort of the house, and it was either the Taig or Sherline I was considering. They both seem to be pretty equal in terms of quality and capability, and both have an enthusiastic group of users...

And thanks Brian for renewing my interest, otherwise that old dynamo would probably have sat under the bench untouched for many more years. Now to get the Red Wing finished while the inspiration is restored.

Glad I am not the only one who remembers these, I can now distinctly remember the clicking sound they made now you mentioned it, takes me right back. Since this thread stirred up my interest I have dismantled and rebuilt my Sturmey Archer Dynohub. All I can say is I am impressed with their...