Dieter from Germany

[Richard Hed]

We had a big project with a German company years ago, and all the equipment drawings were in German.
We all had to buy English-German dictionaries in order to get the project done.
The German engineers that came over for meetings here were great to chat with, and very nice folks.

It is my understanding that for the technical folks in Germany, English as a second language is a must.

I considered learning German at one time, but my hearing is off these days, and so that makes it rather difficult to pick out some of the more subtle sounds.

Many words/phrases are very similar to English, so it is somewhat easy to figure out some German writing.

I admire anyone who speaks more than one language.

I had a cousin from Denmark who spoke at least 5 languages.
He said that if your country is surrounded by other countries with different languages, then if you want to travel in a practical way, you learn the languages of the countries around you. Makes sense, but seems like a bit of a challenge.

And my other fear of learning German is if I don't practice regularly, then I will forget it.

I have relatives in Denmark, and that language is totally out of the question for me to learn.
German I would try to learn.
Danish is too mushy, and I can't even pick out words.

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Yes, I FORCED my children to learn a language in every year of highschool. They didn't appreciate it. One of the teachers was awful. Now, however, my son has 7 languages and my daughter has forgotten everything. Naughty.

I might remind you that "German" is just another dialect of Danish! There are three major dialects in Germany and used to be many more minor ones. And of course, Swedish isn't far off either.

 

[GRAUBELE]

I might remind you that "German" is just another dialect of Danish! There are three major dialects in Germany and used to be many more minor ones. And of course, Swedish isn't far off either.

I see it a little differently.
Danish or Swedish, I don't understand a single word of them.
Therefore it cannot be just a dialect.
A dialect assumes that there are many similarities.
But it's not all that bad, Google and other AI will help us to understand each other.

Dieter

 

[Richard Hed]

I see it a little differently.
Danish or Swedish, I don't understand a single word of them.
Therefore it cannot be just a dialect.
A dialect assumes that there are many similarities.
But it's not all that bad, Google and other AI will help us to understand each other.

Dieter

That's odd. I see huge similarities to English in all cases, including German. I like to watch foreign movies as they are so different from 3/4 of American movies which have become stale and carbon copies of each other. So watching foreign movies provides a relief. Sebastian Koch is one of mhy favorite actors. I watch a lot of Asian movies too, mostly Korean but understand not a word except 'Hai'.

 

[ajoeiam]

Yes, I FORCED my children to learn a language in every year of highschool. They didn't appreciate it. One of the teachers was awful. Now, however, my son has 7 languages and my daughter has forgotten everything. Naughty.

I might remind you that "German" is just another dialect of Danish! There are three major dialects in Germany and used to be many more minor ones. And of course, Swedish isn't far off either.

You might just find the following page of some interest.

https://www.vox.com/2014/11/17/7082317/language-maps-charts

 

[ajoeiam]

That's odd. I see huge similarities to English in all cases, including German. I like to watch foreign movies as they are so different from 3/4 of American movies which have become stale and carbon copies of each other. So watching foreign movies provides a relief. Sebastian Koch is one of mhy favorite actors. I watch a lot of Asian movies too, mostly Korean but understand not a word except 'Hai'.

What - - - you don't remember that the present English crown is actually a descendant of the 'German George' (Actually the elector Georg from Hannover!)

 

[GreenTwin]

Pat, you're right.

By the way, the photo below was taken in 2007.
I was able to take part in a very exclusive event at the Mercedes Benz Classic Center in Stuttgart / Germany.
Among other things, I was also allowed to take a ride on the tricycle.
The driver and passenger (me) had a "press fit" on the seat......but the vehicle endured thanks to “made in Germany”.

Dieter

View attachment 154359

That is an iconic vehicle for sure.

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[GRAUBELE]

Here I have a link to a video about the short passenger trip with the motor vehicle.
Dieter

 

[GreenTwin]

That Benz car has a great look to it.
I would like to build one for no other reason than to ride it around at antique engine shows.

The other car I would like to build is a 1904/1905 Sears, which is basically a horse buggy with a flat twin opposed gas engine in it under the seat.

I have some photos somewhere; I will dig them out.

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[GRAUBELE]

Last week there was an opportunity to add another piece to my hobby toys.
A farm engine from 1921 of the type "AMANCO Hired Man",
manufactured by the company "Associated Manufacturers` Company LTD" from Waterloo, Iowa, U.S.A.
Yesterday I let him run for about an hour for the first time after taking over.
This is a toy for "men".

Bore 4"
Stroke 5"
Weight 385 lbs
Displacement 62,8 cubic inch (1029 ccm)

 

[GRAUBELE]

Yesterday we reopened the workshop in our vintage tractor club for the 2024 season.
We carried out a technical check on some engines.
Because the weather was without rain, we ran two engines for testing.
Of course my new acquisition, the AMANCO Hired Man and our largest engine,
the BEIJERS HP 20 hot bulb engine.
I just edited a short video and uploaded it to YouTube.



Dieter

 

[GreenTwin]

I translated the video captions; not sure how accurate this is:

Flywheel friends Bad Boll, workshop season starting 2024​

The club workshop of the "Flywheel friends Bad Boll" has reopened in 2024.

The first engines were subjected to a technical check and a test run for the beginning of the season 2024.

AMANCO Hired Man
Year of construction: 1921
Manufacturer: Associated Manufacturers’ Company LTD (Waterloo Ohio U.S.A.)

Bore: 4" (101.6 mm)
Stroke: 5" (127.0 mm)
Cubic capacity: 62,8 cubic inch (1,029 cc)
Horsepower: 2 1⁄4 HP (2 1⁄4 PS)
Fuel: Petrol (gasoline)
Ignition: Low voltage driving ignition (low voltage trigger ignition)

BEIJERS HP 20 Lighting head motor (2-stroke diesel)
Year of construction: 1934
Manufacturer: AKTIEBOLAGET BEIJERS MOTORFABRIK VIMMERBY
Engine No.: 1714
Cubic capacity: approximately 18.000 ccm (1.098 cubic inch)
Horsepower: 20 hp at 375 rpm

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[GreenTwin]

That hot bulb engine is awesome.
I really would like to build a vertical hot bulb engine.

I guess it is time to start looking for local engine shows for 2024.

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