E: Engine Comet Mongrel

[Magnetoman]

Time to create a new thread for your "Tool Talk" guys.

if someone in 2 years time wants to learn about tube notching a thread called 'Comet Mongrel' is not the first place to look

Much as it pains me to write this, I have to agree with Cyborg. Over the course of 18 months on another forum I documented my complete rebuild of the 1928 Ariel I rode in last year's Cannonball.

If I hadn't included "off-topic" descriptions of my Magnaflux unit (forks), electroplating baths (Cu to increase the interference fit of a bearing), TIG welder (Stellite to fabricate push rods), lathe (coil winding to rebuild the oil pump), etc., the thread would be much the worse for it. I'll immodestly say that if anyone is contemplating the rebuild of an Ariel of that period they'd be hard pressed to find a better resource than that thread, in no small part because the discussions of tools in it makes it so comprehensive.

I'll suggest that not many people would even look on this site for information on tube notching. They'd look elsewhere. A tools thread all by itself might be interesting, but incorporating the tools within threads like Cyborg's is interesting.

That said, I'll admit that our digression into self-tapping units was just us having fun and has nothing whatever to do with the thread.

 

[Cyborg]

Does anyone else see the irony in this high jack discussion.?

Rather than silo a engine assembly thread into various other threads about related tools and equipment/ machining processes etc.. if the search function ( off on another track now) is the concern, why not have a standardized list of key words or operation numbers to be inserted by the OP or the Mod? Most of the Op #’s could be robbed from a motorcycle flat rate manual. That way the search function could find an article regardless of where it’s posted. I tried to find my Comet crankshaft thread the other day to look something up. It was titled Big End Replacement (I think). If it had a standardized operation number or key word inserted perhaps it would be easier to find for someone doing a general search on crankshaft repair, not that I recommend they follow my process. Not sure if this makes sense as I’m digitally challenged. Off to the shop now...

 

[BigEd]

Not trying to sound contrary, but don’t see the discussions regarding tools and equipment being at odds with the thread. My desire to rattle MM’s cage might cause me to wander off topic slightly, but to me tools, equipment, and using that equipment to make tools are pretty much intertwined with Vincent engines. As a result of this discussion I have turned an under-utilized mill into a hum dinger of a tube notcher. Granted I’m past the tube notching part of this exercise, but there was a fair amount of it and now future notching will be less painful. I’m looking forward to finishing this train wreck and moving on to a Lightning replica of sorts. Starting with a pair of NOS twin crankcases that right off the hop will need to be crammed into a milling machine. I can’t see getting through an engine assembly thread without numerous discussions/sidebars about tools and equipment. For me personally, seeing how folks make and utilize tools to assemble these engines is more interesting than the assembly of the engine itself... but then I get excited seeing how people use ingenuity to clamp things into a mill. The lapping/honing thing is still of great interest to me. Although I was able to (I believe) successfully lap the Comet’s new big end bearing to fit by using a setup that would cause Rube Goldberg swoon with envy, it is a subject that is again intertwined (or it should be) with Vincent engines. Taking an off the shelf C3 bearing and installing it in a case without the desired interference fit is questionable. I realize that not everyone has the opportunity to play with this stuff and that causes me some guilt. Not sure it should, but it does.
The A/F gauge thread also got a got a little esoteric or nebulous if you prefer, but I learned a lot from it. Any way...speaking of digressing

I have found this thread of yours very interesting as I'm sure many other people have. The amount of work you have done and sections of machine build you have addressed is impressive. As has been said before this forum is an absolute gold mine of information. Trying not to get too far of topic for too long makes it easier for people looking for something fairly specific. I'm trying to help not hinder. I actually posted something a bit off-topic myself in this thread. If that post of mine had spawned many more post off the original topic I would have started a new thread and move the related posts to the new thread. (It maybe sounds as if I'm trying to justify my post #574, I'm not and I shouldn't need to. I'm just trying to do a reasonable moderating task.) It is easy to start a new topic. If I wanted to find out more about hones or horizontal milling machines, or whatever I would be really pleased to find that someone had created a thread for that topic.