tom_c

on a slightly different note, has anyone recently tried to get up the upper Trent towards Burton? it would make an interesting alternative to the bottom end of the T&M Tom

Yes, I have welded quite a few old mainly Kelvin cylinders and heads. there is a mig wire available from America for cast iron but the cost is quite high. Tom

I would offer to move it but one of my blocks currently looks like this Tom

At least you managed to get something out of them, I've been after an F block for nearly 2 years, they think they've got one somewhere.... Tom

I am fitting a big petrol paraffin engine in place of a diesel, I suppose it could be seen as helping the environment! It is green too. Tom

Some photos of the second cylinder block, thanks to Billh for donating this block Hopefully more to follow if I get any time to work on it! Tom

this sounds like a very early engine, Do you have any photos? It may pre date WW, does it have a normal HT magneto? Tom

Here is another photo of Joel in action, Nottingham in the 90's Tom

If only the side lock at Beeston was still in use, they could have just gone around the weir then! Tom

That would have been at Foxton, she used to do the same whenever we took a pair of boats through too. the current lot of retards volunteers are completely different and in need of some training in how to deal with paying customers, it's almost worth not going that way to avoid dealing with them. Tom

More paint, and a glow plug to vaporise paraffin when the vaporisers are cold Just need to fit it to an engine to try it now, hopefully the F2 will be back together in the next couple of weeks.

I spoke to willie earlier in the year, but he only really has poppet valve spares not ricardo ( e,f and g) I was trying to source a block for a 6 HP paraffin engine then. Tom

Unfortunately Phil doesn't usually have any of the petrol paraffin spares, he concentrates on the diesels. Tom

First cylinder block almost ready for paint First water pump freed up and ready for stripping down Another dead cylinder block

Today's repair to a cylinder block after removal of corrosion from water jacket

I suppose its no worse than the average boater with a petrol generator, the Kelvin will mostly run on paraffin, only using a small amount of petrol to start, there will however be no gas on this boat .Tom

More corrosion removed from the good cylinder block, now ready for welding back together and a pair of painted cylinder heads

The welding is done with a DC inverter welder using nickel rods and some pre and post heat, I have found only welding small sections is best then allowing a long time to cool naturally works best. I think we have spare camshaft bearings somewhere but I'll let you know if I need them thanks. Strangely the camshaft turns freely with no tightness anywhere. I think I'm going to have to try to find a block unfortunately, although I have started drawing a fabricated one if none are available Tom

I discovered some damage today while stripping down a cylinder block How did the solid head gasket go Bill?

One of this lunchtimes repairs to a cylinder head

More cracks found, including through into cylinder, still looking for another block but in the meantime all cracks are being welded up and will try to source a liner to fit later as a spare.

I did ask them, they weren't too hopeful! Tom

I think this is the worst of the useable blocks that we have, I am trying to find a better one but there aren't that many of them left. Tom

A couple more photos of the worst cylinder block