Nova

Advert

New Replies

Report Bug

Help/FAQs

Nova

This topic has 14 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 25 June 2010 at 16:41 by Peter Gain.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

Author

Posts
25 January 2010 at 22:43 #47855
Sub Mandrel
Participant
@submandrel
That”s a really nice photo-set Ramon, and a very well a made engine at the end.
Advert

25 January 2010 at 22:43 #2257
Sub Mandrel
Participant
@submandrel
26 January 2010 at 21:56 #47900
Ramon Wilson
Participant
@ramonwilson3
Thanks for your kind comments Neil, I thought perhaps I might have overdone the photo bit but I’m glad someone has enjoyed them.

Ramon.
20 February 2010 at 09:33 #48897
eric mills
Participant
@ericmills55901
Thankyou ramon,

I keep coming back to have a good look at your photos. Awesome work. Well done!

I just love this stuff.
20 February 2010 at 10:25 #48898
NJH
Participant
@njh
Hi Ramon

This is a really clear and interesting photo journal of your project and you have certainly not overdone the pictures. What’s the next challenge and can we be involved with pictures as it progresses?

Great work
20 February 2010 at 12:19 #48905
Circlip
Participant
@circlip
“Don’t you just love the smell of burnt Castor first thing in the Mornin”?? AND on yer ‘ands for a few days later.

Regards Ian
20 February 2010 at 21:49 #48946
Ramon Wilson
Participant
@ramonwilson3
Hi Ian,………ab-so-lutely.

Despite the open door the workshop had a very pleasant ‘diesely’ smell for a couple of days and the rag in the box the Nova lives in still does!

Thanks for your kind comments Eric and NJH. I’m taking quite a few of the current work – a 5cc diesel based on the ED2.46 Racer – and will post some after the first stage is successfully completed. I don’t want to over do it though.

Taking pics as you go is a good way of keeping a record of events – so easy with a digital camera. It certainly beats making notes which is what I used to do.

Thanks again – Ramon
21 June 2010 at 10:09 #52804
Richard Parsons
Participant
@richardparsons61721
It is interesting that the blue prints were for this engine published in 1946. When I can find it, I have a copy of Model Engineer dating from 1948 in which there is the beginning of a construction series for a twin cylinder CI engine complete with dimensions.

I have a grump that is I cannot tell how big this engine is as the author gives NO dimensions at all. Even words like drill and ream 6.5mm or what ever would be helpful..

If the editor of ME would like it I will copy the article and send it to him (when I can drop my hook on it).
21 June 2010 at 13:51 #52810
Ramon Wilson
Participant
@ramonwilson3
Richard, that is a very interesting and thought provoking comment.

You are perfectly correct and in hindsight I can see my reasoning was perhaps a little flawed. The article (and I assume it is that in ME that you are refering too and not the other thread) was intended to be much more an account of how the project was accomplished rather than from a constructional point of view but not to have stated its capacity and bore and stroke is definitely a senior moment! I will see if it is not too late to be ammended. FYI however it is 16.0 bore X 22.0 stroke giving a capacity of 4.5cc.

The reason the drawings were not sent with the article was because of concern over possible copyright. ‘Model Aircraf’t’ magazine was published at the time by I believe Percival Marshall – now long gone of course but which may now be however part of some corporation.

There are other drawings of this engine available. The editor tells me only yesterday that he has just purchased a set off ebay. The ‘Model Engine News’ web site produce a ‘book’ of plans on CD which also includes the Nova along with some excellent other small I/C projects.

I hope that this helps resolve your disappointment – rest asured your comments will be taken on board for anything in the future.

Regards – Ramon
22 June 2010 at 17:14 #52846
Richard Parsons
Participant
@richardparsons61721
Raymond I am looking for the copy of Model Engineer for 1947 – I cannot remember but i think it was by Edgar T Westbury
23 June 2010 at 14:55 #52865
Richard Parsons
Participant
@richardparsons61721
I have found them. I have four (or rather 3 and a bit) ancient copies of Model Engineer. 1 is from 1947, 2 from 1947 and part of one from sometime in the war. The bit from the war time shows how to build a chassis which links a S.T. Sirius/Sun to one of several motor bicycle dynamos. These were used by the Resistance to charge their radio batteries.

How ever I got the date of the Twin cylinder CI engine wrong. It is in ‘The Model Engineer’ Vol 100 No 2507 of Thursday 9 June 1947 (price 9 whole real pennies). The column by Edgar T Westbury called ‘Petrol Engine Topics’. In it his opening gambit is a rebuttal of criticism for calling his column by this name. 2 out of his 4 ?quarto pages he rebukes his critics etc. He also talks about the original Swiss “Dyno” which was described in ‘The Model Engineer’ of the 15^th November 1945. It would be interesting to read this if a copy of it still exists.

The engine is his 2.5cc “Ladybird 2”. He also reports that CI engines with a cylinder size of much over 1.25cc are too large and says that “single cylinder engines of over 5cc to be somewhat rough running and inefficient”.

This article which is mainly one of admonition contains the LGA drawing, a group of sectional drawings and a picture of the die castings for the main body of the engine. There is probably enough there to be able to reconstruct the original engine if it rest of the articles have been lost.

Edgar also says that “Ladybird 2” has been under development for nearly a year. That it would have been started in 1948. The name ‘Ladybird 2’ also suggests that there was another earlier Ladybird engine probably written up in late 1947 or 1948.

The second copy from 1949 Vol 100 No 2506 (1 week before) Edgar T Westbury is describing a Utility Steam engine called Spartan. So at that time he was very prolific.

Due to a bug I cannot upload a picture (JPG) to tan album!

Best Regards

Dick Parsons
23 June 2010 at 20:19 #52868
Sub Mandrel
Participant
@submandrel
Edgar T. Westbury was one of a kind.

I have a 1950’s ME in which ETW reviews small engine design. He mentions Ladybird as one ‘with which few constructors seem to have met much success’ (I paraphrase).

Dare I say it, but I find his articles the best of all I have read in MEW; he is more eloquent than LBSC, but shared his ability to explain machining operations in a way appealing to beginner and old hand with an economy of words that you don’t find today. His projects were much more for the ‘ordinary’ model engineer than, say George Thomas, and he had a huge breadth of subject matter compared to most writers – stationary steam engines scale and innovative power plants meant to work for a living, IC engines and worshop tools and not least the petrol engined `1838′ loco. He also wrote aboput others work generously and well – one article describes a lengthy tour of Ireland he made, visiting modellers and their workshops and seeing their models. I’d like to see a full list of his pen-names and articles.

I’ve only made his simple dividing head and Trojan (a small 4-column slip eccentric steam engine), but learnt much from his writings.

Apparently he died fairly young, so whio knows what we have missed out on.

Neil
24 June 2010 at 06:36 #52876
Richard Parsons
Participant
@richardparsons61721
I did a quick Google on the Swiss Dyno engine and amongst the things I found was this site http://modelenginenews.org/ed.2005.02.html#1 which lead (amongst other things) to this site http://modelenginenews.org/mbi/dyno_1.jpg . All my poking about seems to show that the Swiss Klemenz-Schnek Dyno was first on sale in 1946. An earlier engine, again of Swiss origin, was the “Etha”.

I am not surprised that people had problems with Edgar T Westbury’s Ladybird 2. The centre bearing must have been a nightmare to make and get gas tight. The reason he made in the way he did was to allow himself to get the end bearings properly lined up.
24 June 2010 at 06:50 #52877
Sam Stones
Participant
@samstones42903
I seem to remember someone years ago, suggesting that Edgar T Westbury’s initials (ETW), stood for Engines That Work.

Sam
25 June 2010 at 16:41 #52930
Peter Gain
Participant
@petergain89847
Edgar Westbury did not die young. Quite the opposite, I recall hearing him lecture at Sutton c1975(?) he was then quite elderly, but very approachable & willing to share his vast knowledge. ETW’s booklet “Atom Minor III” is an excellent publication, I would go so far as to say a definite “must read” for all ICE beginners. As Neil writes, he was a very good auther. No doubt a member of the Sutton (Surrey) club can be more specific about his age.

Peter Gain.
Author

Posts