Kittiwake Major – A Bit of a Mystery!

[Robert Turner 1Participant @robertturner1]

NGK spark plugs with numbers starting with 'C' have a 10mm x 1 thread, those beginning with 'D' are 12mm. Lots of heat and length ratings are available for the 10mm, as they are used in many Honda motorbikes from 50 cc up. The D sizes are not so common, but can be found. Halfords sell them in the Motorcycle parts section ( at least they used to when I lived in the UK)

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Hi Neil,

If you go to my album you will find that I have scanned a bunch this morning, 2289 through to 2297 are in there. Now I will go back out to the collection and do a bit more sorting, who knows what might show up! Usually this sort of thing goes a bit slow because one gets distracted into reading other articles. I have a good fibre broadband connection so the upload time is quite small. Scanning is not as fast, but fast enough.

I think actually ETW was one of the finest contributors ME has ever had.

John

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by John Olsen on 25/05/2016 01:29:36:

Usually this sort of thing goes a bit slow because one gets distracted into reading other articles.

I think actually ETW was one of the finest contributors ME has ever had.

Thanks John,

I feeling less guilty about you doing all this if you are finding plenty of other things to enjoy reading as a result!

I 100% agree with you about ETW. People don't appreciate the range of his work because he used so many pen names: Kinemette, Artificer and Ned for a start.

For some reason 'worn out' evaporust is doing an excellent job on the castings, which now reveal themselves to be sand castings. The white deposits are coming off as a dusty cloud and the darker ones are then rubbing off with a scratchy or a nylon brush on the dremel for tight corners.

The steel parts have all come up usable, There is only one significant but small patch of pitting on the liner, and it's low down so I have ordered a hone to see what happens. It may not even be above the top piston ring so if that's the case and it doesn't cause wear it shouldn't cause problems. the upper 2/3 of the liner look grey but smooth now.

The brass ring on the entry to the venturi came up well too.

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 25/05/2016 09:22:40:

… the castings, which now reveal themselves to be sand castings.

.

That's a disappointment

I'm sure it will be an enjoyable build project for you; but it would have been a much more interesting story [historically & commercially] if they had really been the pressure die-castings that you first thought.

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Still, the old articles are full of good nuggets – not least an 'obvious' solution to the problem that has stalled my Suffolk engine.

Neil

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Hi Neil, Well, you now have all the ones I have been able to find. 2275 is not in the bound volume, and that volume has come unbound at that end so I don't know if it was in there and has fallen out, or if it was never in there. As I mentioned, some of them never made it out here. Might have to see if I can get a replacement, but there area few more loose magazines to check through first. I want to go through the whole collection and sort things out, since I have duplicates of 1980 to 2000 or so, and some other dupes among the earlier stuff. Maybe I can do some trading and fill in the ones I am missing from before 1940. The club in Auckland has the whole set from 1898 to present day, but I am now two hours drive from there so don't have such easy access anymore.

Some of the even number issues have articles by ETW on ignition, so if you feel like winding yourself an authentic 4oz coil I could scan those too. I would probably cheat and use one of the modern cdi units. I have one on a converted Saito 4 stroke in a vintage model and it goes very well.

I've also scanned you a letter about the Adept.

John

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Thanks John,

I have downloaded the lot, – I saw the lathe letter too!

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Wow! The CM6 plug is tiny!

N.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I haven't forgotten these castings, although the JL project is taking precedence!

I'm hoping to have a 3D printer soon, its first big job will be printing 400 scale track links, if that's a success I may consider using the Kittiwake and clutches instead of electrickery to power the resulting tank! Now that would be a fine thing!

Alternatively, I quite fancy an 'old style' hydroplane.

Neil

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I needed a small 10 mm spark plug, and asked for a CM 6, first place I went to offered me one at over $NZ30, or a CMR 6A at $NZ11, next place I went to I asked for a CMR 6A, and got it for $NZ6 . 30. The R stands for resistor, and this maybe helpful for those using electronic ignition.

Ian S C

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Hi Neil, I've gone through the pdf and scanned a few more files for you, they are in my album here with the others. I didn't look for some of the ones that are just exhibition photos as they don't usually add much extra info. I suppose the ones that tell you how to order plans won't be much use either!

Anyway, the library here is now much more ordered than it was. I do need to do some trading to fill in the gaps. I guess first I will have to come up with a full inventory.

regards

John

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Thanks John, taking a look now

eil

[Nigel RichardsonParticipant @nigelrichardson17991]

Hi

I don’t know if this thread is still going but I recently bought an unmachined casting kit that the seller thought was a Westbury Kittiwake. On studying the ME 1944 write up and drawings I noticed that my castings were a lot bigger and must be a kittiwake major. I don’t have drawings for this engine and was hoping that someone might be able to help?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

It seems from the thread that the Kittiwake Major and Kittihawk are one in the same, Drawing PE18 is for the Kittihawk and available from Sarik.

While on the subject of Westbury's designs if anyone has drawing for his Apex Minor, I'd be interested in them as there are not full details in ME Vol 91 & 92, though not sure if they were ever available.

Edited By JasonB on 19/07/2021 15:19:06

[Nigel RichardsonParticipant @nigelrichardson17991]

Thanks, I’ve talked to Sarik and the drawing is on it’s way to me, hopefully it will be the complete constructional drawings, it sounds like it is. I don’t want to mess these castings up.

[Author]

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