Norman Lawrence’s Napier Dagger

[David HeskinParticipant @davidheskin91587]

http://modelengineeringwebsite.com/Napier_Dagger.html shows photographs of a model to rival the unbelievable work of Barrington Hares, Walshaw ‘etc.’ (where ‘etc.’ represents very few others on the same planet as we mere humans).

 

However, a major source of bafflement is how some components, namely what are castings in real life, are made.

 

As a good example, which I think should answer all questions, I’m attempting to contact Norman to ask how he machined and finished the engine block. I can easily understand how cylinders, pistons, cranks etc are created, but how on Earth do you go about machining and finishing (and to a perfect state of polish, no less) the complex shapes of an engine block, starting with a solid bar of ali/ali alloy and conventional machine tools (none of that CNC nonsense, thank you)??

 

Can anyone give an insight, please?

 

 

 

P.S. not sure what happened to the thread title – it should read: ‘Norman Lawrence’s Napier Dagger’. No idea how one edits such things.

Edited By David Heskin on 30/09/2011 09:44:55

Edited By David Heskin on 30/09/2011 09:45:16

[David HeskinParticipant @davidheskin91587]

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Thats a great bit of engineering, both the origional, and the model. may have missed something, but I can’t see what scale it is. Ian S C

[adyParticipant @ady]

I think I might go nuts if I tried to do that kind of thing manually, it’s an incredible achievement but I bet he didn’t have much fun making it.

It tends to take years of effort…and that’s after spending years acquiring the necessary skills.

 

A labour of love?

An obsession?

 

Whatever it is I would be genuinely surprised if he made a second one.

Gerald Smith only ever made one masterpiece, then focussed his amazing skills onto more efficient endeavors.

http://www.onthewire.co.uk/smith.htm

 

The time taken to make these almost unique masterpieces means that you even have to factor your own mortality into the equation.

The time consumed, which is literally years, also removes you from doing other work like prototype work or an entire collection of simpler masterpieces.

Edited By ady on 30/09/2011 12:21:20

[adyParticipant @ady]

Painters who painted masterpieces often had a small group of apprentices under them who could do various sections of a painting until the serious stuff was needing done and then the boss stepped in.

 

Master Modellers don’t have this luxury, they do it all themselves.

[David HeskinParticipant @davidheskin91587]

Another link I’ve found:

http://www.brownbearmotors.nl/photo/showimg.php?file=/Bijzonder/pict0001.jpg

 

An arguably better view of the block.

 

 

So, you bolt a big lump of ali onto your milling machine, fit a ball-ended cutter and then…

 

Can anyone continue the sequence, up to the stage shown in the link?

.

.

Edited By David Heskin on 30/09/2011 14:09:44

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Ian, I read that the scale of the Napier Dagger is 1/3 scale.

It is by all accounts a magnificent piece of work and I would like to see it run.

 

Clive

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Clive, you and me both, thanks for the info on the scale, nobodies going to put that in their pocket and walk away. Ian S C

[maurice bennieParticipant @mauricebennie99556]

[maurice bennieParticipant @mauricebennie99556]

I used to believe that “seeing is believing” I no longer believe.What a magnificent piece of work .Hope to see it at Sandown.

[Author]

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