www.mikes-models.com blog

Work continued on the pair of patterns for the Seal engine. I am now at the stage of painting to get a good finish. To help me I use two different spray colours so I can see clearly the areas I am covering. This works well and after making a few more adjustments, seen because [...]

I have decided to make use of the fretsaw before putting it away after making a couple of wooden toys for my grandchild. I need to have two castings for the Seal that are handed different from the norm, allowing one engine to run in reverse, allowing contra-rotating propellers in the boat (Fairey Huntsman) being [...]

Not a lot of work this week in the workshop on the Seal engines due to working in part on some wooden toy’s for my new Grand child Freya (and I hate wood!). However it has given me time to reflect on the quality of work undertaken January last year and I have decided to [...]

Yesterday I managed to make the tappets for one engine (8 in all) and they are now awaiting my first attempt at case hardening. To speed up their production I made a tube out of stainless steel to fit over the slot drill I was using. The method worked fine and it didn’t take too [...]

Today I managed a session in the workshop and completed (other than cutting a screwdriver slot in the valve faces) the first set of 8 valves. Last night I thought I would change my plan and get something to revolve to spur me on! To that end I ma going to get the valve side [...]

I managed a short session today and managed to nearly complete the first engines 8 valves. There only remains 4 valves to be finished to overall size then cut a slot in each face. When these 8 are done I will then make the corresponding valve guides. I am undecided whether to follow this by [...]

// I thought I would share with you how I am making the valves for the Seal engine design by Edgar T Westbury. Sadly I am a ‘list man’ and after working through my first machining method list it was amended yet again in the light of experience. Having completed 5 now I believe I [...]

// Well today’s session I should have made at least 4 valves. In the end silly errors resulted in two being scrapped before finishing. On the plus side the work I did whilst laid down yesterday afternoon, in writing up an aide memoir for machining, worked well. I decided after completing the first valve proper, [...]

// Yesterday was a difficult day. I was really pleased with my first valve and took a lot of time over it! Yesterday I ruined it. Ok, it was always going to be a test piece to sort out the machining stages, but I had hoped it would survive after so many chances to ruin [...]