What did you do today?

[eKretz]

[QUOTE=I make chips;n2021436]

I bought a 120cc demo saw for cheap. Then tore it apart looking for the reason it was so cheap... Found it!

Not a bad fix. $100 for a new cylinder and piston. And you won't forget the two stroke mix like the last guy did.

Yeah, just wondering what brand to get - OEM didn't seem to be available, discontinued. Going to try to salvage the cylinder and just get a piston, rod bearing and rings, but not sure if it's going to be possible yet. It looks pretty rough on the exhaust side, but everywhere else looks great. Once I get the aluminum out I'll be able to tell if the Nikasil on that side is still okay or not. And it could have been run low on oil or just too lean on the top end. This one actually has a high end mixture screw.

[I make chips]

^ I'll assume yours is chrome bore. Any chip in the chrome will spread as it was so overheated that the aluminum expanded significantly and the plating loses it's ''tooth' into the aluminum. It'll then trash your new piston and rings.

I've done a few of those Hiway piston and cylinder kits and none have come back. (be sure of the ring end gap, they usually are too tight). I tell them to get it started and just let it idle through half a tank of gas. Then do the heat soak. Warm it up, shut it off till it's cold. Then use it lightly with short bursts at full power. I'm sure these China kits are made in several factories so it's a crap shoot as to which are good and otherwise.

edit:
Put a bunch of gas/oil mix in the crankcase and turn the engine over many turns. Blow it out with air to flush out any aluminum bits that might be in the bearings.

[eKretz]

^ I'll assume yours is chrome bore. Any chip in the chrome will spread as it was so overheated that the aluminum expanded significantly and the plating loses it's ''tooth' into the aluminum. It'll then trash your new piston and rings.

I've done a few of those Hiway piston and cylinder kits and none have come back. (be sure of the ring end gap, they usually are too tight). I tell them to get it started and just let it idle through half a tank of gas. Then do the heat soak. Warm it up, shut it off till it's cold. Then use it lightly with short bursts at full power. I'm sure these China kits are made in several factories so it's a crap shoot as to which are good and otherwise.

edit:
Put a bunch of gas/oil mix in the crankcase and turn the engine over many turns. Blow it out with air to flush out any aluminum bits that might be in the bearings.

That is exactly what I was planning to do (flush crankcase). I think the bottom end is okay, it still turns smooth with no gritty feel and there's very little side to side wobble of the rod. Might as well give it a shot. Thanks for the anecdotal info on Hiway. I saw that brand while looking but I haven't rebuilt anything in quite a number of years, all of these import manufacturers are unfamiliar to me. I rebuilt a large number of dirtbike engines, but those were quite some time ago. I always used Wiseco pistons and OEM cylinders for those, bored and honed if necessary.

[Willy]

That is exactly what I was planning to do (flush crankcase). I think the bottom end is okay, it still turns smooth with no gritty feel and there's very little side to side wobble of the rod. Might as well give it a shot. Thanks for the anecdotal info on Hiway. I saw that brand while looking but I haven't rebuilt anything in quite a number of years, all of these import manufacturers are unfamiliar to me. I rebuilt a large number of dirtbike engines, but those were quite some time ago. I always used Wiseco pistons and OEM cylinders for those, bored and honed if necessary.

I've had very good success with the Highway piston/cylinder kits, I always get the Nikasil plated cylinders rather than the chrome.One way to tell the difference or to see if the plating is gone is to use a strong magnet to detect it's presence. Nikasil will display a slightly magnetic attraction while a bare aluminum cylinder or a chromed bore will not.

Cheap insurance to do both cylinder and piston at the same time while in there, you can bet that liner has been compromised. And yes good thought on flushing out the crankcase, that gray aluminum slime can be very abrasive due to the silicon content of some alloys.
Have done a ton of commercial power saws over the last decade or two with both Highway and Meteor kits, I believe the Highway cylinders are made in Taiwan and the Meteor, which I finder a step up in quality, are made in Italy.
Slightly higher cost for the Meteor kits but have no issue with either one when good assembly practices are followed.
Either way is good but run, don't walk away, from the rest of the garbage from mainland China. Not saying everyone is bad but the issues is that everyone and their dog pumps them out and quality has always been suspect from my experience. Not saying you can't get lucky but then I'm not a gambler.

Nice little project and still a good deal including the fix.
I always tell my saw guys to run them a little on the fat side for jetting at first and to run them with a quality 40:1 mix for 3-4 tankfuls because these guys run them hard all day.
Also on a demo saw make real sure that every bit of air going into that engine is filtered since unlike a chainsaw the dust is always very abrasive.

[eKretz]

Thanks guys. And yeah the demo saws have a double filter setup with two completely separate air chambers. First stage is an oiled foam filter like a dirtbike.

[ChazzC]

Bought some new kitchen knives at the weekend. Went for the one-piece stainless steel variety as then they can go in the dishwasher - unlike the wooden handled variety. Sale's just going through and the guy tells us we can't put them in the dishwasher. Concerned - since that was part of the point - I asked why. "Oh, the heat of the dishwasher blunts the steel." Really?! At 55°C? What, so carving a freshly cooked roast chicken would be too hot for the knives?! You'll be unsurprised to hear that the first one came out the dishwasher today and shows no sign of the temper being affected nor the sharpness.

Quality SS flatware should stand up to the dishwasher; however, you should never put chef’s cutlery in the dishwasher: it will get knocked around which will blunt the cutting edge and the detergent isn’t good for sharp edges (thin material is more easily affected by chemicals).

[Cenedd]

ChazC I hear you, and I'm not in any way saying that you're wrong but....let's just say that if any of my clothes say ridiculous things like "Hand wash only" and then don't survive being shoved through the machine, well they just weren't meant to be. Same for flat blade screwdrivers that say they mustn't be used for opening paint tins; we both know there's a proper tool for it but also that it'll have vanished the one time a year you actually need it. Besides, there are far more immediate dangers to it retaining its sharp edge...but apparently my vows prevent me from elaborating

[reggie_obe]

Quality SS flatware should stand up to the dishwasher; however, you should never put chef’s cutlery in the dishwasher: it will get knocked around which will blunt the cutting edge and the detergent isn’t good for sharp edges (thin material is more easily affected by chemicals).

Agree, why would good knives need to go in the dishwasher. No restaurant kitchen does that.

[ChazzC]

Besides, there are far more immediate dangers to it retaining its sharp edge...but apparently my vows prevent me from elaborating

I think you may be referring to the reason I have two sets of Chef's Knives: one for my use and the other for, well, you know.

[RB211]

I was discharged from the hospital, went to the ER Saturday morning thinking I was dehydrated, turned out I had Sepsis.

[Cenedd]

RB211 That sucks. Hope you are feeling better - or will be soon. Fact you're posting is a good sign!

[eKretz]

Finished up another one of those Ampco valve parts.

[Willy]

Nice! Freshly machined parts are always eye candy for me.
Hard to get a scale of reference as to size.
What are these valves for?

[eKretz]

OAL is 6 5/16" and bore sizes L to R are 1.000" , 0.828" and 1.250" - these are some sort of connecting link inside a fuel gas valve.

[I make chips]

Finished some water cooled heat sinks. These are for power transistors on a radio transmitter.