User Profile

[brian Rupnow]

I haven't made another piston. I think the only way I could use a toolpost grinder to finish the final outer diameter is to do it without ever removing...

[brian Rupnow]

The only issue I have with grinding the outside diameter of the piston, is that once the piston stock has been removed from my lathes 3 jaw chuck, it...

[brian Rupnow]

I asked this question because I want to bring a cast iron piston down to just a couple of tenths under the bore of a cylinder. I created a split external...

[brian Rupnow]

Thank you Sid--I will try that the next time I make rings.---Brian

[brian Rupnow]

It will be -27C here tomorrow night. Daytime temperatures are around -10C and we have about a foot of snow on the ground. It has actually been quite a...

[brian Rupnow]

Sparky--I don't know what it is. I don't use borax nor any other compound. I set it in the heat treat oven clean as a whistle, and whatever that is on...

[brian Rupnow]

This is the rings after removal from the heat treat fixture. They will still require a bit of clean up, but they are essentially finished. Note that each...

[brian Rupnow]

This is a picture of the rings on the heat treat fixture after 4 hours at 1100 degrees. The fixture and the rings look like crispy critters, but some...

[brian Rupnow]

The rings have been fully deburred and taken down to the correct thickness. They have been split using a very sharp cold chisel, then the ends have been...

[brian Rupnow]

So, as of this morning I have parted off 13 cast iron rings from my new stick of iron from Wisconsin. The o.d. is equal to the bore of my cylinder. The...

[brian Rupnow]

Yes, I know that Paul. When I part these rings off from the parent stock, there are a few things to consider. First, I know the ring thickness I want....

[brian Rupnow]

Okay--I'm going to run with what I got. The new cast iron piston is marginally smaller than I had intended, but it is still within the recommended 0.002"...

[brian Rupnow]

Thank you Toolguy.

[brian Rupnow]

Oxford--I've measured so many things so many times that I have gone mad. Yes, I do measure with a micrometer when I am sneaking up on a specific diameter....

[brian Rupnow]

My old father in law was a farmer and he developed a really bad heart. His feet used to almost freeze when he was down in the barn doing chores. We bought...

[brian Rupnow]

The only rings I had left from the first batch are on the aluminum piston. These rings don't survive very well when you remove them from one piston to...

[brian Rupnow]

Things didn't go the way I had it planned. My plan was to turn the new piston to about 0.880" diameter, and then use my external lap to bring it...

[brian Rupnow]

Meet the new piston--Looks an awful lot like the old piston. However, it's made of cast iron, not aluminum, and it's 0.003" larger in diameter than...

[brian Rupnow]

A bit of explanation now, on what I've been doing. I was very surprised when the engine didn't want to run with the new cast iron rings I made for it....

[brian Rupnow]

Luthor--I really do read the comments. I posted this question on three forums and have a very wide range of answers. I post a lot on this forum, and really...