Les--appreciate very much your compliment.

But any recognition should be to the entire team.  All of our projects were
very much a team effort.  The furnace brazed housings were no exception.
Everett and Doug Johnson @ Precision Castparts (they make a lot of GE jet
engine parts in that plant) came up with the original idea.  Doug consulted
with us and helped advise on process and source supplies such as vendors,
flux, etc. on his own time.  Everett did all the calculations and most of
the jigging and fluxing of parts for the steel housing project and all the
lapping.  Francis Romig, our master machinist,  usually did almost all our
machine work, even down to casting and turning lapping wheels to do the
housings.

Regarding the aluminum SuperLight you see in the photos, Doug also advised
us on all our castings projects with the aluminum housings and Francis did
most of the coordination with local foundry contractors.

Francis could translate take a concept to to machine a complex part with
precision tolerances with absolutely no drawings or often even a sketch.  He
was and is amazing.  And Everett had built a sports racing class car from
scratch in the early 1960's and learned basic foundry skills from doing the
aluminum and magnesium hub carriers/suspension uprights, wheels, etc.  So
that experience was invaluable on our rotary project.  The team also adopted
some other techniques along the way including the use of lost foam patterns
for castings on prototype or other components of limited number.  This even
included airframe parts such as the NACA annulus for the all-aluminum RV-3
cowl.  Francis turned the foam out on the lathe, did a casting with it;
finished turned the aluminum casting on the lathe and pounded out the
alumium using that piece as the buck.  Still have photos of some of that.

Thanks again Les.  This brings up a lot of bittersweet memories.  I'll pass
along your note to the surviving team members.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rotary Engine" <rotaryeng@earthlink.net>
To: "AAA Put this in the To box" <rotaryeng@earthlink.net>
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2008 10:58 PM
Subject: Superlight Questions

 > > Hello Steve,
 > >
 > > In the picture shown there are passages around the intake pipe. Could
 > > you comment on what those were for. Is that gear teeth surfaced item on
 > > the front a counterweight that also drives acessories? If so very
 > > clever. You talked about the coolant routing on a previous email but
 > > didnt get to specific. Could you comment more on the coolant path of
 > > that engine. I undersatnd that the entrance water hits the plug bosses
 > > but how does it axially flow to the exit. Is the centerhousing a
circum.
 > > flow design?
 > >
 > >
 > Rob Woods
 >
 >
 > Rob--my apologies for now getting back earlier to you with responses
to your
 > questions.
 >
 > 1. Passages around ports. What you see in the photo is machining
related to
 > installation of the throttle shafts and levers....with shafts, levers and
 > butterflies not yet installed.
 >
 > 2. Counterweight--nice deduction on your part. This one part machined
from
 > steel billet served several functions-- eccentric shaft counterweight,
 > starter ring gear, trigger wheel interruptor segments for the infared
 > electronic ignition modules and v-belt drive for accessories.
 >
 > 3. Coolant--cold water entered the spark plug cooling jet manifold and
 > flowed axially from center housing. If you don't have the other photos
 > showing the various water and oil hoses and routing, I can get them
to you.
 >
 > Steve Beckham
 >
 > Hello Steve,
 >
 > I have seen pics of the plates by themselves along with installed ones
 > in planes with the hoses going different directions. I guess I am
 > confused as to where the coolant goes after the plug bosses. Does it
 > come in the middle and then split off fore and aft axially through the
 > other housings and then back to the center housing and that brazed bung
 > I see.
 >
 > Also there has been much mention of your sheet metal housings. There was
 > discussions of getting some pics up some time ago but I haven't seen
 > them yet. Do you have those available? Also how much post machining wa
 > necessary with those housings after brazing? Did the creep at all in the
 > process? What material were they made out of and what was the brazign
 > brocess you used in terms of material and heat cycle?
 >
 > Rob Woods

  - - -  Slight thread hijack  - - -

Steve Beckham wrote:

"2. Counterweight--nice deduction on your part. This one part machined from
 steel billet served several functions-- eccentric shaft counterweight,
 starter ring gear, trigger wheel interruptor segments for the infared
 electronic ignition modules and v-belt drive for accessories."

Again, Steve, a work of art.  Ettore Bugatti would have approved.  Your
work should be part of a show in the Museum of Modern Art.

No.  I am not kidding.

Les Nordman

   - - -  Slight thread hijack over.  You may now continue with your
regularly scheduled posting - - -

Les--appreciate very much your compliment.

But any recognition should be to the entire team.  All of our projects were
very much a team effort.  The furnace brazed housings were no exception.
Everett and Doug Johnson @ Precision Castparts (they make a lot of GE jet
engine parts in that plant) came up with the original idea.  Doug consulted
with us and helped advise on process and source supplies such as vendors,
flux, etc. on his own time.  Everett did all the calculations and most of
the jigging and fluxing of parts for the steel housing project and all the
lapping.  Francis Romig, our master machinist,  usually did almost all our
machine work, even down to casting and turning lapping wheels to do the
housings.

Regarding the aluminum SuperLight you see in the photos, Doug also advised
us on all our castings projects with the aluminum housings and Francis did
most of the coordination with local foundry contractors.

Francis could translate take a concept to to machine a complex part with
precision tolerances with absolutely no drawings or often even a sketch.  He
was and is amazing.  And Everett had built a sports racing class car from
scratch in the early 1960's and learned basic foundry skills from doing the
aluminum and magnesium hub carriers/suspension uprights, wheels, etc.  So
that experience was invaluable on our rotary project.  The team also adopted
some other techniques along the way including the use of lost foam patterns
for castings on prototype or other components of limited number.  This even
included airframe parts such as the NACA annulus for the all-aluminum RV-3
cowl.  Francis turned the foam out on the lathe, did a casting with it;
finished turned the aluminum casting on the lathe and pounded out the
alumium using that piece as the buck.  Still have photos of some of that.

Thanks again Les.  This brings up a lot of bittersweet memories.  I'll pass
along your note to the surviving team members.

Steve Beckham