[SEL] 8hp Blackstone/cast engine plate

[Jerry Evans]

At 06:00 PM 25/05/2010, you wrote:
>Message: 12
>Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 21:49:52 -0600
>From: Rupert <rwenig2 at xplornet.com>
>Subject: Re: [SEL] 8hp Blackstone/cast engine plate
>To: The SEL email discussion list <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
>Message-ID: <4BFB48E0.5030509 at xplornet.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>Hello Russel, Guys,
>         Has anyone got a good closeup picture of a cast name plate? I 
> have done
>some work making patterns using a picture as a background in my CAD
>software. The patterns I have done turned out fairly well. It might be
>an interesting project to try casting one.
>
>Rupert

Hi again Rupert,
         The pic that Patrick linked to:
<http://www.oldengine.org/members/pml/myengines/blackstone/blkstnbadge.jpg> 
should be good enough.

         What will you use to create the "Master" ?

         I'm pretty sure that most of the originals must have had some 
Pantograph work involved and with today's CNC machines it would be easy. 
The "hatch" pattern in the background could be done on a CNC machine but 
another method used was to cut the letters and outline (all the raised 
bits) from thin stock, polish all the machining marks out of them and then 
"fix" them to a background material (which could have been something like a 
fine wire mesh - think fly screen netting) and make an intermediate mould 
from that. Then more polishing with things like dentists drills and general 
cleaning and tidying up - it must have taken hours but they were craftsmen.

         If you would like to give it a try then I'd like to get involved 
as well (joint project) I could copy the plate the same way as I do for my 
etched plates (no modern computer fonts - redraw each letter the way it was 
originally. I also use a CAD programme and could send you a .dxf file to 
import. You take it from there.

         Think about it and let me know.

Keep the revs up (or down)
Jerry Evans
Near Johannesburg in Sunny South Africa.
Etched Brass Engine Plates made to order:
<www.oldengine.org/members/evans/plates/index.htm>