I’ve seen a little, and heard a little more, about 3D technology and it sounds staggering. I guess it makes casting an obsolete part more realistic.
I was talking to a mate recently that builds/rebuilds vintage racing car engines for a living and he said short-run pistons in the States are no problem. Conrods can be CNC machined from solid in no time. Camshafts shouldn’t be a problem.

I would still like to know about crankshafts however. A radial has a built-up crank so it shouldn’t be a problem from solid. What can you do about a V12 crank? Apart from using a gigantic billet and machining from solid, which I don’t believe would be acceptable, apart from the cost, as far as I can see there isn’t an alternative to a proper forging.

What’s used in the States when rebuilding a Merlin? Are original cranks still available?

My mate owns half of the only model shop in Chesterfield.

I haven’t spoken to him for a couple of months. Must be about time I rang him…

John, changing to a BoB related name didn’t stop them being Castles. 😀

Browsing through a steam magazine in the newsagents today and saw a nameplate, I think for a Southern “Schools”, that had never come up for auction before made £28,500. It would seem that nameplates were a fairly good investment. In the same snippet, a plate that somebody had paid BR two quid for went for 12 grand!

I wonder what messerschmidt means?
And is it related to the company that made those er quirly 3 wheelers?

Asking what Messerschmitt means is like asking what Jones means. It was Prof Wilhelm’s name.

However, calling on the few words of German I know, messer means knife. I assume therefore that one of Willi’s ancestors was a knife-smith.

I think you’ll find Bruce has had his beady eyes on it for some time. 🙂

Edward Hulton was a very rich man when he bought the Sunderland. He was lot less rich when he sold it to Kermit. He tried to sell it for years and Kermit was the only taker. IIRC, he was already trying to sell it when it was damaged in the 1987 hurricane. I saw it moored at Hythe in 1989, sadly I never saw it in the air.

Shows how much notice I took!

Good plan.

Personally I use a slight revision of it – I assume 95% of drivers are complete idiots and the other 5% are homicidal maniacs.

Works for me.