What Did You Do Today (2016)

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Posted by Steven Vine on 18/07/2016 07:37:03:

"Oh, you mean Napkins! I've never heard them called Serviettes" He said.

That kid is going to get a surprise when he go to America !

Air/ propane is going to be way cooler than OA but still an advantage over a normally aspirated propane torch owing to the smaller nozzle. 'Calibrated mixer' is meaningless as it varies with gas pressures. What is significant is the slow flame front of propane which might make it blow itself out. The only danger would come the other way round putting acetylene into a propane burner as it would burn back to the mixing point inside the torch.

Shades of the introduction of natural gas – hands up who is old enough to remember coal gas

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I've never heard a true brit deny knowledge of serviettes. How can you live here and not know what it means? They must have a very sheltered life.

Michael W

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

It seems quite common here to use OA torch with Oxy LPG mix, it works very well for gas cutting, but you cannot weld with it. When using Oxy LPG for brazing you need to use at least one size up in tip size. One thing I found interesting was that although Oxy LPG lacks the high temperature of OA, it has more heat (BTUs).

Ian S C

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

I have been trying to get my Mountfield 470 mower to start. I have fitted new gaskets to the carb, and cleaned it all out, have a good strong spark. It will run if I squirt a syringe of petrol into the cylinder but will not pick up after to run? New air filter and I wonder what else to do? I would like to get it going because it is self powered and saves me a lot of pushing. Priming is by 3 presses of the priming bulb. This was replaced as well. Normally it starts straightaway but after the winter it did not.

Clive

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Have you got fresh petrol?

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

Clive, stale petrol perhaps as Jason suggests. Maybe water (only needs a drop) or dirt in the jet or in some other passages in carb.

I'm assuming it doesn't need a de-coke.

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Yes Jason – I recall just that problem on the first cut of the season!

Anyway Clive give it a go before taking the engine apart – also take out the plug and give that a clean too!

Norman

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

One of the biggest problems with small plant is old petrol. Modern stuff will not last a year. You can buy additives from the shops but not cheap. They do work tho'. Ciggy lighter petrol often does the job if special additive is not to hand. Best to drain tanks and use the petrol in the car. Might be some different fault of course.

Edited By Gordon W on 18/07/2016 16:20:32

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Back from yesterdays Newby Classic Car Show 2016 a very enjoyable day a good collection of various motor vehicles as usual the auto jumble was first port of call and found some more bits.

There was a small home made lathe for sale it must have been somebodies pride and joy.

A chap from the TR register car club rode up with his 1930 AJS the sort of bike I could get on easily not like the modern machines where I would need steps to get on.

 

 

Edited By Windy on 18/07/2016 16:40:22

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Picked up a petrol mower on FreeCycle running rough for my daughter, its fitted with a Briggs and Stratton so rang the local B&S agent who said dont bother replacing the diaphgram with the old carb, replace the carb. So for the small sum of £19.95 I replaced it with the new diaphgram and it runs sweet as a nut, my own mower sits in the shed all winter with petrol in it and starts every spring with no problems.

Martin P

[BazParticipant @baz89810]

40 odd years ago when I first got interested in this hobby and wanted to make a boiler the old man took me over to Reading to BOC and we came home with small Oxygen and Propane bottles plus hoses regulators and a beautiful BOC Dependox torch. The torch was similar to the Sapphire range but a bronze lacquered colour, the nozzles were hexagonal, about 3/8 af and about 1" long, unfortunately I only got two, the gas was internally mixed, it was powerful enough to silver solder a Rob Roy boiler. I still have it but useless at posting pictures.The old man insisted I had Oxy Propane and not Acetylene, he was concerned about me blowing the garage up.

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

About 30 years ago I first heard of using propane instead of Acetylene, being from across the pond Scottish or Gordy heritage is not evident but must be in the closet somewhere, I converted my torch set up to propane. At the time there were no warnings about changing hoses, so I did not. Still using the same hoses, nozzles and all other stuff with no problems.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks, Baz … I will look for information on Dependox.

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Clive Hartland on 18/07/2016 15:58:08:

I have been trying to get my Mountfield 470 mower to start. I have fitted new gaskets to the carb, and cleaned it all out, have a good strong spark. It will run if I squirt a syringe of petrol into the cylinder but will not pick up after to run? New air filter and I wonder what else to do? I would like to get it going because it is self powered and saves me a lot of pushing. Priming is by 3 presses of the priming bulb. This was replaced as well. Normally it starts straightaway but after the winter it did not.

Clive

Strange – Taking the carb apart and putting it back together usually works

Mine was prone to the o-ring sealing the carb to the intake failing due to the heat. Even though it looked OK it needed changing every year or two. By the end the body was rust held together by a web of arc-welded bars, but one day I hit a brick and it all went very pear shaped.

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

My wife's lawn mower would not start one year & the plug was very wet so i took it out, connected it & placed it next to the plug hole so it would earth & spark & ignite the petrol air mix as i turned the engine over. the idea is that this dries out the cylinder. (I used to do this with my 2 stroke Stuart Turner inboard on my boat & started a fire on board in the middle of the north sea 40 years ago)

I had not used a funnel to fill the tank & there was a bit ( well a lot actually) of petrol on the engine & the wife said I was not to do it. But you know how it is – you have to show these women you know how things work !!!

The resultant bang & fire burnt about 1 square metre of lawn, used up a fire extinguisher ( I told her not to & it would go out in time but she insisted) & a right telling off & cost me a new- electric – mower

[Peter KroghParticipant @peterkrogh76576]

Sam, yer killin' me!!

That's so funny 'cause it sounds soooo familiar…

Pete

[Steven VineParticipant @stevenvine79904]

Posted by Clive Hartland on 18/07/2016 15:58:08:

I have been trying to get my Mountfield 470 mower to start. I have fitted new gaskets to the carb, and cleaned it all out, have a good strong spark. It will run if I squirt a syringe of petrol into the cylinder but will not pick up after to run? New air filter and I wonder what else to do? I would like to get it going because it is self powered and saves me a lot of pushing. Priming is by 3 presses of the priming bulb. This was replaced as well. Normally it starts straightaway but after the winter it did not.

Clive

I'm not familiar with the 470, but is it priming fuel ok, plenty of pressure and suction when you press the bulb?. If fuel line is perishing then it may cause your symptons. I had a similar issue with a strimmer this afternoon, caused by a perishing fuel pipe.

Steve

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

I will take a look at the intake tube behind the carb. Also try new petrol but it did run happily when I squirted a syring of petrol into the cylinder. Priming gives a resistance as you press and you can feel the petrol coming into the bulb OK. I will give it another go tomorrow as it is too hot at the moment to do anything, thermo. reads 29 C here in Medway.

Clive

[JAParticipant @ja]

Clive

If the engine is a two stroke I would suggest leaking crankcase main bearing seals.

JA

[Bodger BrianParticipant @bodgerbrian]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 18/07/2016 17:49:11:

I had not used a funnel to fill the tank & there was a bit ( well a lot actually) of petrol on the engine & the wife said I was not to do it. But you know how it is – you have to show these women you know how things work !!!

"If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your wife told you to in the first place"

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Sam …..you say YOUR WIFE'S LAWNMOWER !!! – good grief how did you work THAT one ?!

My wife is the gardener here – and very nice it looks too – but it is made quite clear that lawn mowing is quite clearly NOT included in her garden input!

I' m very happy to settle for that compromise !

Norman

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Posted by Bodger Brian on 18/07/2016 19:43:34:

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 18/07/2016 17:49:11:

"If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your wife told you to in the first place"

 

 

Ah, true wisdom on the forum.

Edited By V8Eng on 18/07/2016 22:35:40

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

How old is the mower? The one with the metal fuel tank under the carb or a float type? The older B&S had an auto choke that should turn itself off after 3 seconds (when it works) but the newer ones make do without a choke at all. The bulb push also squirts a bit of fuel into the intake instead of a choke. You didn't mention if you had cleaned everything out with carb cleaner. You need to, If it still is the type that has adjustment screws take them out and squirt cleaner in the hole.
Take a careful look at the replacement gaskets to make sure all the holes are where they should be. I did the cricket club stihl strimmer this spring and the gasket did not have one vital hole so loads of people who tried that supplier must have got stuffed.

The petrol thing is going the rounds these days but is probably only due to the ethanol based fuel in the USA which is more volatile and absorbs water to boot.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Today … Just a few minutes ago … I opened the [postal] Mail, which included a letter from e-on, informing me that the power supply for my Smart Meter display might present a safety hazard. They will be sending out a replacement, and meanwhile I am to stop using it, etc.

Whilst I accept that they have 'done the right thing', I do find it rather pathetic that a national electricity supplier can find itself in this situation.

MichaelG.

.

Press Release, for info.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 18/07/2016 23:48:08

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 18/07/2016 17:49:11:

My wife's lawn mower would not start one year …

My wife has a lawn mower as well. Me. I also do all the lifting, digging, compost making, hedge cutting etc etc, and I'm not allowed to have a little railway round the garden. Talk about downtrodden

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