Tonight’s presentation was at the Simons Art Center at the College of Charleston.  The performer was  Leszek Mozdzer who is a jazz pianist  with the fastest hands I have ever seen.  He was excellent and played a lot of inventive and unusual compositions.  What I liked was how he put objects on the piano strings such as books, drinking glasses, pushed towels under the string stops.  The objects totally changed the sound of the piano and gave it a synthesizer effect.  Very good.

I have a break from working on the plane for the next few days, so I started some yard work.    It is extraordinary how quickly opportunistic plants take over your yard if you dont keep up with them.   I am trying to do a little yard work each day in the mornings when it is relatively cool in Charleston.  I ended up with a HUGE pile of branches and I only cleaned a very small part of the yard.  Wow, I have a lot of bushes to clean.  All this effort makes me want to yank up everything and just have grass to mow.

I also made a few parts for the car fuel system.  The part on the  left is a glow plug oil heater.  It routes the WVO past an engine glow plug to rasie  the oil’s temperature.  There is a temperature sensing switch on the top which shuts it off at 190F.    I plan to install immediately before the injection pump to pre-heat the WVO when I initially switch from diesel to WVO.  It should reduce my warm up time before the stitch over.   The two block above the heater are failed piece.  Stupid little mistakes which which made the unusable.  The part on the right is a temperature senor which can be installed in different locations to measure and analyze fuel temperatures.

Today a few parts were machined…  Pat didn’t like just a simple hole in the side of the fuselage for the canopy rotary latch.

A rod of Aluminum was machined to make a nice trim piece for the opening.  The trim is now going to CA to be engraved and anodized prior to installation.  It will make a very nice looking part.

A set of static ports were also machined.  They are threaded to allow easy removal from the fuselage. 

I  have always believed the standard method of static port installation doesn’t work correctly.  You will NEVER see a production plane with a simple hole drilled in the side of the plane.  The reason is there is no way to adjust the static pressure (to adjust the air speed indicator).    I found on my plane, the boundary layer of air creates an error in the airspeed indicator (ASI) of almost 10 knots.   I had to put a “step” (a small wedge) in front of my static port to correct my indicator.  It “trips” the air, changing the static pressure to reduce my airspeed to the correct indication.

With this plane, the static port can be removed and re-machined as necessary to correct the ASI. 

Installed on the plane.  It looks big, but it is actully only 3/4 in in dia.

I started on a project I wanted to do for 2 years.  Converting my car to run on used cooling oil (a grease car).   I have a friend who can give me all the waste vegetable oil (WVO) I want.  I had the equipment and supplies for almost 2 years, designed a dedicated electronic control system, but for some reason I never got started.  I guess Pats plane threw off my time line…  Building a veggie car is the only reason I bought the diesel Mercedes (Sherman the German).

The conversion plan will happen in stages. 

1.   Get the basic system operational for testing.  No electronics (a simple switch system), no automation, use the 8 gal tank for WVO, the main 20 gal tank will remain diesel.
2.  If everything works well, and I have have a steady supply of WVO, I’ll build the electronics for system automation.
3.  Switch the tanks so the main car tank is used for cooking oil and the smaller 8 gal tank is used for diesel.
4.  Improve the filtration system of WVO, and set up a dedicated area for processing it.   I want to build a centrifuge to get it as particle free as possible before putting it into the car
5.  Improve cold weather operation of the system by adding pre-heaters in the fuel tank, insulating fuel lines, etc. 

My main focus is just getting it going for testing.   Most of the stages will have to wait until after I get the plane done.

I am using a fairly simple system.  It takes WVO, heats, filters it, then using electric solenoid valves turns switch from diesel fuel to WVO.  You must get the WVO up to at least 150 deg F so it flows easily for filtering and burning.   The trick with this system is to start and shut down the engine with pure diesel fuel (to clean the injectors and pump) and have a way to switch over to WVO after the system heats up, hence the solenoid valves.

I am using a diagram I found on the web and some of my own ideas from my research.

..Click on the diagram to view..

This is the space I have to work with.

The aluminum fuel tubing (I used 3/8″), heater core, filter and valves.

Installing the fuel lines was the worst part of the project and the dirtiest.

I was just filthy after this part of the project.

The liquid to liquid heater core is installed.  It takes hot water from the coolant system which flows through a 15 plate core which heats up the WVO.

I machined my own oil filter housing.  I didnt like the off the shelf type.

The system as installed.   My first focus is getting the car running again.  The diesel fuel/coolant system are operational  again, but I wont be able to start using WVO until I build the fuel tank. 

Here it is… my cardboard fuel tank.  I figure it will hold about 8 gal of WVO which well be good for about 160 miles.    This weekend, I’ll start on the fabrication of a real tank.

I need to get back to work on Pat’s plane….

Last Sunday, April 11th,  a hungry new friend invite himself to lunch at my place.  His name is Chomp.   Chomp stopped by to visit me while I was working in the garden Sunday afternoon.  Hum, what that little black bump on my back?   Could it be Chomp cozying himself up to me for a snack.…???   

After checking the internet I found out he is a young male”Lone Star” tick.  Lonely for a good meal for sure!  Not the kind of friend you want to invite over for a quick lunch especially when you are the main course. 

When I pulled him away from the dinner table, the first thing on my mind was what sort of nasty stuff was Chomp capable of carrying?  The next few hours was spent on the trusty internet studying ticks of all kinds.    Not exactly what the way I planning to spend a nice Sunday afternoon with a new friend. 

I was hopeful that I might dodge the disease reaction bullet …since: IF the tick has been chomping on you for a short time (less than 24 hrs) AND he has not sucked a full load of blood (he/she is small and flat and not engorged) you most likely be OK since the bacteria from the tick is usually transmitted to the host after the tick is “topped off” with blood which occurs many hours after stopping by for the meal.   

I also found you should save any tick you remove from your body “just in case” there is a reaction and it needs to be “further researched”.   You can put feed a tick lots of rubbing alcohol or wrap it a moist paper towel and put in a pill container.    I offered Chomp fine 2010 beverage direct from CVS  (actually he had lot of alcohol) and was in drunken revelery time for a short while.   Oh, that little guy liked to party!   He was kicking up a nice jig for about 5 minutes and then …well the alcohol got to him!     Don’t let anyone tell you I am not a good host!

Tuesday, Chomp and I are heading off to the Dr Walkers office  so he can check out a nasty red/black welt on my back and see whats up with Chomp.  He is still feeling the affects of the the alcohol and hasnt been himeself lately. 

Cylinders #1 and #3 were installed today.  Had a bit of trouble with the push rods (there is a specific procedure to measuring and testing them)but in the end everything went together fine and all measurements are within specification.

Pat had the high compression pistons coated with a solid lubricant (they look black)  and the crown of the pistion ceramic coated.  It will give the engine a little more power.  He also had the new cylinder flow ported.  I checked them out and it looks nicely done.

The push rods were painted crackle black which makes them stand out a bit.  Once the baffles are installed, most of the push rod tubes will not be visible.

The inlet ducts were also painted crackle black.  I wanted them to stand out and not look like regular glass.  Yesterday, when I microed fuel probe area, I also filled the inlet ducts to smooth them out a little prior to painting.

The Stbd duct.  I like how the gold rivets stand out on the black… 

I am not going to install #2 and #4 cylinders until next Monday.  My buddy Tony wants to learn how to replace a cylinder, so we will do it together in a week or so.    It will cost him lunch at Aunt Bee’s.

The fuel probe installation has been microed and sanded.  A little paint and you’ll never know they are there.

I have decided to start wearing an Bluetooth headset all the time.  You see, I have started to enjoy talking to my self.  My grandmother used to do it (how weird I thought).  She would carry on  a conversation with an imaginary friend and seemed to enjoy it.   In my generation (from the viewpoint of a young child) only mental ill people carried on complete conversations with themselves on a regular basis.    For years, this concept has firmly been embedded in my psyche.

Strangely, I am now finding that an imaginary friend is a terrific friend!  Doesn’t bother you much, never calls, thinks you are one heck of a smart guy  and good looking too!   Keeps your confidences and is always ready for a good chat.

The trouble with imaginary friends is normally you end up just talking into the air with no one around.      Ten years or so ago, whenever I noticed someone talking to themselves it brought reminisces of my grandmother.   How weird I thought until I noticed they had a wired headset wire connected to a cell phone or a Crackberry. 

“Now”, everyone just wears their fancy Bluetooth headset, having a pleasant conversation with someone over a cell phone saving their brain from supposedly dangerous cell phone radiation.   My generations view of talking to ones self  is out, long live the physiologically brain safe  Bluetooth.

“Now”,  everyone has gotten used to this “talking to ones self ” look and some take great pride in their Bluetooth appliance.  Big, small, red, black, gray, silver.    I have even seen some custom painted.  

“Now”,  it is quite normal to see young and old, talking to some imaginary friend who just happens to be real at the other end of a Bluetooth conversation.

In my case, I’ll use the Bluetooth headset to eliminate the real friend and have  terrific conversation with my  imaginary friend.   I’ll look hip and contemporary with my over sized Bluetooth turned off, stuck prominently in my ear, chatting way and looking quite normal for all the “Now” generation to see ……..

We had a historic snow fall in Charleston on Feb 12th.  A record 3.5 inches!  The first time it has snowed since 1989.  It was incredibly beautiful but unfortunately, gone by noon Saturday morning.  I would really enjoy a good snow every year!    

 The baffling is now done.   This is a picture of all the parts (45 ea) which is used for downdraft cooling that I removed from the plane.  Total weight was a little over 4 lbs.     

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The is the new cooling system.  The part count is 24 pieces, and total weight is 2 lbs.  I am very pleased with the way it turned out!    

As installed on the plane    

I am now working on the inlet ducts.  Here is the port duct being fit into position.    The duct is covered with duct tape prior to glassing.    

The Port duct is glassed.  I will glass the stbd one tomorrow.    

I have changed direction a bit.  I was working toward updraft cooling with this plane.   I have decided to working on downdraft cooling.  It will keep me busy for a month or two….  oh well, what else would I be doing…maybe retire?

Today was spent cutting and cleaning up of the strakes and planning for the down draft conversion.

I also stopped by Tony’s house to check out his work on DD cooling.  Funny, a few months ago, I was trying to convince Tony to use DD cooling and gave him a bunch of ideas, now I am checking out his work for ideas.   He is a terrific builder so it was interesting to talk about his techniques and experiences. .

It is the beginning of a new year. 2010. How does one say that these days? Is it ” Two Thousand Ten” or is it  “Twenty Ten” ?

My pronouncement would be Twenty Ten, since the only reason we called the 20th decade as ” TWO THOUSAND AND ##” is because of the movie “2001, A Space Odyssey”. The naming of the movie influenced the entire next decade of yearly naming conventions.  Can you imagine calling 2004 a “twenty oh four”.   No, it is only because of this movie this decade was different.

Well, I am finally back to work on the plane. The last time I physically worked on the plane was on 27 Nov.  For the month of Dec, I worked exclusively on the wiring diagrams of the plane.  When I finished on 30 Dec, I had put in 132 hrs of drafting time.   That’s about 25 hr with the holidays.  I ended up with 35 pages of drawings and a half completed spreadsheet (it will be filled in as I wire the plane).

I decided to document the wiring in a similar way to my Toyota Truck Wiring Book is written. The drawings are broken down by systems like charging, starting, lights, com panel, etc.  

This way if there is a problem with something electrical, it will be very easy to trouble shoot JUST that system. A light doesn’t work, it will be easy to see at a glance the entire lighting system without trying to dig out the wires of interest amongst other unrelated wire on a schematic.  It is a MAJOR PITA to document everything this way and a little more difficult to wire but the effort was definitely worth it.

Now that the really hard part is done, the wiring plan, I can start back on finishing the things necessary to get me to the point of wiring. The engine is next. I want composite baffles on the plane instead of the aluminum type for more ridge baffles and better sealing of the cooling air. The currently installed baffles have massive air leaks around the perimeter.

Lots of red RTV is on the old baffles.

Composite baffles are more time consuming to make, but the advantages are perfect sealing of the engine, no cracking and you can do compound curved to attach the flexible baffles to. The extra effort creates is the best possible seal. We need the best possible cooling for the extra HP this engine is going to generate (estimated at 195 hp from a IO-320).  The baffles will look a little strange, as it will be comprised of both composite and fiberglass but it is best to match each material to it’s unique physical properties.

Here is the bottom engine baffles.   

They were re-imagined in composites.  The form is foam and the glass is lay-ed out in order of use.

The part is vacuumed down to the table after coating with epoxy. 

Carbon sure does look good when you are done and uncover your work.   I’ll uncover the rest of the part tomorrow after the epoxy has had a chance to get a little harder.