Wood Pistons

[rosbullterier]

Information Wanted


Leading to a
twin cylinder

Seagull outboard. Believed to have been originally fitted with wooden lignum vitae pistons & later converted to alloy pistons. Possibly made for wartime use. Thought to be located in the central North Island.

This motor is wanted to complete a Seagull outboard collection. The collection consists of almost every other model of Seagull outboard ever made.

Please contact:

Ross Leger
kapitimarinecharter@xtra.co.nz

Is this serious?
(found in http://www.regattaevents.co.nz/)

[charlesp]

I'm sure it is serious, yes.

I'm led to believe that the gentleman in question is a genuine collector of Seagulls, and has examples of most. He, like any of us who collects these things, would love to have a twin. So far there are known to be three in the UK and one (with which we have lost contact) in the USA.

He is, I'm sure, aware of these survivors, and he is most knowledgeable about all things Seagull, and is therefore quite aware that the Marston twins (the ones I'm talking about) were made a few years before WWII, so he must be on the track of something else; it does indeed suggest he's closing in on the thing if he knows it's in the North Island!

What that 'something else' may be is a mystery, and will remain so until he finds it!

There are rumours that a twin was attempted during the war, and a couple of the older Seagull employees scratch their heads and reckon there 'might have been something'. Personally I doubt it, if a twin was conceived and built during the war there would be survivors, there would be evidence of a post war attempt to market it. Development of a twin is a far cry from developing a single cylinder motor, and I for one doubt that British Seagull had the capacity to do it. (One of those ermployees remembers being told to dump a Marston twin - this was in the fifties - because Way-Hope kept barking his shins on it.)

Wooden pistons keep rearing their heads, and there is at least one documented example of an ironwood piston being made and fitted to a motor, but never as a factory fitted option.

As the gentleman concerned posts here he may wish to expand!

[rosbullterier]

As our sagacius historian Charles, might I suggest you you put that thought to him.

Are you saying that wood pistons could have been be used even in a working prototype or were just to be looked at?

[charlesp]

I just can't see them using wood pistons when the real thing was readily available.

Definitely not factory fitted.

[Collector Inspector]

I may be wrong but on looking at the calender, it is not even close to April.........well down here anyway.

B

[charlesp]

Not April yet.

The bestr April 1 windup on our favourite topic was a steam powered conversion, complete with video as 'proof'. The timer taken must have been immense, it was a model steam engine, powered by methylated spirit, with a complicated belt drive onto the flywheel. The unit was bolted onto the tank mounts (note not for 102 models) and could be 'quickly dismounted in the case of petrol prices falling'!

[Collector Inspector]

I have been looking as to what said wooden piston could be sculpted from locally..............

Only one choice really..........Jarrah!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_marginata

But no mention of pistons...........mutter mumble mumble......

B

[Hugz]

Are we not talking about the original timber pattern that was used to make the piston form work? Now that was an exacting profession.

[Collector Inspector]

Yeh, White Ants kinda stuffed that up but!

Very Exacting those little Buggers!

B

[Charles uk]

Pistons are gravity or pressure diecast so they are cast in a steel mould.
Np sand.

[Collector Inspector]

What exactly has that to do with "Wood" I ask?

Maybe a "workbench" is called for, not a forge..... Available from our local Bunnings Store, get ya wood pistons here mates!

http://www.bunnings.com.au/gifts-guide_gift-cards.aspx

Little Aussie Sheila knows all about making wood pistons!

Just ask them after viewing Bunnings adverts on Telly!

Love this...........

B

[rosbullterier]

Bunnings ehhh . . .

Wonder how we could organise an EU grant for a cultural exchange?