Some good and some not so rapid progress today.
I managed to clean as much as I can reach of the engine (the belt covers have yet to be removed) using the nylon brush. There is still a lot to do that cannot be reached with the brush (particularly in the lee of the barrels and the box patterning on the sump casting will need attention from another smaller tool, not sure what yet).
I was quite pleased with the back of the engine as virtually no original paint remained and road salt had “anodised” the aluminium black, here is the “after” picture.
When I started to get white finger from holding the drill I decided to get on with brazing the cable lugs on. This was not so successful, about 3 times I brazed what looked like an acceptable joint which when it cooled down I was then able to separate it with my fingers.
I started this project with one of the stated objectives being “learning how to do stuff”. This was not a learning experience because it seemed random whether the brazing “took” or not. The frame and the bracket were cleaned with emery before any attempt to braze, I made sure the two parts were good and hot before introducing the flux coated rod. The only thing I can think is that where the brackets were to be located meant that I could not get a good angle on the direction of the cone of the flame, i.e. dissecting the angle between the bracket and the circumference of the tube and also having a 60 degree lead on the nozzle compared to the axis of the join to be made. I used a lot of gas to achieve 3 “satisfactory” joints by the end of the day. 8 more to go. If the remaining 8 are as problematic then I will need to order some more gas this evening.
