Indian Tadpole

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Tom from Rubicon

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Apr 4, 2016
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Did a Wunderground weather check of your local Steve, not what I would deem pleasant. It is most definitely late Spring in SE Wisconsin. But for the first time since last Saturday the sun shown and warmed the earth and us.
SWMBO'd was inquiring when next the lawn would be mowed. It' due, but I still cast her a dismissive look.:)
I am so much so awaiting the photo shoot with your niece in that fine wicker chair.
Wink, Wink, Nod, Nod, Say no more. Michael Palin style.
Tom
 

fasteddy

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Feb 13, 2009
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British Columbia Canada
The weather here is stumbling a bit, Tom. We've had low 80's F here in lower British Columbia and sunny for a while which is usually our mid summer temperatures. Now we have rainy and cool for a while.

Photo's will be a while. My nieces and their friend want to take the tri car over to the local farm museum where one of them works when things are normal and take the photos there with an appropriate time period back drop.

Holding out on the lawn mowing while getting "The Look?" Supper will be Hot Tongue and Cold Shoulder.

Steve.
 

indian22

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Dec 31, 2014
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Ten days of rain forecast & that's unusual, even in Spring, for Indianan Territory. Only four tornados on the ground so far this May Territory wide, while last May the count was more than 140!

It's relatively uncommon to have an entire day socked in as rain comes in isolated patches of short duration so work outside is possible most of the Spring. So any lack of progress is on me and not the weather.

Rick C.
 

Tom from Rubicon

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Apr 4, 2016
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Rubicon, Wisconsin
Did my duty and she is pleased, domestic tranquility restored. Ricks weather is approaching us.
I have much to do to fabricate a Indian style back rack, and machine a mounting clamp to carry one of the original rear view mirrors of my R80/7 BMW. Which were removed when I installed Clip-on handlebars to fit the Hannigan Fairing.
Tom
 

fasteddy

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Feb 13, 2009
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PeteMcP {Hi. from the U.K.- Indian Board Tracker Tribute, my first build, on The Board Trackers and Vintage Motorized Bicycles. thread} sent me a bike seat from the U.K. that had a wonderfully subtle aged look to it. I has planned to use a new one I had purchased that needed some work on it to age it so it didn't look so new.

The saddle Pete sent had a great warm brown tone to it where as the one I bought was a very light colour. Here are some photos of the two together.

Steve.
 

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Tom from Rubicon

Well-Known Member
Apr 4, 2016
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Rubicon, Wisconsin
Did you ever resolve your head gasket troubles Steve?
Should I just mind my own business?;)
I recall that a charming Niece in the chair and your importanship would be at the helm of the mighty Indian Tri Car.
My fantasy?
I know, shut up Tom. Story of my life.
Just because i have unfinished projects beginning in 1970 and carried with me on various moves, including the steerable sled with downhill ski's for runners.
Tom
 

fasteddy

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Feb 13, 2009
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British Columbia Canada
Hi Tom,

I was looking at the last time I'd posted any updates here, yesterday. Long past due and thank you for the nudge.

The few hours a day I can work if I'm lucky has be spent on the Epic electric tri car. It is finally in a good place and with rain forecast until Sunday I will have a massive garage clean up and work on the Indian Tri Car to see if we finally have the head gasket sealed. If not I have no idea what to do. Maybe lap the head and barrel in again.

I'll use soap and water to see if the leaks are gone and if so I'll push it outside on a sunny day and see if it will start.

Both my nieces and their friend who wants a ride keep asking if it's done.

Steve.
 

Tom from Rubicon

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Apr 4, 2016
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Rubicon, Wisconsin
Hi Steve,
Annealing copper? That's a new one on me.
Buddy of mine, back in 1970 did a 750cc stroker conversion to his Triumph Bonneville. When he buttoned it back up it cross fired between cylinders. I came for a visit about the time he was pulling the head. He had got a crap blanchard grind job done on the head. So I spent the better part of the afternoon with a dull file and a pane of glass. Ran fine after that until he put a con rod thru the crank case. He switched to Honda 750's which didn't shake or brake.
If I were you Steve, I would not keep the young ladies waiting. :)
Tom
 

indian22

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Dec 31, 2014
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Oklahoma
Tom I love to work raw copper. As you form copper, say with a hammer, to simplify, the butter soft copper "hammer hardens" as you form and heat (from say a torch or oven) has to be applied to the workpiece "annealed" to prevent the metal from cracking. Depending on the size and intricacies of the workpiece, the heating process to anneal is repeated, air cooled a bit and planish continued, until the desired configuration is formed. This beat and repeat cycle may cover many repetitions.

The completed formed piece can be reheated to relax the metal and slowly cooled in a preheated sand bed to cool over several hours, but this super slow cooling is more typical on harder metals such as steel. One example of which is in firearm actions and the application of case hardening these & the sand may be replaced with other types of insulating materials to produce non-cyanide "color" to the firearm parts being hardened. SA Colt handguns get the cyanide gas treatment as well as sand during slow cooling. This creates the mottled blue finish which typifies the Colt Army actions. The Parker shotguns were however buried in wood ash, bone and leather. Specifics of the exact types of materials was a closely guarded secret, but the Fall colors on the finished piece were awesome.

On a factory formed piece, such as a piece of copper large diameter tube purchased at a box store, the copper is already hard and requires annealing to facilitate much of a radius bend. Water lines/gas tube is sufficiently soft to allow bending straight off the roll.

Different metals require varying techniques when it comes to annealing and are used for varying reasons unique to the chosen metal and purpose for which it's intended.

Hope this helps somewhat as it's quite an involved subject of metallurgy which is arcane to most, but those hand forming metal employ routinely.

Rick C.
 

MEASURE TWICE

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Jul 13, 2010
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CA
I wondered why there are variances in types of head gaskets used. I have mostly seen on Briggs engine heads the slightly thicker than the thin copper gaskets, that is the silver colored metal that is mottled sandwiched around the fiber material inner. They say not to reuse, but many times as a kid I did that without any problem. I suspect the fiber squishes down and won't seal as well. I never tried reusing gaskets that had pieces still stuck on either sealing surface.
 

fasteddy

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2009
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British Columbia Canada
Just looked up copper gaskets on the internet. Quite interesting. Triumph motorcycles recommended heating them cherry red, new or used, and water quenching them. Others said air cooling them was fine but the water quench slowed down oxidization.

One old time motorcycle racer said they sprayed the gaskets with aluminum paint and just before the paint dried they installed them. The paint acted as a gasket sealer which everyone agreed had to be used. Maybe Indian Head gasket shellac if I can still find it.

The chase isn't over yet if the new gasket fails to work out.

Steve.