EFR sent me a private email to express regret if his sense of humour had hit a raw nerve. He is a genuine, decent and knowledgeable man and I accept absolutely that there was nothing personal in his comments.
To put things into perspective, I will copy my email reply to him. From this you will learn a little of my character and that I accept that I should not have responded as I did. No harm done. We are all friends doing as well as we can with what facilities we have and mutual respect is the order of the day
Email copy
Hi David
Perhaps I am too sensitive as I have agonised at my personal inadequacy all my life.
There is an old saying “Nobody likes a “Smart Ass”
I sincerely like people and nothing pleases me more than to help someone or leave someone happier than when I met them.
If I think that something I have done, has caused offence, or left a bitter taste, then I have failed badly.
Failure is very painful.
Richard and I have just returned from a three day racing stint at Cadwell
A plating company etched out excessive aluminium from my old block in stripping the chrome.
With little time to rebuild my old engine and fulfil a lifetime ambition of father and son both riding Scotts together at a meeting, I had to use castings from 1975 and make a pair of 77mm pistons to suit the bores that would no longer take Silk pistons.
The Beezumph was Friday and Saturday.
Friday I had some rides on my Scott, then I had a massive water leak into the bores from the head gasket.
I finished the day riding my MM and then tried to reseal the head in the evening, but with no success. It had bowed 0.006″ and as I could not use a conventional gasket due to the size of the pistons, I used 0.008″ thick brass ring of about 6mm radial depth cut from shim stock with silicone to seal the water.
With no compliance and 0.006″ bow high in the middle, the centre bolts would not pull it down.
I drove back and midnight saw me setting up the mill to reface the head. It is lucky that I keep the equipment for each regular job in separate packets and so was able to mount it all up in about 15 minutes. Set speeds and feeds and leave it to traverse round in about 15 minutes, so, you see, it was fresh in my mind.
I drove back to Cadwell and rebuilt the engine and father and son had a great, if tiring, weekend.
Scott heads are not good quality but this head was from my patterns made in early 70’s and loaned to George Silk.
Unfortunately, he had them cast in a commercial grade and not heat treated. I had this one in payment for supplying patterns on long term loan.
As a matter of interest, I use stainless tube for water tubes fitted with loctite in plain holes with great success.
Quality is not really difficult, but it just costs money that comes from an owners pocket rather than company coffers.
I send my kindest Regards and we part firm friends
Roger
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