One of the things that makes the difference between a reliable bike or not is the state of the mag, and I really wanted to get Ian to recon mine. But with stretched finances with building work on the house and an ever increasing 16H rebuild bill, I just can’t afford to do it all. Although the mag looks like it’s been dug out of a swamp, it gives a lovely blue spark by hand, so I decided to give it a go myself. I managed to get it all apart and it looks good inside with just the points bearing that needs replacing. The ball race fell off the inner and I was a bit stumped how to get that off without damaging the brass shaft as my knife edge puller is too big. I was going to dab it with the welder to get it hot enough to come off, but I didn’t know if this would damage the windings or condenser.
Near Stroud is a magneto repair place, so I phone him to see if I’d damage it this way. He didn’t think it would but said as you’re near, bring it down and I’ll take it off for you. So in Toadsmore Lane, in the middle of nowhere, is a lovely Cotswold stone mill house with an Aladdin’s cave on the side of it, of magnetos from 6 cylinder vintage Rolls Royce’s to stationary engines. A lovely old chap called John showed me round, and whipped the bearing off in seconds with an ancient old puller that looked more like a small lathe.
He confirmed that the windings are original and all tested ok and the condenser is a mica one (strips of mica then metal plate, then mica, etc) and as he said “bullet proof”. He would always leave a mica condenser in as they don’t fail, it’s only the later paper ones he’d change, which was great news for me. He then showed me how he rewinds them with another machine that looked like a cross between a sewing machine and a lathe. I could hardly see the wire being wound it was so thin.
Here’s a picture.
He said if I need help with anything just bring it back up to him. He wouldn’t take any money and I had a really interesting morning. What a great chap
email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk
It's amazing who's lurking about and what they are involved in. It seems all the skills are still out there, you just have to locate them. I recently found a guy in my area, who is over a mile from the nearest tarmaced road, who makes bodies for exotic cars such as Bentleys, Fraser Nashes etc etc...Currently he is making six brass Bentley radiators entirely by hand...
The results of incredibly skilled fabrication work are everywhere in his workshop...
He is going to weld up the alloy 'wrap around' oil tank I have made for the M20 sprinter and gave me some good tips on forming and annealing aluminium, which I'm going to need when I get into making the aluminium petrol tank....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com