I was fortunate enough to acquire this charming Alyn Foundry version of the Robinson X-Type at an affordable price. While I’ve tinkered with gas engines in the past, hot tubes are an entirely new realm of challenges I wasn’t quite prepared for.
The engine appeared to have seen little to no use since its construction. It was quite stiff, and the compression was low. Additionally, the hot tube torch was clogged, and my attempt to remove the obstructed filter ultimately damaged the jet. Thankfully, Northern Ireland boasts a fantastic gas supplier in Bangor, Hamilton Gas Products, which provided me with the correct Sivert 8842.
My initial attempts at running the engine were futile; it would either fail to fire or require an inordinate amount of spinning, only to sputter to a stop. After discussing with Graham Corry of Alyn Foundry and engaging with others on the Alyn Foundry Facebook
page, I received some valuable hints and tips to get it operational. The first task was to replace several gas fittings. The original homemade gas needle valve, though well-crafted, was too fine and was substituted with a traditional needle valve. This resulted in a few more pops—progress!
The next recommendation was to run the engine using a motor. After about 30 minutes of motor operation and consistent oiling, compression had improved. However, the engine still wouldn’t run independently. The next step was to increase the heat, so I sourced a larger Sivert 8720 torch to provide more heat to the hot tube. I also fashioned a starting rope, as the previous owner had made a pulley. Using a bicycle brake cable from my toolbox, I created a wire starter. This, combined with the more powerful torch, finally gave the engine enough oomph to run, and I managed to get about 20 minutes of operation. My next goal was to take it to a show for an extended run!
After a successful day of running, compression gradually improved, and now the engine starts quite well with the standard Sivert 8842, requiring just a few minutes of heating and a flick of the flywheel.
Graham Corry of Alyn Foundry was instrumental in helping me get this little engine up and running. Without his guidance, I would have likely put it up for sale quickly! While enjoyable, these engines are not for the faint-hearted! The next chapter is getting it to run a small dynamo, which is having mixed success.
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Country: GB
