The aerosol can of Craftmaster paint duly arrived, and so it was on to applying the first coat of enamel paint. It was really easy to apply and so far I’m very pleased with the results.

 

In the bright sunshine it also dries quite quickly, although that is undoubtedly due to the fact that it is going on a lot thinner than it would if applied by brush from a tin. The parts will need going over again, and the larger parts, being the main pump body and flywheel, will need paint to be applied from various angles to get full coverage.

With all the Argosy pump component parts rubbed down, they were then wiped over with a rag dipped in white spirit to remove any remaining dirt.

I decided to use an aerosol can of red oxide primer, for ease of application and to do away with having to clean up brushes etc. It went on very well and is fast drying. Subsequent coats can be applied after 5 minutes. All the mating surfaces for other component parts were masked off, and bits of clean rag stuffed in the various apertures to prevent paint going everywhere.

The main benefit of getting all the components coated in primer at this stage is to prevent any further rust developing, before I can get the main enamel coat of paint applied. I had previously rubbed down some of the parts some time ago, but being left in the shed meant that they soon started to develop some surface rust again.

As one would expect, the application of any paint immediately highlights any imperfections or flaws in the casting. Just like the Lister D, the castings are far from perfect, with many rough edges and burrs being apparent.

I have ordered the enamel paint that I will finish the pump in. I was unsure of exactly what shade to use, the existing paint appeared to be a matt finish in a light green, far lighter than the Mid Brunswick green used on the D-Type. I settled on a colour called Union Green from Craftmaster Paints. This I have also ordered in a 400ml aerosol version, again for ease of application. The D-Type was also done with Craftmaster enamel, but from a tin and mixed with thinners to aid application with a brush.

http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk

My apologies for not having posted in a long time, but there has been so much going on, that the D-Type and indeed the side project with the pump, have fallen behind somewhat.

I have finally fully dismantled the Argosy pump and have started the preparations for paint. Initially I intend to clean up and prime all the component parts in red oxide paint, largely to protect them from further rust, given that they may sit around for a while before getting a top coat in enamel paint.

To begin with, I used an 80 grit flap disc attached to the angle grinder to remove the worst of the old paint, rust and burrs. It was surprising (as it was with the Lister D), as to how many imperfections there were in the original casting, which left a lot of rough surfaces.

I then moved on to using an 80 grit detail sander to get in to all the detailed areas and to hopefully cover all of the castings. The Argosy pump in many ways reminds me of the Lister D-Type. It seems to be very robust, and over engineered. I think if they made anything similar today, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as heavy duty or tough.

I also managed to drive the crankshaft out of the main casting, by several gentle blows on the flywheel end of the crankshaft. The bearings look in really good shape and so I will leave them as they are, and not attempt to remove them from the shaft.

This time I have sourced an aerosol can of red oxide primer, as opposed to the tin of red oxide paint that I applied with a brush to the Lister D. I will be interested to see how this turns out in comparison.

 

We returned again this year to the Woolpit Steam Rally in Suffolk. There was an impressive line up of engines as always. Here is a selection of what I saw on the day

 

Several weeks ago, I eventually located a pump for sale on eBay that was relatively local to me, most of them that I’d previously seen having been at the opposite end of the country! Having been the successful bidder, the pump was duly collected and put in the shed.

Only now have I got around to having a look at it. It’s an Argosy domestic water pump, and was sold as spares/repair due to it not turning freely. I wasn’t overly concerned about this, because it was always my intention to strip it down and thoroughly service it anyway.

 

Having removed the top cover, I was instantly greeted by loads of rust! Subsequent removal of various other components has established that the stiffness in movement is caused by the piston in the bore. This shouldn’t be a major issue to resolve, providing that I can safely extract it.

I hope to be able to salvage all the components, clean up the internals, and thoroughly grease the moving parts. I will also rub down, prime and paint the exterior. This will at long last provide a job for my D-type to do! I will post some more updates as I progress with the work

This was a first for me. A fairly local event, about 30 miles from my home, that I’d never been to before. I’m glad I went as it turned out to be a fantastic show, plenty of exhibits and an excellent selection of Stationary Engines to view. I’ve made a short video which can watch by clicking below. What made this event even more special is that it is outstanding value at £5 for the Saturday and £6 on Sunday. This is significantly less than many other shows that I attend.

The weekend of 21st & 22nd April 2018 heralded the return of the Eastern Counties Vintage Show, held at the Norfolk Showground near Costessey, Norwich.

This show features vintage & classic commercial vehicles, vintage & classic cars, motorbikes, tractors, military vehicles, tractor pulling and of course, the good old stationary engine section.

There were a good range of engines on display, all of which can be seen in this short video I have uploaded to YouTube. 

For the final time this year I took the opportunity to get the Lister out and give it one last run in 2017, just in time for Christmas. You can watch the video on YouTube

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

I will be back with some new posts in 2018 as I have a few more jobs to do on the Lister. Who knows, I may even be looking for another engine!

I have posted another video on YouTube today, showing the spare Lucas RS1 magneto that I have being stripped down. You can watch the latest video on my YouTube channel.

I have created a YouTube channel called Lister D Type, to upload a few videos of the Lister and anything else I think may be of interest to like minded folk.

Currently there is a slideshow of the restoration of my Lister D and a video of the engine running:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD84Kuu0bGg&t=3s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjyLpeT9r4&t=12s