Joe and the Golden Knight
Also included in this column:
• New reading for the engine
enthusiast
• Yet another engine test stand
• Sockets for radial-engine
mounting screws
April 2008 81
The Engine Shop Joe Wagner | [email protected]
Top right: The Saito .62A GK in action on an F&G test mount,
which fits perfectly. The propeller is a Graupner 12.5 x 6.
Above: The .62A GK performs as great as it looks. All the valvesetting
tools come with it, and its prop nuts fit a US four-way wrench.
Right: An article in The Home Shop Machinist, which also contains
ads and information about building model-engine projects.
MY FIRST GLANCE at Saito’s FA-62A
Golden Knight (GK) four-stroker strongly
attracted me to it. This engine’s sparkling
black-and-gold finish makes it stand out
from the competition. And now that I have
one, I’m attracted to it more than ever.
As are all of Saito’s four-stroke engines,
the .62A GK is exceptionally well designed
and built. It carries a three-year guarantee
that proves how firmly the company stands
behind its products.
The owner’s manual that came with my
engine covers the full range of Saito’s
current power plants. They are similarly
designed and constructed, with dual ball
bearings (the rear one shielded and the front
one sealed) and Saito’s one-piece cylinderand-
head unit, which eliminates any need
for head gasketing.
Saito’s line of engines ranges from .30 to
1.25. (All are available in the Golden
Knight version or a plain metal finish.) The
04sig3.QXD 2/25/08 12:11 PM Page 81
82 MODEL AVIATION
Frank Anderson’s latest Blue Book covers all
the US-made 1/2As. It provides identifying
data, photos, and valuations for 246 engines.
Once the world’s most popular model engine, this Mills Diesel fits nicely in JTEC’s
clever all-metal test mount. (The wood parts were made in the shop.)
company thoughtfully packages, with each
engine, a set of three Allen wrenches that
are needed to adjust the valves. There is also
a small “box wrench” provided for adjusting
screw locknuts.
A pair of tiny hardened-steel feeler
gauges is provided for establishing the
correct tappet gap. (The manual tells how to
do that and recommends that the tappet gaps
be checked, and adjusted if necessary, after
an hour or two of running time.)
Now for operation! The Saito manual
offers a wide range of propeller sizes. I chose
a Graupner 12.5 x 6, which fits in the middle
of the suggested range of diameters and
pitches.
Saito specifies fuel with 10%-15% of
nitromethane and 20% oil. Since most glow
fuels contain only 16%-18% oil, I routinely
add enough castor to bring the lube
percentage up to at least 20% for all my
glow engines.
Since a gallon contains 128 fluid ounces
(I call them “floz”), adding 1.5 floz of oil
brings the lube percentage up approximately
1 point. To be on the safe side I add 6 floz of
castor to any glow fuel that doesn’t specify
its oil content.
Here’s how that works. A quantity of 128
floz with 16% oil content has 20.5 floz of oil
in it. Adding 6 floz makes the total fuel
quantity 134 floz, with 26.5 floz total oil.
And 26.5/134 = 19.7% oil.
Even in 52° weather the .62 GK handstarted
easily for me (wearing a leather glove
for safety’s sake). That “instant starting” was
after I had cranked out the after-run oil that
Saito’s instructions told me to inject before
starting, to guarantee adequate lubrication for
the first run. I also followed Saito’s break-in
instructions exactly.
I mounted the engine in one of Wayne
Gladden’s break-in/test stands, available
from F&G Products. This mount offers
maximum adaptability with an adjustableposition
tank mount, throttle lever, and (of
course) engine width.
I preset the needle according to the
manual: 21/2 turns open. That proved to be
perfect for a first run—rich and smoky at
3,600 rpm.
Choking the Saito .62A GK was
unnecessary. I put my finger over the
muffler exit and flipped the propeller
briskly so that the exhaust pressure would
force fuel through the line and provide a
“wet prime.” After the GK started, I let it
run that way for 12 minutes. Then I shut it
off and let it cool.
Since the Saito GK has an aluminum
piston running in a chrome-plated
aluminum bore, I didn’t use the repeated
brief-run procedures I employ with steelsleeved,
lapped-piston engines. (The
aluminum parts don’t change
dimensionally as iron alloys do when “heat
cycled.”)
After 40 minutes of total running time, I
got a full-throttle rpm of 9,450. The best
minimum idle I managed wasn’t especially
low—roughly 2,700 rpm—but I expect that
to drop noticeably with further running and
judiciously tweaking the “idle needle.”
I received two new model-engine-related
publications that would be of interest to
modelers, like myself, who:
1) Appreciate the history of Americanmade
model-airplane engines, own some of
them, and like to know the value of older
specimens.
2) Possess metalworking machinery and
like to use it to make and modify model
engines.
Frank Anderson’s 1/2A Model Airplane
Engine Guide is a sort of addendum to his
earlier Anderson’s Blue Book, which covers
all the larger-than-1/2A American model
engines that were made between 1911 and
2005.
Both books are lavishly illustrated. They
provide photos and identifying data for all
the different engine makes and models—
plus valuations based on eBay and MECA
(Model Engine Collectors Association)
selling prices.
The 1/2A Model Airplane Engine Guide
sells for $19.95 plus $3.50 postage. It is
available from Frank Anderson.
The other publication is a bimonthly
periodical: The Home Shop Machinist. It’s
devoted to all kinds of home-shop machine
work—including model engines, of course.
Ads in it cover tools, materials, plans for
projects of many kinds, books and projects,
and machining techniques—even CNC
machine work for the home workshop.
Subscriptions to The Home Shop Machinist
cost $29.95 a year from Village Press, Inc.
I’ve acquired yet another model-engine
test mount: JTEC’s JT-TS3. It’s an allmetal
unit that is designed for .049-.61
engines.
I found this mount especially suitable
for my smaller engines. However, I had to
grind roughly .5mm off the tops of the two
roll pins that act as safety retainers. That’s
because they were taller than the mounting
lugs of several small beam-mounted
engines I own, such as my Mills .75 (.045
cu. in.) diesel.
A big advantage of the JTEC mount is
its use of flat-head screws for clamping the
test engine’s case lugs. That permits
04sig3.QXD 2/25/08 12:13 PM Page 82
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 81,82
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 81,82
Joe and the Golden Knight
Also included in this column:
• New reading for the engine
enthusiast
• Yet another engine test stand
• Sockets for radial-engine
mounting screws
April 2008 81
The Engine Shop Joe Wagner | [email protected]
Top right: The Saito .62A GK in action on an F&G test mount,
which fits perfectly. The propeller is a Graupner 12.5 x 6.
Above: The .62A GK performs as great as it looks. All the valvesetting
tools come with it, and its prop nuts fit a US four-way wrench.
Right: An article in The Home Shop Machinist, which also contains
ads and information about building model-engine projects.
MY FIRST GLANCE at Saito’s FA-62A
Golden Knight (GK) four-stroker strongly
attracted me to it. This engine’s sparkling
black-and-gold finish makes it stand out
from the competition. And now that I have
one, I’m attracted to it more than ever.
As are all of Saito’s four-stroke engines,
the .62A GK is exceptionally well designed
and built. It carries a three-year guarantee
that proves how firmly the company stands
behind its products.
The owner’s manual that came with my
engine covers the full range of Saito’s
current power plants. They are similarly
designed and constructed, with dual ball
bearings (the rear one shielded and the front
one sealed) and Saito’s one-piece cylinderand-
head unit, which eliminates any need
for head gasketing.
Saito’s line of engines ranges from .30 to
1.25. (All are available in the Golden
Knight version or a plain metal finish.) The
04sig3.QXD 2/25/08 12:11 PM Page 81
82 MODEL AVIATION
Frank Anderson’s latest Blue Book covers all
the US-made 1/2As. It provides identifying
data, photos, and valuations for 246 engines.
Once the world’s most popular model engine, this Mills Diesel fits nicely in JTEC’s
clever all-metal test mount. (The wood parts were made in the shop.)
company thoughtfully packages, with each
engine, a set of three Allen wrenches that
are needed to adjust the valves. There is also
a small “box wrench” provided for adjusting
screw locknuts.
A pair of tiny hardened-steel feeler
gauges is provided for establishing the
correct tappet gap. (The manual tells how to
do that and recommends that the tappet gaps
be checked, and adjusted if necessary, after
an hour or two of running time.)
Now for operation! The Saito manual
offers a wide range of propeller sizes. I chose
a Graupner 12.5 x 6, which fits in the middle
of the suggested range of diameters and
pitches.
Saito specifies fuel with 10%-15% of
nitromethane and 20% oil. Since most glow
fuels contain only 16%-18% oil, I routinely
add enough castor to bring the lube
percentage up to at least 20% for all my
glow engines.
Since a gallon contains 128 fluid ounces
(I call them “floz”), adding 1.5 floz of oil
brings the lube percentage up approximately
1 point. To be on the safe side I add 6 floz of
castor to any glow fuel that doesn’t specify
its oil content.
Here’s how that works. A quantity of 128
floz with 16% oil content has 20.5 floz of oil
in it. Adding 6 floz makes the total fuel
quantity 134 floz, with 26.5 floz total oil.
And 26.5/134 = 19.7% oil.
Even in 52° weather the .62 GK handstarted
easily for me (wearing a leather glove
for safety’s sake). That “instant starting” was
after I had cranked out the after-run oil that
Saito’s instructions told me to inject before
starting, to guarantee adequate lubrication for
the first run. I also followed Saito’s break-in
instructions exactly.
I mounted the engine in one of Wayne
Gladden’s break-in/test stands, available
from F&G Products. This mount offers
maximum adaptability with an adjustableposition
tank mount, throttle lever, and (of
course) engine width.
I preset the needle according to the
manual: 21/2 turns open. That proved to be
perfect for a first run—rich and smoky at
3,600 rpm.
Choking the Saito .62A GK was
unnecessary. I put my finger over the
muffler exit and flipped the propeller
briskly so that the exhaust pressure would
force fuel through the line and provide a
“wet prime.” After the GK started, I let it
run that way for 12 minutes. Then I shut it
off and let it cool.
Since the Saito GK has an aluminum
piston running in a chrome-plated
aluminum bore, I didn’t use the repeated
brief-run procedures I employ with steelsleeved,
lapped-piston engines. (The
aluminum parts don’t change
dimensionally as iron alloys do when “heat
cycled.”)
After 40 minutes of total running time, I
got a full-throttle rpm of 9,450. The best
minimum idle I managed wasn’t especially
low—roughly 2,700 rpm—but I expect that
to drop noticeably with further running and
judiciously tweaking the “idle needle.”
I received two new model-engine-related
publications that would be of interest to
modelers, like myself, who:
1) Appreciate the history of Americanmade
model-airplane engines, own some of
them, and like to know the value of older
specimens.
2) Possess metalworking machinery and
like to use it to make and modify model
engines.
Frank Anderson’s 1/2A Model Airplane
Engine Guide is a sort of addendum to his
earlier Anderson’s Blue Book, which covers
all the larger-than-1/2A American model
engines that were made between 1911 and
2005.
Both books are lavishly illustrated. They
provide photos and identifying data for all
the different engine makes and models—
plus valuations based on eBay and MECA
(Model Engine Collectors Association)
selling prices.
The 1/2A Model Airplane Engine Guide
sells for $19.95 plus $3.50 postage. It is
available from Frank Anderson.
The other publication is a bimonthly
periodical: The Home Shop Machinist. It’s
devoted to all kinds of home-shop machine
work—including model engines, of course.
Ads in it cover tools, materials, plans for
projects of many kinds, books and projects,
and machining techniques—even CNC
machine work for the home workshop.
Subscriptions to The Home Shop Machinist
cost $29.95 a year from Village Press, Inc.
I’ve acquired yet another model-engine
test mount: JTEC’s JT-TS3. It’s an allmetal
unit that is designed for .049-.61
engines.
I found this mount especially suitable
for my smaller engines. However, I had to
grind roughly .5mm off the tops of the two
roll pins that act as safety retainers. That’s
because they were taller than the mounting
lugs of several small beam-mounted
engines I own, such as my Mills .75 (.045
cu. in.) diesel.
A big advantage of the JTEC mount is
its use of flat-head screws for clamping the
test engine’s case lugs. That permits
04sig3.QXD 2/25/08 12:13 PM Page 82