Thanks Jack. Haha love what you’ve done with my photo. Wonder if the ladies would mind doing some more modelling for me 😂. Would you have instruction manuals (or any other literature)for a model 46 and a model 38 fitted with the Kirby engine you wouldn’t mind giving me copies of. StevenBerghofer@gmail.com Thanks Bergy.
Great result, I'm in the middle of doing my 38 edger and is almost ready for re-assemby I'm just waiting on piston rings and gaskets to arrive from the U.S.
Just wondering if you painted around the guard warning decal or did you get yours re-printed as I can't find this decal anywhere mine are faded and I can't get a good copy to get them re-printed, also could you possibly take a close up photo of the tension cup washer and spring in the height adjustment handle part# 48 & 41 as mines missing and I want to try and re fabricate it but not sure what it is.
Thanks Bergy that's exactly what I was after, I will now see if I can get something similar for mine. If it's no trouble if your able to give a measurement of the spring length and outer diameter that would be really helpful.
Hi everyone, sorry for disappearing but I'm still alive. I won't leave the thread hanging like so many others do and there will be a complete finished machine as I did with my 45.
It's been a nightmare few months with ordered parts going missing in the post and not arriving, I had to wait 2 months for the gaskets to arrive which meant I couldn't go any further with the engine rebuild. Also had alot of other stuff to sort out around the house which has slowed the budget down. Anyways I got a good start on the engine and it's coming together nicely, there's still a bit more to go as I have to strip and paint the fuel tank. I haven't done the tank yet as I'm looking to get a customer decal done which no one wants to do unless I order 1000 decals. I'm going to get some new fuel lines today and a spark plug and maybe inquire about blades.
G'day Bon_Scott Many thanks for the update and the fantastic images. Yep, a story resolution is always great for the reader - but important for the machines provenance down the track.
Re the decal, have you tried contacting silensmessor on eBay?
Hi CyberJack Yes, I have contacted this seller and it's my last port of call, he says he can reproduce it but can't print white over clear but can only print it on a solid orange background. I still have a few more places I have to try, I most likely will have to pay for a handfull of prints which doesn't bother me as I'm sure I can slowly sell the rest and cover some of the cost. If anyone knows someone who can print clear decals I'm all ears.
I just can't understand why he can't print onto clear stock, everyone else seems to be able to do it but they don't waste their time on lawnmower stuff, rather they do it all for Automotive where there';s far bigger bucks to be made.
The Lawn King decal is a classic example where the blue colour he uses simply looks awful when it's stuck directly onto a Pacific Blue machine or catcher, and to make matters worse I supplied the original artwork for it.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
I agree you see clear stickers and labels everywhere, I went to a local sticker place who I won't name that wasent just using a home printer. These guys had a massive warehouse and printed for commercial and industrial businesses, there slogan said no job to big or to small. Obviously they do big jobs as they had rolls of stickers on pallets eg oh&s safety and warning stickers but I guess my sticker was classed as tinny and not small. They said they had to set up the design and had to print a complete roll and that the white writing on clear would print grey. I may be nieve but if you have the equipment to print on clear then I'm sure white is achievable I also don't understand why they have to set up the image when it's there Infront of you to be copied, surely these guys have the software and know how to smooth out the colour and print to scale, I also don't understand why they can't print one or worst maybe ten. I also understand there not going to do it to charge $5.00 for a sticker but I was prepared to pay no less than $50.00 to get it made. Anyways they passed me on to another company so I'm just going to have to shop around, probably have more luck in Sydney finding a little Chinese guy in a back alley who will do one print for $5.00.
Quick little update, I re did the I'd plate today. Not sure if I explained how I did it last time or if it's been explained here before but I know alot of people paint then sand off the paint on the embossed letters to expose the brass writing but I find it's fiddly and tends to scratch and dull the paint as well as the brass.
First I clean the plate up and polish the brass to a shinny finish with a polishing mop on the bench grinder. I then primed then paint the id plate completely then after a few hours when dry i scrape with a brand new box cutter blade keeping the blade flush along all lettered in the horizontal position and it's done in 10mins with no chipping or scratches and no polishing required afterwards. I also find that Chevrolet Orange-Red is a very good match to the origional I'd plate colour as to me it was never really red.
Hope that helps anyone out there. Keep in mind different paints might scrape or dry differently and keep the paint coats as thin as possible don't let it build up with thick coats.
What do you think Jack would this be a early first production of 500?
I've found nothing but issues with print houses when it comes to small one off jobs. All they want is runs of 5,000 and above, so much for no job too big or small eh ?
I wanted some Sidchrome stickers duplicated by one of Adelaide's leading printers and all I got was excuses why the current technology couldn't reproduce what was done 40 odd years ago. Gee funny how we've gone 2 steps forward and 3 steps back ??
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Spot on BB there were no computers or digital presses back then I don't even think a dot Matrix printer even existed when my sticker was made. I was still confussed how the white print turns out grey? You either have white or you dont, Sad world we live in where you can't get a simple service done anymore.