At 12:00 AM 2/25/01 -0800, you wrote:
>We also had a master mechanic/ millwright/machinist
>who used it on his auto engine (cyls) if it used oil when new, as they
>frequently did in the '50s. It lapped the rings in and stopped the oil
>getting up past the pistons. (snip)
>Incidentally, it is great for giving that final polish to slide valve
>surfaces--good stuff.
>Geoff.
As Geoff say, Bob Ami is very handy stuff, and will work as a
scaled-down grinding compound for model use. I don't know if this is still
the case but originally Bon Ami was made of "diatomacious earth", that is,
the microscopic lime shells of diatoms found in sea water.
An old live steamer here who spent most of his life working or around
the inland riverboat industry here once told us that if they had a big
diesel engine, either new or after a rebuild, which was burning oil they
would crank it up, pull off the air cleaner, and offer up a couple of
palm-fulls of Bon Ami to the intake manifold. After one great belch of
blue smoke the rings would bed right in and run without a trace of smoke.
Regards,
Harry Wade
Nashville, Tn
