Now for a temporary change of subject...
got 1200 hrs to spare?
A guy built this 12 cylinder diesel engine that runs and fits in the
palm of a hand. Don't know if he was an engineer or machinist or just
a very talented hobbyist, but it took him over 2,000 hours from
conception to finished product.. Counting his labor and material its
cost is just over $100,000.00, and all that for a conversation piece.
I think it belongs in a museum for unusual accomplishments.
This guy made everything at home on his lathe and drill press. Took
1220 hours just to make the 261 pieces: 12 individual cylinder heads,
TINY rods and pistons, dual "underhead" cams with pushrods to rockers
in the heads. And, he did the break-in runs using an electric drill
driving the crankshaft.
Even if you're not an engineer, you should enjoy watching this video.
www.wimp.com/tiniestengine/