There are two types of flywheel key, the early engines had a steel key and the later a aluminium key (which is slightly smaller), if your Tiny Tiger is the one in the linked thread below. you will need the aluminium key. I would suggest asking Wallfish or Webhead on here for one.
If they don't have any, it is possible to make them if you have access to a small lathe, I have made a few for my engines as well as a special in-between size for fitting later flywheels to early engines (I had to do this as early starter dogs are not available).
I don't know of anywhere that sells modern keys of the correct size & material.
I did suggest making a handle in that thread, do you need the measurements?
The only way to get an original would be from another Tiny Tiger, as I don't know of any source for NOS spares for the generator.
There is a thread created by Wallfish showing how to take the Tiny Tiger generator apart for restoration or repairs, link below;
I have never ran mine and was wondering what the heck the batteries were for. Any idea?
The Pittsburgh Press newspaper from the 30th December 1962 also seems to suggest the internal batteries were used in some way for starting;
"Device weighs only 14 pounds advertised as the world's smallest power plant is the 14-pound 110-120 volt unit introduced by the Creme Lure Co - Box 3379- Akron. The Power-Pack portable will operate four hours at full load on four pints of regular gasoline with outboard motor oil. Lights 250 watts (5-50 watt bulbs or equivalent) continuously. Besides providing light in out of the way places, it can be used for pistol drills, portable electric tools and electric razors. It's ideal for fishermen, hunters, campers, emergency light for homes, fallout shelters, civil defense, etc. The engine is an Ohlsson and Rice compact, two stroke cycle, 6300 RPM. Ignition regular flashlight batteries for easy start; magneto to run. Small built-in pilot light for refueling and starting in the dark."
The one on eBay right now has a black case. Did they have o&r cases in black?
23 hours ago, Webhead said:
Yes, I have a chainsaw with a black starter. and I have seen others. It could be a replacement, also.
I suspect the engine on the ebay one has been replaced at some point in the past, as the serial number on the generator is very close to the number on mine, but the engine is quite a bit newer. It also looks to have not been used very much.
My collection has a pump and a different generator, both with black starters.
Is it my imagination or did I see a blue version of the Creme Lure generator on the previous forum?
I saw the triple stack picture and thought it was perfect for fools day.
No fools now, here is my scan (second attempt) of the Perry Aquabug Owner's manual, the quality isn't great as the original was only a small book (pages 4" by 5.1") but it's better than nothing.
I would like to know if there is any easy way to move the exhaust to install a fuel tank. The exhaust and cylinder head won't budge. Is there something I have to remove first?
If the exhaust collector will not move, the cylinder will need to be unscrewed. But make sure the piston is free to move before trying this, as the con-rod will break if the piston is stuck.
The engine maintenance manual gives details on making a cylinder removal tool.
The instructions given are to make it from a piece of flat steel 3/16" thick & 1" square, with a hole drilled in the middle for using a screwdriver as a "T" handle.
I made one from a piece of steel & bar found in a box of offcuts & salvaged bits in the shed. I didn't bother to make it 1" square though, I only squared up the ends and drilled the hole for the bar.
If the cylinder is very tight I usually use a vice to hold the engine crankcase (use wood or similar to protect the engine from the vice jaws) and use an adjustable spanner to turn the tool. You will probably need to replace the gaskets if you remove the cylinder to prevent leaks. Also make sure that the slot in the top of the cylinder lines up with the crankshaft or is at 90 degrees to the crankshaft when reassembling.
Here is a picture of the cylinder removal tool I made.
David, is that your Nichols? Very nice! I have a Crème version that is about an 8 out of 10 compared to most that I have seen. I have never ran
mine and was wondering what the heck the batteries were for. Any idea?
I wish the Nichols was mine, it's the only one I've seen, the pictures were saved from an old ebay listing about 2 years ago. The Creme Lure in the first two posts is mine though, I have never run mine either and will probably not run it due to the design flaws of it being made from fragile plastic.
The only info for the use of the batteries is mentioned in the article linked in post 4, where it says "you start it on a built-in battery, then switch to magneto once it's running ".
I repair electrical & electronic items including motor control stuff for a living and I can't understand how it's even possible to start the engine with the AC alternator generator using 3 volts DC from the internal batteries.
There was a thread discussing this on the old forum where usedtoolman had tried using a battery and it didn't work for starting the engine (it's not clear whether it was tested with an external battery connected to the DC output or the 2 internal batteries), link from the internet archive below;
Both the Nichols & Creme Lure generators had 110V AC outputs as standard, some also have 6V & 12V DC outputs as well. According to the article linked above, the batteries inside were used for starting.
And some pictures of the horrors inside, this is a good reminder not to leave batteries in items that are not being used, the nine lives have clearly been used up with these vintage examples that were found in mine! I had to do some dismantling to remove them.
Also note that the generator coils can become loose, which will result in the them being damaged if the generator is run.
Thought I should start a thread for the Creme Lure generator, as we don't seem to have one.
Here are a couple of pictures of the generator in my collection, it's a "super portable power pack" model S made by the Creme Lure Company of Tyler, Texas & Akron, Ohio.
Most of these generators haven't aged well due to the frame/covers and gas tank being made from plastic, the gas tanks are often warped & the covers can crack.
I do wonder if engines could be linked together though.
The picture is actually a diagram showing the Aquabug being raised or lowered for shallow water operation, from my Perry Aquabug owner's manual. The book does lie about the power of the O&R, it claims it's 1.2HP, not sure I believe that the carb was electronically setup at the factory either.
The full manual will be added when I've scanned it all and created a pdf.
The article mentions they were planning 11 other attachments including a lawn mower, grass trimmer, generator, sickle mower and the outboard motor (Power Oar). I wonder how many they actually made.
Here are some pics of things found on the web in which I have no idea of their intended use or application.
I've finally identified one of the mystery tools from the first post, the engine with the blue frame & guard with a K in it.
It's a Krestronics KGC-3 Charge-A-Lite generator, same outputs as a Tiny Tiger but with a belt driven generator. The article below is from the Popular Science March 1962 edition, which is available online here; https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OyEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA172#v=onepage&q&f=false
I'm guessing it wasn't as popular as the direct drive generators like the Tiny Tiger or Amp-Champ as no complete generator has been found yet.
I've been doing a bit of research and have found an early article on O&R engines including some of the first tools available, some of which probably didn't sell very well.
Here are some of the tools I've never seen before, including a gold separator, a different bike engine kit, a light aircraft tractor, a different design of compressor, a small mower and the smoke jumper (not sure it would have been very effective with that tiny water tank). I'm going to need a bigger shed if I find any of them.
There are a few more O&R articles in both Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines available on google books if you look through the 1960's & 1970's issues linked below.
The May 1972 edition of Popular Mechanics has an article on a minibike with an O&R engine that was converted run on steam power, has anyone come across a steam powered O&R before? Looks quite dangerous.
Send a PM (private message) to either Webhead or Wallfish to ask about parts, if you need help with anything else other than carb problems with your chainsaw it would be best to start a new thread about it.
A very helpful tutorial. I have a chainsaw with an O&R engine, and the tutorial was exactly the issue. Forgive me in I cross a line here, Where do I go to find replacement parts?
Thanks in advance.
Webhead and Wallfish on here have spare parts for these engines as well as the new diaphragms for the carb.
This is the the other one I have, is the cover beyond repair?
Here is a picture of the Perry Aquabug label on the better one of the two, I seem to have lost the "supplied by Perry's yacht centre" sticker (maybe it fell off before I got it).
They were imported by R Perry & Company Limited of Monks Ferry Works, 90 Church Street in Birkenhead, I've looked it up on Streetview but it looks like they are long gone.
Welcome to the forum, your Aquabug looks in nice condition, I have a pair of them rebranded by Perry in the UK, both the plastic covers are in poor condition.
There are quite a few joins in the fuel line, the clear tubing can become brittle and crack, also one of mine has a hole in the plastic fuel tank.
Another unknown make O&R tool found in the completed listings search on ePay, It has a reduction gearbox driving a pump described as possibly being hydraulic.
That should clean up well, looks in good condition. I also use fuel/gas for cleaning at home, at work we use various expensive cans of spray cleaner for cleaning stuff there, these are mostly petroleum based, but fuel/gas works just as well.
I don't have a compressor at home, but I do take the air filters to work and use the air line to remove the last remains of the old filter foam, before fitting new foam.
Tiny Tiger Parts
in Ohlsson and Rice
Posted
There are two types of flywheel key, the early engines had a steel key and the later a aluminium key (which is slightly smaller), if your Tiny Tiger is the one in the linked thread below. you will need the aluminium key. I would suggest asking Wallfish or Webhead on here for one.
If they don't have any, it is possible to make them if you have access to a small lathe, I have made a few for my engines as well as a special in-between size for fitting later flywheels to early engines (I had to do this as early starter dogs are not available).
I don't know of anywhere that sells modern keys of the correct size & material.
I did suggest making a handle in that thread, do you need the measurements?
The only way to get an original would be from another Tiny Tiger, as I don't know of any source for NOS spares for the generator.
There is a thread created by Wallfish showing how to take the Tiny Tiger generator apart for restoration or repairs, link below;
David