20 years retired Have done odd jobs since retiring not very well and have upset a few employers for not towing the line

'Remember there were issues with those exhaust valves on the RD76s but the details escape me ; seals? blades seizing?
Have better (I mean clearer:wink:) memories of the semi-rotary exhaust vales on a 12RSAD76. They were actuated by a rod that passed across the engine and were driven by excentrics on the fuel pump camshaft which was at cylinder head level. Truth was that the valves weren't huge problem but continually slackening tie rod were as you had to release the valve drive rods to access the tie rod nuts.
This engine had an inner and outer set of holding down bolts and the inner ones were particularly prone to slackening or fracturing. However, we found a good technical solution to that problem - we left them all slack:applause: As far as I'm aware the engine failed to punch it's way through the tank top during the rest of it's life.

The RD had a flocking great chain drive. The valve blades were spring loaded compressed carbon/graphite, more fragile than a butterfly's wing! The actual valve body was a huge, coffin shaped monstrosity. Plenty of problems with reed valves etc. on an engine running on HFO which was designed for MDO!
Rgds.
Dave

Thanks Dave - bits coming back to me now. I seem to recall huge problems with the shaft seals. And those %$&!^£* reed valves! Ultrasonic cleaning baths hadn't reached us when I was sailing with them so cleaning them was a significant part of the crew's workload. I think we tried some snake oil fuel additive and some people convinced themselves it reduced the fouling rate:jester: On the little SD engines we could hardly do a two week passage without them and the ports becoming badly blocked. The crude short term cure was to stop the engine and empty a starting air bottle into it which would clear enough crap for a few more days running.

IN THE OLD DAYS...............! They used to empty powered detergent into the MDO fuel tank. It was very effective at loosening the crud and allowing it to blow out as it was coated and not so sticky! Used on smaller engines.........

Cleanliness is next to Godliness in the scavenge trunk on any engine. I have reed valves in my OLD MX bike! (Yamaha MX400 1976, first with rear monoshock - Any offers?).

Rgds.
Dave

Old Habits
 

Apart from the occasional North Sea Ferry trip, it's been nearly 10 years since I was seriously on a ship.
Yesterday, I noticed the missus had left a plate overhanging the edge of the worktop. I pushed it back to safety, and the accompanying comment from her ladyship of
' Think the house is going to roll a bit do you?' put me in my place.:big_tongue:

Hi Dave. Know the scene. I still keep my hand on my pint glass when in the local pub. Although that hasn’t been for a while. Hope you keeping well and clear of COVID. Worse things happened at sea.
Cheers
Rab T

Oh the memories!
 

Left ‘seagoing’ in 1981 after 10 years. Spent the next two years fitting out new builds and repairing duff radars and R/T sets on various craft. No money in it a rubbish hours. Ended up in Africa selling encrypted communications to military Governments, All very exciting at the time.
Got out back to ‘Blighty’ after escaping a couple of coupes and a potential locking up for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (completely innocently I might add) after the unfortunate death of an African President in a plane crash in 1986, Any ‘consultant ex pat’ was suspected of being perhaps something they were not after that!

Back to UK and into the world of burglar and fire alarm sales. Moved industry to ‘Highways technology ’ in 1993 ...... and still here with my own company. Past state retirement age....but couldn’t think what I could/would do with retirement. Work till I drop methinks.

Served my time as a maintenance mech with the MOD till 1974 then was an engineer with Denholm's, Swecal and BP. Went offshore North Sea in 1988 and stayed with drilling companies mostly offshore and abroad until I retired in 2015. My pass to get into offshore drilling industry was the Chief's ticket that I got with Denholms. Best time offshore was as Chief Engineer on the GSF Explorer a drillship drilling in Indonesia and India. It had been built as the Golmar Hughes Explorer by the CIA in the 70s to lift a Russian nuclear sub from the seabed in the pacific. After that escapade it sat in Long Beach stacked for 20 years before being converted to a drilling rig, its razor blades now.

Leaving the sea - swapping a maritime boss for a domestic one or in the parlance of 'Rumpole of the Bailey' - "she who must be obeyed". Various Command Orders issued along the lines of - cook, peggy duties, decorator, gardner, plumber, electrician, financial wizard, taxi driver, listener of sad tales, supplier of money to offspring, etc. Worth pointing out that as an electrician or plumber I'm strictly at the very basic level and know my limitations and mostly I ignore the Command Orders!

I didn't as much came ashore as reduced times at sea. Deep sea for 10 years 5months away at times. 10 years in North Sea 6 weeks on. Dredgers UK coast 2 weeks away then 1 week. Finally a Pilot home every day until retirement. 42 years loved every minute and was home most of the time to see my family grow up.

I've heard it said many times that on retirement some folk go into a sort of funk and can't adjust to not being at work. Not something that happened to me. I strolled out of the door on my last day and have never looked back. My only regret was that when I retired I was working ashore, something that had never appealed to me, I would much rather have retired from working at sea, trouble is if I had then that retirement funk probably would have affected me! Hmm!