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Discussion Groups / English Usage / February 2010decarbonise
I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was clear that he was talking about reducing industrial CO2 emmisions, but I might have had problems guessing the word in isolation. http://www.wordspy.com/words/decarbonise.asp  SignatureDavid > I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this > before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was > clear that he was talking about reducing industrial CO2 emmisions, but I > might have had problems guessing the word in isolation. > > http://www.wordspy.com/words/decarbonise.asp I've always understood the word to mean scraping carbon deposits from the inside of an internal combustion engine, and this meaning is also given in the link you provided. WIWAL, removing the cylinder head of one's car (or motorcycle), scraping away the deposits and regrinding the valves was something many vehicle owners did themselves (and which was prescribed in the service manual). Presumably this is no longer necessary for modern engines--or even possible without a fortune's worth of special tools. "Decarbonise" is therefore available for other meanings. SignatureLes (BrE) >> I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this >> before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > engines--or even possible without a fortune's worth of special > tools. "Decarbonise" is therefore available for other meanings. I've always known the process of carbon removal from a carburettor as a "de-coke". SignatureDavid >>> I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard >>> this [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > I've always known the process of carbon removal from a carburettor as a > "de-coke". De-coke was also used to mean decarbonisation by people worried about their social standing. These days it probably refers to a course of treatment for addiction. SignatureLes (BrE) >>>> I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard >>>> this [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >their social standing. These days it probably refers to a course of >treatment for addiction. As well as engine decarbonisation quotes the OED has this: 1958 M. PUGH Wilderness of Monkeys iii. 32 He found his pipe, decoked it with a spike intended to hold papers and was about to light it. Ibid. viii. 98 A meat skewer, which he normally used in decoking his pipe. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > I've always known the process of carbon removal from a carburettor as a > "de-coke". If you have to remove carbon deposits from a carburettor then I'd say your engine has got serious problems! SignatureAndy Clews University of Sussex *** Remove DENTURES if replying by email *** >> I've always known the process of carbon removal from a carburettor as a >> "de-coke". > > If you have to remove carbon deposits from a carburettor then I'd say your > engine has got serious problems! Hummm. Yes. Why did I say carburettor? In my defense, I'm working at the same time. SignatureDavid >>> I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this >>> before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >I've always known the process of carbon removal from a carburettor as a >"de-coke". My mother used to euphemistically use the term "decarbonise" when she was preparing (removing the guts) from things such as chickens and rabbits for cooking. SignatureIan >My mother used to euphemistically use the term "decarbonise" when she >was preparing (removing the guts) from things such as chickens and >rabbits for cooking. I also use it when scraping burnt toast. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk Steve Hayes filted: >>My mother used to euphemistically use the term "decarbonise" when she >>was preparing (removing the guts) from things such as chickens and >>rabbits for cooking. > >I also use it when scraping burnt toast. I've heard people speak of "de-boning a magazine" to mean removing all the subscription and other cards before reading....r SignatureA pessimist sees the glass as half empty. An optometrist asks whether you see the glass more full like this?...or like this? > Steve Hayes filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I've heard people speak of "de-boning a magazine" to mean removing > all the subscription and other cards before reading....r And, for some magazines, "defusing" them by ripping out scented ads. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |It is one thing to be mistaken; it is 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |quite another to be willfully Palo Alto, CA 94304 |ignorant | Cecil Adams kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ >> Steve Hayes filted: >>> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > And, for some magazines, "defusing" them by ripping out scented ads. Actually, thinking about it some more, that may have been "disarming" them. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |English is about as pure as a 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |cribhouse whore. We don't just Palo Alto, CA 94304 |borrow words; on occasion, English |has pursued other languages down kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com |alleyways to beat them unconscious (650)857-7572 |and rifle their pockets for new |vocabulary. http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ | --James D. Nicoll Evan Kirshenbaum filted: >>> I've heard people speak of "de-boning a magazine" to mean removing >>> all the subscription and other cards before reading....r [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Actually, thinking about it some more, that may have been "disarming" >them. I'm inclined to call that "spaying" them....r SignatureA pessimist sees the glass as half empty. An optometrist asks whether you see the glass more full like this?...or like this? > > I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this > > before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > (or motorcycle), scraping away the deposits and regrinding the valves was > something many vehicle owners did themselves RAF cadets driving old bangers in the 1950s often spoke thus. We seldom actually went to the trouble unless lent a hand by someone experienced . . . SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) Don Phillipson wrote, in <hk9e91$ia0$5@theodyn.ncf.ca> on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 09:53:35 -0500: > > I've always understood the word to mean scraping carbon deposits from the > > inside of an internal combustion engine, and this meaning is also given [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > spoke thus. We seldom actually went to the trouble > unless lent a hand by someone experienced . . . I've done it on a motor-bike, a 1934 250cc Panther that I bought for a fiver in 1950, and reground the valves too. I sold it a couple of years later for £15. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE > Don Phillipson wrote, in <hk9e91$ia0$5@theodyn.ncf.ca> > on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 09:53:35 -0500: [...] >> RAF cadets driving old bangers in the 1950s often >> spoke thus. We seldom actually went to the trouble [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > fiver in 1950, and reground the valves too. I sold it a couple of > years later for £15. If it's anything like cleaning a machine-gun, I'm glad I've never had to do it. SignatureMike. Mike Lyle wrote, in <hk9rhv$gl5$1@news.eternal-september.org> on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:39:58 -0000: > > Don Phillipson wrote, in <hk9e91$ia0$5@theodyn.ncf.ca> > > on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 09:53:35 -0500: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > If it's anything like cleaning a machine-gun, I'm glad I've never had to > do it. I've done that too. A Bren. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE > Mike Lyle wrote, in <hk9rhv$gl5$1@news.eternal-september.org> > on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:39:58 -0000: [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > I've done that too. A Bren. Me too! >> Mike Lyle wrote, in <hk9rhv$gl5$1@news.eternal-september.org> >> on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:39:58 -0000: [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Me too! Me three. But only as a training exercise. It was clean before I cleaned it. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) Peter Duncanson (BrE) wrote, in <4k4hm5dhst41445pbv4qj9qqegq7g1buoa@4ax.com> on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:03:09 +0000: > >> Mike Lyle wrote, in <hk9rhv$gl5$1@news.eternal-september.org> > >> on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:39:58 -0000: [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > But only as a training exercise. It was clean before I cleaned it. Same for me. I remember at school when preparing for Cert A we could take a DP Bren (one with the firing pin cut off) back to the house for practice. Competitions were run for quickest complete disassembly and reassembly of a Bren. I cannot remember, sixty plus years later, what a good time was. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE [...] > I cannot remember, sixty plus years later, what a > good time was. I know the feeling. SignatureLes (BrE) > [...] > > > I cannot remember, sixty plus years later, what a > > good time was. > > I know the feeling. Well done! -- Jerry Friedman Leslie Danks wrote, in <4b695fa6$0$1565$91cee783@newsreader03.highway.telekom.at> on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:43:51 +0100: > [...] > > > I cannot remember, sixty plus years later, what a > > good time was. > > I know the feeling. I just set 'em up. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE >>> Mike Lyle wrote, in <hk9rhv$gl5$1@news.eternal-september.org> >>> on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:39:58 -0000: [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > But only as a training exercise. It was clean before I cleaned it. Cheat! After the simple Bren came the GPMG, with nooks and crannies. SignatureMike. >>>> Mike Lyle wrote, in <hk9rhv$gl5$1@news.eternal-september.org> >>>> on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:39:58 -0000: [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > >Cheat! After the simple Bren came the GPMG, with nooks and crannies. I guess that's all been done away with now. Don't you just throw your plastic Glock 17 in the dishwasher? SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England >>>>> Mike Lyle wrote, in <hk9rhv$gl5$1@news.eternal-september.org> >>>>> on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:39:58 -0000: [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > I guess that's all been done away with now. Don't you just throw your > plastic Glock 17 in the dishwasher? On "Delicate". Making soldiers clean their own weapons is probably ruled an infringement of their human rights. SignatureMike. On Feb 5, 10:50 pm, "Mike Lyle" <mike_lyle...@REMOVETHISyahoo.co.uk> wrote: > >>>>> Mike Lyle wrote, in <hk9rhv$gl...@news.eternal-september.org> > >>>>> on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:39:58 -0000: [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > On "Delicate". Making soldiers clean their own weapons is probably ruled > an infringement of their human rights. Further upon 'delicate', for some values of 'weapons', their rights would certainly be infringed if theirs were cleaned by the sar-major. -- franzi >Don Phillipson wrote, in <hk9e91$ia0$5@theodyn.ncf.ca> > on Tue, 2 Feb 2010 09:53:35 -0500: [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >fiver in 1950, and reground the valves too. I sold it a couple of years >later for £15. I've decoked cars and a motorbike, too. In fact I rebuilt a car completely and reconditioned the engine during the summer of 1959. Pre-computerisation it was a relatively straightforward job to decoke, regrind the valves, replace oil seals etc. In fact I helped to grind the valves on my Mercedes SL last year during an engine overhaul prior to selling it. The heavy lifting was done by a mechanic. The car was bought in 1985 and the straight-six engine was little different from its 1950s predecessors. Nowadays, cars are not built for ease of amateur access, and I would not tackle a modern, computer-controlled engine. SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England [...] >> I've always understood the word to mean scraping carbon deposits from >> the inside of an internal combustion engine, and this meaning is also [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > spoke thus. We seldom actually went to the trouble > unless lent a hand by someone experienced . . . In those days the ownership and self-servicing of old bangers used to be part of a young man's education. I learned by watching and helping my father overhaul the family car during the 50s. My memory fails me, but it was definitely a Rover and looked something like this: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_12> Subsequently I spent many happy hours dismantling and reassembling various two- and four-wheeled old bangers. On one occasion, we replaced a blown cylinder head gasket on the hard shoulder of the M1. Sad to say, this part of our culture has all but disappeared, though it probably continues in the developing world. Nowadays, many an eighteen-year old seems to get a new BMW as a coming-of-age present. SignatureLes (BrE) > Subsequently I spent many happy hours dismantling and reassembling various > two- and four-wheeled old bangers. On one occasion, we replaced a blown > cylinder head gasket on the hard shoulder of the M1. Sad to say, this > part of our culture has all but disappeared, though it probably continues > in the developing world. Nowadays, many an eighteen-year old seems to get > a new BMW as a coming-of-age present. You must live in a very different part of the UK from me, despite the fact that my neighbours are all bank managers, accountants, doctors, etc. I can't think of any teenagers around here who have cars at all, never mind brand new ones. SignatureDavid >> Subsequently I spent many happy hours dismantling and reassembling >> various [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > etc. I can't think of any teenagers around here who have cars at all, > never mind brand new ones. Really? I can't park my car at work because the car park is always full of students' cars - 4x4s, BMWs, Audis, all fairly new. It was much easier when the really rich ones were ferried about by chauffeurs who took the cars away. SignatureLaura (emulate St. George for email) >> Subsequently I spent many happy hours dismantling and reassembling >> various two- and four-wheeled old bangers. On one occasion, we replaced [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > etc. I can't think of any teenagers around here who have cars at all, > never mind brand new ones. I don't live in the UK at all, but in rural Austria. I also suffer from hyperbolitis, but it is certainly true that many teenagers here own cars. And if you want to be a somebody among the rich farming set, it has to be an Alfa-Romeo. SignatureLes (BrE) >Subsequently I spent many happy hours dismantling and reassembling various >two- and four-wheeled old bangers. On one occasion, we replaced a blown >cylinder head gasket on the hard shoulder of the M1. Sad to say, this >part of our culture has all but disappeared, though it probably continues >in the developing world. Nowadays, many an eighteen-year old seems to get >a new BMW as a coming-of-age present. Before about 1980 there was little you couldn't fix with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, Nowadays, however, you need a degree in electronics. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk Steve Hayes filted: >Before about 1980 there was little you couldn't fix with a screwdriver and a >pair of pliers, > >Nowadays, however, you need a degree in electronics. But you still need a screwdriver and a pair of pliers too....r SignatureA pessimist sees the glass as half empty. An optometrist asks whether you see the glass more full like this?...or like this? >Steve Hayes filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >But you still need a screwdriver and a pair of pliers too....r Old hat. Anyway, think of the Elfin Safety implications (and possible arrest for being in possession of dangerous weapons - or even arrested under Section 44 of the anti-terrorism laws). You only need to know how to drive a computer. SignatureIan Ian Jackson: > Old hat. Anyway, think of the Elfin Safety implications ... But I thought Prince Char was going to repeat the Elfin Restrictions when he took the throne! SignatureMark Brader | The situation will continue to deteriorate until we [get] msb@vex.net | an effective governing authority... When that wonderful Toronto | day finally comes, we will once again resent the stupid | laws [they] will inevitably hold over us. --Mark Crispin >Steve Hayes filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >But you still need a screwdriver and a pair of pliers too....r My son is a Lexus mechanic, and once brought home the workshop manual for a Toyota Prius. Very difficult to understand. But he didn't know what pinking was, and I had some difficulty in explaining it to him. It usually indicates that the timing is out, or that the engine needs to be decarbonised. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk > R H Draney wrote: >> Steve Hayes filted: >>> Before about 1980 there was little you couldn't fix with a >>> screwdriver and a pair of pliers, [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > It usually indicates that the timing is out, or that the engine needs > to be decarbonised. Pinking? Ah, pinging. Yet, pinging on a Prius? SignatureSkitt (AmE) puts away the pinking shears >> R H Draney wrote: >>> Steve Hayes filted: [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Pinking? Ah, pinging. Yet, pinging on a Prius? "Pinking" in BrE. OED: pinking, n.3 [< PINK v.3 (see sense 2 at that entry) + -ING suffix1.] The production of a metallic rattling sound in an internal-combustion engine as a result of over-rapid combustion of the mixture in the cylinder. 1910 Times 2 Nov. 16/5 A plug the screwed part of which projects only inwards beyond the cylinder walls may get so hot as to cause pre-ignition, knocking or pinking. 1930 Flight 11 July 787 A further change was made to a poor grade spirit, and the symptoms of pinking combined with loss of efficiency were much exaggerated. pink, v.3 [Apparently imitative. Compare PINK n.8] 1. intr. Sc. To trickle, to drip; to make a tinkling sound while dripping. Now rare. 2. intr. Of an internal-combustion engine: to exhibit pinking (PINKING n.3), to make a metallic rattling sound. Of a fuel: to cause pinking. Also fig. 1904 R. KIPLING Muse among Motors 7 That cursed left-hand cylinder the doctors call my heart Is pinking past redemption{em}I am done! 1925 A. W. JUDGE Carburettors & Carburation ii. 19 The principal advantage of benzole is its higher detonating compression value; this enables it to be used in high compression petrol engines liable to ‘pink’ or knock, without experiencing these effects. pink, n.8 and int. 4. A metallic rattle in an internal-combustion engine; spec. pinking (PINKING n.3). 1927 Fuel in Sci. & Pract. 6 121/1 Ricardo attributed the ‘pink’ to the sudden inflammation of residual unburnt charge owing to its compression by the expanding burnt and burning portion. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>>> Steve Hayes filted: >>>>> Before about 1980 there was little you couldn't fix with a >>>>> screwdriver and a pair of pliers, [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > the sudden inflammation of residual unburnt charge owing to its > compression by the expanding burnt and burning portion. Ah. I guess that holds also for South Africa, then. Not for AmE, though. SignatureSkitt (AmE) Skitt filted: >>> Pinking? Ah, pinging. Yet, pinging on a Prius? >> [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > >Ah. I guess that holds also for South Africa, then. Not for AmE, though. In AmE, it's: Main Entry: 5pink Function: transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, to thrust Date: 1503 1 a : to perforate in an ornamental pattern b : to cut a saw-toothed edge on A term for the scrapbookers....r SignatureA pessimist sees the glass as half empty. An optometrist asks whether you see the glass more full like this?...or like this? >Skitt filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > >1 a : to perforate in an ornamental pattern b : to cut a saw-toothed edge on Hence "pinking shears" (BrE, AmE, et al Es). E.g.: http://www.fabriclandwest.com/Notion_basics/Cutting_Tools_101/pinking_shears.jpg >A term for the scrapbookers....r SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>Skitt filted: >>> [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] > >>A term for the scrapbookers....r I have heard (seen) it used when a chip of wood or metal clips the edge of the nose or ear, drawing blood. "The chip pinked a finger, but he kept on working." Different from "pickling a finger". Pat >>In AmE, it's: >> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >>A term for the scrapbookers....r It is (I believe, and am too lazy to look up) the origin of the name for the colour. The flowers called pinks were so called because they had pinked edges, and the colour was named after the flower. SignatureOnline waterways route planner | http://canalplan.eu Plan trips, see photos, check facilities | http://canalplan.org.uk >>>In AmE, it's: >>> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >the colour. The flowers called pinks were so called because they had >pinked edges, and the colour was named after the flower. That is one of the "perhaps"es in the OED etymology of 'pink, n.5 and adj.2' which starts "Origin uncertain:". Fortunately 'pink, n.1' is labelled "historical": A yellowish or greenish-yellow lake pigment made by combining a vegetable colouring matter with a white base, such as a metallic oxide. 1464-5 .... 2001 P. BALL Bright Earth vi. 157 Pinks were in fact defined in terms of neither their ingredients nor their colour for there were also green pinks, brown pinks and rose pinks. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > . . . On one occasion, we replaced a blown > cylinder head gasket on the hard shoulder of the M1. Sad to say, this > part of our culture has all but disappeared, though it probably continues > in the developing world. I doubt it. Head gaskets in our day were a metal-skinned sandwich that could often be reinstalled several times. Nowadays they are made of exotic plastics and cannot be reused. SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) > > . . . On one occasion, we replaced a blown > > cylinder head gasket on the hard shoulder of the M1. I can't get over this. It reminds me of the strip of titanium alloy that did for Concorde. > > Sad to say, this > > part of our culture has all but disappeared, though it probably continues > > in the developing world. And particularly in the IED world of the Middle East. > I doubt it. Head gaskets in our day were a metal-skinned > sandwich that could often be reinstalled several times. Nowadays > they are made of exotic plastics and cannot be reused. Exotic plastic sandwiches? Luxury! It were a soft sheet of pink copper with approximated apertures in my day. As I write, there are 38 posts in this thread. 37 are by men. This tells me something about the appeal of decoking. -- franzi >As I write, there are 38 posts in this thread. 37 are by men. This >tells me something about the appeal of decoking. I've done it, back in the day. It just didn't seem worth writing an AOL post about. I did go off into a reverie about using a cornflake box to make a replacement head gasket, and what a wonderful colour that bright red gasket gunge was, and the delightful delicacy of feeler gauges, and how I got to know the inside of my 1965 Volvo so well that I once stopped to help a fellow-driver who was stuck on the North Circular and was able to solve their problem in a trice. These days I probably wouldn't know how to open the bonnet (US hood) if it weren't for having to top up the screen wash every now and then. SignatureKaty Jennison spamtrap: remove the first two letters after the @ >>As I write, there are 38 posts in this thread. 37 are by men. This >>tells me something about the appeal of decoking. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >These days I probably wouldn't know how to open the bonnet (US hood) >if it weren't for having to top up the screen wash every now and then. Here here. I only got involved last year for the sentimental reason that I'd had the car 24 years from new. But I did have to open the bonnet for some hours recently. Since before Christmas I haven't been on any runs longer than a mile each way to the deli and back. Two cold starts with just a couple of miles on the road daily over more than a month ran my battery completely down and I had to put it on charge for six hours. I now drive to the deli along a loop that's about six miles, which seems enough but is a total waste of petrol. SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England >> . . . On one occasion, we replaced a blown >> cylinder head gasket on the hard shoulder of the M1. Sad to say, this [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >sandwich that could often be reinstalled several times. Nowadays >they are made of exotic plastics and cannot be reused. Doubt no more. A few years ago I saw a documentary "Bush Mechanics" about ingenious work-arounds. http://www.bushmechanics.com/home.htm SignatureRichard Bollard Canberra Australia To email, I'm at AMT not spAMT. > Subsequently I spent many happy hours dismantling and reassembling various > two- and four-wheeled old bangers. On one occasion, we replaced a blown > cylinder head gasket on the hard shoulder of the M1. Sad to say, this > part of our culture has all but disappeared, though it probably continues > in the developing world. Nowadays, many an eighteen-year old seems to get > a new BMW as a coming-of-age present. As with the decline of language and the uselessness of the young, this is an old complaint: "In those days motorists /were/ motorists. Nowadays things are made so easy for them that they cavil at having to carry out the simplest roadside repair, such as slipping in a new crank-shaft -- or even removing the body to fit a new dash-light". That was written 75 years ago. SignatureOnline waterways route planner | http://canalplan.eu Plan trips, see photos, check facilities | http://canalplan.org.uk Nick wrote, in <87eil2rcj0.fsf@temporary-address.org.uk> on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:42:11 +0000: > > Subsequently I spent many happy hours dismantling and reassembling various > > two- and four-wheeled old bangers. On one occasion, we replaced a blown [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > That was written 75 years ago. Just after the war when we lived in Cheshire the local garage was owned by Harry Spann who was really a blacksmith and his son who ran the garage side. Harry drove a 1930-ish Austin 7 and carried a spare engine in the back. He couldn't fix an engine but he could change one. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE >Nick wrote, in <87eil2rcj0.fsf@temporary-address.org.uk> > on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:42:11 +0000: [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >garage side. Harry drove a 1930-ish Austin 7 and carried a spare engine >in the back. He couldn't fix an engine but he could change one. In the late 60s, a next-door neighbour had an ancient, battered, 1952 VW Beetle. He had a bout of recurring engine trouble (which included the need to do a de-coke). The easiest way of doing this was to remove the engine, and I got duly roped in to help. His initial 'repairs' were less than 100% effective, and we needed to repeat the operation several times. In the end, we got removal and replacement down to a fine art - 10 and 20 minutes respectively. The operation included the use of the old backboiler from a behind a coal fire - but I that's enough detail, I think. SignatureIan >Nick wrote, in <87eil2rcj0.fsf@temporary-address.org.uk> >on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:42:11 +0000: [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >garage side. Harry drove a 1930-ish Austin 7 and carried a spare engine >in the back. He couldn't fix an engine but he could change one. I was at RAF Yatesbury in 1959 and a chap called Rick gave me and another a lift to Calne in his Austin 7. Halfway there the engine died but he had a spare in the back. We changed it at the side of the road, right under the White Horse. >I was at RAF Yatesbury in 1959 Three years after me. > and a chap called Rick gave me and another >a lift to Calne in his Austin 7. Halfway there the engine died but he had a spare >in the back. We changed it at the side of the road, right under the White Horse. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >> Subsequently I spent many happy hours dismantling and reassembling various >> two- and four-wheeled old bangers. On one occasion, we replaced a blown [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >That was written 75 years ago. That reminds me of sportscar racing. The cars are, by regulation, two-seaters. The two-seatedness comes from the days when the car had both a driver and an onboard mechanic. I have a vague recollection of seeing the phrase "travelling mechanic" in that context, however, it has a much wider range of uses now. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >> I've always understood the word to mean scraping carbon deposits from the >> inside of an internal combustion engine, and this meaning is also given [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > spoke thus. We seldom actually went to the trouble > unless lent a hand by someone experienced . . . Initially I read that as "eating old bangers". In my student days, decarbonising the sausages was as much a ritual as decarbonising the toast. SignaturePeter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org For an e-mail address, see my web page. >> I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this >> before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >I've always understood the word to mean scraping carbon deposits from the >inside of an internal combustion engine, aka "decoke" in colloquial English (BrE?). > and this meaning is also given >in the link you provided. WIWAL, removing the cylinder head of one's car [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >engines--or even possible without a fortune's worth of special >tools. "Decarbonise" is therefore available for other meanings. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard > this before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, > it was clear that he was talking about reducing industrial CO2 > emmisions, but I might have had problems guessing the word in > isolation. > http://www.wordspy.com/words/decarbonise.asp Why God made newsgroups. I think "anthropocene" is pretty auesome too.. > I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard > this before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, > it was clear that he was talking about reducing industrial CO2 > emmisions, but I might have had problems guessing the word in > isolation. > http://www.wordspy.com/words/decarbonise.asp OED has two versions for decarbonize: "a. trans. To deprive of its carbon or carbonic acid. 1825 E. Turrell in Philos. Mag. LXV. 421 Engravings upon decarbonized steel plates. 1836-9 Todd Cycl. Anat. II. 493/2 The liver is+the true decarbonising organ in the animal kingdom. 1876 Harley Mat. Med. 197 In Bessemer's process, liquid crude iron is decarbonised by forcing air through it by machinery." " b. To remove carbon deposit from (an internal combustion engine). Also absol. 1915 R. D. Price U.S. Patent 1,148,403, Decarbonizing compound.+ My invention relates to a compound for use in removing the carbon deposits from the cylinders of gasolene engines and like internal combustion motors.+ I provide a decarbonizing composition consisting of the following ingredients." SignatureJohn Dean Oxford >I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this >before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was >clear that he was talking about reducing industrial CO2 emmisions, but I >might have had problems guessing the word in isolation. Back in 1958 I decarbonised my mother's car. I removed the cylinder head, and chipped off the carbon deposits from the combustion chambers and the valves. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this >>before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I removed the cylinder head, and chipped off the carbon deposits from the > combustion chambers and the valves. On the old carburettor cars, carbon build up can be removed by dribbling a glass of water, a teaspoonful at a time, with the engine running at high revs in order to prvent stalling. The water makes a series of mini explosions in the cylinder head as it turns to steam. >>>I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never heard this >>>before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From context, it was [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >The water makes a series of mini explosions in the cylinder head >as it turns to steam. And where does it go? It could damage the engine to have loose bits of carbon floating around. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >> On the old carburettor cars, carbon build up can be removed >> by dribbling a glass of water, a teaspoonful at a time, with the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > It could damage the engine to have loose bits of carbon floating > around. The only things of importance the bits of carbon would touch are the cylinder walls, cylinder head, pistons, and valves. It would be unlikely that any damage might result. SignatureSkitt (AmE) >>> On the old carburettor cars, carbon build up can be removed >>> by dribbling a glass of water, a teaspoonful at a time, with the [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > cylinder walls, cylinder head, pistons, and valves. It would be unlikely > that any damage might result. I did notice on one engine that was torn down there was pitting on the piston head. The mechanic called it detonation damge. These were all old clunker type cars. >>> On the old carburettor cars, carbon build up can be removed >>> by dribbling a glass of water, a teaspoonful at a time, with the [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >cylinder walls, cylinder head, pistons, and valves. It would be unlikely >that any damage might result. When I did a decarb job, the book I referred to advised me to ensure that carbon fragments didn't get ito the valve guides, or between the pistons and the cylinder walls, as they could score the cylinder walls or the valve guides. One had to be even more careful that valve grinding paste didn't get into those places as well, as it was much more abrasive. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>>> On the old carburettor cars, carbon build up can be removed >>>> by dribbling a glass of water, a teaspoonful at a time, with the [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > grinding paste didn't get into those places as well, as it was much > more abrasive. Yes, it is a good idea not to get stuff into the valve guides or between the pistons and cylinder walls, but if the engine is old enough to have a carburetor and there is a big build-up of carbon in its cylinders, getting some powdered carbon here or there is not a major concern. You are right about the valve grinding paste, of course, but that would not enter the picture with the "water-in-the-carburetor" method of decarbonizing. SignatureSkitt (in SF Bay Area) http://home.comcast.net/~skitt99/main.html >> I see that WordSpy has a quotation from 2006, but I had never >> heard this before it was used by an academic on BBC radio. From [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I removed the cylinder head, and chipped off the carbon deposits > from the combustion chambers and the valves. I know of a fellow whose shop would do a "decoke" and a "tune-up" for the unwary: clean the spark plugs, stretch the throttle-return spring, and drive the car a few miles at top engine revolutions, to "blow the carbon out". Worked miracles, always got good comments, and put more than a few easy-come dollars in the wrong pocket. The spark-plug and spring thing was called a "Hollywood tune-up" in some places. The high-engine-speed driving was a tradition with our family and others. "Blow the carbon out" it did; also the muffler on a couple of occasions. SignatureFrank ess |
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