Restoration

Removal of the ignition lead involves taking the Bakelite cover off the top of the magneto and loosening the piercing screw on the inside of the cover. A multimeter then showed that the break was inside the insulation, and not due to a faulty magneto. A few days of searching led me to an automotive parts store which could order solid core 7mm ignition cable. I bought 10m for future projects.

The back cover was missing from the magneto, exposing the points. They were rather dusty and there was no spark, so a thorough cleaning was called for. Spark was achieved in short order, and the magneto re-attached, the points adjusted and the timing checked.

The oiler appears to have been hacksawed off at some point, leaving just the base screwed onto the brass pipe leading down to the cylinder. After quite a bit of head scratching, the second tool supplier I took the remnant to realised that the thread was not UNF, but BSB - British Standard Brass. I bought an old oiler on ebay, and drilled, bored and tapped it's base to screw onto the pipe. The remnant was modified into a collar on the bottom of the new oiler which seats and centers it neatly into the hopper.

The oiler was slightly corroded and very dirty, but the wire wheel on my Dremel tool cleaned it up nicely. I've yet to get some gasket material to seal the glasses.

It looks like the oiler has come partially unscrewed while the engine was running at some point, as there is a small scar on the screw-top and the mounting thread has been bent half way along. One side of the thread is compressed and there is a fracture between two threads on the other. I've tried to persuade it to straighten again, but the fracture will not close up again. My two options were to cut the thread down to the fracture, or to bore and tap back into the body and fit an extension thread in place of the original. Fortunately, the trimming option appears to work, as there are three threads engaging and the oiler is securely held in the big end. A little loctite will ensure it doesn't move again.