And this is why he has done this and you haven't :-p

Though seriously, when was HN ever about health and safety?

> Though seriously, when was HN ever about health and safety?

The computer version of safety is called security. And HN cares a lot about computer security.

Yeah sure – when it's appropriate. I've got a RaspberryPi within armsreach that's still got the stock ARCH-ARM image with it's default login of root:root.

Yeah, I wouldn't deploy it on a public internet exposed network, or give it to someone else who wasn't aware of the implications or consequences of such an insecure machine – but in the privacy of my home network it's just fine.

I assume this guy is the same – he needs some increased safety if he wants to show this thing off in public, but in hs own shed he's got every right to accept risks for himself that are inappropriate for other people.

I've seen equally and much more "dangerous" projects at Burningman – hell, if he gets this running with any sort of reliability, attaching it to a bicycle and riding it around at Burningman would be a _fabulous_ idea!

Security, and backups.

> Well first he has certainly not taken safety into mind when doing this project.

I'm sure he took the safety precautions he though were worth it. It might not be worthwhile for him to use an additional 20% of his time/money/whatever for the slightly reduced risk.

FWIW, I regularly expose myself to pretty much exactly the same danger he's choosing to expose himself to - just because the engines I work on in my garage are made by Ducati or Mazda, it doesn't make my sitting down in non-protective clothing with open containers of gasoline and no eye protection noticeably "safer". (In fact my jeans still smell slightly of the gasoline I spilled on them on Saturday…)

I think you'll find a vast number of "grown men" who'd recognise the risks you identify here, and say "Yeah, it's not as safe as sitting on the couch watching TV. Grab a beer and stand back in case this explodes…"

And while you might question their intelligence – they'll just as incorrectly question your manhood for doing so…

Like a true armchair warrior, how many engines have your tried building?

I've purchased and I've operated expensive machinery and I've seen what happens when people don't take appropriate safety precautions.

He could have built an enclosure and put this on a table similar to what is used in lab experiments.

But please tell me what this has to do with whether I have personally tried to build, in particular, engines?

I just watched it, what in particular seemed so dangerous it would warrant so much precaution ?

No rev limiter (at least not that I saw), at least one potentially peaky (high-RPM biased) timing parameter (intake valve), lots of parts that aren't built to take high RPM, and a lightweight flywheel. If it were to suddenly start working properly, it could go flying apart with lots of force in very short order.

To be fair, it would take lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) ignition timings, since with that system they're all over the place.

Aerosol can. Spark. Gasoline.

FYI it's an aerosol can of ether starter fluid, which its intended purpose is to be sprayed into carbs to get engines to start. There is literally no way to do this other than how the guy in the video is doing it.

Your concern for safety is rather laughable for the size of the engine he's doing this with. Ether if improperly stored is the most dangerous thing as a can of 50% either having crystallized is a good few grams of TNT equivalent, which would make it a small hand grenade. (however an aerosol can with peroxide inhibitors in is extremely low risk if its new)

Talk to anyone who has worked in a mechanics garage and this video is extremely weak tea. Try being near a V12 when you've just filled every spark plug with ether and you're spraying it into the air intake. Now that'll give you an uneasy feeling like you've just made a potential bomb, but the fact of the matter is that the failure points in engines are valves and gaskets long before any metal part fatigues and becomes dangerous.

His piston chamber appears to copper piping, which don't fragment they split, so there's really no risk there. Think bronze cannon over cast iron.

Meh. You folks should have misspent more of your youth burning shit down. Gasoline is highly flammable, but it doesn't light without a spark. Also, the small amount of gasoline he's got in his carb will only produce so much flame. I'm glad he appears to be running this outside. I probably would have worn safety glasses, but then I only have one eye.

Awesome! I only watched the first two episodes. The kid at the beginning is doing it right. The old man with the giant brushpile should be using diesel fuel, with perhaps a couple of old tires and a very tiny amount of gasoline since diesel fuel can be difficult to light. (But it burns much steadier, rather than exploding all at once.)

Yup, the gasoline splashes out of the bubble carb on every stroke!

You've never run a motor with the airfilter off, right?

My motorcycle motor produces a beautiful cloud of gasoline droplets standing maybe 4 or 5 inches tall above the carburetor throats when you crack the throttle open.

There's thousands of car/bike enthusiasts who see that in their garages every weekend. They're not dying in catastrophic accidents all the time.

Agreed...the whole thing looks scary at best!! One small mistake and it could cost his life!!!