Suggested viewing

[Bob Culver]

Recently on Youtube I stumbled upon "Production of Crankshafts in Factory. Complete Process". Absolutely fascinating. An Indian (or neighbouring country) workshop churning out crankshafts mid 1900s style but with carbide tools. The surroundings very basic; stacked brick walls, domestic life in the background. Everyday local attire, nightshirt style, very greasy. Open machinery. No safety equipment. All basic techniques as an amateur would adopt. The programme is speeded somewhat but nevertheless all accomplished at a rapid rate. No digital readouts or gauges. Even allowing for experience, how they achieve acceptable accuracy using spring callipers, micrometers as go/no go gauges etc is astonishing. I trust they occasionally stop to oil the long suffering lathe feedscrews and chuck adjustment mechanism. And hopefully they have some standard pieces available to check micrometers.
  That anyone has or had to work so skillfully and relentlessly is somewhat sad, especially considering the welfare life style now provided here without the obligation to work at all.
  The finished cranks for a 3 cyl engine were packaged "For Export". One wonders where they were going. Presumably not Japan! Possibly Birmingham. The way packaged would suggest they were aftermarket spares replacements.
  Date when video made uncertain but probably no more than 30 or 40 years old. Someone may identify the cranks.
  Without watching all again, not clear if the cranks cast spheroidal iron or forged steel. Some turning chips seemed to suggest the former.

  Highly recommended. Even those with a limited knowledge of machining should be able to follow the purpose of every action.

  There are available other clips of Indian exploits; rebuilding batteries, truck starter motors, truck radiators, even damaged tyres. Most work done outside squatting on the rough ground. Batteries emptied anywhere.

[John Mason]

There is a whole series of these Bob which include patching up a large hole in an engine block/crankcase possibly caused by a broken conrod. Also welding together a broken crankshaft. As you say all with basic tools and a basic lathe.

John Mason.

[Andy Bennett]

There are some great 'Indian family blacksmiths' too. Grandad pumping bellows, Dad (the blacksmith) comfortably seated with metal in hand, and wife as the striker, wielding a large hammer. All roadside of course with modern vehicles passing to show they are of recent times. It could be rural England 200 years ago.

You could lose a Sunday...

[David.H]

On a London to Sydney Marathon (as I recall, 1968) an Australian Holden V8 broke a half-shaft on the way through India to Bombay - it sheared at the end of the splines. There was about 3/4" of spline showing on the shaft.  An Indian workshop worked through the night on the broken end and by continuous turning and hammering the shaft, extended it enough for the splines to engage in the hub, sufficient to allow the car to be driven (gently!) to get it to Delhi I think it was. There they "borrowed" a shaft from the Australian Ambassador's Holden - apparently the only one in India. On another Marathon (1993) a Triumph 2000 had a complete replacement of pistons, rods and bearings  carried out overnight....apparently using local Triumph Herald parts! We had a the cracked exhaust manifold on our Cortina Lotus welded up in the open air using a road grating as a straight edge by a man who did it without goggles....and his assistant who held the pieces together without gloves! It lasted another 4000 miles on that rally and another 10000 from Panama to Alaska!
Amazing skills.

[Dave Mann]

I spent 6 months working in Garden Reach shipyard Calcutta in 1986 where I found that the tradesmen were highly skilled and full of enthusiasm for their work. The whole visit was an education.