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Q-talk 111 - Shop Tip - Canopy Cylinders

I took these pictures of what I did with my canopy cylinder rams. At a bicycle shop you can get a Co2 cartridge which is used as an emergency tire filler. It can also be used to fill your canopy cylinders after some simple modifications. First you need to drill a hole in the cylinder on the high end to avoid getting sprayed with the contents. Do this very slowly and have a rag in place when it is about to make the hole. I drilled the hole first, then cut a Schrader valve stem (also purchased at the bike shop) to the desired length, filed it to the radius of the cylinder. Cleaned up all the parts, then silver soldered them together. It really was quite simple to do. The Co2 cartridge is small and light enough that you can take it along and tune up the pressure if needed. The two cylinders hold my canopy quite nice.

The other item in the picture is a tool I made to help me check my engine's compression. I used an old 18MM plug, cut it off and drilled it out and welded a piece of 4130 tube to it. At the other end I welded an air hose quick coupler. I then welded on two handles to turn it with. Anyone into checking cylinder compression with a differential type tester will find this tool a time saver.



You can order a printed copy of Q-talk #111 by using the Q-talk Back Issue Order Page.