A quiz with a prize!

Barry Robin · Post by **Barry Robin** » Thu May 10, 2007 10:12 pm

hi peter-

gee, as far as i know, the strap is made of brass-or actally, bronze-with a mild steel bottom pin and buckle.

it has to made of a non-conducting material where it touches the magnets, such as brass, as it contacts the generator...and steel would ground it out-not to mention eventually depolorise the magets themselves...

need me to be closer with my answer?

cheers,
-barry robin

Peter D. Nettesheim · Thu May 10, 2007 10:34 pm

the material has a very specific name like, brass or nickel or gold. the question is what is this one word name?

Barry Robin · Post by **Barry Robin** » Thu May 10, 2007 10:44 pm

well, you got me peter! damned if i know (and it had better not be the german for non-conductive red bronze strapping!); i'm curious now myself...someone better correctly answer soon to put me out of my misery.

and the answer better not involve an adjective...

-b

Peter D. Nettesheim · Thu May 10, 2007 11:02 pm

the name of the material is the same in english as german.

Peter D. Nettesheim · Thu May 10, 2007 11:07 pm

the name of the material is the same in english as german.

bmwmyplace · Post by **bmwmyplace** » Fri May 11, 2007 7:05 am

Hi Just come back from a trip up country, I have read all the references that i have ie bosch manual and BMW hand book and all they refer to is "strap" when I looked it some time ago it appeared as Robin said to be of a Brass apperance so it seems to me to be a copper alloy metal in particular phosphore bronze , possessing great hardness, elasticity, and toughness, obtained by melting copper with tin phosphide. It contains one or two per cent of phosphorus and from five to fifteen per cent of tin.

thats my guess but then I dont have the reference library that you are blessed with .... Peter G

Barry Robin · Post by **Barry Robin** » Fri May 11, 2007 8:10 am

phosphore bronze-exactly peter! that's the same as what's commonly referred to as "red bronze". if that's not what he's looking for it looks like we're out of luck again...
-barry

Peter D. Nettesheim · Post by **Peter D. Nettesheim** » Fri May 11, 2007 9:33 am

OK, We are getting all the proper discriptions and the compound make-up is actually very close to what you mentioned. The actual percentages are 80% and 20% but you still don't have 80% what? and 20% what? Plus, you have not answered the question with the one word answer I am looking for. What is the name????!!!. I'll give a hint, its a six letter word and again, its the same in english as it is in German.
The shirt I am giving away is real nice..............
Now I'm going to add a bonus. I will include one of thoise spiral small notebooks that you see being sold on E-bay that gives the history of BMW. If someone doesn't get it soon I'll have to add an original R100RS brochure or something like that.
Any answers???
Peter D. Nettesheim

Darryl.Richman · Post by **Darryl.Richman** » Fri May 11, 2007 10:30 am

My friend Sascha, from Karlsruhe, answers as follows:

The material is tombak (also spelled tombac by some). The purpose is to have a nonferrous material that won't siphon off the magnetic strength of the exposed permanent magnets. A steel band, for example, would become magnetized and reduce the magnetic field in the coil of the magneto.

Darryl.Richman · Post by **Darryl.Richman** » Fri May 11, 2007 11:20 am

Just to establish Sascha's bona fides, here's a picture of him at the Windmill Trophy rally in Osthofen, Germany, a couple years ago:

That's his grandfather's 1920 Victoria KR I, which he inherited and restored.