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Honing Triumph engine cylinders with a Flexhone

Flexhone has specific recommendations for the grit to use based on the material your top compression rings are faced with.  The exact grits are noted in their catalogue.

- Cast irom top rings call for the coursest finish,
- Chromed top rings use a finer grit
- Moly filled or plasma sprayed rings call for the finest grit.

We have always honed the cylinders with a 1/2" drive drill with plenty of "stoddard solvent" that is the regular petroleum based solvent used to clean parts in a solvent tank (not a "hot tank" or "carb dip").  It is important to obtain a final cross-hatch pattern of about 30 degrees from horizontal with both the up and down strokes. I get this by using the 1/2" drive electric drill at a fairly low rpm. This has never failed to give a good ring seal and easy break in.

We then wipe the cylinder down with auto trans fluid and a white towel and paper towels until NO MORE GREY color comes comes off of the cylinder walls. The auto trans fluid is very good at lifting grit and debris out of the pores of the metal of the cylinder & at the same time prevents the walls from rusting. We like it much better than "washing with soap and water and a brush" which is the old stand-by taught in auto shop class and in vintage text books.

Greg Solow