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Welding up a bunch of these little f**kers (Fokkers, bet you thought I said something else) today in different configurations and tubing diameters. 1mm steel has a habit of blowing big holes when you start to weld on it. At least the ferule is 1.5mm so you can focus most of the initial heat on that piece.
Attachment 6264
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While I'm also following this build over on the Aerodrome site, I'll use this one for the ignorant questions while the historical experts help on the other.
Namely, what are these clamps used for? To the uneducated, they don't look to do anything, as they go around a single tube.
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Frank and anyone else reading,
These are called the Fokker or Dutchman clamp. They allow attachment of almost anything to a piece of fuselage tubing without welding mid span. Since welding mid span would weaken a piece of tubing this was an ingenious invention in 1918 by Anthony Fokker or one of his subordinates. There was an article written by Budd Davisson, in the August issue of, Experimenter,that tells how to make these.
The clamp pictured above would be a simple clamp that you could bolt a flange or tab to. Combine this with another piece of tubing and you could make a bearing housing that locks another piece of tubing in position. yesterday I had been making these with a TIG welder and becoming more proficient with only one blow out. Someone from the Aerodrome suggested using a torch here and I like the results.
Happy hunting
Fokker Builder
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4/14, I have some pics to show you guys from this last week.
First couple pics are of the control column, yoke area, torque tube, and rudder bar post area. There are 11 Fokker clamps used to assemble all this. Everything is rough right now for pre-assembly. It will get taken apart, cleaned up, an etching primer and then some Fokker green. Still have much more to do as usual in these projects this was a first piece. It may all get redone.
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Third Pic is of all the rudder bar parts after fabrication. Sunday it will get welded if I have time. We are celebrating Easter tomorrow at moms and Sunday I am spending the day with my wife.
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Fourth pic is the bending fixture for the foot pedals and cross braces. The drawing called for 8mm X 1mm for the bent pieces but I used 10 X 2 (I didn't have the 8 X 1).
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Working at it a little most days. Today was a good day.
Chasing Camels
Jim
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Trial assembly!
w00t!
I actually really enjoyed the initial fitting, as it really makes the plans jump to life and things get really clear. Then the little adjustments before final assembly.
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Thanks Frank
4/16, Easter Sunday. Welded up the rudder bar and started carving the control column handle. No Dremell there baby as I prefer the carving tools on mahogany. These two handle halves will get epoxied to each other around the tubing and get a brass rivet or two through the handle tubing.
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I think later this week I will surface prep the rudder bar, control column, and torque tube parts for a coat of etching primer.
End of the week I hope to start welding in all the wire loops in the corners of the fuselage clusters so I can start heading towards priming the fuselage later this spring.
Peace
Jim
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Coming along nicely Jim.
Dale
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4/21 - 4/23, Here are 3 pics of the 54 wire loops I was working on for 12 hours over the last three days. Also included was a gas welding rig I fabricated out of an old dolly and I was tightening up the welding on all the tubing clusters. Till I ran out of oxygen in the new used oxy/acetalene rig I got off Craigslist last week.
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The welding cart I cut the top off the dolly and welded up a new handle from some of my 30 mm tubing, a bent piece of 13 mm, some 1 mm sheet for the hose rack, and a couple nuts so I could thread in bolts for the chain keeper. Took all of 60 minutes and then sprayed it with some etching primer. I love making the shop more functional.
Attachment 6310
Peace
Jim
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4/30, Work this week. I was getting antsy just finishing up all the partial cluster and wire loop welds so I did a little fabricating as well. Here you see the lower wing attachment gusset boxes. Later after the wing gets made and the attaching brackets are positioned these boxes get marked, drilled, and a sleave welded in so the bolt can pass through for the wing. I also welded in the 3 13mm cowling and turtle deck hoops.
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I started messing with the bungee box assemblies that weld on to the sides of the axle boxes but this was at the end of a 14 hour day. You know you have had enough when you cant see your weld puddle anymore. Time to stop before you break something, blow a big hole, or get frustrated.
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While waiting for a fellow builder to show up so we could bend him some wire loops for his DR I build I made a simple fixture to prop the tail post level so I could start jigging up the engine bearer tubes. As you can see we are all level.
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I hope everyone building got some time in this weekend.
Gentle breezes and fair skys
Jim
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Would it be possible to get a well focused close-up photo of the highlighted area?
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William,
I do have a few pot holes in that area. Going back over that next ti me I fire up the torch.
Thanks
Jim
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5/4/17, So I had to make the engine bearer brackets before I weld up the engine bearer tubes. I made 8 but probably only need 5 or 6. I also mocked up a fixture for welding up all the support tubes tubing for the engine compartment. Next week the fun begins.
Tomorrow I help set up for the Manassas airshow then get a new client midday, and Saturday I am working at the airshow.:)
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:)
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That motor looks like a 235 Chevy 6?
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Mallory, 1969 Ford 300 inline 6. I will put an Offenhauser intake and 4 barrel Holley on it with a Marcotte 1-1.97 PSRU. Hoping to run a 100+" prop
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5/13, Been slow on the headway with the engine bearers. Boy these tubing clusters get crowded and coping the ends of the tubing gets quite involved. I have to run out to Spahr Metric in Winchester on Monday to pick up a length of 25 mm X 1.5 mm (speced as 25 X 1.25 but I am going with what is in stock). I also need one more 20 mm X 1 mm tube then I think I am covered.
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Been busy with a new client this past week and may be looking at a pretty tough month starting this week. Always a blessing and a lot of work. I am shooting for completing the engine compartment by end of the week. We will see.
Jim
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Engine bearers almost done
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5/21/17, This weeks work. A friend came by today with his conduit bender to see if we could put a tight radius on some 18 mm X 1 mm tubing. I capped the end with a welded plate and filled it with sand. Nope, wasn't happening as it kicked up on me. I also doubt I could bend the radius I need with just heat. The deal would be a mandrel bender. I am going to think about bending some of the 10 mm X 2 mm and maybe double them in the engine compartment and do singles in the four corners of the cockpit.
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I was running low on oxy in the gas rig this week so I was piddling with some cross braces and hardware mounts. I will get some more oxy and filler rod tomorrow.
Tata
Jim
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5/28/17, This weeks work. Wow, I guess it is a fair amount of interesting additions. First pic is of the throttle mounted by way of two Fokker clamps. This is the simple Fokker throttle with no mixture adjusting lever. Also you can see a Fokker clamp with a 7" piece of 13mm tubing welded to it. That is one of two lower control panel mounts.
Attachment 6365
Second up is the engine compartment curved gussets located at the lower cross member. The plans called for 18mm X 1.25mm tubing but I had no decent way of bending this tubing in the radius I needed with out severely crimping the tubing. See the post last week. I decided to use some of the 10mm X 2mm since it was going to be easier to bend that by hand. I thought sence the 10X would have close to the same mass as the 18mm I could live with that.
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3rd pic is of one of the four cock pit gussets I heavily tacked in this week, again using the 10 X 2. This radius was tighter so I used the vice and a short piece of 3/4" pipe as an extension to bend these pieces.
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4th pic is the front gun mounts I fabricated and again are but half welded in. I have to cut some 10mm X 1mm or 13mm X 1mm diagonal braces and then I will finish weld these in.
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Fifth pic is of the beginning of the adjustable rear MG mounts. These consist of the gun saddle welded to some 25mm X 1.5mm tubing that adjusts inside a 28mm X 1mm double bolted Fokker clamp that is welded to a 60mm long double bolted Fokker clamp mounted on the front cock pit cross member.
Attachment 6369
I had slated yesterday and then today to flip the fuselage over and weld the undersides of the engine compartment but during my shop time I was battling showers and drizzle and I must move the fuse outside for this. I felt like I was quite productive this week beside being swamped at work.
Peace and thank all the Vets this week
Jim
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5/31, The Marcotte direct gear drive PSRU should ship by the end of the week.
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6/4/17, Not much to show as I have been busy with a residential client and house projects. But here if the cool clamps I welded up this week.
These are double bolted Fokker clamps. They mount on the cross bar at the front of the cockpit and carry the adjustment for the rear gun saddles.
Attachment 6377
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Very nice, and now I understand what all the fuss in making them was about.
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Hoping to have something to show by the end of the week. Maybe Sunday
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6/13/17, I had to un-crate the Marcotte PSRU to spec all the bolts. I had seen the balancer peeking out when I checked for hardware the day it arrived but had not pulled any parts except to confirm all the hub hardware returned. I will pick up some grade 8 automotive bolts for now and may drill them or order some drilled from AS later. Be cool to mock this up.
I have to redo my rear MG brackets as they came out slightly crooked then I think I will work on the cowling mount tubing and associated clamps. Then if I weld in the LG cups and put this on its legs it will start to look like a D VII.
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Neato! Nothing like having heavy things coming out of a big box to make one smile!
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6/18/17, Almost done with the cowl hoops and associated brackets. Gotta hate it when you run out of acetylene on Friday night. The first pic is of the hoops and the jig I made to position them to measure the angle between the engine bearer tubes and the cowl hoops.
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2nd pic is of the two upper cowl hoop brackets.
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3rd pic shows the lower cowl hoop brackets to the right and the grab bars that I started.
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Fourth pic is of the gun mounts and some triangulating support tubes.
Attachment 6411
Peace
Jim
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6/25/17, Dang this is going to be a tall plane. Check out the pic with her legs on. I got the bungee boxes all welded up and one is on the axle box. For those that don't know bungee cords get wrapped tightly around the tubing of the two bungee boxes and looped over the axle. This provides the suspension for the front landing gear. The rear normally gets a skeg and that is supported by a bungee as well. Third pic is of the cowl hoops mounted with all 4 brackets. It is starting to look like a D VII. The last pics are the pilots step and rear ground handling loops.
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7/9/17, I promised some progress pics. The first pic is of some tabs that are welded on so that the very thin plywood turtle deck can be attached. It gets formed over a jig so that it has the matching curve and then it just gets bolted to these tabs.
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The second pic is of some simple clamps I made to attach things like the floor panel and two of these are the most forward turtle deck clamps. I am sure I will be making many more of these.
Attachment 6447
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7/17/2017, Just a little bit of somethin this weekend. We have a cockpit floor and an instrument panel.
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This is one of the parts to my build I really enjoyed!
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A little cooler after the rain. Finished the stiffeners on the back of the panel and got it sealed. Also welded up the two Fokker clamps for the top panel mounts. Pics tonight. Oh, also ordered 3 drawings from NASM (National Air and Space Museum) of the Spandaus, so Albatros DVa, Fokker D VII and Dr I drawings as well.
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Peace
Jim https://www.facebook.com/images/emoj...1/16/1f603.png:D
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Okay, next super dumb question:
How do you get your Fokker clamps around a tube that's already been welded on both ends to the fuselage?
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Frank, you cut across the smaller tube with a band saw or cutting wheel on an angle grinder (best option) Then you just prey open the large tube with the now two halves of the smaller tube and slip it over the larger tube. Then just close it up and slip a bolt through the smaller tube halves. :)
Jim
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Ah. I didn't see a seam because they haven't had one cut yet. Duh.
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I have been working on the seat frame the last few days. I made a fixture first and then walla. Will just need to shine it up before paint and final assembly. Anyone need a seat frame fixture for a 1918 Fokker D VII?
Peace
Jim
Attachment 6583
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Very cool.
Looking forward to seeing the artwork of a seat you're going to come up with!
Since I know Dick about steel, how does one "shine it up," and what paint are you going to use? I've heard that epoxy or powder coating isn't such a grand idea as it can hide cracks that might form.
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Frank,
Shine it up means paint prep. Wire wheels the welds and such, wipe down all tubing with acetone to remove all traces of anti-rust inhibitor. I will be using an etching primer with an oil top coat, mixed in Fokker green of coarse.
:cool:
Jim
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I was alerted to a plans flaw after I made the seat frame. Seams there was going to be a conflict with a pair of crossing fuselage bracing wires so the upper cross tube had to be moved forward of the fuselage down tube. This also required new Fokker clamps with the now long ferules.
Attachment 6589