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Because until I posted this on another board I didn't even know there were such things as turnbuckle clips!
:)
But I have oodles of wire, time, and about a gallon and a half of blood in my body, of which I can loose at least a pint with no ill effects.
Not to mention a veritable cornucopia of profanities to draw from should I need to.
Looking good Frank! I've been hiding in the paint booth of late. Today, maybe a wing!
Attachment 4256
Hey, that's dead sexy!
Everybody's stuff always looks better than mine. Except wives. Mine looks better than yours!
Anyhow, no pics as I was a bit distracted and didn't take any! Firewall mounted and the crimped L sections put around the edges for the cowling, top and side sheeting to attach to. Made a template out of poster board for the top sheeting over the cockpit. My hole is actually an oval, but it sure looks like a circle once it's on the aircraft.
Tomorrow I'm picking up a harness and a batter for fitting. The former is important, as I need to see how feasible it is to have it run over the top of the rear of the cockpit through the turtle deck. I want a very straight line between shoulder and harness mount in case of misfortune.
Once again Sir, thank you for sharing this. I am really enjoying this thread. I hope to be able to see this beauty fly.
I had to order the harness, and it arrived late yesterday.
With just a little while to check how the shoulder harnesses will run, my suspicions that it will be best to run them through the fabric on the top of the turtledeck proved true; it's the only way to give them a straight line from mount to my shoulders. The exit point is okay, though - it's right behind the rear of the cockpit between the stringers - and an inspection ring with a slit in the fabric will work out just fine.
I'm going to make some metal straps at the junction of the horizontal fuselage brace and the longeron, running them through the gusset. The tubing on the top brace is quarter inch aluminum and wouldn't take the stress of a wreck. I'll run cable between the straps with the mounts for the shoulder harness through that cable. The lap belt mounts are no problem at all.
Frank, what a great little plane you have. Fantastic craftsmanship as well. Please tell me, can a big guy fly one? I'm 6'2 210lbs. I like the idea of wind in my face!
You could, theoretically, fit into a 7/8 scale Nieuport 11, but I wouldn't advise it as you'd be uncomfortable and have to not only put on a larger engine (or use a PSRU) but have to tinker with the CG.
It works for me since I'm a 7/8 scale person - when I step up to my plane I turn from a 5'7" 160 pound guy to 6'2" and 200 pound manly man.
Since you're full scale, you really need a full scale airplane.
Fortunately, Robert Baslee has a bunch of full scale WWI representational aircraft in his Airdrome Aeroplane stable. http://www.airdromeaeroplanes.com/
The Fokker DVII, which is listed at 80% scale, could fit you easily, though. And the full sized Camel would be even better.
The prices are insanely affordable, even for a guy like me working on a 7/8th scale budget: http://www.airdromeaeroplanes.com/ai...orderform.html
Now, then, a word about the kits. They're not really kits in the modern sense - they're more like material supplies. While all the hardware is there and the gussets are all pre-cut (and if tubing needs to be ovalled, it's oval), the tubing is left overly long and requires coping and fitting. Nothing is pre-punched. Mr. Baslee also likes to put in extra tubing and gussets, so inventory can be a little goofy; I learned not to stress too much when I had extra parts (like gussets) left over.
The real value of the kit is that once one buys a kit (or part of a kit, like the fuselage), one can go up to Holden, MO, and take advantage of the builder's assist in his workshop. In the WWI replica world it's kindly referred to as the House of Pain, as Robert and his assistant, Jim, will assist - but the builder does the work (and bringing friends is encouraged). Robert doesn't like to stand around and talk about airplanes; he likes to build them, and tends to encourage working quickly and efficiently (I think his sometime nickname of Bullwhip Baslee is a little exaggerated). The big thing is that it's like a constant building seminar - I didn't know jack about tube and gusset construction, annealing, bending tubes, riveting, removing rivets, or anything about building airplanes when I showed up on Monday. On Friday I had learned all the skills required to build the aircraft (less covering), and more importantly came away with a fuselage done, on gear, with the tail feathers complete and fitted as well. On my aircraft, which I then took home!
On to my little Bebe! I worked up a seat cushion this morning and have some small steel lift tangs that I painted drying. When they do, I'm going to put them onto the gussets and run the shoulder harness wire. Gonna fit the panel as well.
Might have to consider that 80% sa ale Fokker. Too cool, it would be a blast to fly. Hmm, thanks for fanning the flames here, just what I need. Already have two planes and this one would truly be a different mission so I could justify it to myself to add to the collections! And besides, after my Glasair III is done there will be a large void in my life after a long five year build.
I think this video of Airdrome Aeroplanes almost qualifies as NSFW:
http://vimeo.com/32382093
Oh, I did actually get some work done on the plane...
Didn't get a chance to mount the harness today, but I managed to whip together the seat cushion.
My derr, I'm not too smart, am I moment presented itself early. I had pulled the fabric bolt that I used for the back of the seat and frowned at how wrinkled it was.
Man. That's not going to work.
Well, der, it's not like I don't have three irons and some plywood back there.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cush001.jpg
Cutting the plywood base to fit was a snap (and I had to make a custom cushion because I made a custom seat), and some foam I had laying about was cut and put onto it using some 77 adhesive.
Note the precision of the scissor work on the edges. They don't teach craftsmanship like that in schools!
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cush002.jpg
3M 77 adhesive around the edges underneath to hold the fabric for me.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cush003.jpg
Pull and tuck the fabric over the foam...
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cush004.jpg
Gooder enough for me, and the holes in the seat fit it just right for the seat belt.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cush005.jpg
I'll go back and put in some staples underneath and ScotchGuard the fabric tomorrow.
Now, then, a couple notes:
1) It's just WalMart foam for the cushion. Enough to keep my butt off the hard of the seat and not much more. It's far less than what is in certified aircraft or what's recommended from a safety standpoint. Remember, though, that this plane is really a fat ultralight.
2) Yes, at one point I actually started long division on what half of 22.5 was. And then solved it and wrote it out. But I found that doing even simple math in one's head is a good way to have the opportunity to redo a part.
I just read this thread from start to finish....one of the best build logs out there, well done and keep up the good work!!
Well, it's "best" in that it is almost pedantic in detail....and most of it ain't pretty. But the idea behind the thread was to show the not-so-good more than to serve as a vanity achievement. That and to show that if a hack like me with the bare minimum skills, tools, equipment, and workspace required can build a plane, anyone can!
Thank you for your kind words, though.
Today I got the harness installed (mostly).
Since I had to pull out the MF'er and swag a cable there was going to be some fun and games.
But first I had to make the mount for the cable. It's a small steel lift tang with the rear hole secured to the gusset with a bolt and the thimble and cable going through both the tang and the gusset on the other end.
It was kind of tight getting the swagging tool in there, but that's okay - I got to do it twice. Seems that I got it twisted on the fitting and one of them didn't pass the go-no go gauge. Sigh. Cut it out and do over. Fortunately I managed to catch my thumb on some cable and leak the red stuff, so with the appropriate sacrifice the second attempt went without a hitch.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/harn003.jpg
The lap belt mounts were a cinch, though I did wind up putting some washers in the standard hole to make them fit an AN4 bolt.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/harn002.jpg
The (mostly) part is that the shoulder strap ends have to have safety lines put on them, but that's pretty straight forward.
Before I put the sheeting over the cockpit and the forward portion to the firewall I needed to drill the holes for the panel. No way I'd be able to easily get a drill in there once the sheeting is in place!
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/pan001.jpg
It needs sanding and the holes for the instruments cut before varnishing, but it's a panel. The little "tabs" to the left and right hanging down are for switches, if I need them.
I'll try to put up pictures tonight or tomorrow morning, but I put a safety cable on each of the shoulder straps and locked down the bushings for the rudder cables.
So I'm ready for the top sheeting, and with that covering the fuselage.
Well, let's catch up!
First off, here's how I resolved the harness "safety" issue, and turned it into really a primary.
I got some really big, beefy thimbles and put it around to where the cross cable is under it. That way the cross cable is still pulling on the harness mount.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/harn004.jpg
Then that was ran back one station on the fuselage and attached in the same manner as the cross cable. The gusset, not the tang, is the securing feature here!
The cable running back is firm when the harness is over one's shoulder and locked into the seat belt. So it's up for grabs on whether the cross cable is the primary and the long ones are the safeties or vice-versa.
I then took some electrical tape and wrapped the harness mounts on the cable to where it won't shift left or right.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/harn005.jpg
One of the small items on my list was to lock down the nylon bushings where the rudder cables exit the fuselage. I used my patented "copper conduit mount covered in spray rubber" technique to hold them in place.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cbl001.jpg
Cockpit and forward fuselage sheeting were up next. I just sort of went for it using a piece of poster board as a template to make circles and stuff on.
I couldn't resist throwing a piece of rubber pipe cover around the cockpit!
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/tpsht001.jpg
The forward piece was a bit more challenging. First off, it came out to 28" from firewall to cockpit piece. All the sheeting I had was 26" stuff. No matter how I oriented the sheeting I came up short.
So I took three of the pieces that were included for leading edges and riveted them together, taping the seams with aluminum tape. I plan on spilling gasoline on that part of the aircraft, and it won't be bothered by it.
Measuring and then cutting to allow for cables, the aileron push/pull rods, and the gas tank was a huge pain.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/tpsht002.jpg
The edge that bends down over the fuselage got cleaned up after this picture was taken, and I put a strip of tape where it went over the piece over the cockpit. The neat thing was I managed it without having to put a single hole into the longeron, which was a goal of mine.
Next up is a check of the weather. If I can get three days without rain, I'll cover the fuselage. If not, I'll work out the panel stuff and cut holes for the instruments and work out the rudder stops.
Top and bottom of the fuselage covered. Nothing but straight lines makes covering it seem like cheating!
Like everything, though, there's a snag. Measuring for the holes for the tailwheel and rudder wires is no problem. But I failed to measure the push rod for the elevator! So tomorrow I'll have to put it on and find out where exactly it exits near the tail.
Here's three sides of a fuselage covered:
The fabric for the left side is on the seat of the aircraft. Also the tail is up on a little table so I can sit on the dirty concrete and work on the bottom of it.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/fucvr002.jpg
From the tail. Of note is that while the glue past the tape looks ugly in the picture, it's smooth to the fabric and will be invisible when painted.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/fucvr001.jpg
It's taken me this long in the process to realize that if one wants a really sharp, clean glue line it's as simple as putting down some painter's tape, putting the glue on the fabric, and then pull up the tape.
:rollseyes:
So finally, on the fuselage where it would really be noticed, I have straight clean fabric lines under the tapes.
Also note the inspection panel rings at the top of the turtle deck. That's where the harnesses will come through. I plan on just slitting them (if my measurements were right) rather than cutting them open.
There's also an inspection ring at the tail which will have a cover to have access to the vertical stabilizer nuts underneath.
Tomorrow I have to pull the Bebe out of the tent and mount the vertical stab to measure where the push-pull rod exits it before I can cover the left side. Then cover it, cut it to let everything that needs to exit the fuselage have a way to do so, and then make covers for them.
Tip for the Stewart Systems glue: If you have some excess on the outside you want to remove, it can be rubbed off with a sanding belt cleaner stick.
Or a regular rubber eraser will do it.
What you're seeing in the overage there is the glue discoloring the fabric - it's actually smooth to it with no ridges. Once the latex paint goes on it's invisible!
A lot of people really like covering. I like it when it's done....it's rewarding to see the fabric tighten up and make things look pretty, but I went through the learning curve process which kinda takes the joy out of it.
Well, fuselage is covered...
Okay, to start out I had to mount the horizontal stab and elevator and hook up the push-pull rod to mark where it exits the fuselage...
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/fucvr003.jpg
A series of marks with a sharpie showed where it exited - it's not a circle, but a long hole!
Also note the little spacer for the rear bolt that holds up the stab just sitting on the gusset. When I pulled the stab up, I had one of the forward spacers in my hand and the other fell to the floor. I tracked it with my eyes and recovered it no problem.
So I had three bolts from the stab and two spacers accounted for. Thus began The Great Pointless Search for the rear spacer on the floor, as I was sure it had fallen down. Fifteen minutes later I stand up in disgust, thinking that since it's untrimmed I could easily replace it....and then saw the bolt came through it cleanly and it was just sitting there as if to say "what are you doing?"
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/fucvr004.jpg
All done, with edging tapes top and bottom! The ones underneath went on without a problem, which shocked me.
Of note is the place for the foot hole. That's some excess T3 aluminum from the leading edge material cut into a horse shoe and then patched over like an inspection ring. I'm undecided as to whether I'll put a match for it over the fabric when it's done, but if I do there's something to rivet into.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/fucvr005.jpg
From the tail, with it on the ground. I'm offset to the left, so it looks like the fuselage is seriously warped (it's not). The glue across the top towards the back is a splint, btw. I'm gonna put a stripe across the fuselage there to help disguise it.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/fucvr006.jpg
Tomorrow, if the weather works out, I'll start the painting process.
Oh, question - have y'all been covering the top sheeting of the cockpit forward, or just painting it? I have the fabric, but was thinking it might be overkill.
Since the temperatures today weren't amiable to painting (looks like I gotta wait until next week for it to warm up), I settled for working on the panel:
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/pan002.jpg
The compass still has to go below the slip indicator. I was going to do a typical overly complicated rig with a full cutout of it into the panel and a mount behind it, but looked again and I can just make four holes and tie it in from the rear mounting bolts.
It'll stick up from the panel, but not much and it'll be okay, I reckon.
Frank,
i just wanted to take a minute and say thanks for letting me follow along with your build. I have been following it since almost the beginning here and look forward to seeing your progress. I always await your next post. I am really getting excited to see you finish it.
rick
Thanks for your kind words!
Weather is amiable today for some painting this afternoon and tomorrow!
Got word the engine is going through final break-in runs this weekend and will be shipped next week! Hurray!
Pics Monday, but the fuselage is painted. I've got to clean up some lines and adjust a few curves, but it looks okay-er enough for me.
I'll also cut the holes for the lines and the elevator rod, as well as for the step.
I pulled out the upper wings and cut the sections of sheet for the filler in the center, but ran out of time for cleaning those up and covering them.
Engine is in final break-in up at Valley Engineering and should get shipped this next week. Exciting stuff!
Hey, just a little tweaking and some cutting to do, but she's painted!
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/fucvr008.jpg
and
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/fucvr007.jpg
The thing about painting curves is that one has to back up to look at them, which I didn't do enough of. That "clay" edge was really clever close up, but from a distance it just looks sloppy.
Side sheeting trimmed up a bit to fit better and primed for paint, as well as the side access panels.
First friendly fire incident - I dropped one of the panels and didn't notice that the corner had curled 90 degrees inward, making a nice little knife. Repositioned the sheeting and put a one inch slice in the fabric quicker than one can say isn't that lovely, then - easy patch, but sigh.
" That "clay" edge was really clever close up, but from a distance it just looks sloppy. " Nonsense. 1. This is a war machine, they were painted for service not trying to win applause from the people they shot down. 2. Everyone is their own worst critic. It looks great!
Thanks for your kind words. Part of the goofy look is the lack of a side panel. Sooo....
Hey, some pictures!
First, here's the sheeting trimmed up and held in place with some painter's tape. Marks are on the inside for drilling - I just hadn't got to that "breathe deep and drill" amount of intestinal fortitude yet.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/sdsht001.jpg
So the panel there is reinforced with little clips to hold the screws:
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/sdsht002.jpg
And to tidy up the panel, I put some automotive door trim around the edges.
Looks okay to me and that panel's not coming off in flight.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/sdsht003.jpg
One of the many things left to the builder in the kit is the gas cap. Not a mention of it anywhere in the plans, and I've seen a crapload of ways to do it.
The tube that comes out of the top of the tank is kind of a weird size (well, for all I know it might be industry standard and a regular ol' Champ gauge will fit it, but it's still an odd size), and rather than monkey around with either the usual clear-tube-through-the-panel Baslee special which would require two more holes in the fuel tank, I opted to make my own float gauge.
Fooling around in the aviation section of Lowe's, I found a coupler out of PVC, some end caps that fit tightly inside it, some copper tubing, and a brass rod that fits loosely through it.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/gas001.jpg
I was all shocked and shaken on making the holes in the perfect center (which I then failed completely at) when I realized there's a little lip around the inside of the cup that fits some washers I had around perfectly, and the inner hole was a real close match to the copper tubing.
Ha! I'll let the washer do my centering for me!
A little JB Weld epoxy to hold them into the cups, and a little more to hold the first cup into the coupler.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/gas002.jpg
To reinforce the center of the tube that I cut to length, I thought hard about what could I put around the tube in the coupler that would hold it in place as a reinforcement to the epoxy top and bottom, when I remembered that I did a gasoline tolerance test on the foam tubing I put around the fuel tank. Aha and voila! I did a quick test and it works wonders.
So after the epoxy sets up on the end caps and the washers, I'll seat the tube into the lower cup, epoxy it, put the foam around it, and epoxy the top cap over the top of the tube.
I'll either dig up a rubber gasket or make one for where the coupler meets the tank, and then find some cork and find out how to float the brass rod. Measure for the gas tank, put it through, clip it and bend the end that comes out of the top. And paint it red for MOGAS.
It's not often I do the clever dance around the back yard, but I'm pleased with this solution.
Frank, before you get too far with that, I would make sure the PVC parts are not going to be adversely affected by gasoline. JB Weld may claim to be, but in my experience, it is not. I have had to resolder several steel gas tanks on lawn and garden equipment that someone tried to fix with JB Weld. It worked for a little while, but eventually deteriorated.
The idea is good in principle, but if it were my airplane I would find something for the float and cap that are known to be compatible with gasoline. The last thing you want is for that to break down and clog your fuel line.
That's a really valid point - once the epoxy sets up, I'm thinking several days immersed in gasoline will tell the tale. At most I'm out three bucks worth of material.
Btw, I did the same thing with the foam I put next to the gas tank over similar concerns.
How about just a cork on the end of a wire that goes through a hole in the middle of the cap ala J3. Simple and they work almost forever. Don
That's exactly what I'm building - a gas cap. The copper tube goes through the holes top and bottom of the plastic bit, and a brass rod with cork on the bottom goes through it.
The cap won't be immersed in gasoline, but I'm going to do a tolerance check for it because of fumes. The white plastic joiner bit fits into the top of the fuel tank neck:
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/tank012.jpg
Let's revisit this picture because I'm mucking things up in text:
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/gas001.jpg
Left to right:
Tube for the rod to slip through.
Brass rod.
Caps for the ends, which the tube will be fixed to and centered by means of washers.
Plastic coupler that forms the body of the gas cap. It fits the tank filler tube perfectly!
Cup of coffee because, you know, coffee. ;)
I'll also find a gasket to go around the coupler where it meets the filler tube just to be pedantic. I'm not afraid of the gas cap coming out, as it's seating inside the filler tank by about two and a half inches. The kind of turbulence required to pull a gas cap two inches out of the filler neck of the tank will mean that the gas cap will be the least of my concerns!
My bad, I thought you were using the PVC for a float. It does need to fit tight as in turbulence you will have the pressure of the fuel trying to pop it out of there. Does the tank vent through the cap or does it have another source? Don
Plastic floating in gasoline on an airplane....I would object, too! :)
Tank vents through the cap. The brass rod fits loosely through the tube (but not so loose as to bind) so I'm not overly concerned about pressure - the fitting fits well; neither snug nor waggling around, though it's on the loose side more than the snug. That's a good thing, as if the PVC does manage to swell over time it has some give.
The other reasons for not worrying too much about pressure is that I rarely find any reason to fly higher than 2,000 feet AGL. One cannot properly enjoy the sight of a cow grazing any higher than that.
Here's said gas cap assembled:
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/gas003.jpg
It needs the weekend to sit and the epoxy to completely cure before I do anything else with it, but here it is on the aircraft with the brass rod inserted:
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/gas004.jpg
Side sheeting is screwed onto the aircraft:
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/sdsht004.jpg
They're bog standard #10 sheet metal screws, and I did a variation on the theme the KC Dawn Patrol guys did on their Nieuports for holding them.
Conduit holders did such a great job on the flooring that I went that way for the sides as well. Clips hold the screws within.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/sdsht005.jpg
What I'm more concerned about is in turbulence or negative G the gas could slosh up the fill tube and blow the cap off. A big volume of fuel forced up that smaller volume fuel filler can exert some pretty high pressure on that cap. The fuel cap in a Pitts I flew was a thermos style cap with a locking lever. It fit pretty tight even without the locking lever down. I forgot to lock it one day and as I rolled inverted with less than 1 G it blew off. It is surprising how much fuel sucked out while flying back to the airport. I'm glad it was a S2B with a canopy. Don
Ah, I see what you're trying so patiently to explain to me. While rolling is out (she's strickly a utility aircraft), I can see where strip induced turbulence, also known as test landings,* might send a geyser of fuel up the small neck.
So I'm going to put a swivel latch that fits around the neck of the filler cap. Push it one way and it clears the hole and one pulls the filler cap out; once back in place, pull it the other and it goes around it, keeping it from popping out. I did some back of the enevelope drawings and it should be easy to manufacture.
* Lesser pilots and uniformed observers have described this manuever as a "bounce," but that's their problem, not mine.
[edit]
This, btw, is precisely why this build thread exists - to trouble shoot my decisions and keep me out of trouble. Many, many thanks!
Okay, center wing section stuff!
I've seen this done a bunch of ways, so I naturally tried something a little different.
First I took some sheeting and trimmed it to fit the upper and lower sections pretty well, and then covered it as one big long piece.
Then I shrank the fabric (which is doubled) around the center section to match the sweep.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/ctrcvr001.jpg
Four inch industrial Velcro went along the edges to hold everything down, and she was painted.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/ctrcvr003.jpg
I have to trim up the sheeting at the very back a little to clean it up, but there's a flap from the lower section that comes up to join them at the back and make it look better.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/ctrcvr004.jpg
Kind of hair raising to take an exacto knife to fabric, but those holes have to go in if I want the thing to get on the aircraft!
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/ctrcvr002.jpg
One of the things that continues to amaze me is how tough the fabric is - I know it's just polyester cloth, but once sealed and painted it has the consistency of leather more than cloth.
Well, as many triangular shaped bits of curled cowling shrouds piled up in rejected layers of my failure to grasp the intent and methods suggested by Robert and the maddening illustration in the plans, I stopped repeating the same effort that was ending in the same results.
Pictures later, but the problem was that I could get the curve to the firewall or I could get the flare from firewall curve to the flat sheeting, but I just couldn't do both. Not with any sort of satisfactory result.
I just lack the skill to properly "wad up" the aluminum to get it in the right shape.
So I was sitting there drinking coffee and trying to find out where the latest source of human red sauce was leaking out (bottom of left forearm this time) and suddenly stomped up to the aircraft to let it know my frustration with it.* So I put my left hand on my hip in a fist, squared up to it, and motioned at it with my right hand like a butcher knife (old Army habits die hard, I still can't point with one finger).
"Alouette," I admonished, "you're starting to give me the ass. What say you?"
My little lark just sat there, saying nothing, and then a little breeze blew the front flap of the Wonder Tent. A ray of sun struck the firewall right at the edge. The crimped edge. The one that was made the aluminum L shaped sheet that holds the clamps for the cowling to fit the curve of the firewall.
Ah, I think, she's a smart little bird, isn't she? And she just wants her wings back.
Back to my template and a fresh piece of aluminum. Adding an inch to the edge where it meets the firewall, I cut it and annealed along my marked lines.
Bending a nice edge by hand using a flat bending tool (it's too big for my brake), I went to work with the crimpers. Soon I had the curve to match the firewall, tweaking it here and there to get the fit right. A little bend past ninety degrees on the curve and she matched to the side sheeting pretty well.
Hmmmm, I'll put a crease on the back side where the rivets go to hold it to the sheeting. Done. And presto, the flare to the open bottom magically appears and it lays down nicely.
* I think most builders of things become animists of one kind or another. Intellectually I know it's just a machine - one with just eleven moving parts (not including the instruments on the panel) - but the other parts of me like to sing to her.
You should leave that UPC label attached to your fuel "gauge" and paint it to look like a tricolour flag. When the flag gets to half mast you know it's time to start looking for fuel.....lol
:) That's actually not a bad idea!
I cut the fuel cap retention piece late this evening...don't know if it'll work or not, so no pictures unless it does!
On to stuff I can show pictures of!
Okay, so this is how not to make a cowling cheek:
It's a floppy mess that would never fit right under the cowl and prove to be a nightmare lining up with the holes for the fasteners. This was one of my better attempts as well.
Bonus plan: it bulged out quite a bit to where it ballooned past the cowling edge.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cheek001.jpg
So, as I wrote earlier, I had an epiphany of sorts to just put a lip on the leading edge, bend it over, and crimp to bend to fit the firewall. Here's the right side in profile.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cheek002.jpg
And here's the left.
I've got some minor tweaking to do on it, but it's on and true to the firewall curve and lip.
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cheek003.jpg
I couldn't resist and threw the cowl on it for a test fit!
http://www.darts-page.com/images/Nieuport/cheek004.jpg
Because the cheeks are a little springy on the small flare from firewall to rivets on the side sheeting, I secured the flange in place with a sheet metal screw top and bottom.
In other news, the prop arrived as I was typing this update - holy smokes, what a piece of art!