forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => WW1 Aircraft Information/Questions => Topic started by: compressor man on January 16, 2014, 01:21:39 AM
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This is concerning that neat looking natural metal finish cowl over the engine and the 'squiggle' finish typically seen on them. Can anyone say what was the purpose of that finish? If it was only for looks then is seems like a lot of work just for that. And how in the world did they do it? It seems that one could 'today' use a grinder and an abrasive or scuff pad to do this but I do not think these things were available then.
Does anyone out there have some really nice pics of these cowls? The only ones I can find are black and white or fairly small. I would love to get one of the WNW kits of this plane simply for an excuse to paint this cowl.
Chris
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there is a whole thread here somewhere on this topic. Don't have time at the moment to search for it. There are some excellent period (yes, B&W) pics on the WNW site of the cowls. I think the "purpose" was simply to give the parts a quick finish, as they were hand beaten and if simply affixed to the plane after coming off the shot bag they would look crude and sloppy. If you've ever done panel beating work it makes sense. I think it was done with a wire wheel and probably only took a few minutes at most.
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So they had hand-held grinders at this time? Wow, interesting. I have done a search for this at this site but did not turn anything up. Perhaps I will delve a little deeper this time.
Chris
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They had paint sprayers then,didn't they? Perhaps they had air powered grinders too.I'm just guessing,I don't know one way or the other.
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So they had hand-held grinders at this time? Wow, interesting. I have done a search for this at this site but did not turn anything up. Perhaps I will delve a little deeper this time.
Chris
Wasn't necessarily an angle grinder like you'd find in a modern shop. But the portable electric drill was invented in Germany in the mid 1890s.... and this work wasn't necessarily done will a hand held tool -- they could have held the work piece to the tool to get the same effect.
They had paint sprayers then,didn't they? Perhaps they had air powered grinders too.I'm just guessing,I don't know one way or the other.
I think air powered rotary tools are a later invention ... 1930s 0r 1940s?
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3-speed Fein GmbH (Stuttgart) electric hand drill, ca. 1903:
(http://www.waltertool.com/images/old-drill-3.jpg)
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Very informative. Would it be then that those producing some, but far from all Sopwith cowls, had the same aims in mind but just approached it differently - sometimes going for what appears to be very regular 'dots'?
Best wishes
Nigel
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Not just sop camels. Look at any bare metal aircraft cowling part from the period and you (nearly always) will see some kind of treatment (word used in the "worked over" sense ).
The aluminum oxide promotion theory is very interesting, but I'm not sure I buy it... maybe.