LVA Fokker D.III using 3D prints designed by Bo

[IvotB]

The spare parts for the engine hopefully will arrive somewhere next week. In the meantime there is still a lot of detail to be made. One of them is scratch building the rudder and elevator control horns. Bo explains to make them out of 0,1mm brass sheet (it says 1,0mm, but that's a mistake)

So first for every control horn three strips of brass where made:



The smaller part is sandwiched between the two larger parts. This way you should be able to fit an eyelet in between. I have soldered the three parts together and filed them into the correct shape:



The two larger ones are for the elevator and the smaller for the rudder. Then holes have to be drilled into these horns. This is a little bit fiddly because at the end this should be done with a 0,2mm drill and I don't dare doing that by hand. So I put them in my milling machine and drilled the holes. Unfortunately one of the three control horns were dropped on the floor and has disappeared now. Tomorrow I will try to find it, or make a new horn.
In the middle of the horn a larger hole is drilled.

And this is where these horns are going to find their final destination:






regards,
Ivo

[uncletony]

One of them is scratch building the rudder and elevator control horns. Bo explains to make them out of 0,1mm brass sheet (it says 1,0mm, but that's a mistake)

What me? a typo? Impossible!

Beautiful work, Ivo!

[RAGIII]

Excellent work on the controls and tail surfaces!
RAGIII

[Juan]

Looking good Ivo, really like what you have done so far.

[IvotB]

One of them is scratch building the rudder and elevator control horns. Bo explains to make them out of 0,1mm brass sheet (it says 1,0mm, but that's a mistake)

What me? a typo? Impossible!

  Twice 
Text copied from http://flugzeugwerke1917.com/fokkerd3/m19k_assembly_manual.pdf

Pages 17 and 18
17
Turtle Deck
elevator control horns
make 4 outer
plates
make 2 inner
plates
Elevator control horns can be made from a variety of materials. We suggest making them from 1.0mm thick brass sheet, as shown:
18
rudder control horn
elevator
elevator spar is made from
1.0mm x 77mm brass
tubing or rod


But thanks for the compliments guys. It's much appreciated. I'm getting a bit worried about the deadline for this group build. I'm afraid I'm not going to finish this one on time. There's lots te be done.

I'm trying to get the cockpit filled with all details, but there are just not sufficient images. In the Albatros publication about the Fokker D.I - D.IV there is one picture of the cockpit. There seems to be wooden sideboards in the cockpit which are easy to be made of sheet metal or styrene, but is unclear what is fitted. There is a switch on the left hand side, a magneto is nowhere to be seen and the rest will be a big guess. There are drawings which show the position of a compass and a suggestion of a tachometer in the middle below the empty shell bin, which seems to be an odd location as its view will be obstructed by the control stick. But I'll let you see what will be my suggestion. The control stick is now fixed more or less for the elevator control, but it could move the ailerons. I will be changing that in order that the elevators can be controlled as well. Just some scratchbuilding with brass strips.


regards,
Ivo

[uncletony]

You are right, the info on the cockpit equipment is terribly limited. Their is a plywood board mounted on the left hand side of the cockpit to which the typical fuel controls were mounted -- presumably (fuel tank selection and pressure source) the compass was mounted to an upright on the left side. I think the right side had no such board, just canvas.

There would not be a starting magneto afaik. at the moment I can't remember if I ever figured out where the rev counter was -- but it would have been standard equipment.

[uncletony]

p.s. I will correct nd update the offending typos -- thanks for catching that and pointing it out.

[IvotB]

After reading about the magneto, I tried to find anything on the ignition system of the Oberursel U.III. It seems that there wasn't much control of the engine speed. It is explained that normally it ran at full speed, but that there has been a switch with which you could influence the ignition system. It works as an interruption of the ignition so that in stead of an ignition in every cylinder in every cycle there is ignition only every second or third cycle. Thus creating a lot of unused fuel as the carburettor is not interrupted under the cowling causing sometimes fire. I'm not sure if this was still applied in the Fokker D.III, but it is explained about the Gnome Monosoupape of which the Oberursel is originally a kind of licensed production (although I do see differences in valve lifter construction).

I'm learning a lot as always during building a model 

regards,
Ivo

[uncletony]

Right- that’s a big part of the reason they caught on fire all the time!

[IvotB]

As this group build is going to end this week I must confess that I haven't been able to finalise my LVA Fokker D.III. I am planning to continue to build it ofcourse. The engine has proved to be difficult. I am at present trying to fit the valve lifter springs, which are made of 0,1mm brass wire. The main problem is that the valve lifters are extremely delicate and once you have fitted a valve lifter on one of the upper cylinders, the lower ones have become detached again. I will finish is, also thanks to Lukasz who has been so kind to send me spare valve lifters for the ones that I have broken.

The weather in our part of the world has also not been very well suited for modelling. Last week a record temperature of more than 40 degrees Celsius was reached in the Netherlands and there are only few houses in the Netherlands with airco.

I wish all participants in this group build best of luck for winning of one of the the rewards in this build. Looking at the beautiful models that have been built it seems that this group build was a big success!


regards,
Ivo

[lone modeller]

Sad to read that you will not finish in time Ivo, but I too have run into problems. Others have written that we should not rush to finish - I agree - with all of the effort that you are putting into this I for one will be perfectly content to follow your progress until it is complete. This is a truly superb build.

Stephen.

[Mike Norris]

It's a real shame you can't finish this build in time Ivo - I've been following this build with great interest and will continue to do so.
I know from my skeletal Fokker D.VII how much is required and how time consuming it gets.

I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to the finished model,

Mike

[Jeff K]

can't believe i missed this. that's what happens when you don't internet enough.

fantastic work, following....

[RAGIII]

Like the others have said I have been following closely and am looking forward to the continuation!
RAGIII

[Borsos]

Really fascinating project. Great progress.
Andreas