Author Topic: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount  (Read 1818 times)

Offline RLWP

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DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« on: October 09, 2019, 06:31:45 AM »
Woodman's excellent Early Aircraft Armament book* has reproduction of a document from 1916 listing the guns and mounts for different aeroplanes. On page 248, the De H.2 No.4, Mark II. has a note: 'As in F.E.8'

I haven't been able to find a picture of the early DH.2 'wobbly mount'. Has anyone got a picture of the early mount on an F.E.8?

It may be: 'Rising pillar balanced by rubber and locking knob, no arm. With clamping handles for elevation and traverse'

Can anyone help with this?

Richard

*https://www.amazon.co.uk/Early-Aircraft-Armament-Harry-Woodman/dp/0853689903 - highly recommended!
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Offline RLWP

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2019, 06:53:37 AM »
OK, I was looking with my eyes closed

The mount is on page 52/53 - On a DH.2 and a F.E.8

Apologies

Richard
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Offline Alexis

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2019, 10:12:22 AM »
Happens to the best of us  8)



Terri
Hurra ! , Ich Leben Noch
Body and life is a vessel we use to travel the planet . Femininity is the gift , The miracle comes from what we do with it .

Offline RLWP

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2019, 05:59:44 PM »
Happens to the best of us  8)



Terri

It's worse than that - the 'wobbly' mount is on page 50...

 :o

Richard
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Offline bobs_buckles

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2019, 07:21:31 PM »
Happens to the best of us  8)



Terri

It's worse than that - the 'wobbly' mount is on page 50...

Oh dear!  ;D

vB


 :o

Richard



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Offline RLWP

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2019, 03:49:32 AM »
And finally....

The aeroplane I want to model probably has the later mount, which is in the Datafile

Research, huh - who needs it!

Richard
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Offline RLWP

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2019, 12:50:20 AM »
I've had a go at modelling the 'wobbly mount':













It gives all the range implied by the drawing - I haven't tried to model the knob attached to the sliding post, the knob is probably a bit big too. Buried in the cockpit of a DH.2, it's good enough

It's a frustrating bit of kit as a model. The arm rotates, the gun rotates on the arm and pivots up and down. Th only way of keeping it straight ahead is a tiny bracket which still allows the muzzle to slop from side to side. No wonder pilots complained

Richard
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Offline Robin

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2019, 01:01:50 AM »
wow! great job. :o

Robin
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Offline RLWP

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2019, 02:32:32 AM »
Thank you.

This is a Gaspatch Lewis with modified Eduard Brassin magazines:





Richard
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Offline Manni

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2019, 04:57:11 PM »
Cool work, Richard. A model of it's own.
Bye,
Manni
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Offline kensar

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2019, 02:13:32 AM »
You can wobble with the best of them!

Offline bobs_buckles

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2019, 05:08:41 AM »
You can wobble with the best of them!


What he said  ::)
 ;D

vB



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Offline Alexis

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2019, 12:07:32 PM »
Awesome job Richard !



Terri
Hurra ! , Ich Leben Noch
Body and life is a vessel we use to travel the planet . Femininity is the gift , The miracle comes from what we do with it .

Offline RLWP

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Re: DH.2 F.E.8 Lewis gun mount
« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2019, 05:28:02 AM »
So, armed with my own tiny wobbly mount, I have worked out how the damn thing was mounted in a DH.2. Naturally, the solution was staring me in the face

Using the image from Woodman's book, and the drawing from the Windsock Datafile, I have this:



The patent drawing obviously shows a DH.2 and it scales out perfectly.  The problem is, according to photos and drawings, the gun should sit further back in the cockpit than with the RFC mount. But it doesn't:



It actually sits a lot further forwards. Using my model of the mount, I think I have solved the conundrum. If the gun is mounted properly, it sits well forward:



But if a pilot reversed the top arm, it sits well back:



And that looks like the correct position shown in photographs

Why would a pilot do this? Well, in this position, a pilot could either strap the swivel arm to the gun stock support, eliminating quite a bit of wobble, or strap the whole gun down onto the arm and stock support, locking it up completely

This sounds exactly like what a pilot might do, they would only need a leather belt

Richard
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