Thank you Rick, Richard, Fredrik, Stephen and Ken! Your comments are highly appreciated!
As always when you produce things on your lathe, I feel like adding one to my Christmas wishlist!
It is a nice tool, but really not a toy! Such beast can really be dangerous and the possible forces should not be underestimated. One example is to forget the chuck key and switch on - that wrench will fly away with high speed! Luckily my lathe has a security mechanism against this particular mistake.
That is also not a cheap toy, not only the lathe itself but you will need also many accessories. May be for our purpose a watchmaker lathe is an option, but it you find a good one with accessories on ebay the price is going crazy.
Your streaking looks great, Frank. Just like the box top art.
Thanks, that was the intention.
The only bad thing is, that the color is not completely the same as the wings done weeks ago. I was impatient, but this should be done in one go.
When you turned the inside of the cowling, how did you determine the radius of the front rounded part?
The is the most tricky part of the game!
I made only another complete cowling for my Nieuport "Flyboys" (in alu that time), and if you want to much, you have two rings instead of one cowling
Made the experience in that project. So only slow approach, measure and feel with the finger helps. At first I have done the outer diameter, then the inner radius.
Yesterday I thought about grinding a HSS turning tools into shape, but I never grind a HSS tool.
EDIT: I should mention, that I made the spinner of the Deperdussin Monocoque also to thin so it cracked. I rescued the part with soldering the crack.
Did you turn the whole cowling with just one lathe setup?
Yes, for two reasons: First, I have learned that you should not wrap around a part if it can be avoided. And my three-jaw chuck is too big (or the cowling too small), so I can't clamp from the inside.
At first face turning, the outer diameter.
Next I drilled with 10mm (my biggest drill), enhancing to 14mm with a inside turning steel (front opening later 15mm).
Then I cut from the side to a 15,5mm diameter, them enhanced the cut to the right side to get the front radius.
Enhanced the inside diameter in the straight part, create a thin wall.
Then the tricky inside front radius.
Enhanced the inner diameter to 15mm at the front.
Finally cut from the side at the front until it separates.
What is the outside diameter of your cowling?
After final polishing 22,45mm
I haven't made a cowling from brass but getting the thickness to 0.4mm is an accomplishment.
The Nieuport alu cowling was comparable in that point. I only had the material problem, no paint sticks to it, and the CA-glue does not hold well either.
At the model exhibition here some guys always sell "Aluminium bowl for superglue, easy to clean"
If a cowling was made of alu on an aircraft and don't need to be painted, I will use alu again.
To mount my cowlings, I remake the firewall by machining a sheet of styrene with a step that fits within the inside edge of the cowling.
I had the same idea, but I thought about a small ring due to limited space. The outer ring diameter should have a tight fit into the cowling. The brass one is much heavier compared to my previous alu one!
I hope you will excuse all the questions, but I try to learn from other's experiences.
No problem, I tried to answer. But I'm still a beginner, may be an experienced lathe worker would do this differently
Cheers,
Frank
