cockpit/ engine bay finish painting/ looking for a "word"

[s.e.charles]

nice video here:  https://youtu.be/y5xVjCE2HRY?t=798

but for the life of me i cannot understand the dialog describing the squiggles put on the aluminum paint (in contrasting color). i understand they add tonal variety, but is it to replicate a particular finish?

thanks

[KiwiZac]

Early Fokker types like the Eindecker and some other Central Powers types featured this "swirling" finish on engine cowlings. Some Sopwith types also had similar circular markings and I believe in all cases it's due to how the metal was prepared/shaped?

Hopefully someone with more specialised knowledge can chime in and set us both straight. 

[RAGIII]

Early Fokker types like the Eindecker and some other Central Powers types featured this "swirling" finish on engine cowlings. Some Sopwith types also had similar circular markings and I believe in all cases it's due to how the metal was prepared/shaped?

Hopefully someone with more specialised knowledge can chime in and set us both straight. 

You are correct Zac. It was the turning and shaping/hammering that created the patterns. I am Not Sure if the pattern was created on purpose as like you said the Sopwiths had a more circular pattern.
RAGIII

[the great waldo]

I think that swirly finish on the metal is called engine turning, and from what I can remember it stopped corrosion or at least reduced (shoot me down if i'm wrong)

Cheers
Andrew

[Rick_H]

Yup - "engine turning".  Also used on vintage automobiles.

[s.e.charles]

do those squiggles look anything like engine turning to anyone?

furthest thing from my mind when i saw them

[RAGIII]

Here is a link to some  Fokkers on this site showing the Turned effect nicely:

https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=646.60

RAGIII

[s.e.charles]

thank you for the link. those are mighty impressive examples and the hand holding the complete model had me wondering "how?" in such a tiny scale.

prior, my only engine turning experience was on dashboards & firewalls of automobiles in an overlapping circle pattern. i believe it is done with a tool looking similar to an engine valve and gritted paste compound.

this (airplane) type of pattern will provoke me to additional research; thanks again.


EDIT: Wikipedia helped me along: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_Eindecker_fighters#Sheet_metal_parts_finish_on_the_Eindeckers, and a search got me to this thread:  http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33076

anyone have a link to the 15 year old video referenced?

[KiwiZac]

prior, my only engine turning experience was on dashboards & firewalls of automobiles in an overlapping circle pattern. i believe it is done with a tool looking similar to an engine valve and gritted paste compound.

What you're describing sounds just like that seen on the early Sopwiths (including some Pups) and, interwar, Ryan monoplanes such as the Spirit of St Louis.

[s.e.charles]

after finding several still photos of these planes in bright sun, it's easy to understand why that process was referred to as "jeweling."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_turning

[skeeterbuck]

IIRC the latest info on the Fokker Eindekker cowlings is that it's believed to be caused by a primer that was applied to the bare aluminum and is NOT from some form of engine turning as was originally believed. I think this may have come form the 2 volume issues from he latest datafiles on the subject.

I don't have these books and I just relying on memory so I may be completely wrong about this. 

Chuck

[KiwiZac]

I for one would be very interested learn more, Chuck!