Both F-00026 stack angles after machine
countersinking.
A few more items were also worked on prior to
today’s JetFlex paint session. The F-1201Q-L&R battery angles were separated,
deburred and required having the rivet holes for a sole nutplate on each angle
to be countersunk per the plans. The F-1202D instrument panel attach strips
were also separated and deburred.
Machine countersinking nutplate rivet holes on one
of the F-1201Q battery angles.
F-1202D instrument panel attach strips prior to
being separated on the band saw and deburred with a Scotch-Brite wheel.
Yesterday the work session in the shop was short
due to an unexpected trip to a metal shop. I was talking to Mike about the bent
W-1237C seat back angles and wondered if Mike’s friend Steffon, who owns a
metal fabrication shop, had a metal press outfitted for taking the bow out of
angle stock. As luck would have it, Mike was going to Steffon’s metal shop in
the afternoon and so I tagged along and brought the bent angles along in the
hopes there would be a jig of some sort available to remove the bows in the
material.
When Mike and I got to Steffon’s shop, I was
told that the shop does not have the tool I was hoping to find there … the
feeling of hope quickly turned to despair, thinking that I would have to take
the time to build a jig to straighten the angles. Then Steffon said, “I usually
use a metal bender for that type of thing, you are welcome to give it a try”.
Ah hah! The feeling of despair quickly changed to a small glimmer of hope.
Steffon lead us to a nifty power metal forming tool capable of forming metal
stock into circles or any radius desired. After showing Mike and I where the
forming wheels and shims were located, we were left alone …. man vs. machine.
Setting up this machine was a little like working on a Chinese puzzle … the
sides of the wheels have recesses of different depths so depending on which way
the wheels are placed against one other on the same shaft, will create gaps for
the angle to ride in. After a little trial and error Mike and I were able to configure
all three wheels with the aid of some shims to accept the angle aluminum.
It became quickly apparent this tool would take
no prisoners and would easily gobble up metal, clothing and fingers alike … and
never so much as burp. We started out very conservative and feed the angle through
the rollers one side at a time and slowly increased the amount of downward
pressure applied by the center wheel until the angle was finally straight. The
machine has digital readout so the settings were replicated on the other
pieces once we knew where to stop.
Worked great!!! Thanks Steffon!!
The downside is the drive wheels have small
groves on them and they left very small marks on the metal … fortunately, we
worked the metal in small steps so the marks are not at all deep and should smooth
out nicely should I decide I even want to bother making them go away.
Straightened W-1237C seat back angles placed
back to back … must say they look a whole lot better than the photo posted a
couple of days ago. If the photo is zoomed in on, the small marks left by the
drive wheels can be seen.
Today the morning was spent putting the
finishing touches on the next small batch of parts ready for primer. The
afternoon was spent spraying JetFlex onto the parts that were primed during the
spray session earlier in the week. This time the DOG Aviation paint department had good results with the Jet
Flex interior paint … the spray tip was cleaned often with a toothbrush dipped
in water and ammonia solution. The tendency to splatter paint occasionally was, for the
most part, eliminated by the frequent tip cleanings. The gun was never run dry
and the cleaning solution was run into the gun immediately after painting was
completed, so cleanup went well.
Was hoping to spray primer on the parts
worked on earlier in the morning but by the time I was ready for that, it was
getting too late to spray ... would have been doing cleanup well into the
dark. Hopefully I can get the parts sprayed tomorrow afternoon.
Next small batch of parts ready for primer.
