Anyone out there with firsthand knowledge of skinning an Anson?

Anson tailplane rebuild.

Thanks Mark, the pics should help a lot.

I will take them to the shop and ask if there is anything further that they require.

Cypherus – We agree with your second para, that would have been the way we expected that it would be done. Failing that the method described in para 3 would have the the fallback, but it seems likely that it was done by tacking and glueing and then sanding it down to a smooth transition.

We can do it either way, we would just like to be authentic.

Richard – Yes we do have the complete airframe and we are currently re-building the tailplane as a prelude to re-building the wing. The 60 foot spar table is in place. It looks like nothing from the original tailplane will be reusable and very little from the wing with the exception of the metal fittings.

Wolfgang – We are pretty close to the Carlaws at Campbellford.

Thanks everyone for your efforts, I will pass it along to the wood butchers.

Deryck

Anson

😀 Hello Deryck;
Nice project,do you have the airframe,s/n? Have you been to the
Campellford military museum,i’m sure they could help their shop is
the magician’s workshop.My wife and i will be at Ferris Prvl park
Aug,10 to 13 and the Murray canal fishing day trip.
Can we drop by to see what your up to? I’m set up for private msgs.

Good luck,Wolfgang.

Deryck
I am unsure what you need to know as some of the pictures show the original structure and fabric intact, especially the one at top centre with the bird poo dressing, you can see the ply edge under the fabric l/h and exposed on the r/h side of pic. No effort seems to have been made to fill or blend the joint line, probably good enough for wartime production.
The trailing edge ply would have extended past the rear spar, top and bottom, the elevators rounded nose would have rotated close to this overhang.
Do you have the rest of the airframe?

Richard

I must admit first off that I have never been fortunate enough to have worked on the Anson, however I do have a lot of exprience in timber airframe repair particularly of Vintage airframes, and two methods normally employed in these location come readily come to mind.

The simplest being a butt or recessed joint were the ply would be let into the surface of the member making up the leading edge of the plane by routing out the required depth to allow the ply plus adhesive to lay flush with the surface of the nose block or trailing edge form thus requireing only block sanding too achieve a good finish prior too fabric covering

The second method is too scarf the ply over the mating area on it’s underside, this involves planing and sanding the ply at an angle over the required width to a feather edge. If done correctly and it does take some skill too achieve a good result little in the way of finishing is required except for a light sanding to remove any dust and adhesive prior too fabric and dope.

One publication I suggest you obtain would be ‘Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices. Aircraft Inspection and Repair’ which will detail such methods as I have described in great detail along with diagrams and joint length calculations and details methods and materials of fabric covering.

Hope this is of use too you in your restoration.

Deryck,

Sorry for the delay, here are a selection of leading and trailing edge photos of my derelict Anson tailplane.

On the leading edge the ply skin is finished @ 10 – 15 mm short of the leading edge and feathered/sanded to blend to the surface, the solid leading edge has a bevelled side to allow that to happen before the rounded nose.

On the trailing edge the ply skin extends past the spar and has an internal cap strip added to protect the edge, the edge appears square cut.

In both cases the ply is glued and gypie pinned, and fabric covers the ply and timber.

Hopefully you can identify the various elements of above in the examples below showing complete edges and “dissected edges”, (note there is a ply doubler skin across the rear spar section, not to be confused with the external ply skin).

Let me know if you need larger resolution images, or further photos, or any measurements of the various parts etc.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Not really, all I know is it’s nothing like skinning a rabbit.:rolleyes:

Deryck,

sorry I ddint get any pictures of it last weekend (its in storage on another property that I am relocating my anson parts from) but hope to get photos this weekend for you, as it will be one of the items relocated this weekend.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Anson Tailplane photos

Mark, were you able to get any decent pictures of the tailplane you have?

Thanks Mark.

Deryck

Anson plywood covering.

Thanks guys,

That should be enough info/leads to get us started.

Deryck

Try Tony Agar at the Yorkshire Air Museum – they are working on an Anson!

Peter is correct, the Anson’s tailplane was fabric covered, and where the ply sheet finished at a solid timber leading and trailing edge the “square” edge of the ply should be feathered/sanded to taper down to the timber edge.

I have a derelict Anson Tailplane in my shed and will try to take some digital photos tomorrow if I can get some detail shots.

regards

Mark Pilkington

I think you will find that the whole surface will have been fabric covered anyway. The ply edges will thus have been protected.
Peter, G-ASEA’s dad.

Contact the guys in our restoration department…we completed ours a few years ago, speak with Lindsay 780-451-1175 Tuesday/Thursday.

Tom H