Thank you all for the continuing flow of information. As a complete novice some of the terminology and methods a passing over my head, but this all gives me a good starting point to refer back to if nothing else! I favour a vice and hammer with appropriate rivets and punch or dolly.

As for the pictures, the tray I got from the SpitfireSpares site, but I have the blueprints to work from so will take the pictures ‘under advisement’!

Another little up-date, we did buy a blind flying panel from eBay. It came ready painted, but the finish was poor, it had scratches and grinding scuffs all over it and was painted in a gloss black. It is also is made of steel which seems wrong, but we’ll live with it. I had three students with increasingly finer grades of sandpaper going over it until we got a much better finish, then painted in the same matt black as the main panel. Results attached are much nicer. Out of interest, the original Climb Indicator we have doesn’t fit correctly into the allocated hole, any thoughts other than the obvious being that the panle is wrong?

Thanks all for the advice, yes, some of this will be for the MK1 Spitfire we are building, so door yes, compass tray and probablt a few other parts as time goes on as well. I am also working on my own Beech 18 (SNB5) project at home, and have the control pedestal that needs some tiny rivets replaced after I have mended/made new parts. As for types of aluminium, I have no idea, I am new to all of this so didn’t realise the type as important. Thickness yes, but i haven’t looked at the drawings to see what that is recently.

It’s been a while since I’ve up-dated this project here, so here goes:

We’ve been building the rudder, from ply and held together at the rudder axis by a cut-down 2m length of M12 threaded rod.

I also worked on making an early-style tail light, so made a template out of thick card and built it up using ordinary plastercine. Having made radii templates too I could check for accuracy before making a mould it and casting it in plaster of paris. I then vacuum formed it in 1.5mm styrene to create both sides.

We are currently working on the rudder leading edge using our 1.5 flexi-ply, when we get that on it shouod start to look pretty cool! We ahve had a re-think and have now decided to cover the rudder with canvas and dope as well, that will give it a much more authentic look – any advice/guidance gratefully received!

Dom

Here’s the latest picture. This shows the new Frame 8 drawing being finished onto 38mm MDF! Using the correct dimensions from the blueprint, including all the right radii we have managed to create a totally accurate piece here. Using a large set square we first drew on the datum line and then created the 4″ grid down from that. Then out from the centre line we drew on the two 5″ vertical lines and the outside 3″ line. Then it was just a question of reading the blueprint and being careful.

The next step is to cut it out very carefully, about 0.5mm outside the drawn line and then sand to the line for a perfect finish. We’ll then router the edge to copy the folded aluminium look.

Hole saws don’t come in the right sizes for original pressing, or at least not the ones I have, so need to look in to options there.

To finish the frame we will add all the detail as on the original, mocked up with aluminium sheet, rivet heads, plastic and anything else that works. This won’t be totally finished for a couple of months or more.

Dom

Oldgit, PM sent, and thank you very much.

Dom