No Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah or parts are sacrificial to me, I’m desperately trying to get these parts please don’t destroy them! Those parts are getting scarce, like all vintage aircraft engines, even bad parts are great for static display. Why not use a period commercial vehicle crankshaft instead for your “cruel” experiments?

Wish I was there too, I can spot a few Oxford parts there that needed a good home……

Hi Ian.

It’s not Oxford, They only read up to 45 Gallons. The “X” number under the pointer will clarify what it is made for but it is obscured by the pointer in the photo ( X4?979 ). RAAF Instrument Data book has a 138 Gallon capacity gauge listed for the Beaufort.

Hi All,

Any leads on parts for Airspeed Oxford or Mk10 Cheetah Radial. Anything considered but smaller parts are easier to post.Happy to buy or swap other aircraft parts..

Hi Fly Buy.

The silver one appears to be of Canadian manufacture whereas the very tidy black one (looks to be the 2nd Pilot’s removable column) is of British origin.

cool thanks bobby, too bad it doesnt specify what aircraft its from..

and thanks also whitleyproject, I found something else today which I fear is a motor vehicle piece but not sure, I took it with me just incase, closer inspection I noticed a lot of stamps and serials on it “SR45447/1” and underneath that serial says “NO 653” and to the right 2 oval circle engraving with “G4I/S” in one and other below is half faded so it looks like “00o” and otherside of those stamps it says “NO29” military aircraft related? kinda reminds me of an exhaust or engine component(?)

The piece you have looks to be Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah, Most likely from an Avro Anson MK9 Cheetah.

I think the biggest issue is that there are more people collecting instruments nowadays and so the risk for people is more widespread and we all know what we are dealing with. The risks have always been there and it’s same as handling lead or Asbestos, they also can take years to kill you ( same as smoking for that matter ) so as long as you know what risk you are taking and can “limit” it I can’t see a problem. Your more likely to get a far worse dose of radiation from the sun, or get alcohol poisoning at the pub as we have all found out from time to time.

I have had the luxury of taking to people who have painted and worked with radioactive instruments, There’s no definitive data and most of these people are still alive with no ill affects and the ones that have died have been from old age or good old fashioned heart attack so that’s why I haven’t freaked out while looking at my collection next to me, but I have to admit it can’t be good having it all concentrated in one place so I’m taking steps to reduce this.

As MJR pointed out if you tamper with radioactive instruments you must take precautions and for heavens sake don’t do it inside your home! Trying to stabilize a gauge will only create more risk so it’s better to leave them intact / avoid the broken ones.

I’m sure if the authorities were concerned they would put a stop to the sale of said items on our popular auction sites.

Miclittle.

I’m pretty sure this is a Beaufort yoke. All the images I can google, contemporary and of restored examples show a pneumatic gun button on the left. Actual books back this up. It’s been restored at some point with new steel work inside and is supposed to have come from a dump in Oz.
I think you have a Beaufighter column MicLittle. Is there a slot at the back of your button hole for brass pipes?
The brass button was swapped for separately. Despite the splendid detail of your publication, AM, how does one open it up to install it? It suffered a bit of a bump and is currently undergoing WD40 and penetrating oil immersions to loosen it before gentle ‘mechanical’ means.

It does have the slots at the rear, but I’m unlikely to find a gun firing button to see if it fits.