Warbird Information Exchange

Midland Plastics, www.midlandplastics.com. but you should have some industrial plastic source closer to I'd think.

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

This looks like the stuff, but you may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere:

http://www.grainger.com/product/PVC-Typ ... k-WP143613

And another not far from my house:

http://www.iplasticsupply.com/materials ... sheet-rod/

I buy drops and haven't spent more than $40 for a good variety of 1/2" and 3/4". Don't ask for custom cut. Half sheet of 3/4" was just over $80 but got equivalent in drops for half.

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

Finished routing the lower section reinforcement plates. .125" T3





Next, the ribs have this standard shape bead formed in them, actually has a distinct Chance Vought part number CVC-3031-24. So I made a quick impression using bondo. A piece of simple clear packaging tape acted as the mold release agent. I just wanted to see what the impression looked like for reference. Then, a piece of PVC tooling plate and some massage work. I also made a small forming punch from UHMW as the small size really wasn't worth flow forming with the rivet gun. Material is .062" 2024-0.

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

Little side job, a friend needs a scoop for the Tweet that is located just forward of the windscreen and ducts air to the cabin climate control system. Thought a good exercise to refresh wheeling skills some more and try some techniques I have learned from some of the best online. The practice piece is .050" 3003 and the final will be in .050" 2024-0 then heat treated.

I formed the flanges using the wheel. My wheel has adjustable axles and I added a small shim as well. Using the flattest wheel and tipping it to the outside edge, I can roll the flange line. (Thanks Lazze)



Flanges from underside along with some shaping



Some initial trimming readying for the rolled leading edge.



I hammered the edge roll to a 90 using rawhide and dolly, took it over center on the shot bag and then set the wheels to the finish dimension I was after, in this case, an open roll.



You can really control the consistency of the roll this way, really cool. (thanks Ron Covell)



Underside view after wheeling



After trimming, sanding, scotchbrite, there was a a low spot needing a little more wheeling.



Finished test piece





Next the real thing. Then I'll find a car guy for the test piece...

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

This thread warrants the big bucket

Great stuff Scott

Thanks

Andy

fascinating stuff, would love to learn that.

Heh, that reminded me of old Gary and his photos of the trash can filling up on his 927 thread... And this thread is the best thing since then, really enjoy checking in and seeing the metalworking magic happening. I have bungled just enough of it myself to have certified organically grown appreciation.

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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

Thanks for all the kind replies. I'm having fun sharing.

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

I remember reading an article in Air and Space a few years back about a aircraft plant where they would fling the "foul ups" from the component production line over a back wall so as to not add to the "defect" count. Once they did away with the wall, a few forgot the wall was no longer there and continued to fling sheetmetal parts. nearly pranging some co-workers.

Don't start flinging your parts, we don't need any more Dammit Walls.

Looks a lot like the scoop from a AC Shelby or Kirkham.

Yeah...I'm gonna need a whole lot more parts to hold up that scoop.

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

Lower former #3 tooling. After the usual paper pattern process outlined in prior posts, now to make the PVC form block. The former will be from .062" 2024-0 so this will be a test of the PVC tooling.

Routing


Next to make the clamp block. Getting pretty thin there...

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

Former #3 continued. Here's the typical progression from the pattern for the form block, the pattern for the blank, the template for the blank, the blank in the form block ready to form. Happened to get some white PVC in this load.


Flow forming this .062" 2024-0.



After from the form side


Then from the clamp block side


Pretty narrow. Wasn't sure the PVC could handle it.


Inside the former



The other side



Trim and massage to finish

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

Scott, how do you cut your PVC forms to leave the clean edges? I've never cut PVC sheet, but I tend to get fuzzy edges whenever I cut PVC pipe, UHMW, or most any plastic.