Converting the Red Barron to the Black Knight

[Scale-Master]

Someone is having fun with their new toy... Great work Pete.

[Pete J.]

Got the frame rails fleshed out so they are now channel instead of flat. I think the added dimension adds a lot to them.

Also turned the front spring brace. Now I just have to square it up, solder in the cross bracing and add suspension. Yea, that's all.

[Art Laski]

Great work, Pete!

[Pete J.]

Ok, we're working on this model again. Enough trying to figure it out. Made and soldered the front/radiator mounting plate and squared up the basic front of the chassis. The plate is brass that I engine turned. Very tedious! I took a piece of hard wood dowel and turned it to .1" and chucked it up in my mill. I then put some cutting oil on the plate at sprinkled some volcanic ash on it and proceeded to lower the dowel to the surface to polish in a disk. Move it to the right .1" . Repeat. At the end of the row go back the starting point, move it up .050" and left .050" and repeat the next row. Repeat. 12 rows later you have an engine turned piece of brass. As I said very tedious! Oh, before anyone asks, I have no idea where you might get volcanic ash. I have a very large coffee can that I collected in Spokane when I lived there and Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. I shoveled a ton of the stuff and was smart enough to keep some as a souvenir. I knew it would come in handy some time.

[Art Laski]

Oh, before anyone asks, I have no idea where you might get volcanic ash. I have a very large coffee can that I collected in Spokane when I lived there and Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. I shoveled a ton of the stuff and was smart enough to keep some as a souvenir. I knew it would come in handy some time.

Strangely enough, I have some too. When I was a kid the Summer of 1980 we went to Portland to race in the 1/4 midget nationals and the stuff was everywhere. Me and my sister shoved some in a jar that I still have today. Now if I ever get my mill working, I just may have to try this trick!

[Brianl]

If you are having trouble finding a volcano, I used to use a little valve grinding paste for the engine turning.

Beautiful workmanship mate & you are right, working out how is often the most rewarding part of this game.

Looking forward to the rest of the build.

Brian

[ningoth4]

You are doing some beautiful work here! Love that turned brass piece you just added. It was well worth the time it took you to do it!

Kevin

[Davewilly]

Great work! that frame is awesome!

[Pete J.]

If you are having trouble finding a volcano, I used to use a little valve grinding paste for the engine turning.

Beautiful workmanship mate & you are right, working out how is often the most rewarding part of this game.

Looking forward to the rest of the build.

Brian

Hmmm, good thought. Where were you before all the trial and error stuff? Seriously, I tried a lot of abrasives from baking soda to toothpaste to Softscrub. They really made a mess and I am very cautions about using abrasives around the mill. They can get in places that they can do a lot of damage, so I am very careful. The ash just seemed to do the job with the lease mess and best finish. I will store that one for later. This will not be the last time I do this.

[Pete J.]

Been busy the last couple of days working on the front suspension. I decided on a twin front leaf spring setup so I could avoid the front drag links. Just kind of a cleaner front end to my eye.

I started by cutting .1" wide strips of .015" brass to make the springs, and filing them down to get them flat.

I then cut them into two sets of three leafs.

I soldered them together to get the front leafs.

I then turned some stands .2" by .6" to give me a base line for mounting the axle.

I thought I could get things square with that. Well, not really. I wound up taking the tooling plate off my mill and gluing the axle stands too it that then with a series of parallels and angles, came up this this gig to get everything square. The frame is glued to the square in the back and the parallels in the front are squared off of the axle stands. Then everything was centered and the axle was soldered to the springs. I have not made nor attached the shackles for the rear because their size will be determined by the ride height and I need to do the rear suspension to set that.

I then made the mounting plates and U-bolts for the axle/spring mounts.

Well, that is enough for tonight.

[vintagedragfan]

good stuff Pete!!

[Randy D]

Hey Pete, Beautiful metal work my friend !! That turned piece really sets off the front end. Looking forward to more updates.

Randy

[crazyrichard]

can you please make it a bit less perfect .. its to nice to watch

awsome

[Pete J.]

Quick change rear differential housing is done except for adding the nut and bolt heads. It is machined from three parts and soldered together. Now on to the axles.

Two of the three parts.

Shot for perspective.

Glamor shot

[Pete J.]

Added a couple of more pieces to this puzzle. I turned and fit the axle housings and the driveshaft input bearing. I have not drilled the holes for the bolts for the axle housings yet. It just got too late tonight and I have to change my work space from the lathe to the mill to do that. I am going to make the axles before I change over. It just makes sense time wise.

This is a tool I am not sure most builders are aware of. It is one of four different gravers that I use. A graver is a small metal turning tool used much like wood turning chisels and skews. They are most commonly used by horologists and are great for making very small and intricate parts. Here I am turning the inside curve of the axle housing. It is easier for me to do it this way than to try to synchronize the lead screws to swing a standard tool through an arc.

[Pete J.]

Hey Pete, Beautiful metal work my friend !! That turned piece really sets off the front end. Looking forward to more updates.

Randy

Thanks Randy. I appreciate the comments. I am looking forward to the next installment on the rat rod wrecker!

Pete

[Pete J.]

can you please make it a bit less perfect .. its to nice to watch

awsome

Perfect? You should see the trash bin with all the mistakes. Seems like I am making 1 1/2 models with all the stuff that gets tossed because I either didn't measure it right or my setup was wrong or I pushed the machine too hard or.........etc., etc,. It's a good thing that bulk metals are fairly cheap. Thanks any way. It always feels good when someone else appreciates the effort.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Pete J.

[Pete J.]

Well it has been quite a while since I posted on this thread. I've been busy but not on the Black baron. As I mentioned earlier, I have been busy with school. At 64 years old I am back in college taking courses to get my license to teach aviation ground school to budding pilots. I also have another project on the bench which is taking priority at the moment. It is an all metal Zero. This is cast white metal and photo etched. Here are some shots of the engine, so far. A bit different.

The small wire in the back ground is how I made the cross over tubes for the oil from head to head.

[Randy D]

Hi Pete,

The new project looks awesome !!! Somebody's got a few plug wires and push rods in their future

randy

[Pete J.]

Hi Pete,

The new project looks awesome !!! Somebody's got a few plug wires and push rods in their future

randy

Oh, yea! You can't see them in these photos, but the rear push rods are in. The plugs are turned. I also need to get the main ignition leads from the mags to the front harness. 28 plug wires and 4 leads before I can mount the prop, accessories, exhausts and frame. This is going to get challenging.

[Pete J.]

Ok, tonight was all about test fitting parts. These show the test fit on the exhausts and the engine mounting rings. For size, the squares are 1/2". I still have sparkplug and distribution wires to run and then adding color to the cylinders and exhausts before they can be permanently mounted.

[Ira]

Beautiful Work Pete!

[Pete J.]

Aircraft is coming along. Here is a shot of the first time I have fit the prop and spinner to the engine. The wiring of the engine was a real bugger. Their are 28 wires to run and I had to turn 28 sparkplug connections. The plug wires are .017" silver solder.

Hopefully I will be able to get back to the hotrod soon!

Edited December 7, 2013 by Pete J.

[Scale-Master]

Does DC know you are swapping the engine?

Looking very good Pete.

[Pete J.]

Mark, you think he would notice?