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#Post#: 79958--------------------------------------------------
Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: Matthew
Date: November 17, 2013, 5:28 pm
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Evening all. wasnt sure whether to put this in "technical" or
"anorak's" corner, as it uses skills useful for Landy repair
work but is not strictly about leafers. Anyway, please do bear
with me!
I am involved with a classic aircraft restoration group, and
yesterday I found myself battling to remove the tailplane tip
fairing from an Avro 748 in order to repair it. The fairing is
supposed to look like this stock image:
[img]
HTML http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Cessna-172-175-wing-tip-with-RH-light-P-N-0423006-13-/00/s/OTAwWDE2MDA=/z/sAwAAMXQM0FRfq1H/$T2eC16V,!w0E9szNZIYvBRfq1GtQzQ~~60_57.JPG[/img]
Unlike the pictured one, "my" one is hollow and hand beaten from
very thin aluminium sheet - a real work of art. Unfortunately,
at some point in the relocation of the aircraft to its current
resting place, the end of tailplane has been bashed on something
and the fairing is badly dented, flattened and crushed inwards.
I'm an eternal optimist and reckon that I might just be able to
save it with some restorative panelbeating. It would certainly
be preferable to the "plan b" of making a fibreglass replica
part.
I'm asking in the tech section in the hope of finding someone
who has done some panelbeating on leafer bodies, so my question
to the good folk of OLLR is - what tools, skills and techniques
to I need to bash it back out into shape? From what little I've
seen in amateur workshop articles, I'm think I'm going to need a
blowtorch to anneal the metal, a dolly hammer, and a bag of
shot? Do I need any other tools? Would a sandbag make an
acceptable alternative to the shot sack? (It doesnt have to be a
perfectly concours job as long as it passes muster to casual
inspection). Does anyone have any hints and tips on technique
to help me get it right first time?
Edit: the damage looks a bit like this other stock image, but is
slightly worse:
HTML http://www.jaminandelizabethpeck.com/uploads/2/1/6/3/2163892/3603663_orig.jpg
Thanks in advance,
Matthew
#Post#: 79967--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: NoelC
Date: November 17, 2013, 7:19 pm
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I'll ask my mate in the RAF how he does it, he was fixing damage
like this on Tornados up until he defected to the rotary wing
"dark side". Anything without reheat is by definition :gay:.
#Post#: 79978--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: divie
Date: November 18, 2013, 2:21 am
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There was an article in a recent Land Rover magazine about this
subject. I will look to see if I still have it but I usually
pass them on. The process involved a fair bit of blow lamp work
to anneal the aluminium tapping away at damage and anneal again
etc. Old aircraft are a passion of mine where is this one based
? I am planning a few motorcycle rides next year with a like
minded group to visit more air museums.
#Post#: 80001--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: Matthew
Date: November 18, 2013, 8:36 am
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Thanks guys :smilewide:
I look forward to hearing the RAF how-to Noel, if it's good
enough for Tornados it should be good enough for a 748!
Divie - Was this in LRO perchance? I saw a small bit on
repairing flat panel damage but it didn't look terribly
in-depth. All I could glean from it was the need for annealing
before working, and being gentle with the hammers.
As the for the aircraft, it's not in a museum as such. It's a
static display collection at the old Speke Airport in Liverpool.
I'll put up a thread in the anoraks section to avoid derailing
this tech one
#Post#: 80047--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: wallis 7090
Date: November 18, 2013, 2:16 pm
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Have fun !!! Im actually an aircraft sheetmetal by trade did a
five year apprentiship and all that jazz now work on landrovers
instead. To sort that out will be a complete arse. The problem
is with aircraft ally is that there are so many different grades
and then these are then heat treated to different tempers for
hardness etc. You have to be very careful not to stretch the
material when working it otherwise it will pant and go funny.
Try not to use a metal hammer onto a metal block or it will
stretch, try to use a boxwood mallet or similar. Could go on for
hours but i would bore you to death :blahblah
#Post#: 80050--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: Matthew
Date: November 18, 2013, 2:40 pm
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--- Quote from: wallis 7090 link ---
>
> Have fun !!! Im actually an aircraft sheetmetal by trade did a
five year apprentiship and all that jazz now work on landrovers
instead. To sort that out will be a complete arse. The problem
is with aircraft ally is that there are so many different grades
and then these are then heat treated to different tempers for
hardness etc. You have to be very careful not to stretch the
material when working it otherwise it will pant and go funny.
Try not to use a metal hammer onto a metal block or it will
stretch, try to use a boxwood mallet or similar. Could go on for
hours but i would bore you to death :blahblah
>
--- End Quote ---
Oh trust me, I'd rather hear the words of a master metal
magician than make a complete fuckup of it! Please do elaborate,
I'm ready to listen and soak up the advice
HTML http://www.pistonheads.com/inc/images/ears.gif
So I need a wooden mallet for softer blows on the material.
Presumably this is for the outside? Would the inside require one
of those egg shaped forming hammers? As for the stetching,
that's what i'm worried has already happened by bashing the
metal inwards in the first place. Are the remedial "spiral
shrinking hammers" as touted by Frost et. al. as good at
remedying this as claimed, or are they over-hyped?
Also, just watched an old episode of Salvage Squad where some
final finishing to the beating job was done with glancing blows
of a flat metal sole. Would any suitably thick piece of flat
steel do for that or do I need to lay my hands on the specific
tool?
Thanks,
Matthew
PS. I dont suppose you are located anywhere near Liverpool,
perchance?
#Post#: 80406--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: Matt
Date: November 20, 2013, 10:53 am
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Hi
Some great stuff on YouTube on Ali body repairs;
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9moYO-WWhaQ
I remember the De Havilland Dragon Rapide Biplane and Mosquito
bomber based at Liverpool airport back in the late 60s
Good luck - Matt
#Post#: 80465--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: Lucy
Date: November 20, 2013, 4:28 pm
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That guy's just genius
#Post#: 80470--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: Matthew
Date: November 20, 2013, 5:29 pm
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Thanks for that Matt :thumbs:
#Post#: 80480--------------------------------------------------
Re: Can anyone give me a quick how-to on ally panelbeating?
DIR By: Parn
Date: November 21, 2013, 1:33 am
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WOW
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