1940 Stearman restoration (moved from Triumph forum so all can enjoy)

[CJD]

The one long strip that I must re-use is the upper one, which provides a means of attaching the arches to the frame. My upper strip was mangled, so I had to use heat and time tapping it into a straight piece once again. I did this using a 2x2" beam of structural aluminum:

Once I had a straight upper strip, I started clamping it to the frame...easier said than done. It seems that, since the frame is straight, and the cages are curved, every single clamp is unique....uhggg! I had about half of the required clamps. The other 20 or so had to be fashioned off blueprints to spec.

But, here is the installed upper strip, with the left side arches rivetted to it.

There are, of course, more unique clamps holding the bottom of EACH arch to the bottom of the frame. I am still in the process of tweaking each clamp, high and low, until I have the shape and locations of the arches correct. I will then start riveting the lengthwise strips to the arches. Once I have the arches rebuilt on the plane, they will have to come back off to get painted.

 

[2002S2000]

Interesting to follow this, thank you!

 

[CJD]

While I was machining all those clamps, there was another issue that had been bothering me. The original throttle and fuel mixture knobs are small, plastic balls. Thus giving us the term "balls to the wall", when a fighter pilot wanted all the power he could get out of the engine. Both balls go forward to the firewall.

I tried some new balls off Ebay, but they did not fit and looked cheap...and ugly. Nobody wants cheap, ugly, plastic balls...right? This had to be remedied. They must be bigger, and more substantial...like, say...brass!! That's the ticket, big brass balls!! Lets get to work...

First the balls got digitized into the CNC mill.

Then we popped some brass into the mill.

 

[CJD]

And now we have some decent sized balls!

The Throttle balls are common brass, while the mixtures are phosphorous bronze, giving them a copper look. They are also a slightly different size, with the letter raised on one and not the other...all to give a different tactile feel, so they will not be confused.

I know. This violates my originality theme. But these are simple, bolt on mods that can be reversed by removing one screw on each ball. I felt it was worth it. The mixture balls will have red paint around the lettering, and the Throttle surrounded and black, to carry the coloring of the original balls. I'll post pics once they are finished and installed.

 

[TRopic6]

Amazing work as always, John! As a kid, the airfield within bicycle range had 2 Stearmans; 1 in Air Corps yellow wings/blue fuselage but the other was silver. Easy to tell when they took off, and when the wind was right I could hear the rise & fall of the engine as they did aerobatic work a few miles outside the pattern. A simpler time in the early 70s... I recall the silver one somehow tipped up on its nose one day and bent the prop tips.

If that auction was at the Shealy farm in Leesville, I hope you got some mustard BBQ at their family's place in town.

 

[Basil]

You've got some nice balls, John.

 

[JPSmit]

You've got some nice balls, John.

Oh thank you! I can't be the only adolescent on this forum. (John said balls)

 

[NutmegCT]

Does anyone remember hearing about the NYT article (1946) which included the phrase "You could hear his balls clank"?

Coal mining, railroads, and the economy are three clues ...

 

[Basil]

Does anyone remember hearing about the NYT article (1946) which included the phrase "You could hear his balls clank"?

Coal mining, railroads, and the economy are three clues ...

"Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." Old navel ships

 

[NutmegCT]

"Cold enough to free the balls off a brass monkey." Old navel ships

Close ... but no cigar (yet!)

 

[Basil]

Close ... but no cigar (yet!)

That wasn't a guess - it was another saying.

 

[John Turney]

"Cold enough to free the balls off a brass monkey." Old navel ships

It's "freeze", not "free." Somewhere I read the explanation of where that phrase came from.

 

[Basil]

It's "freeze", not "free." Somewhere I read the explanation of where that phrase came from.

I know - I meant to type freeze - one supposed explanation has to do with the way cannon balls (iron) were stored on a "brass monkey" device that had indentations to hold the balls. When the weather would get very cold, the brass would contract too much and the iron balls would come off the holder and roll around the ship. I've seen other explanations. Not sure which is true.

 

[NutmegCT]

I detect a tiny bit of thread drift ...

 

[Bob McElwee]

Tom, consider yourself lucky it’s only a tiny amount!

 

[NutmegCT]

Tom, consider yourself lucky it’s only a tiny amount!

Agreed! Wonder what CJD thinks.

 

[charlie74]

If his Steerman gets a transponder he can squawk 7500!

 

[SaxMan]

I miss working on planes so much. I started hanging out at Jack Kosko's facility in Fawn Grove, PA about 11 years ago, when he and his group of volunteers were finishing up their second TBM Avenger restoration. They were all old school craftsmen with an average age of 84 years old by the time I joined in on the fun. After the Avengers, they were working on a Cessna Bobcat when old age and health issues finally caught up to Jack. He sold the farm and transferred the Bobcat project to another individual to finish. Jack passed a few months later. Once working on planes gets into your blood, it's very hard to stop.

I ended up buying my '69 Sprite because the partner I thought I had for my own airplane project backed out (Thankfully before we put any money down), and I wanted something to tinker with. Little did I know...

 

[NutmegCT]

I miss working on planes so much. ...

Come join our team of volunteers -

Restoration Program

New England Air Museum is committed to presenting the story of aviation. Explore dozens of fully restored aircraft from years past and discover the possibilities of flight.

neam.org

 

[Basil]

I detect a tiny bit of thread drift ...

Twas my fault. To bring things back to the topic:

@CJD - John, after you get those balls painted and installed, what's next in the project? Do you have a specific plan on the sequence of things?