Nice metal work!
Pilot . P-40 Warhawk
- Thread starter SkyknightJohn
- Start date
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The second half went faster and possibly better. Practice, right? They both needed reliefs cut in the straight (bottom) edge as well to keep from bowing. Near impossible to straighten with the rigid bend on the edge, almost too easy to bend with the reliefs.
Here I have two flat pieces to form the rest of the body. Not the best angle, but you get the idea. Need to decide how to properly clamp it all if I go with epoxy, or refill the argon tank if I’ll weld.
In the meantime...
The two hardwood boards were glued together, sanded for a good fit.
Then coated with a sandable filling primer. More coats tomorrow.
All and all the wood tanks are way easier. I’ve basically made two during this saga (the above + the 2x4 for shaping). With my skills, I’m feeling the wood will come out looking better. Difficult to hide the batteries in,
but attractive.
Here I have two flat pieces to form the rest of the body. Not the best angle, but you get the idea. Need to decide how to properly clamp it all if I go with epoxy, or refill the argon tank if I’ll weld.
In the meantime...
The two hardwood boards were glued together, sanded for a good fit.
Then coated with a sandable filling primer. More coats tomorrow.
All and all the wood tanks are way easier. I’ve basically made two during this saga (the above + the 2x4 for shaping). With my skills, I’m feeling the wood will come out looking better. Difficult to hide the batteries in,
but attractive.
Steel is real. Wood is good. Aluminum is hard to rhyme.
The Renaissance Man
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Both tanks are shaping up. It'll be interesting to see which one makes the cut!
Aluminum is troublesome. (close as I could get)
Aluminum is troublesome. (close as I could get)
As a teen I worked summers with my grandpa doing repair and remodeling work. Had an elderly lady ask us if we could repair her "aloo-mee-um" siding. Perhaps that version is easier to rhyme? LOL
A welder for
Al-U-Min-I-Um
Is as expensive as
Un-Ob-Tain-I-Um!
(gotta go with the British pronunciation. Then it rhymes with all kinds of things— mostly chemicals.)
An interesting read somewhere about the ‘discoverer’ or purifier or some such of aluminum and his belief that it was related chemically to the other -ium elements. Turns out he was wrong, technically, and the American pronunciation is technically correct, but since he named it, and it took a while to prove the actual chemical properties, the British version stuck.
-I digress...
Al-U-Min-I-Um
Is as expensive as
Un-Ob-Tain-I-Um!
(gotta go with the British pronunciation. Then it rhymes with all kinds of things— mostly chemicals.)
An interesting read somewhere about the ‘discoverer’ or purifier or some such of aluminum and his belief that it was related chemically to the other -ium elements. Turns out he was wrong, technically, and the American pronunciation is technically correct, but since he named it, and it took a while to prove the actual chemical properties, the British version stuck.
-I digress...
Sanded the wooden tank and added some Bondo to the center line, not that it will be seen much. Hit it with another coat of filler primer. Thought I took a pic of that, but no. It would look just like the above pic, most likely. Kinda gray, with some grey overtones.
Coming to the end of a long stretch off work. Small bits may happen, but probably not welding or anything big. It is in a rideable condition and I should post up a pic as it stands. I like it. Rides nice!
Final push will come the first week of August. Time permitting I’ll try to finish the steel tank, but painting the frame has priority. Have one major hurdle to overcome on the fenders, but I have a plan! I might even hammer on the chain guard and make it presentable.
Stay tuned! (but be patient!)
Coming to the end of a long stretch off work. Small bits may happen, but probably not welding or anything big. It is in a rideable condition and I should post up a pic as it stands. I like it. Rides nice!
Final push will come the first week of August. Time permitting I’ll try to finish the steel tank, but painting the frame has priority. Have one major hurdle to overcome on the fenders, but I have a plan! I might even hammer on the chain guard and make it presentable.
Stay tuned! (but be patient!)
You are getting a lot of practice Tankering (tinkering with tanks) with this build. Great work.
Finished bikes threads!?!
Better get back to work!!!
First off: “this is not the green you’re looking for.”
<insert Star Wars meme here>
Seems Camo green is not the same as olive drab. May not show in the pic, but a little too mint/evergreen for what I was aiming for.
Next: I can understand why bare metal is so popular!
Nooks and crannies still to do. Maybe some more polish work and #daretobebare!
Better get back to work!!!
First off: “this is not the green you’re looking for.”
<insert Star Wars meme here>
Seems Camo green is not the same as olive drab. May not show in the pic, but a little too mint/evergreen for what I was aiming for.
Next: I can understand why bare metal is so popular!
Nooks and crannies still to do. Maybe some more polish work and #daretobebare!
Well, when it's fillet brazed like that, hard to resist 'baring it all'. 
Unfortunately, the frame, much like me, isn’t quite in good enough shape to go running around nekkid in public!Thus a first layer of the flat not-quite-olive green:
This will probably act as a primer layer, with maybe another in a day or two. Good temps and low humidity for painting this week. Might just go straight to the final coat. Gotta find that color, though.
Another day, another coat of paint. This is the same Rust-oleum Camouflage series. The first, mint-ier color was Army Green. This one is Forest Green. (they also have a tan color.)
This one is much more the color I was looking for. Got it in before the rain came. Really glad I had it in the garage drying, as the pop-up shower was a surprise. Hopefully a good weather day tomorrow for another top coat, then off on a trip for a few days and the frame can cure out. (and I’ll not be tempted—or able—to touch it.
This one is much more the color I was looking for. Got it in before the rain came. Really glad I had it in the garage drying, as the pop-up shower was a surprise. Hopefully a good weather day tomorrow for another top coat, then off on a trip for a few days and the frame can cure out. (and I’ll not be tempted—or able—to touch it.
79 degrees, 46% humidity: Like the weather wants this paint job to turn out well!
(how the lighting affects the tone of the color, huh?)
Final coat, been baking in the sun a few hours, turned once, then to the garage to set over the next few days while I’m out working. Feeling good!
(how the lighting affects the tone of the color, huh?)
Final coat, been baking in the sun a few hours, turned once, then to the garage to set over the next few days while I’m out working. Feeling good!
We have a khaki color on our living room walls that changes from green to gray to tan depending on which window the sun is coming in. I see that in your frame.
Digging the color. It's really laying down nicely.
Preparing for detail:
(~stencil for the tank)
And look who forgot to paint their seat clamp!
The forks & bars will be black too. It’s a ‘happy accident’ that will tie the color scheme together!
Preparing the flight deck:
(~stencil for the tank)
And look who forgot to paint their seat clamp!
The forks & bars will be black too. It’s a ‘happy accident’ that will tie the color scheme together!
Preparing the flight deck:
Like they did back then:
Painted by hand, no two the same. Other side next time I’m home
Painted by hand, no two the same. Other side next time I’m home
Every time I look at this photo of the shark-tank the spray can above it looks like an eye staring at me!
The tank looks great, nice job!
The tank looks great, nice job!
Looking good!
