A mile of runway can take you anywhere
Put final fixing lower rivets in yesterday for the lower main leg to axle housing having first reviewed the manual for anti rust treatment of the main steel legs.
This involved running waxoyl into the legs and tilting and rotating to get an even covering inside. Pretty messy job as it ran out of the (yet to to be riveted) other holes !
Having cleco’d and supported everything in place and checked tracking – drill out pilot holes in legs and axle and drag struts.
First time to get unloaded suspension struts in place and connect up to axles.
All a bit tricky when its your first time ! but worth it when you step back
Some rivets need a bit of planning
This is a bit more thought provoking … Well worth Pauls recommendation of reading and planning ahead … Think what is happening 5 steps ahead … Took me a while to realise that gentle emery on inner legs was never going to get them sliding smoothly.
A weekend email to Paul with a photo brings back a quick response and good solid engineering advice on how and where I should file. 1 hour later and its sliding beautifully … Great care not to take too much off.
Prep of bobbins andinternal stops introduces gluing with dual compound loctite … Sticks like …. Well very strong ! wipe the excess so it doesnt seep into the legs and jam your carefully prepared inners.
Managed to ship a cleco set from the UK and wow does this make ‘soft’ assembly good …. Undercarriage slowly taking place and managed to find a laser torch to help align legs and axles.
Drilled out alloy wheel hubs to take valve seating.
Lay out all the u/c parts first to check all ready … Ivor has made a great job of packaging all parts in neatly labelled packages.
Some joints to pre form … The ones done in the factory have set the standard ! Very clean .. No pressure !
Getting hold of drill bits like 3.2mm and 4.8mm are impossible in Jersey ! Special order ! So this is very frustrating and holds up progress.
Discovered the top of the range hand riveter from Stanley is definately NOT heavy duty … Those nickel copper aircraft rivets are super hard
Called for very accurate leg alignment – any fraction out could mean toe in or out later and no chance to adjust
Shaping and filing and lineshing (getting ridof all those awful looking scrape marks)
Gang met the boat in Jesey harbour .. William, James, Sam and Emily to help with the big unload at the barn, rented from an old work colleague (Keith)
Lots of space .. Thought it was too much at first but you can never have enough space …
Unloading was further complicated as the fog and 100% humidity descended around us and made everything wet.
Wings safely stored – showing new jointing compound (ribs to spar)
Daunting number of bits and bags and poles of all sorts of shapes and sizes !!
Finally back home just before midnight….
Van picked up in Jersey and on the ferry to got to Little Snoring to pick up the Sherwood Ranger
Jersey Sherwood Ranger 