Dogfight double pt. 2: Gladiator

[Tim Marlow]

Looking very good Peter, as is the granddaughter :thumb2: .
That PE rigging will be better than ezline in this application. British rigging of the period was flat stainless wires iirc. The exhaust collectors were bronze I think. Darkstar blackened bronze is pretty close for a heat discoloured bronze, but it would probably still need the smoke overlay to break up the uniformity. Yours looks very close, by the way. Kill the gloss a little and you will nail it.

[stillp]

Thanks Tim, I believe the exhaust collector ring is stainless steel, it doesn't look like bronze close up.

You can see that there's no join between the silvery (natural) coloured bit and the dark (heat-stained/oxidised) area, it's one piece of metal. You can also see that there's a rivet missing - there are two missing on the other side! I wonder if they know... I should offer them the services of the great-granddaughter, her name is Rosie so she might grow up to be a riveter!
Pete

[Tim Marlow]

I think we might both be wrong here Pete…
There is an inside shot of one on this web site…

http://alverstokeaviation.blogspot.com/2016/04/gloster-gladiator-rebuild.html

I think it may well be a bronze inner, but it looks like it’s covered in airframe alloy for wind smoothing.

[stillp]

Some nice photos there Tim, thanks, but I still don't think there's any bronze involved, that coppery colour on two of the flanges that connect to the cylinder ports is just the light reflecting off oxidised stainless steel. I don't think it could be covered with airframe alloy either, that would surely melt, these collector rings glow red-hot in service. I also can't think of any reason why a designer would use bronze there, stainless steel is stronger at high temperatures, lighter and cheaper.
I'll have to ask someone at Shuttleworth for confirmation.
That last photo does clear up one issue for me though - the 'missing rivets' I spotted in my photo are where the fasteners that hold the collector ring to the front canopy fit.
Pete

[Mickc1440]

well done for not giving up on her, the model not your get granddaughter

[Tim Marlow]

You could well be right Pete. By the time these were designed and made stainless steel had come of age and was beginning to be widely used.

[stillp]

Strange, my last post disappeared!
I'd posted that I've given up trying to use CA for the etch, and switched to Gator's Grip, which seems to grab the etch more easily, although it's messier as it's very hard to place a small blob. Have to work more slowly, place a piece then wait a few minutes for the PVA to set before trying the next piece. Oh, and to add to my woes the instructions for the PE are wrong - they've swapped round two of the pieces. Luckily there's a spare for each part.
Nearly finished the etch in this pic:


Since then I've placed all the etch, or at least all that I'm going to use - leaving out the reinforcing plates for the rigging attachments, and done some touch-ups where necessary. Just the decals and matt coat to do now. Perfect timing for the start of the Mossie GB tomorrow.

You could well be right Pete. By the time these were designed and made stainless steel had come of age and was beginning to be widely used.

I've just had an email from the librarian at the Shuttleworth Collection, who told me that, as you suspected Tim, we were both wrong! The material is actually Inconel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconel) which was a fairly new material when the Gladiator was developed. I'm familiar with the use of Inconel in electronic devices but didn't know it was used in large fabrications like this exhaust ring. Inconel is difficult to weld, which explains why the exhaust ring seems to be riveted rather than welded. Incidentally the Lysander has a similar engine and exhaust ring - I wonder what else does?
Every day's a school day!
Pete

[Mark1]

Looking good,a pain but worth the effort.

[Tim Marlow]

Cheers Pete. Great info there. Never heard of Iconel myself. Used kit made from Hastelloy though, and it seems to come from the same stable. No problem being wrong, by the way. I’ve been married over thirty years so I’ve got used to it LOL…..

[adt70hk]

Coming on nicely Pete!! That's really looking very good indeed.

Well done so far.

Andrew

[stillp]

Well, it's finished, or at least I've stopped. Not at all satisfied with the rigging, but at least it gives the impression of being rigged. Here's a couple of pics:

I'll try to get some better photos up tomorrow.
Pete

[adt70hk]

No complaints from me!

[Tim Marlow]

Looks good from here. Big old prop on those lads wasn’t it.

[stillp]

Looks good from here. Big old prop on those lads wasn’t it.

Only two blades though Tim!
Pete

[Jim R]

That looks good. There is something quite striking about these biplanes. Rigging looks fine in the photos.