Having been away from the project for well over a year, when I returned to it I found it had a lot of surface rust, so this week I have been arresting that and laying down a base coat for whatever comes next. In the case of the part of the chassis that shows and the engine bay, I will be doing a scrumble coat to create a faux wood effect. The original was ash. The top wood rim of the cockpit will be stained to match.
I have been talking to Copilot about the best ways to achieve that.
I am now a Doctor (PhD), so with that heavy burden of work out of the way, (and just as soon as the bathroom fitting, which I have been promising Lucy I'd do, is also done), I should be able to get the Bédélia finished. I know that Dad, if nobody else, is very keen to see it done.
More to come.
So, it has been over a year since I did anything on this project. My dad is the only one who seems to have noticed, and it is the one project that he is most keen on me finishing. And I'd really like to - and intend to, once my thesis is submitted, imminently.
I noticed it today, increasingly surrounded by life and new tools etc in the shed - a shed which started empty but for this car!
The shape of the front dash on the rear scuttle is replicated on the front dash of the front scuttle on the original, so I made a template using my rear scuttle and scribed the lines on to my front scuttle, then cut the shape, leaving a margin for a wire edge.
In traditional wire edge forming methods, a wire or metal strip is placed along the edge of the sheet metal panel. The panel is then folded over the wire, creating a double-layered edge. The wire or metal strip acts as a reinforcement and helps to maintain the shape of the fold. It also gives a pleasing, soft-form shape and means that it can be handled without a risk of being cut.
I was taught this by the legendary Geoff Moss's apprentice about ten years ago and have never before had occasion to use if in anger. On tight bends it was necessary to both stretch and shrink the aluminium, which made it a bit tricky. I got one tiny tear, which was a shame, but I couldn't anneal the material because the wire I used was plastic coated. On the whole, not bad for a first attempt at the method.
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I am absolutely chuffed to bits. I posted a photo from my last entry on here, on the Cyclekarts GB page on Facebook, and so far had 891 likes (incl 86 LOVES and 20 WOWs). And even better, I got some very pleasing comments and praise from people I very much admire, like leading lights in the American scene, Steve Vinson, Dennis Thomas and Davis Dupaquier, and the prolific and very inspiring Kelly Wood. An especially exciting response came from Adrian Ward, who built that amazing replica of a Jappic!
Also very exciting is that I've heard from someone who has driven a Bédélia, knows someone who has one and says he will introduce us!
[numbers updated]
A bit of restful R&R in the workshop today,
after a late night finishing some writing for a meeting tomorrow.
Trimmed and fitted my top scuttle. It is getting there.
Well, here's a turn up! The restorers of a Kingcobra aeroplane in France have seen my blog and asked if I can wheel panels for their aeroplane! They are going to fly me over with my wheel anvils etc and put me up, wine and dine me and put me to work.
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| By SDASM Archives - King Cobra Bell P-63A 42-638871, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38857790 |
Having been away from the project for well over a year, when I returned to it I found it had a lot of surface rust, so this week I have bee...
