Mid-April 2014

Just got a few days of good weather and took advantage by bringing the Taube outside and starting the engine up- for the first time since the sixties.

Good news and bad news, good news, it started fine and  runs fine, bad news, it first developed an oil leak from the banjo copper washers at the oil pressure sender. Fixed that, ran two days later, more bad news. Seems that the oil return from the crank case back to the tank is too slow and oil accumulates in the crank case, and eventually comes blowing out the labyrinth seal behind the propeller. Messy at best, unacceptable. Need to find a solution.  

Here are some moving shots first

In the shop

Leaving the shop on temporary dollies

Into the hangar

 
Sunlight-wow
 


Don't forget the Austrian flag

 

Getting ready for engine start

Ready, ready, ready

 

 

 

Start your engines!

First kick

She runs

and runs

But- first oil leak

from oil pressure sender copper gaskets

fix- run again

 

Note the Austrian flag in hangar, a must

 

 

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March 2014

Placards

Been working on the placards , using the old etched brass plate method. I first designed the label using Photoshop, then reverse-imaged them, had them printed on glossy photo paper, then heat -transferred them onto the brass plates. Next, etched them with ferrous chloride, cleaned them, painted them black, and then sanded off the high areas using 400 wet paper on a flat plate. Came out pretty good, considering first time experiment.   

 

Design in Photoshop

Mirror Imaging

 

 

Heat transfer- could be better

 

 

Etch- need to get just the right time

 

 

Clean and paint

 

Wet sand high areas

 

Completed placards- acceptable

 

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March 2014

 

Elevator Bamboo

 

Starting to get the Tonkin Bamboo ready for the tail feathers. Had to buy them in bundles of 50 ( 10ft) and 100 (8ft) from an importer, very hard to find, then pick out the best and straighten them. Some were then joined into the strips connecting to the horizontal stabilizer.    

A bundle of 100 8 footers

Picking the best

Straightened

 

Splicing to HS strips

 the center one on the elevator

Joined to HS

Materials

Completed joints