Lincoln-Page Logo and Other Misc. Assembly

 This is a picture of the original logo that was painted on the vertical stabilizer.  Quite remarkable to have this!  At first, I was going to have an artist or sign-maker paint this on, but then I decided to give it a try myself.

Now, I'm no artist, but love trying new things and besides, I'm a tight-wad and didn't want to pay someone else to do it!

So here is how I tackled it....

I started out by making a template.  With a sheet of mylar, I was able to trace out the lettering.  The nice thing about doing it this way is that I could match the lettering exactly like the original.  Using the template and a pencil, I traced the logo on the vertical stab.

Then it was just a matter of painting between the lines.  I used dope which gave the right looking finish plus good adhesion.  Good brushes are the key.  Long, soft bristles that can hold lots of dope work best.  2 coats are necessary as the first coats melts in and brings up some silver.  I then outlined it with a very narrow pin-striping brush.

I'm not sure I'll ever pursue a career as a sign-maker, but I was very happy with the results.

While I was in lettering mode, I finished up the registration number on the rudder.  I used a similar process - made a template from the original fabric, traced it on the rudder, then brushed the dope on.  You can refer to a couple posts back that explains the "C" designation.















I'm out of school for a couple of weeks, so I'm getting a lot of other things done.  Here's a bunch of photos showing all the progress...

Painted and installed leaf springs for the tail skid

This is the original tail skid shoe.  It had been broken and welded,
my friend, Mark offered to make a new one.

If the shoe fits, wear it!  Here it is installed - looks great.

I then installed the radiator that was previously finished.

And the header tank - the brass object in the top of the photo.

Besides covering the 2 lower wings, the last real time-consuming thing to finish is the cowling.  With most of the firewall forward finished, it was time to start.  Some of the pieces are original, some Andy had made when he bought the project in the '60's, and the rest I'll have to make from scratch.

The nose portion requires an inner support that I had to make. Once all "bolted up" it makes for a very strong assembly.  You could stand on this cowling!

The original upper parts require nothing but some smoothing out on the English wheel and new hinges.  I'm using brass piano hinges as that is what was originally installed.

As far as airplane cowlings go, I'm not sure there is anything better looking than a cowled-up OX-5 - great lines!

I'm currently working on the lower panel, then have to make new side ones from scratch.  The next post will probably cover details on that.  Have a safe and happy new year!

OX-5 Install and other Misc.

Made some good progress since the last post - the OX-5 is on for the final time.  Since it had already been on prior to covering, the process was pretty uneventful.

The OX-5 manual calls for copper strips to be installed between the wood bearers and mounting lugs.  I made them into small U-channels instead.  I also used a feeler gauge to make sure the engine was sitting even on each pad.

Once all bolted down and safetied, I could start attaching all the water lines, controls, Zenith carburetor, etc.

The water and oil lines (like all other parts on the engine) are nickel plated.  These are plated as a final assembly, i.e. nuts installed and flared.  All the fittings used this early had a 45 degree flare instead of the 37 degree used today.

Also got the tires mounted.  I think they look pretty cool and should have them on the airplane soon.  Right now, it is convenient to have it sit lower as I work on the engine.

And....got the fuel gauge mounted too.  An earlier post from a couple years back covers the restoration of it.









I'm also working on the logo that is painted on the vertical fin.  I'll add a post on it when complete.  In the meantime, I'll keep working on the firewall forward, working specifically on the header tank for the radiator and all the plumbing associated with that.  Then, I'll get it sitting on the gear.

 I also keep forgetting to mention, I sold my hangar in NC Illinois and purchased one in Brodhead, WI.  Not moving, though, until next summer.  I worked it out this way so I can hopefully have the LP all done except for final assembly.  Will make the move much easier.  Can't wait to be at Brodhead with all my friends and closer to the Kelch Museum.  By the way, go to the Kelch Museum website.  A new promotional video for our fundraising efforts has been posted.  

I doubt I'll have another post before Christmas, so I hope everyone has a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wheels

 The wheels finally got done, and I was able to pick them up on Sunday.  

I had Frank Pavliga from Ohio make these. He does a great job and has all the parts and suppliers set up to make these with drop center rims instead of the original clincher style.  Other than that, they are nearly identical to the ones originally on the airplane.  As you can obviously see, I had them powder-coated in black.

They're a 20" rim that use 30X5 tires.  I've had the tires for several years and just need to get them mounted. 

Also, no brakes.  I opted quite awhile back to go this route, so it will use the original tail skid as well.

 The wheels will also have streamlines like shown in this picture.  I borrowed these from the Kelch Museum as a pattern to make new ones.  I'll English wheel these out of aluminum and then put a bead roll and flange at the outer edge.  I'll include a post on those at a later date.








The wheels are mostly ready to be mounted.  My friend Mark helped do a lot of tedious tweaking of the axles to get the camber and toe-in/toe-out correct.  The legs were bent more than I originally thought.  Being all heavy-walled tubing, the only fix was to use heat and some very long bars to bend them back to where they needed to be.  Took a lot of trial and error, but we finally got it.

I need to leave the wheels off, though, until I get the engine mounted.  The airplane just sits too high with them on for my engine crane.  But, putting the engine on is next on the agenda!

I continue to make good progress on the covering.  The upper left wing and aileron are now done.  That means both uppers are complete.  I'm going to start on the lowers after the first of the year.  I would like to have the engine and wheels on as well as a good start on the cowling and sheet metal around the cockpits finished.





So that is what's next.  Stay tuned for an update on the engine installation and other misc. things in a couple weeks.