door handles

[Bird]

Can anyone tell me what the door handles are made of and has anyone tried to make their own by using a backyard forge type of set up?

[Robert Lees]

Re: door handles

Oh my word, I thought you said fork handles ! ( Link = old British comedy classic, in a hardware store).

If yours are cast (1946-ish) then they are magnesium.

[Gerald McKibben]

Re: door handles

I made one with polyester resin (Bondo), with a 3/8 in. X 1/2 in. dia. steel tube to fit over the post sticking out of the door. I welded a piece of 1/8 in. steel rod to the tube to reinforce the handle. (The first one, without the steel reinforcement broke).

It works, but it is not a good cast. I mean to re-do it some time. I had made a plaster mold and had to mold several before getting one I liked, and that's about all the plaster mold is good for. Next time I want to buy some of the rubber molding compound and do another one. I think I can do better with that. And I wonder if another casting compound that is stronger than the polyester.

But meanwhile it works, and with warm weather in north Mississippi it's more fun to fly than build door handles.

Can anyone tell me what the door handles are made of and has anyone tried to make their own by using a backyard forge type of set up?

[Bird]

Re: door handles

I saw this and it got me to wondering about aluminum and tin forging also resins.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Silicone-Rubber-Molds-no-parting-line/

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: door handles

Which door handle type? Inside or outside? There are at least 5 or 6 different shaped ones. I have samples of several different ones we could use to make copies in either Epoxy or Polyester Resin. Unfortunately my 41 had and external one with a stamped sheet metal skin over it that wouldn't cast very well. The 45 is a tear drop bullet shaped one that should work pretty well and the straight cast interior ones are pretty simple too.
A Bondo one probably won't stand up very well since it is pretty soft resin with low strength, but there are some resins out there that are really tough and might even be stronger than the originals.
Hank

How about posting a photo of the one you want?

[Gerald McKibben]

Re: door handles

With a little browsing on what's available, I believe an epoxy casting resin would be much better than the Bondo that I used. That, produced in a two-piece silicone mold should produce a good handle. Based on my experience, by far the most difficult part of the operation is the welding of the handle reinforcement to the 3/8 ID steel tube, and bending the steel rod so it conforms to the curvature of the handle. I'm wondering if the epoxy might be strong enough that you could do without the steel reinforcement in the handle. If so, making them with epoxy wouldn't be that great a chore. You would invest $50 - $75 initially but if you made several that wouldn't be prohibitive.
I don't know anything about metal casting so I can't even comment on that.

[Bird]

Re: door handles

If I had some handles I would post them Hank. The doors for my project didn't include them but from what I can see there was really no separation like you would see in a bc12 ie 1 handle on the outside near door jam and 1 midway on the inside. Mine look to be set up on both sides of the door right beside the jam with only a simple latch- like in a small 1/2 to 1" tang to slip over the vertical door post.
As for the magnesium-in the past according to what I have read-corroded up and in the process gained a bad rep, but 2 companies have found a way around that.
And as far as forging goes from what I can gather for less than $300 you can set a forge up that would be good for aluminum, tin, brass, as so forth-the low temp metals. The only thing that I was getting stuck on was the form part but sand casting is the cheapest way to go there although it doesn't leave a smooth finish and that is where this led me to use a resin and skip away from metal work but I suppose that an metal insert could be placed in the mold before the resin was poured making it 1 piece.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: door handles

The first drawing is of the inner 41 handle, the second drawing is of the outer handle that I need for my 41. The inner was pretty common before the war and would be easy to cast. Since the outer one is clad in stamped sheet metal it isn't really a good candidate for making a cast one. The inner would work just fine. If anyone has one of the outer ones let me know.
I have photos on this computer of the outer and inner 46 handles (they are the same) but this computer doesn't have the software to reduce the size for email (my regular computer hard drive failed day before yesterday). The photos of the 46 handles are on another post from me somewhere here. They are the ones I have several of but can't get them of the doors without destroying them. I have one of the 46 handles I kept to make cast ones, it just hasn't been a priority project.
I am sure I can cast them but would need to know how many people want and what they are worth. The casting SI is REALLY EXPENSIVE and will cost too much to only make a couple.
Hank

[Robert Lees]

Re: door handles

On the subject of castings, I happened upon a thread in a car forum where a chap makes his own sand castings using an old chopped-up propane bottle as a smelter.

He then makes is own sand patterns and casts aluminium parts. The thread describes everything you need to know about casting your own parts, how to make cores and everything.

The engineering is quite interesting of one has leanings that way.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4662626/page1

[mulwyk]

Re: door handles

Gerald: Interesting project. As Hank said, Bondo is not strong enough for casting. Polyester resin is good, Epoxy resin is stronger but it's expensive and you can develop a nasty allergy to it. I use polyester. (Auto department of WalMart)

You need glass reinforcement to make it strong. Get some glass cloth and cut fibers out of it. (Ordinary sissors work fine for cutting glass fibers) Cut a couple dozen fibers the full length of the handle but cut most fibers 1/4" or less. Use the short fibers to make a polyester/glass slurry. Add enough catalyzed slurry mixture to fill the mold, then push the long fibers down lengthwise into the soup. Jiggle it good with a paint brush or stick to get the air bubbles out. (Work fast if you're in Mississippi.)

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: door handles

I been to Mississippi. Nutin happens real fast there cept gettin out of a gators way.
Hank

And maybe your resin firing off in the heat. If you chill the two parts a bit before mixing you might be able to stretch it a bit, but DON'T go to cold. Too cold and the resin will fire off at different rates in the part. I wouldn't go colder than 60*. ;-)

[Bird]

Re: door handles

I may have solved my problem for a shot term-I found 4 Pontiac door handles (circa 1926), each 4 inches long that use a screw to hold onto the 3/8" shaft that look almost like the 1st image that Hank posted

[3Dreaming]

Re: door handles

The pre war airplanes with the tube type doors use a different handle than what Hank posted. The handle has stamped front and back shells, a cone shaped spacer, and a stainless mounting plate with 2 screw holes. The handle has a square shaft that goes through the tube in the door, and is threaded on the end for a plated accorn nut. The inside handle is bent from a strap of steel with a square hole to go over the shaft. There should be a small tab welded on the inside of the door frame for it to ride in. I'll try to get some pictures of a door with the handles installed when I can get the camera from the wife. Tom

[Bird]

Re: door handles

My project, but also 1 picture of some bc12 doors that I have (not included in project but I do have both doors and frames and yes I know I would have to move some square tubing around to make them fit

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: door handles

The handle in the second drawing is a pre-war "Deluxe" exterior handle for a wood door. The welded metal tab on the frame and bent flat handle inside is what was used on my 45. It is simple, inexpensive and functional. The outside handle on my 45 is the cast tear drop handle.
The wood door system uses an old design screen door mechanism form before WW-II with a square hole for the exterior handle shaft. I was shocked to find still in production and available from the local (mom & pop type) hardware store! Of course I found they were available, absolutely identical, AFTER I hand rebuilt the entire mechanism! They work great and I expect they will last another 75 years.
Hank

There are more different door handles for Taylorcrafts than control wheels! Look close at some of the old photos. I think Taylor hit the local car parts stores and hardware stores on the weekends.