New control wheels

[Steve]

I bought "new" (magnesium, I believe) control wheels from the factory, they came painted black and look great in the box. I have the "pretzel" type now and I need some advice. After removing the crumbling plastic and screws around the central piece the thing is still just as tightly on as it was. With some scraping I found two pins that seem to be holding it on...how do you get these things off? Also any hints on installing the new wheels? They have only one hole...is a bolt OK to use? Other than a part number on each wheel I didn't get any paperwork with them.

I hope that this isn't too dumb of a question (because I have lots more...)!

Steve

[Hank Jarrett]

The "pretzel" type wheels are held on by 2 taper pins and the Mag wheels require a new shaft. DON'T drive out the pins on the old wheels! There are a lot of us that LOVE those wheels and the shafts won't fit your new wheels anyway. Makes me want to cry that you took off the crumbling wheel balls. Those are impossible to get and I still plan to cast new ones some day (yea I know, I have been saying that for at least 3 years but they aren't required to fly and I have a pile of things that are). Pass your old shafts and wheels on and get new shafts.
Don't break ANYTHING till you ask. Some stuff that looks like junk can be impossible to replace.
Hank J

[Steve]

Shafts

Don't worry, I didn't break a thing. I just took off what is left of the "ball assembly" on the left and it is no problem to just put it back on for now. I like the pretzels, but the others give more leg room and are more solid. The right side, naturally is fine, it is just the left that is pretty loose, and falling apart. Maybe for now I'll try to switch the "ball" assembly from right to left. I took the shaft off and all seems good there.

By the way, where do I get the new shafts for the other wheels?

Thanks so much for the great advice!

[Hank Jarrett]

My planes are a 45 with the pretzels but no balls (boy did that come out wrong), and a 41 with a welded up wheel that was only used on a few planes right before the war (actually found an old picture with them in it). The 41 wheel was welded to the shaft and the 45 was like yours. Sorry I don't have any info on the Mag wheel shafts except they arern't interchangable. I did find out the originals in 41 and 45 were plated with Nickel not Chrome. The guy in the plate shop said Nickel was more popular around WW-II. When you find out how to do it make sure you post what you find. You will be the wheel expert before you know it.
Hank

[Forrest Barber]

The factory should have sold you the shafts too! I may have used ones here, check their price first.
The single bolt allows a trick we use sometimes where you cannot get the wheels to "center up" when adjusting the cabin cable, we rotate 90 degrees and re drill at the universal end, then tighten everything up on the cables and slip the wheels onto the shafts and re drill to keep the wheels level!!

At the Feris factory & the F-19 days the shafts were drilled last with the wheels level & are not really interchangeable. Just curious on the ones you got from the factory; was the 3/4 hole freshly drilled and was it centered... price??

[captjon]

Yokes

The yokes must have come out of this box that is at the factory. They weren't drilled when i saw them in September.......

[Steve]

They were in the $60 range (I don't remember exactly) and freshly painted. It looks like the holes have been there for a while. If I can find some shafts, and I don't need to do alot of other modifications then I'll put them on, otherwise they will go to my ever increasing stack of useless aviation related junk. They would give me a little more leg room, but it is not that important.

[Buck]

Hank,

Definately count me in for wheel balls when you cast 'em!

Best,

Buck

[Robert Lees]

Me too, Hank. C'mon, get casting!

[Hank Jarrett]

Right now my 41 has the wings off and the fuselage and tail in silver. Left wing is ready for silver and right needs to be sanded to just get to silver. The material and drawings are ready for the original style flat glass windscreen. The instrument panel is in (I would still like to find a sensitive altimeter with the adjust knob at the 6:00 position but the non sensitive will have to do). I really want to get the 41 flying by spring and THEN I hope to get cracking on the wheel balls and the graphics for the tails. There just isn't enough time in the day since I gave up on retirement!
Be patient, you all knew I was slow when I started all this.
Hank ;-)

[captjon]

Yoke Shafts

In restoring Tami T-Craft, I have made new yoke shafts. I used 4130 seamless aircraft tubing, 3/4" X 0.050" wall thickness by 17 3/4" long. The holes will be drilled on installation of the yokes. The shafts will either be nickel plated (cheaper than chrome) or powdercoated. These will be signed off as "owner produced parts" and are of the same specs as the originals.

Harry probably has the shafts at the factory, and may even have some chromed/nickled. If you go this route, make sure the chroming shop takes into account "hydrogen embrittlement"........ A shop that frequently does aircraft stuff should know the process for eliminating this problem. I don't know if this is a problem with nickel plating or not. Any metalurgists out there? Hank?

Cheers,

[Steve]

control wheels

Did you make more than one set? I can't get Harry to answer, at least be email.

Also, I looked back and he charged me $65/wheel for the new ones.

[Hank Jarrett]

Jon Timlin hit it right on the head. They should be easy to make from steel tube and drill to match your plane. If you want to plate them mine had Nickel on them originally but some swear it was chrome on later models. Chrome wears better and Nickel has a little more of a satin finish. You want running chrome or nickel, not decorative. The plating shop should know the difference. You are going to have the phenolic blocks rubbing on the plating and don't want it to wear through. Drill the holes first and find out the thickness the plating shop thinks the holes will close up so you can drill them oversize to account for it (more art than science). THEY HAVE GOT TO EMBRITILEMENT RELIEVE THE PARTS!!!! DON'T LET THEM TALK YOU OUT OF IT! The normal process is to bake the part at 375º F plus or minus 25º for 24 hours. It has to go into the oven within 30min of removal from the bath. THIS IS SERIOUS, the part can crack if it isn't done and the "bumper" guys always want to skip it.
Hank

[Steve]

Universal joints

The larger shafts aren't going to fit onto the universal joint in the back? Do these need replaced also?

Can you turn the pretzel wheels over so that the big arch is on the top? Can you switch sides so that the more "solid" one on the right can be moved to the left?

[Forrest Barber]

Steve , the "big" arch is on the top someone inverted them must have been an Ercoupe driver....