Pre-war instrument panel placard

[baldeagle27]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

On the Ryan the cowlings were far too big to use a drill press. I experimented with several methods, wire brush was too harsh, and didn't like what I got from scotch brite pad either. I ended up using a sanding disc, stuck to a scotch brite pad so that it wouldn't walk all over the place when using a hand drill (had some give). But, on topic, this isn't that process on that instrument panel, it's some kind of paint process I think. Again, anybody with any ideas on what process?


-

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

only way I would believe that was paint is if it was silk screened and would have to see 2 panels that had identical panels to prove it. Personally i think it is a poor pic and is turned, maybe with a different medium, but anything else including paint would be very time consuming to replicate

[baldeagle27]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

So how do you do engine turning with straight sides on some of the swirls?



-

[Howard Wilson]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Could be a paint process over the engine turning....

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Those straight edges on the first photo are not straight edges. They are radial refraction lines from circular micro scratches. It is the same effect you get from tilting an old phonograph record (or a CD for you young guys) at an angle to the light. The circular reflectors will catch the light on radial straight lines back to your eyes. When you do it "real time" you can make the straight lines rotate around by changing the angle to the light. In a photo it is an optical illusion that makes it look like the marks are in the surface.
Hank

Had to study optics in my job too.

[baldeagle27]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

On the right side of the photo inside the wheel are a couple of fairly long (1 1/2" maybe, compared to the altimeter) sharp straight lines that don't seem like they would change with viewing angle, and I've never seen that effect on any engine turned surface. An artist friend has suggested that it is some kind of leaf finish, like gold leaf but with colored material. Plus the swirl sizes are all different, they would have had to use a lot of different discs to do it. Too bad they didn't use color film for the picture....



-



-

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Well just to add to the mess, I agree with Hank it does look like engine turning but after closer study it does look like the design goes up over the top on the curved section of the panel. That is something I have never seen witrh engine turning. L

PS: But it still looks like jewling to me, but not like Taylorcrat though!

[1938BF50]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Andrew,

I have a relly nice closeup of an un-mounted placard with a scale adjacent to it. I will try to remember to look for it tonite.

Mike

[3Dreaming]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

I've seen several of these old pre war panels, and I have yet to see one that was engine turned. I wonder if maybe it was a crinkle type paint finish dabbed on with a sponge or brush.

[Ron Coleman]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Many years ago art slupply and decorator supply sold various applique materials like self adhering shelf paper, that had textured surfaces impressed or molded in the surface. It became a big deal when moire' effects were the rage. The effects mimicked the engine turning seen in fine watches. There are many patterns of the swirls, like parallel rows, repeated fans of vertical rows or a verticle then inverted fan. More complicated patterns consist of petal shapes of swirls arranged around around a center like a rose. The applique material produced rainbows of colors when it was clear or clear over a metalic background. The stuff could be molded over a mild compound curve. I hated the feel of the surface because it felt like the surface of a plastic carpet runner ( to keep mud off of the carpet in a funeral parlor).
??
RonC

[Jim Herpst]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

The "swirled" finish is called "Engine Turning" and is done with a drill and VERY steady hand. That was what was on the cowl of the "Spirit of Saint Louis" and it is a beautiful finish, but I don't know how well it stands up over time or if it was original on a Taylorcraft. The panel in the second picture is partly original but someone has put a key mag switch in and added a cover for the fuel cut off that wasn't there from the factory (but is REQUIRED now). I kind of like that safety cover since there is just NO WAY you could accidentally pull the fuel cut off like you can with the little spring clip ones.
We are gathering parts for the restoration of Josh's plane and he wanted to put the original panel back into his, so we will probably be doing that. We have a panel and big Tach, as well a s some of the other parts so I will be following this thread closely. I am just starting to research the "big tach" panels and hopefully Josh had a lower plate in the boxes and I can post some pictures and make a drawing. If it was engraved I will be able to make them, but from the photos I have seen it looks like it was Silk Screened. Oh well, I have wanted to learn to do Silk Screens for years. Always fun to learn a new process.
If we can get a good example of an original rectangular panel, we should be able to make copies. Hopefully someone will chime in. Good project for the cold winter months.
Hank

If anyone knows a good deal on a pre war fuselage frame let me know. I never thought I would say a Taylorcraft component couldn't be repaired, but Josh's fuselage may be the one. Some of the parts that are damaged will be almost impossible to repair. Easier to build a whole new fuselage.

Hank PM me lets talk or call me 803-309-3130...

[M Jones]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Nicely "turned" instrument panel from a "Bearhawk":

[Howard Wilson]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Here's a another pic of 20442's setup. h

[baldeagle27]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Noel Allard has 3 versions of that placard, one just like the original in Howard's photo, one with carb heat and cabin heat substituted for nav lites and switch on top row, and one with no top row. All currently $40 plus $5 shipping. I believe that the original cabin heat and carb heat knobs were all the way on the left by the parking brake, I've seen a photo somewhere with them there, and the instrument panel for NC22211 has the holes for them there.





Don't know what the big holes at either end were for, obviously added at some later point. And somebody obviously added the funny dohickeys at the yoke holes at a later time also.


And anybody have a few of these laying around?





It's the switch used above the throttle for the single mag (missing the knob. On Howard's airplane somebody replaced it with a key switch), and apparently for the nav lite switch also. Lites were push off which opened the circuit and mag was push on which opened the circuit. I'm guessing that it's probably either a period automotive headlight switch or a period tractor mag switch. The push pull rod rotates a circular contact plate inside the round part.

Re the swirled leaf instrument panel, the more I think about it the more I think it's likely to be from one of the special show ships, as there are several prominent in the Alliance Memory photos, and it wouldn't be surprising if they put a special finish on the instrument panel of a show ship.




-

[3Dreaming]

Re: Pre-war instrument panel placard

Andrew, you are correct about the carb and cabin heat being on the left side, but they were not mounted in the panel. There were 2 holes 3/4"? for the knobs to go through, but the cable assemblies were mounted to the structure. The plate with the ignition and nav lights was used all the way up to 1941. The other 2 styles he has are adaptations.