Bob10 New guy here from Peosta. Retired advanced designer of various material components - plastic and metal, cast and formed. 3d modeler. Home shop woodworker, sheetmetal, and now exploring casting patterns and beyond. Volunteer for B17F bomber reconstruction. Do you know, there are many aluminum castings used on this plane, both big and small. Very interested in lost foam patterns and processes. Thanks, for allowing me to join The Home Foundry forum. Looking forward to learn from members. Bob10
Welcome Bob. There's at least one other member here (Peedee from the U.K.) with experience restoring old war birds .
Welcome. B17 sounds like an interesting project. I found a lot of the cast parts on the Hurricanes were replaced with machined from billet, primarily to prove integrity to the CAA but also with 5 axis CNC it was easy.
Peedee, thanks for the welcome. I know what you're saying, We're building this plane as close to period perfect as possible. With that said we look at all potential processes in making parts. Some cases there would be more material machined away than actual part remaining which puts it back into the cast category. Other cases drive to higher tech ways we just received a 3d printed aluminum part that was driven from a 3d model I made from Boeing drawings. Is your Hurricane projected nearing completion or years away like many warbird projects. You're in the U.K. by chance are you near Kettering? I have fb friends there. Need to close for now.
Bob we had a 600lb billet of steel machined down to a final part of around 150lb, the material cost was massive given traceability, for most of it to end up in the scrap! Both the Hurricanes I worked on are in regular service, a very unique 2 seater with dual controls and a Mk1 that was rebuilt, crashed and rebuilt again. I understand there are more projects on the horizon. I'm not to far from kettering, 50miles or so east.
Do those old B17's operate on experimental certificates??? Welcome to the nut house btw. Most of us here are certifiably whacko!
