cncdoc Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Everybody must be out sanding.... When you get back... I have to get a few parts made out of metal that didn't come with the project I bought. It's got alot of stuff but not everything.. F'rinstance: MKMGA 4130 stainless tubes .75" OD .063" and 6.909" long (add .157" to length for bushings I DO have) and you get 7 and 1/16th . OK how much is a piece of stainless like that from Brock? $40 bucks! for one! Did everybody pay that? Gee whiz! I wonder what the tolerance is on the length. Anyway, my query (since I work in the machine tool field..) is: Is there someplace else to get this stuff? I mean most of the pieces are drawn out on the plans, but it looks like if you don't get it from Brock you don't get it. I am a firm believer in making sure it's done right, and when it comes to machining parts, I can hold my own with the best of them, but I figured on being raped in the flight instrument department, not the little piece stuff. If no one else has a handle on a supplier (approved, unapproved or ??) has anyone found a good vendor for the raw materials (besides aluminium)?? Hello? Is this the part where we all bend over? (hint: A Mom and Pop machine shop would charge you about $50 for the items mentioned above if they were busy. 10 minute setup on a lathe run to about .002" tolerance. Total time less than 15 minutes..part would be hot when you took it to your car and everyone would be happy, if he didn't like you he might charge you 60 and blame it on the stainless....) Kevin (not wanting to bend over till the avionics) Quote Back to building... #618 Cozy MK IV My Cozy web pages, courtesy: Rick Maddy... WN9G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dust Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 clifford has made almost all of our metal parts. one he didn't make was the offset elevator bell crank. it is all in the plans and just take time, some take extra skill, but clifford is the metal man enjoy the build mike Quote maker wood dust and shavings - foam and fiberglass dust and one day a cozy will pop out, enjoying the build i can be reached at http://www.canardcommunity.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cncdoc Posted December 13, 2003 Author Share Posted December 13, 2003 Thanks Mike! er... Dust I was thinking about going for a mill and a lathe for my shop... I might anyway, but I have to get some more stuff done on the "project" if-you-know-whut-I-mean-and-I-think-you-do Gettin' ready to get ready is over..now Im just getting ready. Now, I got to find Clifford.. I must be off... Kevin Quote Back to building... #618 Cozy MK IV My Cozy web pages, courtesy: Rick Maddy... WN9G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Clifford Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Yep,,,I took one look at the drawing of the offsets and caved in. We bought four from Brock. I have fabricated all the other metal parts with out any problems. If you have experience or skills in using a metal lathe, mill, and tig welder, you can fabricate everything in the plans yourself . Just keep in mind that most of these parts ARE labor intensive and take up a lot of time. Your not going to set up a machine and spit a finished part out in 15-20 minutes if machining is required. Were building two planes here so everything I build is somewhat of a production run.. An example is the control rod end inserts. I machined 28 pieces and it took me about 10 hours due to all the different steps and setups required. Brocks prices are very reasonable in price. If I did not enjoy fabricating, or did not have the machinery and tooling to fab these myself, I would buy these parts from Brock, and know my money was well spent and earned. Quote Dave Clifford "The Metal Man" Musketeer Vise grip hands and Micrometer eyes!! Cozy MKIV Plans #656 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Slade Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 One place to go for raw materials is http://burnsstainless.com They carry a variety of tube sizes, grades and thicknesses. They aren't cheap though. I just used googleto find a place called http://aircraftexhaust.com who sold me a foot of 2.25 OD .049 gauge 321 SS for $20. Burns price was > $50. Also, for those interested, I picked up a nice expansion tank and radiator cap from http://Pitstopusa.com I'm now looking for a source for aluminum bends for turbo plumbing. Can anyone help with this? John (Sneaking closer to engine start every day). Quote I can be reached on the "other" forum http://canardaviationforum.dmt.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cncdoc Posted December 14, 2003 Author Share Posted December 14, 2003 Thanks guys, I spend quite a bit of time remanufacturing/fabricating factory engineered parts. I have access to a host of machine shops with CNC's precision grinders etc (I fix 'em). Some things I leave to the BIG boys..(ball screws, bearings, and anything I can't lift onto a table) but none of the parts I saw in the plans were that difficult. I did see some of the control surface actuator stuff that was labor intensive though. So, that's why I was griping. I usually don't buy that kind of finished product unless it's FAA approved and I have to. Some of those peices are a result of an ISO 9000 classification that didn't quite make it on every part, but Im picky about machining quality, so I usually make it myself. I don't want to hold myself up anymore than necessary, so I may grab some stuff from Brocks. One important piece is the nose wheel. Brock is the only place I have seen that sells a caster designed for 10" pneumatic wheels, that will fit on the end of the special strut and is evidently made from a non-ferrous metal. I would love to find something with a little more beef...oh well, maybe I'll reverse engineer something. John, There is a few guys over here that fabricate aluminum / stainless boat parts with excellent bends and welded end plates. I can get the guys web page if you are interested.. Im sure you have already thought of that, there are a bunch of boat rack guys over there.. Kevin Quote Back to building... #618 Cozy MK IV My Cozy web pages, courtesy: Rick Maddy... WN9G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Slade Posted December 14, 2003 Share Posted December 14, 2003 Yes, I'm interested. I'm still having trouble finding aluminum bends at reasonable prices. What's a "boat rack" guy? Quote I can be reached on the "other" forum http://canardaviationforum.dmt.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cncdoc Posted December 14, 2003 Author Share Posted December 14, 2003 You know....boat rack guy... They make radar arches and rails and diving tank racks and canvas frames and bowspirits etc, mostly made of Stainless, but they also make some stuff out of aluminum (it doesn't fare too well in sea-water) anodized etc and pickup truck racks for carrying long materials and ladders (from aluminium tubing). Not all aluminum tubing bends well, but they use the same benders, the wall of the tubing is thicker though because the thin wall stuff tends to kink. If you feel gnarley and want to do it yourself, they have a hydraulic bender at Harbor Freight (or was it Northern Tools) for about $80. But if you have double recurve ("S" shapes) bends, you will have to cut and weld them, because the bend radius is too large (unless you've doubled the size of the engine cowling) and usually pipe doesn't "unbend" in the middle of a bend very well (except copper and other malleable metals) preferring to kink instead. Those guys are pretty reasonable on pricing ,usually. Of course you can always take the trap out of the bathroom sink;) Later... Kevin Quote Back to building... #618 Cozy MK IV My Cozy web pages, courtesy: Rick Maddy... WN9G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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