With which part(s) of the bend are they helping with and how? I'm currently working on it and found it quite dreadful ...
Ah, I found it. Paypal transfer completed. I give up after 3 days of back and forth on the center bend on just one longeron. Call me impatient but I can't take this any longer ... When I matched the bend, the vertical plane wasn't straight. After adjusting the vertical plane, the bend was messed up. Come on!
ws)...... you should be able to knock both of 'em out in an hour.
Kyle,
I find it irritating when statements like this are made, with no regard to the experience level or skills inventory of the person who will be attempting this. I was a first timer, with average mecahanical skills, and it took me several terribly frustrating work sessions to bend these things, and after completion they looked like they had been through a war. At one point I was ready to give up on the whole project because of this task.
Make no mistake, this is a very hard task. I suggest to first time builders that they obtain whatever assistance they can, preferably from an experienced builder (through EAA or other sources). If these "dies" really work I wouuld have given my eye teeth for them back in the day.
John
Vern, How 'bout creating a UTUBE video while forming the longerons for those of us that have not had the opportunity to perfom the task? Would be much appreciated by many.
Now THAT is a great idea! If I lived in Florida I would volunteer to help. I sure wish I had had a video to watch!
Also wish I had had a mentor who was experienced in metal work - but everyone around these parts seems to work on rag and tube planes.
BTW Vern, what is a "shrinker/stretcher"?
... don't have access to, or the dollars required to buy, tools like that for a one-time job.Vern,
Just watched the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvaFtmAzxNk That's amazing! Never knew such tools existed. I can just image how easy that would make the longeron bending. No wonder you can do them in an hour! Problem is, most of us novice builders...
Sometime back I remember reading a post from a person who had built some dies to assist in bending the longerons.
Wasn't interested at the time but now my fuselage is on order. Does anyone out there know who it was that had these for sale? Thanks, John
That's sad when a longeron dies- there aren't many left in this world.
I had the opportunity to meet with Jean-Marie Longeron who was from an old French aristocratic lineage. They dropped their noble patronym after the French revolution, before that they were known as the Counts "Longeron de Fuselage".
I just learned that Jean-Marie died after a life full of twists and blows, it is a sad story but it is good that he is memorialized in the VAF forum, he would like it because we have lots of respect here for the Longerons, particularly if they are Longerons de Fuselage.
I am of Fuselage lineage, my mother's family coming to this country from said village not far from Versailles.
I met him. He was pretty rude. I told him to "get bent," and the rest is history.I was on a tour bus in Versailles, and had the opportunity to meet The Baron du Fuselage Longeron- he is from the lesser known side of the lineage, and informed me that he still is not on speaking terms with the rest of the family. He then bought me a croissant.
I received my dies this Saturday. On Sunday ( with no previous longeron bending experience) we knocked out both longerons in about 90 minutes. I have previous metal working experience, but the dies make the process quit easy in my opinion.
i would hate to put the inventor out of business but why can't we have a few sets around for builders to use and pass on to the next builder for the price of shipping? Unless you are building more than 1 aircraft you should not need them again.
The frugal part of me hears you loud and clear, but given how useful they are and the low cost, I will gladly pay the full amount to the gentleman to reward him for his contributions to the community.I would hate to put the inventor out of business but why can't we have a few sets around for builders to use and pass on to the next builder for the price of shipping? Unless you are building more than 1 aircraft you should not need them again.
Every time I see this thread I wonder, who was Longeron and how did he die?
i would hate to put the inventor out of business but why can't we have a few sets around for builders to use and pass on to the next builder for the price of shipping? Unless you are building more than 1 aircraft you should not need them again.
I think part of what motivates folks to put their genius into motion is the prospect of getting paid for their efforts. Fork out the $35 and thank the man abundantly for making your job easier.
I did my left longeron yesterday and it was quite a challenge --- especially the opening of the angle. I ended up purchasing a 2 lb. hammer and using another angle over the longeron and still have some marks at the vertex.
Which, as the owner of a ruptured vise, I suggest doing!The pipe nipple can be shortened if necessary to reduce the force required on the vise handle.
Joe
Which, as the owner of a ruptured vise, I suggest doing!