Author Topic: POW models  (Read 6693 times)

Offline doug23456

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POW models
« on: March 25, 2013, 03:23:16 PM »
Hi, all i went to a WW2 airforce museum years ago and saw some POW model aeroplanes these were made from old English pennies that were bent in half and filed to the shape of an aeroplane and then the wings and tailplanes were bent out to form the model.
I decided to make some of these models using 1.5mm aluminum plate, i found that if you bend the pieces in half and tried to hammer them flat the aluminium would crack so i bent it so far and then finished the bending in a vise.
 I also found out that you have to raise the tailplane by hammering the end of the aluminium when folded over to make the extra height for the tail.
 Its then a matter of cutting and filing the profiles of the wings and tail whilst the Ali is still bent in half and then holding the body in the vise folding out the wings and tailplane.
Finish off by careful filing for the details but be careful not to file away where the metal is folded or you end up with two half aeroplanes.
I have attached a couple of pictures and the coin is only for scale

Online Kim

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Re: POW models
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2013, 03:26:43 PM »
Hi Doug,
That is really cool!  And looks like small fiddly work!
Your plane looks very good!
Kim

Offline doug23456

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Re: POW models
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2013, 03:33:03 PM »
Thanks Kim, yup its a bit hard on the fingers trying to hold them when filing and finishing.
i did try and make them out of old 15mm copper fittings they look fine but there is not enough thickness to put any detail on them.

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: POW models
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2013, 03:35:51 PM »
That is too cool Doug!!  You did a super job on them too. I can imagine it's hard on the fingers but the results are sure worth it. May have to give that a go sometime :)

Bill

Offline doug23456

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Re: POW models
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2013, 04:06:19 PM »
Here are the copper ones and the two ali ones i have left. I did make more ali ones but people wanted them for key fobs

Offline mklotz

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Re: POW models
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2013, 04:13:02 PM »
Fascinating.  Well done.

I would think that it would be very difficult to get one's hands on files in a prison.  I wonder how they managed.

I've seen some other examples of highly ingenious POW passtimes.  Someone really needs to put together a website to document that stuff.
Regards, Marv
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Offline doug23456

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Re: POW models
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2013, 04:23:24 PM »
I would think the filing would be done with stones of various shapes and roughness but there was no detail how they bent the metal. i can only think they used some sort of slot in steel and wedged  in the pennies and hit them with stones.

Offline mklotz

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Re: POW models
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2013, 04:44:23 PM »
I would think the filing would be done with stones of various shapes and roughness but there was no detail how they bent the metal. i can only think they used some sort of slot in steel and wedged  in the pennies and hit them with stones.

It might have been easier to obtain glue or, perhaps, make glue from available stuff.  That then raises the possibility of homemade sandpaper sticks.  As so many jailers have learned, given 24 hours a day to worry a problem, all sorts of creative solutions are possible.
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Offline b.lindsey

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Re: POW models
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2013, 05:05:34 PM »
Just for the heck of it I tried bending a penny in half.  These days they are more like copper clad steel or zinc or something, but it definitely  doesn't want to bend without cracking in half. Even if they can be bent in half with annealing the copper is so thin that the least bit of filing would soon expose the base metal underneath no doubt giving a two tone appearance. Pure copper is a bit pricey so I am thinking aluminum is the way to go!! Think I will just admire yours for the moment :)

Bill
« Last Edit: March 25, 2013, 05:12:10 PM by b.lindsey »

Offline doug23456

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Re: POW models
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2013, 05:18:21 PM »
Hi Bill, the copper alloy in a pre war English penny is quite soft and bends easily, but when i tried it after seeing the examples at the museum i decided that even the old Pennies were too hard to work with and went for soft copper used in plumbing and moved on to Aluminium for more detail.
Doug.

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Re: POW models
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2013, 05:30:53 PM »
By using a magnet on some of the newer UK 'copper' coins, you will soon realise why they are difficult to bend.

Doug,
very nice models indeed and a nice relaxing 'small' hobby.


John

 

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