Avro Manchester Bomber Instrument Panel 1:1

[alzictorini]

To complete this switch, a simple bit of paint:

 

 

 

Another one bites the dust

 

 

[alzictorini]

BMs

 

Next on the list is a stop watch holder. There were 2 types but the one used on the Manchester in the pilots notes is the rubber type which would look like this:

 

 

And with a stopwatch in place:

 

 

For me I would look at 3D printing an item in 2 halves and place a real stopwatch in it (for eternity)!!

 

The design looked like this and was based on a smiths stopwatch very similar to a real air ministry watch:

 

 

 

The design only took one print (fitting the stopwatch perfectly). There is a base which I will screw to the panel, ill then place in the stopwatch and glue in the top part of the mount. I've painted it matt black so it looks like rubber:

 

 

Looks the part in place:

 

 

Enjoy - Morse tapper next

Edited December 30, 2022 by alzictorini

[k5054nz]

1 hour ago, alzictorini said:

Enjoy

I always do!

[alzictorini]

Morning BM's

 

Hope you are ready for the New Year??

 

Yesterday I went to see Mr John Lathwell from the Stirling Aircraft Project who loaned me 2 morse switch identifier keys (used to send out morse from the upper and lower lights on the Manchester).

 

Here is one of them:

 

 

The other I stripped down (cleaned up) and turned into a plug for a mould:

 

 

The plug was set to cure over night and this morning, I tried my first mould pour:

 

 

Outstand, just needs some paint:

 

 

Catch you all next year

 

 

 

 

 

[Cees Broere]

Amazing, again..

[12jaguar]

Fantastic work there Carl. The original has cleaned up well too

 

John

[Sergeant]

10 hours ago, alzictorini said:

Morning BM's

 

Hope you are ready for the New Year??

 

Yesterday I went to see Mr John Lathwell from the Stirling Aircraft Project who loaned me 2 morse switch identifier keys (used to send out morse from the upper and lower lights on the Manchester).

 

Here is one of them:

 

 

The other I stripped down (cleaned up) and turned into a plug for a mould:

 

 

The plug was set to cure over night and this morning, I tried my first mould pour:

 

 

Outstand, just needs some paint:

 

 

Catch you all next year

 

 

 

 

 

I am amazed at the features you are able to mould in silicon, features that are at right-angles to each other, the result is just perfect.

 

Harold

Edited December 31, 2022 by Sergeant

[TheBaron]

Outstanding replication, just outstanding Al.

[Sergeant]

Al @alzictorini I tried to find out online how this device works and the only thing I could find is something called an RAF Bathtub Morse Key. The device below looks like a Morse key and switch combination that can be used to send Morse code with lights and since it has a Steady setting that would presumably be used in the event of a downed aircraft or maybe in fog. Could you explain its function?

 

Harold

 

[alzictorini]

Evening guys and a happy new year to you all

 

Thanks for the comments above guys, much appreciated.

 

Harold, the morse key was used to operate the signal lights on the aircraft allowing the aircraft to communicate with other aircraft or people on the ground. Do you remember the movie "The Longest Day", when the guys look up from the invasion ships they see a bomber fleet fly overhead and the lead signals the down lights with a code (so they dont get shot at). This is the sort of key that would have operated those lights.

 

If you watch this youtube video about 12 mins in you will see a description of how the 2 morse light keys are used:

 

 

This is also an extract from the pilots notes for a Manchester Bomber:

 

 

 

Enjoy

Edited January 1 by alzictorini

[alzictorini]

Evening BM's

 

This afternoon I sprayed both of my resin morse key casts satin black to match the colour of the original I have copied.

 

The writing on the original is white wax and to achieve this I simply filled in the indented letters with a chino-graph wax pencil:

 

 

The original morse key is the centre item (highest):

 

 

Just need to manufacture the key taper. door lock and the spring tensioner.

 

Enjoy 

Edited January 1 by alzictorini

[k5054nz]

If you hadn't said which was the real thing I'd have a damn hard time guessing! Amazing work!

[Sergeant]

4 hours ago, k5054nz said:

If you hadn't said which was the real thing I'd have a damn hard time guessing! Amazing work!

I agree with Zac I could not tell the difference until I saw a screw head on the side of the unit in the middle. I watched the video and the movie The Longest Day this afternoon. I must have seen the movie at some time in the past, because as soon as I saw the aircraft in the night sky, I remembered the scene you mentioned as the Allies flew over the fleet of ships off the Normandy coast. At the time I would not have understood what the lights flashing meant.

 

Harold

 

Edited January 2 by Sergeant

[alzictorini]

Thanks Zac

 

ha ha, Harold that’s it, the very scene.

[alzictorini]

Evening BM's

 

Quick update, Ive just completed the last parts to the morse tapers, these being the tensioners on the left and the taper on the right (bit of a pain to cast but done):

 

 

John from the Stirling group also loaned me a 3 way switch and the container jettison switch (I made one previously but this is the real thing). Over the last week I cast them and made a few resin copies. They are not painted simply set with black die in the resin. The switches on the 3 way switch are painted chrome silver and the words on the container switch are white waxed over:

 

 

 

 

Next on the list is the square suction gauge 6A/757

 

Enjoy

 

[alzictorini]

Suction gauge 6A/757

 

I made moulds for this item some years ago so a quick dust off and the resin parts were made within an our:

 

 

I was short on graphics so I printed a batch off for a number of gauges and a few for the Suct gauge:

 

 

Just checked on my glow in the dark paint for the numbers and its dried up!! Amazon order in and arriving tomorrow. Should have this item finished tomorrow:

 

Laters

[Kilroy1988]

Splendid stuff, too many words and thoughts to really put down... So I'll leave it at that. Cheers!

 

-Gregory

[Sergeant]

10 hours ago, alzictorini said:

Evening BM's

 

Quick update, Ive just completed the last parts to the morse tapers, these being the tensioners on the left and the taper on the right (bit of a pain to cast but done):

 

 

John from the Stirling group also loaned me a 3 way switch and the container jettison switch (I made one previously but this is the real thing). Over the last week I cast them and made a few resin copies. They are not painted simply set with black die in the resin. The switches on the 3 way switch are painted chrome silver and the words on the container switch are white waxed over:

 

 

 

 

Next on the list is the square suction gauge 6A/757

 

Enjoy

 

 

10 hours ago, alzictorini said:

Suction gauge 6A/757

 

I made moulds for this item some years ago so a quick dust off and the resin parts were made within an our:

 

 

I was short on graphics so I printed a batch off for a number of gauges and a few for the Suct gauge:

 

 

Just checked on my glow in the dark paint for the numbers and its dried up!! Amazon order in and arriving tomorrow. Should have this item finished tomorrow:

 

Laters

Good evening, Carl. As usual your craftsmanship is so good, I am struggling to find clues to distinguish your cast part from the real thing. I am impressed that you can get such fine lines on your inkjet printer, the graphics look perfect.

 

Harold

Edited January 14 by Sergeant

[12jaguar]

Awesome work again Carl, glad we could help

[Bozothenutter]

Great thread, so much to be learned!

[Pete in Lincs]

Al, we did a delivery to the Dambusters pub in Scampton yesterday. Do you know that there is a Lancaster IP in there? I know a few of the gauges aren't from a Lanc, but I wonder if others would be of use to you? Your latest bits of kit look great as always. Keep them coming. 

[alzictorini]

 

Morning guys and as always thanks for the encouragement.

 

Harold, these types of square gauges are all the same size:

 

 

They are 62mm x32mm, that’s 2.44 inches or 2 7/16 by 1.25 or 1 17/64. My printer is a HP smart tank 555, boy does it hold some ink, I just don’t seem to be using it (now there is a first)!

 

 

Pete – I know the pub, ive not been there for many years. We’ll have to sort a pint in there one evening soon to take a look at their panel.

 

Just waiting for the dayglo paint to arrive!! I think I have only 2 more parts to complete before panel cut out and final assemble - wooohoo

[Brandy]

Gorgeous work here. If it's almost impossible to tell the original from the replica then you must be doing something right!

I also learnt something about morse light signalling!

 

Isn

[12jaguar]

Nice to have those rectangular gauges replicated without all of the radiation hazard associated with many of the real ones. Thankfully we have non-luminous ones on our FE panel

Edited January 14 by 12jaguar

[alzictorini]

Evening BM’s

 

The dayglo paint arrived, mint

Whilst I was waiting for the paint, I cracked on with the Bomb Jettison handle (another jettison handle – I know). I found a few pics on-line and this is all the handle looks like:

 

 

The one above is a straight pull but ours comes out of the panel at 45 degrees and faces the pilot.

Again, I designed what I saw in fusion and began to print. This took about 1,5 hours to print so I did not make a cast, here are the first few items of the bed:

 

 

A quick test fit showed it all came together perfectly. Just a sand down clean up and paint:

 

 

Whilst the aluminium paint was drying on the Handle I stuck on my graphic to the Suction gauge and painted the dayglo onto the numbers requiring it:

 

 

Both items painted and complete:

 

 

As 12jaguar mentioned, mine glow the same as the real items did but with zero radiation issues:

 

 

Enjoy