Balsawings

I've done an extensive search for details on how to do the combing around an open cockpit (particularly the stitching) but have had no luck finding any information. I remember seeing something in another topic but it was buried deep within a topic that was several pages long.

I'm sure others have had the same question so I thought it might be helpful if the subject had its own topic.

I'm working on a Gee Bee Model Y that has tandem cockpits and I would like for it to look as authentic as possible. I've had limited luck finding pictures of the plane with the tandem cockpits and none of the original plane. Below is a picture of the replica finished in 1984. It doesn't look to have much of a combing but pictures of the originals sister ship shows a substantial combing, so I'll go with the assumption that NR718Y as originally built by the Granville brothers had the same combing. The only pictures I can find of the original is in the modified racing single cockpit version.

Bob Cox

allanflowers

First of all, I love that GeeBee Y.
Here's how I did the combing (coaming?) on my 1/6th scale CD Scaledesigns Sopwith Pup.
I bought a cheap purse (the perfect color for my photo documentation) at Mervyns and used the vinyl material from it. This was backed with a foam layer to give it shape. Soak the material with alcohol and remove the foam.

The straps have a nice fold that can be cut out and will lay nicely over the wood edge (1/32" plywood with Anigre veneer). This provides a pad to give the combing shape.
Next, material is glued around the edge and worked into shape. Contact cement was used and works well. One may have to snip the material on the inside to help it take the shape.
Lastly, holes are drilled for the stitching to go through. At 1/6th scale, metal grommets were too big. At a larger scale, they may be appropriate (one can use a pencil point to apply metallic paint to simulate grommets).
Stitching starts at one end and then goes back to complete the pattern.

Balsawings

Allen, that's good information and exactly what I had planed. I have an old black purse my mother gave me to use.

The information I still need is the stitching pattern. From the outside of the plane the stitch goes in a hole and then looks to come back out the same hole. I'm sure that's not how it's done (i think) so I'm looking for an info on how to do the stitching.

Bob Cox

abufletcher

There wasn't just one way that all the stitching was done on all aircraft. The Brits in WWI did it one way and the Germans did it another way. The question is how did the Granville brothers do it. The method used by the Brits in WWI was a bit more complicate that just looping the thread in one hole and out the next. It sort of loops back, then loops forward again. BobH did up a nice photo showing the sequence but I can't find it on my hard drive at the moment. But here's a photo of my Sopwith Snipe that used this stitching.

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

Here are pictures to help explain how I did my stitching. There is a term for this type of stitching but I forget what its called lol.

Oh I think it's called Back Stitching.

Balsawings

Thanks abu and Bob. That's what I was looking for. This will be a stand off scale effort and doesn't need to be "correct" as to the original. This plane started life as a1/5 scale ARF and I'm just trying to make it close. I've never flown the plane but I've already stripped the covering and making modifications to the structure to make it more accurate. I plan to scratch build another in 1/4 scale that will be much more accurate. I'm using this one to "get my feet wet" so to speak. I'm using it to test some of my ideas and to practice making scale fittings and such. I'm currently in the research phase for the 1/4 scale.

If I can build the next one to within 1/10th of what you guys build I'll be happy.

Bob Cox

abufletcher

Ah, and one more trick. In Allan's case he used one thin strip of leather under the full coaming to create a padded look. The other way to do this is to slit a length of fuel tubing and slip that over the rim of the cockpit before adding the leather. That's what I did.