Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Kim Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:52 pm

I'd posted this on the other .049 forum, and don't know if was helpful to anyone, but figured I'd give it a shot here also. Mobil and B.P. produce a turbine oil for jet engines that is still sold in steel cans. The steel is soft, and mailable, and a couple of cans will provide a life-time supply of wheel straps, and wheel fairing brackets, and is great for reinforcing wing trailing edges against rubber bands.

If you find yourself near an airport that serves jet traffic, you can check in at the "FBO" (Fixed Base Operation), tell them that you're a model builder, and would like to ask one of the linemen if they have some turbine oil cans in their trash. You might even score a half can of oil, since many pilots will use only what it takes to get the oil level to it's mark, and chuck the rest. I've seen it suggested as an after-run oil, but haven't tried it.

The other deal may not surprise anybody, but I had an "Aha!" moment last year and stopped by a local cabinet maker to ask if I might take some of their hardwood scraps. I was directed to a large bin, and told to take what I needed. It was filled with short lengths of maple and oak and even some strips of walnut! The guys said to help myself, since they
only used it as kindling in their wood furnaces! Well, if I DON"T have a lifetime supply of engine mounts, I got something close to it!

That's it...sorry if I'm too obvious with some things...I'm apparently still easy to amaze.

GermanBeez Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:47 am

about the hardwood-
why don't you buy some old school building blocks? they are usually made out of common beech,
and they are ROCKS. i remember that someone threw a block at another kids head one day, and he
had a huge bump on his head the next day. if you've seen my video, then you might have noticed that i use
building blocks myself just because they pretty much fit the engine already, and i just have to drill the mounting holes.

Cz10 Thu Sep 22, 2011 9:27 am

Not all of us are using engines with radial mounts, or for that matter, only 1/2A.

Good tip, Kim, and the price is right. I'll have to check with the guy doing the cabinets for my house. I have some large (5/4" x 12" x 96"+) birdseye maple planks in the wood shop, but I didn't want to cut into them for such small pieces.

Gone are the days when we could walk into the LHS and buy a piece of motor mount stock. Even the shop I go to in Sacramento with the huge supply of building material doesn't have it.

Cz10 Thu Sep 22, 2011 9:35 am

BTW, I noticed on the fuel mixing sheets

https://servimg.com/view/16875540/2

A reference to Klotz KL-201 being Dow Lube XA-1180-6 and wondered if that might be some form of a turbine lube?

GermanBeez Thu Sep 22, 2011 9:39 am

Cz10 wrote:Not all of us are using engines with radial mounts, or for that matter, only 1/2A.

Good tip, Kim, and the price is right. I'll have to check with the guy doing the cabinets for my house. I have some large (5/4" x 12" x 96"+) birdseye maple planks in the wood shop, but I didn't want to cut into them for such small pieces.

Gone are the days when we could walk into the LHS and buy a piece of motor mount stock. Even the shop I go to in Sacramento with the huge supply of building material doesn't have it.

aww, don't use the nice birdseye on something like a motor mount....its such a beautiful material, it doesn't deserve
to be soaked in engine schmutz. maybe you could use it to make a nice tail fin out of a thin sheet.
what i just don't undertstand is why you would want to go to the air port to get something as simple as a tin can...
c
why not use a regular empty can of beans, for example?

Cz10 Thu Sep 22, 2011 9:59 am

Well, Kim works at one and my office (until I "retire" soon to become a gentleman farmer) is right under the approach and about 2 miles from the threshold of Oakland's North Field, one of the busiest general aviation fields around. I know the guy who runs Kaiser Air there - a big FBO with tons of biz jet business. Drive right by there on the way to the bank, UPS & FedEx.

No worries. I do need to fabricate a couple of cutting boards to go into the concrete countertops in the new house. There will be scraps. I have a good amount of oak and cherry plus just a couple of maple planks, that I got from the guy that I purchased most my shop tools from.

Kim Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:38 pm

GermanBeez wrote:about the hardwood-
why don't you buy some old school building blocks? they are usually made out of common beech,
and they are ROCKS. i remember that someone threw a block at another kids head one day, and he
had a huge bump on his head the next day. if you've seen my video, then you might have noticed that i use
building blocks myself just because they pretty much fit the engine already, and i just have to drill the mounting holes.

Well, at this point, I got enough free hardwood for engine mounts to take care of me out past the nursing home! I figured everyone else had long-since known about this source (at least those who use hardwood for engine mounts anyway) and I was just playing catch-up, but decided to bring it up just in case there were others who it might benefit.

Kim Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:43 pm

Cz10 wrote:BTW, I noticed on the fuel mixing sheets

https://servimg.com/view/16875540/2

A reference to Klotz KL-201 being Dow Lube XA-1180-6 and wondered if that might be some form of a turbine lube?

Don't know...but the brand names are B.P. Turbo Oil 2380 and Mobil Jet II. Someone had mentioned them on another forum as possibly having value as after-run oil...but I've not yet tried them. Wasn't sure if the stuff would mess up the gaskets.

Kim Thu Sep 22, 2011 4:05 pm

"why not use a regular empty can of beans, for example?"

The big difference between these oil cans and bean cans is both the metal, which is softer, and the fact that the sides are perfectly smooth. Most food product cans are made of much harder metal, and have ridges pressed into them to give the can some strength to be stack-able.

These cans are made from smooth sheet metal that can be cut with scissors, and shaped. The inside has a shiny, brushed finish. The cans are 5 1/2" tall and 1' in circumference, so you can end up with a nice piece of sheet stock to use for whatever you dream up.

It not something everyone would care to use, but I do tend to have a lot of them around, and by nature, just try to find a practical application for a few, rather than send all of them to a landfill.

GermanBeez Fri Sep 23, 2011 8:22 am

ah, i see what you mean. also, the inside of a food can is usually coated with some sort of plastic.
but you can get 'em smooth, if you want to take the time to beat the darn thing wiht a hammer all day long Smile

but i bet that a car repair shop is also a great source for these cans.

Sponsored content

Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts

Re: Sources for Soft-Steel Sheet Metal and Hardwood Engine Mounts