The Elusive (and Extinct) Amal Panel Fasteners.

[abaddon1]

Just to show what a pain in the ass this restoration caper can be...
After years of fruitless searching for Amal panel fasteners which hold most of the external panels to the Typhoon airframe, we have established that they are now extinct... the last time we heard of anyone managing to acquire any was a report that Kermit had found someone in Russia who could remanufacture them, but this was not confirmed.
Amal now exclusively deal with motorcycle carburettors and spares... so we decided to let our machining wizard Martin loose and see what he came up with.
Firstly, he designed the tooling to actually manage to produce the fasteners. Some of these are visible centre left of the photo. The he set to work with the lathe and the milling machine.
The ongoing production line of re-engineered fasteners is visible in the photo showing the two lengths of Amal fasteners required.

 

[Snautzer01]

Tell us more please

 

[abaddon1]

Tell us more please

The requirement for our old lady is as follows:

Amal Fasteners required for half-skinned airframe to show interior structure on one side for museum visitors.
10. required for Side panel
6. required for Forward Lower Panel
9. required for Upper forward Panel
14. required for Engine cowling panel
16. required for Radiator cowling
18. required for Belly panels

Making a total of 73.

It is possible that we might produce to order when we have completed our requirement.
With material and replication costs; each fastener is likely to be similar to the cost of a
a similar genuine Fairey Fastener as used on Spitfires and Hurricanes.

 

[SaparotRob]

Just to show what a pain in the ass this restoration caper can be...
After years of fruitless searching for Amal panel fasteners which hold most of the external panels to the Typhoon airframe, we have established that they are now extinct... the last time we heard of anyone managing to acquire any was a report that Kermit had found someone in Russia who could remanufacture them, but this was not confirmed.
Amal now exclusively deal with motorcycle carburettors and spares... so we decided to let our machining wizard Martin loose and see what he came up with.
Firstly, he designed the tooling to actually manage to produce the fasteners. Some of these are visible centre left of the photo. The he set to work with the lathe and the milling machine.
The ongoing production line of re-engineered fasteners is visible in the photo showing the two lengths of Amal fasteners required.

View attachment 607789

My cousin has a wire business with a small shop. He sometimes has to fabricate parts for his cutting and stripping machines. I really appreciate the art of machining parts for WW 2 era equipment.

 

[cvairwerks]

Probably a big enough run to do the programming to run the parts on a Swiss lathe. Once the programming is done and tooling on it, nothing to turn a couple sections of bar stock into fastener pieces.

 

[Crimea_River]

Just to show what a pain in the ass this restoration caper can be...
After years of fruitless searching for Amal panel fasteners which hold most of the external panels to the Typhoon airframe, we have established that they are now extinct... the last time we heard of anyone managing to acquire any was a report that Kermit had found someone in Russia who could remanufacture them, but this was not confirmed.
Amal now exclusively deal with motorcycle carburettors and spares... so we decided to let our machining wizard Martin loose and see what he came up with.
Firstly, he designed the tooling to actually manage to produce the fasteners. Some of these are visible centre left of the photo. The he set to work with the lathe and the milling machine.
The ongoing production line of re-engineered fasteners is visible in the photo showing the two lengths of Amal fasteners required.

We ran into the same situation on our Canadian Hurricane. Each missing fastener was made by hand by Historic Aviation Services in Wetaskiwin Alberta.

Photos by Richard de Boer.

 

[vikingBerserker]

That really is amazing and cool. Shame a 3D printer cannot be used yet.

 

[tommayer]

Just to show what a pain in the ass this restoration caper can be...
After years of fruitless searching for Amal panel fasteners which hold most of the external panels to the Typhoon airframe, we have established that they are now extinct... the last time we heard of anyone managing to acquire any was a report that Kermit had found someone in Russia who could remanufacture them, but this was not confirmed.
Amal now exclusively deal with motorcycle carburettors and spares... so we decided to let our machining wizard Martin loose and see what he came up with.
Firstly, he designed the tooling to actually manage to produce the fasteners. Some of these are visible centre left of the photo. The he set to work with the lathe and the milling machine.
The ongoing production line of re-engineered fasteners is visible in the photo showing the two lengths of Amal fasteners required.

View attachment 607789

You guys do great work.

Just to show what a pain in the ass this restoration caper can be...
After years of fruitless searching for Amal panel fasteners which hold most of the external panels to the Typhoon airframe, we have established that they are now extinct... the last time we heard of anyone managing to acquire any was a report that Kermit had found someone in Russia who could remanufacture them, but this was not confirmed.
Amal now exclusively deal with motorcycle carburettors and spares... so we decided to let our machining wizard Martin loose and see what he came up with.
Firstly, he designed the tooling to actually manage to produce the fasteners. Some of these are visible centre left of the photo. The he set to work with the lathe and the milling machine.
The ongoing production line of re-engineered fasteners is visible in the photo showing the two lengths of Amal fasteners required.

View attachment 607789

Were these things any better than Dzuses, or just different?

 

[MikeMeech]

Hi
Although an old post there was an unanswered question in the last post. From my old RAF training notes of the early 1970s are illustrations of the various fasteners that might be found (the illustrations at the bottom of the second page is a useful comparison):

So probably just "different", the cost or available supply of each might come into their use during WW2.

Mike

 

[Wurger]

 

[vikingBerserker]

Thanks, great info!