25 Pounder info needed.

[Private_collector]

All the brackets and fittings made so far, have now been painted in their final color.
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Spare parts box carrier frame is on hold until I receive a replacement part for my MIG welder, which went west during work on the frame.
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Instead of working on the box frame, I bit the bullet and set to work doing the rectangular slots for upper shield securing latches. This small, and as it turned out, simple job is something I had fears of messing up badly. Fortunately I only messed it up slightly! Next will be the securing arms for both positions (up & down, obviously). I'm keen to finish shield entirely. Getting the paint on and being able to stand back and see it finally completed will be a huge step for me.

No further work will be done over Easter. Bryce has come home until Monday, so he will be our focus of attention. Every time we see him, he is bigger in stature and musculature.

P.S: I have ordered a number of 1" wide, by 3.5mm thick, tan leather straps for telescope case brackets and other places. They should arrive within the next 2 weeks. Hopefully they will be here before we leave for Albury in mid April. As last year, we will be having ANZAC Day with our Son. The spectacle that was turned on for the ANZAC centenary last year, has set the benchmark in my mind, so this year will show me what a 'normal' ANZAC Day down there looks like.

[Private_collector]

After a brief sabbatical, work resumes on the quarter pounder.
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Sunday I made my version of the upper shield locking devices. Sliding bolt latches from eBay, and the other components I made on the day. What a cow of a job. I can still hear the grinder echoing in my head. The securing arms are made of angle iron. Being 1" for securing shield up, and 2" securing shield down.
Doing the holes for the latches to slide through, was the most tedious part. Drill a hole somewhat smaller than actually needed, then file like hell until the hole is in the precise location desired. I was nervous about the holes missing alignment, so checking, filing, checking, filing, was the order of the day. I discovered if the securing arms were fabricated without drilling any hole, then installed and tightened into place, I was able to locate the latch bolt hole location easily by applying a dab of paint to the end of the bolt......and just sliding it into the arm until the paint was fully transferred. All I needed to do then was centre punch accurately and drill a bees undersize. Too easy.
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The shield panels align fairly well, though the bolt latches are only finger tight when I took the above photo. When fully tightened, nothing moves anywhere, thankfully, and a dead straight line can be achieved if I put a very thin metal shim under the right-hand latch bolt base. Left side (seen in photo) is OK as is.

[Private_collector]

Having finished the latching mechanisms, I turned to the spare parts box holder.
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Yep, as expected, I made a bollocks of the job. My welding is very inferior. Its something I just don't seem steady enough to do well, and it's only MIG work. Arc welding is completely out of the question for me. Anyhoo, the box frame has about 3lbs of weld on it, so what I lack in ability, I have sort of made up for in quantity. I'll probably never find the correct box, so the frame will probably not be put to the test. Unless, that is, I can talk one of the local wood workers into cutting down a larger box, to fit.

My most immediate problem is, WHERE THE HELL DID I PUT MY BAG OF FOOTMAN LOOPS? I have about six of the things remaining, but don't know where the damn things are. Searched almost everywhere for them, without success. I say almost everywhere, because if I had looked 'everywhere' I would have found them, obviously! I will need 4 of those for the box carrier frame.

Haven't received the leather straps I ordered from UK yet, but they can't be far away...I hope.
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The above photos are the pop rivets that will fasten the straps to their brackets. Nice large surface of the rivet heads should prevent straps from pulling away or moving around.

This Saturday I will buy a fresh bag of the slot headed bolts I used so heavily on securing the shield brackets etc. I plan to while away an hour or so sandblasting the heads, then fill the slots completely with body filler, and sand smooth Once painted, they will be a fairly reasonable copy for rivets. Good enough for my project anyway.

We're off to Bandiana for ANZAC Day in a couple of weeks, so if I haven't finished the bolt head filling by then, I'll finish when I get back. We have secured a visit to the museum on Tues 26th, and I'm looking forward to getting many more reference photos than I took last time. I was in tourist mode then.

Oh, nearly forgot. I resigned from my job last week. The last two of my required 4 weeks notice will be pre-booked and approved annual leave. Entirely coincidental that.

[Euan McDonald]

Private - collector, is this the spares box your after? The smaller spares box that locates on the shield.
Box is for sale!

[Private_collector]

G'Day Euan,

Thats the one I'm chasing! Well, one of the two.
How much do you want for it?!?!

Tony

[Private_collector]

In the interest of, well, interest, I will post some photos of parts I have made or purchased for the gun. I'm quite sure you can tell which are made VS the real thing. If it looks dodgy, I made it! The photos will run over 4 posts.

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[Private_collector]

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The lever on the breech will be cut down by 1/2 and a handle added at right angle.
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