VICKERS MK6B's resto

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Also curious about the wiring. It looks cloth loomed that has experienced a number of aluminium paint over sprays during it’s lifetime, but is it possible it was a braided wire loom?

Nice to have photos like that to help sort long gone electrical fittings, clips and brackets.

Hi David,
When I was called in to do all the electrical work on Platypus, there were scraps of wiring which were in braided wire sleeving. This sleeving is still available and I have used it on other British WW2 armour restorations. The hull and turret had been blasted and painted, with silver inside. While sitting inside with a lamp, I could see marks visible in the hull and turret where the cabling had run, and been clipped. This was where the metal had weathered over the years but the narrow area under the cable had not. A form of detective work! This helped me lay out the route of the cabling.

I did take a lot of photos, but unfortunately they were in a computer that failed.

regards, Richard

[Russell Boaler]

Great work there Colin.
Looking at the photo in post 1007, and continuing with the signal flag them, it looks like there's a series of rivets down the side and along the bottom of the bracket as well as the remains of what looks like canvas. Could I suggest that there's meant to be a canvas pocket that the flags dropped into to protect the flags from damage or getting dirty and the clips at the top held their wooden handles in place?

[colin jones]

Thanks for your comments Brad!

David, I would love to know what it on that tag and I assume it would still be there somewhere in the US in the Collings foundation Vickers. I certainly have collected a lot of photos over the last couple of years and still find wonderful info every time I go back over them. Sometimes you don't know the information is there until a certain need arises and it has happened many times. Some of the photos that have been sourced by some MLU members has been of paramount importance for accuracy and knowledge.
I don't know the Xmas Rhyme you mentioned but it certainly fits with in my sleeping pattern

Richard, it is a real shame you lost those photos on your computer as I'm sure there would have been a lot of extremely valuable information there. AS far as the braided wiring loom, again, I am very lucky to have a couple of feet of some original braid in the turret basket and I have just ordered some which should be here next week.

Russell, you are spot on. I do have a photo showing a leather bag that is riveted underneath the flag clips. Now that I know that it is for flags, the leather bag underneath makes a whole lot of sense.

I made a pin system for forming the clip bracket for the flags.

[colin jones]

It certainly took longer to make the pins and plate than it did to bend the brackets. I will do a bit more fine adjustment after they are riveted on.

[David Dunlop]

Colin.

Nice work setting up the form to make the clips. Just wondering, however, if the two clip strips you made were a test run? In the photo of the original assembly, it shows a seven lobe run of clips, which would hold six wooden flag handles, with a small half loop tab at either end.

Then again, its in the wee hours here, -30 outside, and my brain might be getting a wee bit frosty.

David

[colin jones]

David, you are quite right. They are only a test run and the material is not the right steel. I will order a strip of high carbon steel 25mm wide then form my shape and send them in for treating. I will get extra as there are other clips I need to make that are the same width.

[Dave Mills]

Hello Colin, great work mate. Watching and learning all the time.

Believe i may have already sent this to you; if so just delete.

Cheers,

Dave.