Aluminum instrument panel finish?

I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?

In Richard Riley wrote:
I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?

I think I would rather have a matte finish on mine, but ya gotta admit
that Pat Fagan's engine turned panel is a thing of beauty:

http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepPatFaganBH.html

----------------------------------------------------
Del Rawlins-
Remove _kills_spammers_ to reply via email.
Unofficial Bearhawk FAQ website:
http://www.rawlinsbrothers.org/bhfaq/

On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 21:52:15 -0800, Richard Riley
wrote:

I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?

Time to get the budget under control, Richard. Rust-o-Leum.

Ron "It *is* a Fly Baby, ain't it?" Wanttaja

Here's my experience with Anodizing. I liked it a lot.
http://www.eaa292.org/noon_patrol/dec_00/p1010006.jpg

Richard Riley wrote:

I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?

--
John Kimmel


I think it will be quiet around here now. So long.

Well, mine started out as just a plain piece of 0.125 aluminum and I used a
fly cutter to cut out the instrument holes and I went to Menards (Home
Depot-like place) and bought countertop laminate to put over it. Drilled
through a few instrument mounting screw holes and used machine screws and
nuts to keep it in place and used a laminate cutting bit in my dremel to
"rout" out the instrument holes. Worked really nice. Do not glue the
laminate to the aluminum, just use the instrument and panel mounting holes
to keep the laminate in place. I have an open cockpit plane, so laminate is
good incase it rains while I'm at a fly in.


--
Scott
http://corbenflyer.tripod.com/
Building RV-4
Gotta Fly or Gonna Die

"Richard Riley" wrote in message
...
I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?

On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 21:52:15 -0800, Richard Riley
wrote:

I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?

it all depends on whether you are building a hangar queen or an
aircraft to fly.

a matte surface in a medium dark green works pretty well.

if you go with polished or a gloss surface try not to fly in bright
sun or with the sun behind you. one will have you looking at high
quality reflections of your shirt and the other might just blind you.

btw crinkle finish black is a traditional crappy looking option :-)

Stealth Pilot
oz.

On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 21:52:15 -0800, Richard Riley
wrote:

I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?

A flat finish is helpful for reducing glare on an instrument panel, so
I definitely would not go with polished.

-Nathan

3 inches thick down to 0.120 ??!!!
How long did it take to machine?
Can you post a link to a photo?

thanks


Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

"Richard Riley" wrote in message
...
I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?

Alodine it and then put up a frilly little placard that says 24K. It would
be reminiscent of you.

Richard Riley wrote ...
I've just finished machining my instrument panel. It is (I say with
no small pride) nice. Milled out of 2024T3 3" thick, reduced to .120
with .120 webs between each instrument and around the perimeter.

Now the question is: how should it be finished? Polished? Engine
turned? Anodized? Clear powder coat?



After that much effort, why finish it off with the same methods used
by every other aircraft on the line? You should go for something
unique. Something that really sets your plane apart. Something that
says "I just gotta be me!":

http://panel.notlong.com

Daniel