VICKERS MK6B's resto

[David Herbert]

Colin,
I had asumed that there were about 40 bolts 'sewing' the ring to the hull as with bigger tanks. That would have been plenty to hold the layers together. In WW2 it was usual for the bolts to be fitted from the top and have slotted, countersunk heads so that they didn't stick up above the ring, nuts on the bottom. Then they started screwing them in from below into tapped holes in the ring. I hope the turret is just free to traverse with just a brake /lock to stop it. If it had geared traverse that is a whole minefield in itself. I will be fascinated to see the detail of how you make the ring as it is quite a challenge to get it spot on.

It might help that in Valentine production they used a device that was suported on a bearing fixed to the tank floor and another above the hull roof but fixed to it. The device was free to rotate on a vertical axis between these bearings which could be adjusted so that the axis was exactly in the centre of the turret ring. There was an electric grinder mounted onto the rotating part that was used to true up the hole that the ring would bolt into. Vickers did have a vertical lathe that would turn a whole tank hull but possibly it was needed for other jobs. This concept might be usefull here ?

David

[colin jones]

Dave, there are not that many bolts holding it down, 16 is what I can find and only 3/8 or possibly 7/16. It does have a geared traverse and you are definitely right another minefield on its own. I have a few ideas for that but cross that bridge in a week or so.

[Lynn Eades]

Thank you Colin on the spring steel.

I will Hijack you thread just a little:
From: The Sands Of Dunkirk by Richard Collier 1961.
Page 265
Facts about DunKirk.
Gort's army brought back:
322 guns (artillery pieces?)
4,739 vehicles
533 motor cycles
32,303 tons of ammo
33,060 tons of stores
1,071 tons of petrol

What was lost /left behind:
2,090.000 british pounds.
416,940 tons of stores,
164,929 tons of petrol,
76,097 tons of ammo,
2,472 field guns,
20,548 motor cycles,
and lastly, 63,879 vehicles.

Over nine days 366,162 men were taken home.
68,111 were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner.
They lost 109 fighters and 177 other aircraft.

The author did years of research for this book (he interviewed 1070 eye witnesses, with details on each) He said that no one man could present truthfully the mammoth nine day exodus that involved countless million men and women.

I find it hard to imagine.

[colin jones]

Hi Lynn, Hijack away
I have made a solid table top for temporary use of keeping my bearing surfaces flat. I have used some 20mm plate I had here so I can use it again when finished. I have a centre and a diameter finder and some instant clamps for keeping it all together while the process is complete and slow cooling. I think I can cut the internal gear on my plasma and that will be a fantastic saving and a quick process.

[Bob Carriere]

....but can't figure out how you are going to fit in the balls.......

This is better than Popular Mechanics magazine.

Bob C

[colin jones]

Hi Bob, I have to weld two rings on top and the top one having a internal gear all round. Then I need to put the whole thing in my milling machine and cut a 3/4" grove the full distance around the top. The photos below show the first one welded and ground off and I had a prelim try at cutting gears on my plasma. I am quite happy with the result but I need to make time on the computer and draw a curved toothed ring for the last top section. There will be a bit of trial and error on that part I think. I am very happy with the result of the ring so far.

[Tim Lovelock]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Thank you Colin on the spring steel.

I will Hijack you thread just a little:
From: The Sands Of Dunkirk by Richard Collier 1961.
Page 265
Facts about DunKirk.
Gort's army brought back:
322 guns (artillery pieces?)
4,739 vehicles
533 motor cycles
32,303 tons of ammo
33,060 tons of stores
1,071 tons of petrol

What was lost /left behind:
2,090.000 british pounds.
416,940 tons of stores,
164,929 tons of petrol,
76,097 tons of ammo,
2,472 field guns,
20,548 motor cycles,
and lastly, 63,879 vehicles.

Over nine days 366,162 men were taken home.
68,111 were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner.
They lost 109 fighters and 177 other aircraft.

The author did years of research for this book (he interviewed 1070 eye witnesses, with details on each) He said that no one man could present truthfully the mammoth nine day exodus that involved countless million men and women.

I find it hard to imagine.

These are the apparent tank losses,
331 VI light tanks
77 Matilda 1's
23 Matilda 2's
184 Cruiser tanks

It's amazing the English could field anything but a cricket team after such horrendous losses.
And what a bonus for the Germans, I'd read once that up to the end of the war, most of their troops were moved either on foot or on horse back.
Cheers Tim

[Lynn Eades]

Colin, I continue to be amazed at your range of skills. Fantastic work. great to see and thank you for the details.

Tim I measured my carrier width = 6 foot 11 inches sand guard outer edge to outer edge.
So if all the vehicles lost at Dunkirk averaged the same width as a carrier, and they were parked side by side, then, with a 1 inch gap (that's allowing 7 feet per vehicle) they would form an unbroken line 84.688 miles, or 135.5 kilometers long.

I hope I've done that right.