The conservation of the Kurki fuselage reaching its final leg

The conservation of the fuselage of the I.V.L K.1. Kurki fuselage is soon on final. A lot of work has been done on cleaning the corroded steel part, on refurbishing the landing gear, mending damages of the fuselage surfaces and painting them, repairing the stabilizer and elevators, refurbishing the cockpit and passenger cabin and equipping the engine-mount.

The ski-equipped steel-tube landing gear was taken apart so that the corroded parts could be more easily cleaned. The cleaning was done both using different polishing-grinders as well as using elbow-grease and different grades of abrasives. The cleaned parts were first varnished using clear Isotrol-varnish and then re-varnished using Isotrol that had been tinted black. The landing-gear skies are wooden whit sheet-metal covered bottoms and sides. The sheet-metal parts were given the same treatment as the other metal-parts of the landing-gear whereas the wooden parts were treated with a mixture consisting of 1/3 pit-tar, 1/3 turpentine and 1/3 boiled line-seed oil. The landing –gear is ready to be fitted to the front fuselage.

The damages to the fabric- and plywood surfaces of the fuselage have been repaired and painted. The painting was done using the original painting procedures. The paint was prepared using nitrocellulose varnish into which colour pigments were mixed. For the silver colour of the fuselage aluminium-bronze pigment was used and for the national insignia ultramarine blue pigment was use for the swastika and a mixture of titanium-white and zinc-white pigmentfor the white background roundel. For a good result the painting was repeated a number of times with rub-downs in between.

The decayed wooden tip-parts of the elevators had to be totally re-built and in addition to this some holes elsewhere in the plywood covering had to be repaired. One third of the covering of the upper surface and more than half of that of the lower surface of the left elevator had to be renewed. On the right elevator the complete upper surface covering had to be renewed. On the stabilizer a couple of largish decayed areas of the plywood-surface as well as some minor holes had to be mended. Before putting the new surface plywood parts in place their future inner surfaces were properly varnished. Eri-Keeper Plus adhesive for wood was used to glue the plywood pieces in place in addition to which the repairs were strengthened in the original way by using brass screws and nails.

The areas of the elevators and stabilizer repaired using plywood were first varnished a number of times using clear Le Tonkinois varnish with rub-downs before the application of the next varnish-layer. After this a mixture clear Le Tonkinois varnish mixed with aluminium-bronze pigment in a ratio of 9 parts of aluminium-bronze to 36 parts  of varnish. To finish off the new bright surface and to protect it against moisture, it was given a protective top-layer of clear Le Tonkinois varnish giving it a slightly greenish hue of silver.

Work has also been done on the cockpit. The cockpits plywood surfaces have been cleaned of grit and mould using a solution of denatured alcohol (Sinol) and water. During late summer the control-column and ancillary devices were removed, cleaned and painted using black Isotrol –varnish. The pedals were treated in the same way. The removed and reconditioned parts have now been re-installed. The control wires have been cleaned.

The engine-mounts still lack the end plate for attaching the engine as well as its aluminium side and top cover-plates. Their fabrication is ongoing.