I needed some way to seal up the gaps around the Cabane struts where they pass through the cowling. The old seals were a piece of aluminum with a plastic edge. I wanted something older looking like these leather boots on the Bucker Jungmeister.
I made each boot for the front struts from 4 pieces of Goat Skin. I worked out a pattern using paper towel since it bent and formed the closest to the leather. The pattern was drawn on the back of the leather.
The 2 inboard and 2 outboard pieces were sewn together. Then those were sewn together on the aft seam. I wanted to be able to install them without removing the struts, again so I needed a way to wrap it around the strut.
To hold them in place I made an aluminum plate with a split at the front, so it can slip around the strut. The front picks up 2 cowling screws and 2 Tinnerman nuts were added for screws inboard and outboard of the strut.
The leather boot was glued to the top of the aluminum plate, slipped around the strut and under the cowling.
Because everything is symmetric, left and right, the patterns work for both forward struts.
I wasn't sure I wanted the seam in the front but it did make it much easier sewing it closed.
The boot closes the hole nicely and has the look I was after.
The screws hold the plate snug to the cowling so it should be moderately water proof.
For the aft struts I just made a plate with leather glued to it. I couldn't come up with a simple boot design which fit snugly and would stay in place.
It closes the hole for the Monoplane landing wires. I'll need to make some different ones to close all 4 holes when I put the Monoplane wings back on.
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